Chapter 0888
“Alden!”
“What? For the love of God, come back here!”
Serenity shot out of bed, suddenly feeling like she needed to do everything at that exact moment. She had never really considered that she would meet Alden’s mother. She knew there had been a passionate affair between the man she had thought was her biological father and Alden’s mom, but that was it. In all their time together, Alden had only ever mentioned her in passing. Now, knowing she was coming tomorrow had her nerves on edge.
“Alden, what am I supposed to say to her? How should I act
“Serenity, my mother is just a person, like you and me. I don’t see why this is such a big deal. In a few hours, you’ll meet her, and you’ll see–she’s a good woman. She just likes to be the center of attention. I’m still not used to that side of her, though…”
“Why not?”
“Because back in Ushuaia, there was no time–or space–for her to be how she is now. And we definitely weren’t swimming in money. She worked as a laborer, and back then, the only thing that mattered was putting food on the table every day.”
“What’s she like now? What does she do? And why have you never talked about her?”
“Well… since it looks like we’re not finishing what we started, come back to bed, and I’ll tell you a bit about her.”
“Alden! How do you expect me to react? You never talk about her, and then you just drop this bombshell on me? The shock killed the mood!”
“Come on…. just come back to bed. I’ll tell you everything.”
Serenity hesitated for a moment before crawling back under the covers. Alden immediately pulled her into his arms, holding her close as he began to talk about his mother, about their life in Ushuaia, and how Peter had found him and saved him from what could have been a certain death.
“But I don’t get it–why didn’t Peter want your mother to know he had already found you?”
“Well, the Peter I knew was a bit of a grump. And I know that my mom and he… well, let’s just say they had an affair. My mother planned to have me, but my father? I don’t think so. He loved my mom like crazy, but they never intended to be together. At least, that’s what she told me.”
“Yeah, but… technically, you did abandon your mother.”
“I know! But if I had stayed, neither I, Grace, nor Ethan would be alive. Peter can be a good man, but when he’s angry… Trust me, I know what he did to Grace’s father.”
“What? What did he do?”
“He destroyed him. Ran him into the ground financially. It took some time, but he left him with nothing. Last I heard from my mother, the man was homeless and begging for change.”
“Peter did that?”
“Yeah. My mom got a glimpse of just how ruthless Peter could be. That’s why she keeps her distance from him. I’ve made it clear to her that whatever happened between them was years ago.”
“Wow… I never knew that part of the story. But wait–didn’t you tell me your mom lives in France now?”
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Chapter 0883
“Yeah. Believe it or not, my dad set up a lifelong trust fund for her. She’s saved up and, honestly, she’s brilliant when it comes to business. She’s resourceful–she loves to spend, but she’s also very good at making money. She knows the precious stones market inside and out. That’s what she does now. Who would’ve thought? All she needed was a bit of capital to get started, and she turned it into something huge.”
Serenity listened, fascinated. “If I had met your mother back in Ushuala and then saw her now, would I even recognize her?”
“Not at all. My mom is stunning–she always has been. Even with the years, she’s still beautiful. She’s loving, responsible, and hardworking. No matter how tough things got, I never saw her fall apart. She always showed me the best of everything.
“Now, she’s happy in her own way. She loves what she does and enjoys the life she’s built. She’s not the kind of grandma who’s going to be babysitting her grandkids all the time, but one thing’s for sure–if she ever shows affection, it’s always real.”
26 BONUS
Chapter 0839
