“You have no right to say we don’t deserve to be parents.”
He was right. No one knew that Bethan was Neil and Nellie’s birth mother. To everyone else, she was just an adoptive mother who had kidnapped someone else’s children. What right did she have to criticize the children’s birth parents?
Bethan’s expression darkened, and the blood drained from her face.
Brettley could not help but frown when he saw the disappointment and sorrow on Bethan’s face. He sighed and said, “I know you’re just worried about them, so I’ll let you off the hook for today. However, there won’t be a next time.”
Bethan closed her eyes and nodded bitterly.
Seeing how upset she was, Brettley did not feel like continuing the conversation any further. Instead, he balled up his fist and coughed somewhat awkwardly into it. “I’ve looked over the materials you prepared this morning. Although you weren’t feeling well, your work was structured and well-organized.
You’re an outstanding worker. As your boss, I hope that you’ll be able to focus most of your energy on your work for the time being.”
He lifted his head to glance at Bethan. “Neil and Nellie will be staying at Blue Bay Villa for the time being. If you miss them, you can come over to visit.”
Bethan’s entire body stiffened. She bit down on her lip and was about to say something but ultimately decided against it. Instead, she gave him a bitter smile. “Alright.”
There was nothing she could do about it since Brettley had made up his mind.
Even if she continued to argue with him, he still had the last word because he thought he and Alice were Neil and Nellie’s birth parents.
Brettley never expected that Bethan would agree without hesitation. He remained silent for a moment, then stood up. “I’ve postponed your meeting today to tomorrow. Get some sleep today. I don’t want to see you faint again in the future.”
With that, he turned and left, slamming the door behind him.
Bethan sat on the sofa as she gazed at the closed door, but her mind was millions of miles away.
When he came out of Swan Lake Residences, Brettley did not go home first thing. Instead, he asked Lucas to arrange a dinner with Adrian at the most high -end restaurant in Banyan City.
“I never thought you’d invite me out for dinner.”
When Brettley and Adrian finally met up in one of the restaurant’s private booths, Adrian seemed to be in a good mood. He picked up the wine glass and took a small sip. “You’re finally starting to act like how a son should.”
Brettley let out a chuckle. “Don’t patronize me.”
He tossed the photos of the bodyguards onto the table and said, “If I remember correctly, you asked me if I could assign some of my men over to you, claiming that you wanted them to help you take care of some stuff.”
“Do you have any idea what they’ve been doing abroad?”
Adrian frowned and picked up the photos from the table. He recognized the men in the pictures–they were the bodyguards that he had asked Brettley for. However…
“I’m not sure.”
Adrian put the photos down. “
According to my understanding, since you’ve assigned these men over to me, I should have the final say over what I do with them.”
He shifted into a more comfortable position, leaned back against his seat, and stared at Brettley coldly. “My friend needed some help, so I sent your men to help him. What’s the problem with that?”
Brettley poured himself a glass of wine and gently swirled the glass. There was an air of aloofness and pomposity about him. “Which friend of yours?
Dennis Walter?”
Adrian glowered at him but did not respond.
“It appears my guess is right. “
Brettley sneered. “Let me ask you this, Master Morrison. Do you know why Dennis needed these men?”
Adrian paused and lifted his head to stare at Brettley.
Brettley gracefully tipped the wine glass over and took a small sip. “He sent them to protect Cynthal.”
Adrian furrowed his brows. Although he did not understand why Dennis wanted to guard Cynthal, he still snickered. “Isn’t Cynthal your ex-fiancée? What’s wrong with him protecting her, then?”
“Master Morrison, you have no idea what’s been happening in your family, have you? If you had tried harder, you probably would’ve found out the reason why Cynthal was sent abroad and forbidden from returning. “
Brettley set down the wine glass with a clink. He continued with a stony expression, “Dad, you claim to love and care about Neil and Nellie very much, but do you know that Cynthal almost killed them in the past?”
Adrian’s expression fell as soon as he heard that. He genuinely had no idea any of that happened.
“Then… “
Adrian shot Brettley a confused look. “Why did Mr. Walter send my men over to protect her?”
