Chapter 2 An Abominable Mother-in-Law

• As soon as hearing what Keira said, Carson’s countenance shifted. “Keira, don’t you spout nonsense!”
• Keira was frightened by his bellow, but it was soon followed by a pout as tears rolled in her eyes. “I didn’t lie! That’s what Grandma said! I hate Grandma! I hate Miss Hamilton!”
• While turning to look at me, Carson hugged Keira tightly. “Lily, my mom must be joking, so please don’t take it to heart.”
• Offering him a nonchalant smile, I said nothing. My mother-in-law was a conservative woman from the rural areas, thus had heavily ingrained within her the importance of heirs to the family. Ever since she knew that I was sterile, she had been giving me the cold shoulder, but dared not had Carson divorce me after knowing that I was the one who provided him with the money to set up his company.
• Over the years, she had always picked on me, but fortunately, Carson had remained loyal to me. Besides, she treated Keira very nicely, perhaps because she wanted a child. It was thus I somehow managed to persevere through everything out of feelings of guilt toward the Boyers.
• Carson knew I wasn’t feeling good, so he quickly coaxed Keira to go into her room before turning to pull me into an embrace. “Darling, I know you are feeling aggrieved. I will be going on a business trip tomorrow, so why don’t we leave Keira in my mother’s care, while you take some time off from work to travel with me. We can spend some time alone so that I can make it up to you.”
• Upon receiving appeasement from him, I huffed out a laugh as my feelings of discontent dissipated. “There’s no way I’m going with you! I don’t wanna catch you dating other women!”
• Carson chuckled before planting a kiss on my cheek. “You’ll have to watch out so that nobody would step in between us!”
• “You won’t even dare do that!” I laughingly gave him a pinch on his waist.
• By the next day, Carson left for work, while I was planning on fetching Keira from school myself. However, I was tasked with urgent work just before I was about to clock out, so I could only give my mother-in-law a call to have her fetch Keira.
• While my mother-in-law said nothing over the phone call, she abruptly spat out an empty shell of a baked melon seed from where she sat on the sofa as she was munching on them when I arrived at her house to fetch Keira. “This melon seed seemed expensive, but it’s actually just an empty shell! Sheesh!”
• I gritted my teeth upon hearing her humiliating words. When I was about to take Keira away with me, my sister-in-law, Eliza Boyer, came out from her room. “Lilian, you’re here! Have you bought the Patek Philippe watch for me?”
• I shook my head at her question. “I’m quite busy at the moment, so I’ll buy you one later.”
• As soon as I said so, her countenance shifted as she forced a smile, while her attitude toward me became colder compared to just then. “Jolene agreed to buy me one a few days ago! You’re even stingier than her despite being my sister-in-law!”
• I was suddenly a little fed up with her attitude. Ever since four years ago, I tried to make it up to the Boyers as I felt guilty toward them. It was thus I constantly bought them branded bags and clothing, as well as supplements and necessities, yet she would say that Jolene treated her better than I did.
• It was then when a sudden recollection of how the Boyers would treat Jolene whenever she paid them a visit hit me, which was a stark contrast to the coldness and greed that they showed me. Not even my father-in-law bothered to leave his room to meet me!
• Such a jarring comparison stirred up feelings of anger within me as I led Keira away. My mother-in-law didn’t even spare me a glance as I did, while my sister-in-law reminded me with a look of greed in her eyes, “Lilian, don’t forget about my watch.” Her words were met with silence as my heart went cold.
• On our way home, I received a phone call from Isabella saying that she would like to see Keira, which I knew immediately as her attempt to talk things over after our recent argument. We’d been friends for a long time, and I was also unwilling to cut ties with her just like that, so I brought Keira to Isabella’s home.
• As soon as I entered the house, Isabella had her nanny play with Keira while she led me to her study. “Lily, I saw Carson and Jolene together in the city today.”