Chapter 1733: A parent to another

[Skyline Plaza: Zoren’s]

Charles sat across from a woman in the guest house. His expression was stern, eyes glued to the woman, who kept looking around everywhere except at him. He held a glass of water, its contents rippling as his grip trembled.

This was Nina’s biological mother, but also the woman who had taken away thirteen years of Penny’s life from them.

"My daughter already told me about everything you’ve confessed," he said, finally making Priscilla meet his eyes. "I’m also a parent, so I understand why you did what you did to protect yours."

Priscilla raised her brows and cleared her throat. "Good. Although I don’t need you to understand, it’s good that someone is finally reasonable enough—"

BAM!

Her voice halted as Charles set the glass of water down on the table between them, shattering it against the surface and in his hand. Her eyes widened, following the motion downward to his bleeding fingers.

Blood dripped from his trembling hand, staining the spilled water red.

"As a parent, I understand that we’d do anything to protect our little ones," he continued, reaching for the box of tissues at the far corner of the table to wipe his hands. "However, what I don’t understand as a parent is making another suffer by robbing them of years with their children."

Charles laughed bitterly as he plucked out some shards from his palm. "Priscilla Reed, you robbed me of the right to even hold my daughter when she was born. You protected Nina at the cost of my wife and me, missing every milestone with our daughter. Her first feeding time, her first steps, her first tooth, first word, first birthday—everything in those thirteen years."

"Although I’m glad Nina exists, we were strangers to our own daughter for the first thirteen years of her life," he said, his voice shaking as he crumpled the tissue in his hand. "You are a stranger to your own daughter even now that she’s an adult—but that’s your decision."

"Did you think I wanted that to happen?" Priscilla scoffed. "I had no choice—"

"You had every choice," he cut in, firmly meeting her eyes once more. "You had a choice, and you made it."

Slowly, Charles rose to his feet and gazed down at her. "You made the choice to lie about being pregnant so Jason Reed wouldn’t leave you. You made the choice to ruin Jessa and her brother’s relationship by framing her."

"Jessa... that woman had to give up her dreams because she had to survive before she could even dream—and that was a consequence of your choices." Even with blood still on his hand, Charles clenched his fist tightly. "You had the choice to walk away, but you didn’t. Instead, you stayed and ruined Jason’s life and destroyed the Reed family’s peace."

"Every single thing you did—leading up to abandoning your child—was a choice. One after another." His voice was cold. "Your decisions wrecked the Reed family and threw ours into chaos. And all of us didn’t even know what we did for you to do this to us."

He paused, calming his breathing, even though he could have just yelled. "So if you’re making another decision now, I suggest you make this one count. Stay far away from my family. If, for once, you want to act like a mother, then make a decent decision and stay away."

"From Jessa, from Nina, from everyone," he added under his breath. "Otherwise, I’ll make sure you can’t hurt my family again. This is your first and final warning. Don’t take it for granted."

Charles huffed heavily and turned to walk away. "As a parent, I hope you, of all people, understand how far one can go just to protect their family. You’ve already hurt us—and I’ll be damned if I let it happen again."

His steps were slow but steady. He didn’t pause. He didn’t look back as he left the guest house.

Meanwhile, Priscilla sat on the couch, unmoving. Her eyes remained fixed on the broken glass on the table—spilled water tinged with red crawling across the surface, dripping off the edge.

She clasped her hands tightly on her lap, swallowing against the tension in her throat. Even when she heard the door close behind her, she stayed still.

"All I want..." she whispered. "...is a chance to be her mother, even just for a day."

Just one day.

That was all she truly wanted, knowing that asking for more would be greed.

But today, Charles had taken even that away from her.

He didn’t come to ask questions. He came to take away her dream of being Nina’s mother, just like how Priscilla once took away Jessa’s chance to dream about her future. He made it clear that her chance with Nina had died the day she swapped the children.

And he came to ensure she knew the only path left for her redemption was staying away.

There would be no second chances. Because if she tried—even once—it would become a parent versus another parent. And knowing what she herself was willing to do, she also knew Charles would go even further for his.

The only difference was that Charles had the resources.

Tears blurred her vision until warm droplets trickled down her cheeks and onto the back of her fist.

"Jason," she whimpered, hanging her head low. "What... what did I do?"

Priscilla covered her mouth as she quietly wept alone, seated on the couch—her sobs echoing in the quiet and lonely house.

---

Meanwhile, as Charles stepped outside the guest house, he spotted Haines idling on a bench, a black panther at his feet and a white cat curled in his arms.

Haines was casually stroking Renny’s side with the tip of his black shoes while his fingers rubbed Chunchun’s neck. After a second, he lifted his gaze and instantly met Charles’s eyes—but then noticed the crumpled tissue still in Charles’s hand.

"Well..." he exhaled, raising a brow as Charles approached. "... I guess it’s a good thing he vented his frustration on something else—and not her."