“Maybe Cynthal has connections with the Walters, or maybe it was the Walters who had ordered Cynthal to kill my children.”
Brettley chuckled and put down the wine glass. “Do you truly have no knowledge of any of this, Dad?”
Adrian’s expression darkened. He had spent the last few years traveling, never staying long in any particular place or country. As for Dennis, Adrian had been friends with him for a long time, ever since they were young, but they were not as close as they used to be anymore. Therefore, he had no idea what Dennis had been up to lately.
“My assumptions were right, “
Brettley sneered. “
Cynthal almost killed me and Bethan Peterson’s children, and now, it appears she has connections with the Walters. Dennis even borrowed some of my men to protect and guard Cynthal in secret.”
Adrian’s face was ashen at the explanation.
Brettley raised his glass and gently clinked it against Adrian’s. “Well, since you have zero idea what’s been happening, then I don’t think you should get involved in the feud between the Walters and me anymore. Don’t try to make things difficult for Bethan on behalf of the Walters anymore. She’s the one who raised Neil and Nellie as her own. As for you, you’re just their grandfather, but aside from that, you don’t care about them at all.”
Brettley tipped his glass over and drained its contents. Then, he set it down on the table and stood up. “
That’s all I have to say to you. Please enjoy your meal, Master Morrison.”
Adrian chewed on his lip as he watched Brettley leave. “The whole point of this conversation is for you to vent your anger toward me because I slapped Bethan last night, isn’t it?”
He scoffed and added, “Have you fallen for Bethan?
Brettley stopped in his tracks and chided, “Just because I’m sticking up for Bethan, you think I’ve fallen for her?”
He curled his lips into a contemptuous smirk and added, “How about you, Dad? You’re very protective of Hailey as well. Does that mean you’re in love with her?”
Adrian grew furious the moment he heard Brettley’s words. He slammed his fists against the table and roared, “How dare you even say that, Brettley? I’ve been friends with Dennis for such a long time now. Hailey is like a daughter to me! Besides, she’s dead now–how dare you even say such disrespectful things?”
Brettley chuckled. “No one is certain whether she’s truly dead or not, but…”
He turned around and glanced at Adrian. “I learned this from you, Dad.”
Adrian was so enraged that he began struggling to breathe. “You b*stard! How dare you even talk to your father like this?”
“If I’m a b*stard, what are you, Master Morrison?” snapped Brettley before he turned and left the room, slamming the door behind him.
Adrian flipped the table over in a fury, not caring that he had spilled the food.
Swan Lake Residences.
Bethan sat on the sofa as she drew some sketches on her easel while listening to her three children chatter through her earpiece.
“The food that Lily cooked for us tonight was delicious ! Although her cooking isn’t as good as Mommy’s, it wasn’t bad at all ! ” chirped Nellie in a childish voice as if giving Bethan a brief recap of her day. “Much better than what Alice made.”
Neil snickered. “I think even I ‘in better at cooking than Alice is. “
Then, suddenly, he seemed to recall something and added, “Nigel, do you know that Lily taught me how to cook a few new dishes? I ’11 make them for you as soon as you get better.”
As soon as Neil said this, Bethan heard Nigel’s chuckle ring out from the other end. “Why do you have to wait until I get better?”
Neil giggled. “I’m scared my cooking might make your condition get worse.”
Bethan let out an exasperated sigh. “Are you trying to tell us you’re good at cooking, or are you bad at it? “
Neil contemplated for a moment before he finally replied, “I guess I’m a pretty good cook, but you might get an upset stomach after eating my food.”
Bethan was speechless. She shook her head feebly and shifted into a more comfortable position before she resumed her sketches. “It’s already 9 at night now, and you guys should sleep soon. I’m not going to be by your side anymore, so in the future, you and Nellie have to take care of each other and sleep early every night.”
Everyone fell silent at her words. Then, after a long pause, Neil sighed and asked, sounding upset, “
Mommy, did you really promise Brettley that you won’t come find us anymore?”
Bethan nodded. “Yes, but I promised him the same thing in the past, didn’t I? Don’t worry, everything will be fine.”
“Everything is different now! ” huffed Nellie. “A nasty woman is going to be taking care of us now!”
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.