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The loud p still rang in Samuel’s ears as he stood stiff, his cheek burning red.
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“I already told you, didn’t I?” Vanessa’s voice cut like ss. “Stop chasing that lowly woman! Samuel, where did I go wrong in raising you? How the hell did you grow up into such a fool?”
Samuel’s jaw clenched. “Mother-”
“Don’t you dare speak!” Vanessa snapped, her finger jabbing toward his chest. “Emery Vaughn is nothing. Nothing! She has spent her entire life clinging to men. She doesn’t survive on her own, she attaches herself like a leech and waits for scraps. And you-” Vanessa’s lips curled with disgust. “You are running after her like a dog in heat. Do you even hear yourself?”
Samuel’s hands fisted at his sides. “You don’t understand-”
“I understand perfectly!” Vanessa cut him off again. “I wanted you to marry Talia because her family is stable. Useful. They bring status and influence to our table. That’s what matters. Not some washed–up girl who was tossed aside like garbage by people around her. And you-” she pped the arm of the sofa so hard the sound cracked through the room-“you keep humiliating me! Running around after her like some desperate fool while she unts herself with another man.”
Samuel’s nostrils red. “She’s not like that!”
“Open your damn eyes, Samuel!” Vanessa’s voice rose. “She is exactly like that. Look at her history. Look <i>at </i>the mess she left you in. Because of her, you refused to marry Talia. Because of her, the contracts that was given by the Arden Family slipped through our hands. Because of her, the media drags our family name every other week. And you still think she’s worth it?” Vanessa’s re hardened. “You’re pathetic.”
He swallowed hard, his pride stung, but he didn’t answer.
“You want to know what you should be doing?” Vanessa leaned forward, her eyes narrowing. “You should be focused on the Dwight name. On thepany your father built. On your marriage to Talia, which I arranged to save you from your own stupidity. But instead, you’re out there chasing a woman who spat on everything we gave her. You disgust me.”
Samuel’s breathing grew heavier, his eyes shing with anger. “I love her.”
Vanessaughed. “Love? Don’t make meugh. Love doesn’t keeppanies running. Love doesn’t win contracts. Love doesn’t protect a family name.” She sneered. “You’re acting like some naive, horny boy instead of the man who’s supposed to lead this family. You want to ruin everything your father worked for? Then keep running after her. See how fast you destroy us.”
She sat back, disgust written across her face. “I don’t care how you feel, Samuel. You will marry Talia. You will take over thispany and prove to the world that the Dwight family isn’t led by a fool. And if you can’t do that…” Vanessa’s voice dropped to a cold, hard whisper. “Then maybe I chose the wrong son.”
The words hit harder than the p. Samuel stood frozen, his fists trembling.
Vanessa turned her head away, dismissing him like he was nothing more than a servant. “Now get out of my sight. You’re an embarrassment to this family.”
<b>9:26 </b><b>Mon</b><b>, </b><b>Sep </b>15 <b>J </b>
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“Are you done?” Samuel’s voice cut through the room like a de.
Vanessa’s eyes widened. “What did you just say?”
“Are you fucking done!?” Samuel repeated, louder this time, his jaw tight, voice sharper than she’d ever heard.
“You-”
“How dare you talk about Emery like that?” Samuel snapped, stepping closer, his finger stabbing toward the floor as if marking his ground. “She is the mother of your grandchild!”
“You-“Vanessa’s voice faltered, but Samuel didn’t let her finish.
“And how dare you me me when it was you who ruined everything!?” His voice cracked with anger. “For years you’ve called Emery a gold digger, but tell me, Mother, did she ever once ask me to marry her? Did she ever beg for money? No! She stayed by my side through every mess, through every fight, through every time you spat on her name. She asked for nothing.”
Vanessa’s nostrils red. “Watch your mouth, Samuel-”
“No!” he roared. “You watch yours! You’re so obsessed with calling her a leech, but who’s the real gold digger here? Wasn’t it you who shoved Talia Arden in my face, begging me to marry her so we could secure the Arden family’s connections? Isn’t that digging for gold, Mother? Isn’t that what you’ve been doing all this time?”
Vanessa shot up from her chair, her hand raised. “How dare you-”
But Samuel caught her wrist mid–swing, his grip iron–tight. The shock flickered across her face when she realized he wasn’t letting go.
“Don’t,” Samuel growled, his eyes locked on hers. “Don’t you ever raise your hand at me again.”
Vanessa struggled against his hold, her face red with fury. “You ungrateful bastard-”
“Ungrateful?” Samuel’s grip tightened for a second before he shoved her hand away. “It was you and your precious daughter who acted like clowns in public. You embarrassed this family with your little theatrics, and now you’re ming Emery for the videos? Did she film you? Did she spread them? Or did you do that all on your own?” His words spat like venom. “You humiliated yourself, and now you’re trying to make her the scapegoat.”
Vanessa’s voice trembled with rage. “I was only thinking about this family!”
Samuelughed bitterly, the sound hollow. “The family? Don’t make meugh. Have you ever once thought about me as your son? Or have I always just been an investment for you to parade around, another pawn to trade for contracts and power?”
Her lips pressed thin, her silence louder than any denial.
Samuel leaned forward, his face inches from hers. “You don’t give a damn about me. You never have. To you, I’ve only ever been a tool. And now, because I won’t dance to your tune, you call me a fool.” He stepped back, his chest rising and falling heavily. “But maybe the real fool is me, for believing you actually gave a damn
<b>9:26 </b><b>Mon</b><b>, </b><b>Sep </b>15 <b>d </b>
about your son.”
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Vanessa’s face hardened, but the flicker of shock in her eyes betrayed her. For the first time, it wasn’t her words that carried weight. It was his.
“Now… be a good little mother and kick Talia out of my house or I swear!”
“Swear what!? Huh? Talia <b>is- </b>”
“She is not my bride. I will not marry her. I will be with Emery, and we will raise our kid together.”
AD