Chapter 97
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Kayla’s mouth tightened slightly, caught between expressions, unsure how to put her feelings into words or looks.
By all accounts, hearing someone speak of her father that way should have angered her.
But after everything Kayla had lived through, in her past life and this one, she knew just how cold Jackson had always been toward her. She simply could not bring herself to defend him from the heart.
Her long lashes lowered, veiling the swirl of emotions in her eyes. She chose instead to steer the conversation elsewhere. “And then what happened?”
Max’s face was like stone, his voice sharp and frigid, every word carrying a biting chill. “No idea what Jackson did to your mom, but she was dead set on marrying him. She even fought with your grandpa over it for ages.”
He added, “Your grandpa had only one precious daughter. She was everything to him, and he couldn’t stand to see her suffer even the slightest. In the end, he gave in.
“It wasn’t until your older brother was born that we realized why your mom had been so desperate to marry. Your father had already taken advantage of her, and she was carrying his child.”
At that point, Max’s eyes sharpened like blades, his breathing uneven. Even now, remembering those events stoked his fury like a volcano threatening to erupt.
Kayla’s eyes widened in shock, disbelief written all over her face. “What did you say? Are you telling me my mom was… pregnant before marriage?”
She wondered, ‘How could this be? Grandpa adored Mom so much. How could he let something like that happen?‘
Max gave a cold, dismissive snort. He offered no reply, which was answer enough.
Kayla looked stunned, struggling to take in the revelation. She had never imagined such a hidden chapter in the past.
Max drew in a long breath, forcing himself to steady his emotions, and continued, “Jackson tried hard to win over your grandpa and your mom, constantly flattering and pleasing them until your mom was completely taken in.
“But your grandpa never approved of him. Especially after your mom was kidnapped back then, and your father failed to rescue her in time because of work. That incident-”
Max broke off suddenly, leaving the rest unsaid. Yet the fury and grief in his eyes surged like a tide, making it all too clear how serious the matter had been.
Kayla’s chest tightened sharply at the sight. She clenched her teeth and dared not press further.
Max continued, “Because of that kidnapping incident, your grandpa grew even more wary of Jackson. Before he passed away, he drafted a will, leaving all company shares to your mom.
Jackson could manage the company, but he had no stake in it and only drew a salary,
“Even so, your grandpa was still worried. He made me the vice president, partly to assist your mom with the business and partly to keep an eye on Jackson. But…”
The moment Max thought of what came after, his expression darkened, as though memories too painful to recall had
resurfaced.
Before Kayla could ask, Elijah cut in impatiently, “Oh, quit beating around the bush, Dad. What happened afterward? How
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Chapter 97
did you and Mom end up in trouble?”
Max shot Elijah a fierce glare and snapped, “Silence.”
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Elijah rubbed his nose awkwardly. Though he shut his mouth, his ears were tilted forward, afraid to miss a single word.
Max let out a weary sigh and continued. “Later on, Jackson kept using sweet talk and excuses to trick your mom into transferring her company shares. If I had not stepped in, he would have stripped her of every last share long ago.
“Because of that, Jackson and I became bitter enemies, and in the company, he opposed me at every turn.
“After your mother gave birth to you, I do not know what methods Jackson used, but he somehow convinced her to hand over part of the shares. I tried to stop her, but she refused to listen and told me to stay out of her affairs.”
Pressing his lips together, Max said, “From then on, I kept worrying Jackson would try to get his hands on the shares, so I dropped by to see your mom whenever I could. But she was either off traveling or at some spa, never around.
“She even had people send word, telling me to mind my own business so as not to disrupt their happy marriage.”
At this point, Max’s face carried a trace of grievance and sorrow.
He added, “Later, when Jackson once again asked her for shares, I wanted to persuade her, but I worried she would not listen to me alone. So, I brought my wife along.
“Yet your mom shut the doors in our faces. She refused to see us and even shouted insults through the door. Furious, I left with my wife.
“I never imagined that the moment our car left Sexton Villa and reached a deserted stretch of road, a heavy truck would crash into us head–on.”
When Max spoke about it, his voice carried a faint tremor, as if those painful memories had come flooding back.
He said slowly, “My wife shielded me and was struck in the chest by the shards. She died instantly. My face and eyes were badly injured, my vision blurred by blood, and my legs were trapped beneath the crushed metal of the car.
“When I finally tore my bloodied legs free and dragged myself out with the last breath I had left, I was so exhausted I nearly blacked out.”
A raw anguish flickered in Max’s eyes, yet he forced each word out. “I thought it was nothing more than an accident. But guess what I heard?”
A sharp unease gripped Kayla, a sense of dread pressing on her chest. She did not dare to answer.
Max did not need her reply. He gave a bitter smile and said, “I heard your mom’s voice. I heard her snapping at the truck driver, saying I was meddling and ruining her marriage with Jackson.
“She said I was nothing but an orphan taken in by the Perry family, that even my life belonged to them, and if I died it would not matter in the slightest to her.”
Kayla’s hand shook violently around the water glass. She shook her head again and again. “No. That’s impossible. You must have misheard. And besides, you didn’t even see anyone. How could you be sure it was my mom? Maybe someone was pretending to be her.”
She could not believe her mother, who always seemed so simple and kind, could ever speak such cruel words.
Max let out a broken sneer, his voice edged with a raw sharpness as he retorted, “Misheard? I wish I had. I even wished I had just died right then.
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Chapter 97
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“At least then I wouldn’t have clawed my way out only to see your mom standing there with my one good eye, to hear those words from the person closest to me. Do you have any idea what that feels like?”
Max’s emotions surged, his hand trembling violently as he pointed to his undamaged eye, consumed by rage and grief.
Only heaven knew how much it hurt at that moment to see Bailee’s figure and hear those icy words spill from her lips.
