Julia has gone too far with what she said! I may not know the details as to what happened back then, but thatâs my mom sheâs talking about! With that in mind, I cranked up the hostility in my tone and said coldly, âYou shouldnât talk about my mom like that, Mrs. Lane.â
âBut I am simply speaking the truth. Why do you think I canât accept you being Isabelleâs daughter? Your mother deliberately seduced Darius after finding out that heâs my son; she practically had him wrapped around her finger. She was even going to use him against us! Had I not realized that in time, the Lane family wouldnât even exist today! She has always been trying to seek revenge for the Andersons. Does she really think I donât know that just because she keeps it to herself?â
âThatâs impossible!â I rebuked her immediately. My mom would never do something like this! Sheâs always been kind and gentle! Sheâs an angel that has descended from heaven. Thereâs no way she would manipulate a guy who loves her so much for her own personal gain!
âWhy do you think I objected to their relationship and locked Darius up at home on her wedding day? Itâs precisely because I noticed what Isabelle was up to! You can go ask your mom if you donât believe me.â
âThat wonât be necessary!â My expression grew completely cold. Being a businesswoman, it was in Juliaâs nature to be suspicious of others. I didnât blame her for doubting my intentions when I dated Christopher, but I wasnât about to let her talk about my mom like that.
âYou were the last person to see my Uncle Robert, Mrs. Lane. My mom saw that and you know it. Thatâs why youâre making such horrible accusations! You wouldnât have said all that if you didnât know! In other words, youâre feeling guilty for causing the death of my uncle!â
I knew it was inappropriate of me to say such things, especially when things were not looking great for Christopher and me. However, my mom was my own family member; there is no way I could sit by and let someone insult her like that!
âYouâ¦â Even Julia was shocked by my sudden outburst and stared speechlessly at me for quite a while before continuing, âI can understand your desire to defend Isabelle because you are her daughter. Likewise, I am defending my son as his mother. I donât blame you for what you said.â
Thatâs a perfectly rational response from her, and yet⦠Why am I feeling a lot worse after hearing it? I let out a sigh at the thought of that and looked up at the sunny sky above. âRegardless, I still respect you, Mrs. Lane. I may have made a lot of mistakes in life, but I will not give up on Christopher even if the entire world objects to our relationship. I donât care if you call me heartless or shameless for insisting on dating Christopher, but weâve promised to spend the rest of our lives together, and nothing will ever change that.â
I didnât care if people labeled me as unfilial for liking the son of our enemy. Christopher was a man who would sacrifice his life to save mine in a heartbeat, and I would never let go of him for the world.
Julia was about to say something in response but my stubbornness shocked her so much that she held her tongue in the end. I figured she probably recalled our peaceful times together as well as her promise to hold a grand wedding for me.
She then let out a sigh moments later. âYour relationship with Chris has long been beyond my control. He went as far as pointing a gun at his head when you were dying at the hospital â what more could a mother like me possibly do? Howeverâ¦â
Juliaâs tone turned cold all of a sudden as she continued, âI will not allow anyone to cause the Lane family any harm, and I mean anyone. Is that clear?â
So thatâs what sheâs concerned about? I chuckled at the thought of that. âUnderstood. Iâve already made my stand the moment I chose to be with Christopher, havenât I?â