Jeffrey couldn't have dreamed it would turn out like this!
Chuckling at his own expense, Arthur said, "You only wanted a fling with Paige, but she fell for you
head over heels. Everyone in our circle knows your game, Jeffrey. Only she was naive enough to
take you seriously. But donât play the victim, man! You were the one who pursued Paige in the first
place, right?"
Jeffrey had to admit that was true.
At that time, he thought the young woman was quite a catchâonly 19 and already turning heads.
No wonder Jeffrey was interested!
"But you got Paige pregnant, then tried to pin it on me. Don't think I'll let that slide!"
"So what are you going to do? Scare me? Whatâs the big deal? You come from money, so what? Go
ahead, try to take me down!" Arthur spat disdainfully, his smirk cold. "Paige was not even 20 when
she got involved with you. You dumped her after a few months and now I'm settling the score. It's
what you deserve! Jeffrey, oh Jeffrey, what goes around comes around! Aren't you about to get
engaged? Iâll be waiting for the day you have a daughter, just to see her get played by some guy
and tossed aside like you did to Paige!"
Arthur's eyes were filled with loathing, a look that haunted Jeffrey even as his parents dragged him
into the car.
The closer he got to Karen's apartment, the more he felt a sense of panic and shortness of breath.
Seeing her son's pale face, Paloma patted his shoulder. "Jeffrey, you know you messed up. Just
make it right from now on. Let the past be the past, and stay away from that Paige girl."
Jeffrey kept his eyes downcast, silent, lost in thought.
As they drove into the neighborhood, he finally spoke up. "Mom, Dad, you guys go on home. I want
to talk to Karen alone."
"Huh? Are you sure you can handle it?" Paloma was worried.
A mother knows her son best, and she knew Jeffrey all too wellâquick-tempered and often
thoughtless. Who knew what he might blurt out?
"Mom, if I bring you and Dad with me, it feels like weâre pressuring Karen to agree. She hasn't done
anything wrong, so whether she forgives me or not should be her choice."
"I'm just afraid you donât know how to cheer a girl up. Karenâs pregnant, don't upset her!"
"Let the kid deal with the consequences himself," Huxley suddenly chimed in. "At the end of the day,
it's his fault. Heâs right about one thing: it's Karenâs decision whether to reconcile or not. We
shouldn't interfere. It's good for Jeffrey to reflect on his actions over the years."
Paloma sighed, mainly concerned about the baby Karen was carrying.
What if the talk didnât go well? Would they really break up?
But seeing the firm stance of father and son, she held back further comment.
After his parents drove off, Jeffrey walked toward Everettâs car.
Everett was busy with paperwork inside the car.
Noticing a shadow, Everett paused his work and rolled down the window, "You got the results?"
"Yeah, it's not mine."
"Then why arenât you upstairs talking to her? What are you doing down here?"
Jeffrey grimaced, "Got a smoke?"
"Karenâs pregnant, and you want to smoke?"
"Just one, to calm my nerves! Iâm going crazy here."
As Everett reached over to the glove compartment for a pack of cigarettes, his peripheral vision
caught a figure in the rear-view mirror.
Kenneth! He was back again.
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