By Zephyria The surroundings were still quiet. However, the reason for the tension was different from before. Mrs. Campbell furrowed her brow and carefully examined his face.
She seemed to want to figure out what her son was thinking, but her unyielding brow suggested it wouldn’t be easy.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Mrs. Campbell feigned ignorance, as if giving up. But inside, she was anxiously agitated. What is it? Did he know?
How?
“You’re curious, aren’t you, about how I preempted your thoughts, Mother?”
Winston asked in a leisurely voice. He continued speaking with ease at the gaze that silently watched him.
“Didn’t I tell you earlier? I won’t be fooled twice.”
Mrs. Campbell’s eyes twitched briefly.
* * *
Stuck in traffic, Yu-jin grew impatient and kept glancing out the window. Noticing his movements, the driver said, as if wronged.
“That’s why I told you, there was an accident and the road is blocked…”
His words didn’t seem entirely false. Yu-jin refrained from scolding the innocent driver, lowered his gaze, and simply waited for the road to clear. That was all he could do now.
“Daddy.”
The child, too, seemed worried and called out to Yu-jin. He felt guilty for making the child anxious. Sighing, Yu-jin leaned his head back on the seat and smiled at her. It’s okay. Angela hesitated, then took Yu-jin’s hand and straightened her posture.
“It’s okay, Angie.”
Yu-jin whispered softly.
“We’re just going home.”
It was true. It was just that he couldn’t predict what would happen after that. He just vowed to get through it as quietly as possible. Doing his best to protect Angela from getting hurt.
* * *
Mrs. Campbell sat motionless. Her face, staring at her son without even the slightest tremor in her eyelashes, revealed no expression. A heavy silence continued, with neither of them opening their mouths. Only after what felt like a long time did Mrs. Campbell slowly open her mouth.
“What does that mean?”
Her voice was as calm as her expressionless face, but Winston could clearly see how confused she was. Was my mother such a transparent person? Feeling a strange sense of emptiness, he spoke in a low voice.
“Did you really think I wouldn’t know? You always tell me how excellent I am, Mother, but you treat me like a fool when it comes to things like this.”
Winston then added bitterly.
“Well, I’m the one who made it that way. I did the most foolish thing in the world.”
After muttering self-deprecatingly, he continued without wasting any more time.
“I knew you were meeting with our driver frequently.”
Mrs. Campbell’s eyes flickered very briefly. Winston continued in a calm voice.
“You seem to plant people around me, Mother, without considering that others might do the same. Well, who would dare do that to Mrs. Campbell? It’s an unimaginable thought.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“It doesn’t matter.”
Mrs. Campbell feigned ignorance, but the response was indifferent. Winston simply chuckled and stared at his mother.
“What’s important is that I knew the identity of the man you were meeting frequently, and that’s why I was able to prevent today’s plan in advance.”
Mrs. Campbell still kept her mouth shut and picked up her teacup. But Winston didn’t miss the slight tremor in her hand as she tilted the cup.
“So.”
It was only after she put down the teacup that she finally spoke. Fixing her eyes, which had been lowered for a moment, directly on her son, Mrs. Campbell spoke.
“What is it that you want to say?”
Her voice was as cold as ice, but Winston knew very well that she was suppressing her emotions with all her might. He quietly stated his conclusion.
“It’s over, Mother. There’s nothing more you can do. I will protect Yu-jin and my child, and now you have only two choices left. Either leave quietly and receive Father’s inheritance, never appearing before us again.”
He deliberately paused. The silence, lasting only a second or two, created an unbearable pressure. Staring intently at his mother’s face, Winston added in a whisper.
“Or die.”
* * *
The car sped along the endlessly long road. Finally escaping the traffic jam and driving along the single road leading to the mansion, Yu-jin couldn’t bear the stuffiness in his chest. He took out the prepared water and quenched his thirst, but his mouth only continued to feel dry.
“We’ll arrive in 15 minutes.”
The driver said, sensing the tension in the back seat. Fifteen minutes. It wasn’t much time. But now, every minute and every second felt incredibly long. Haa, Yu-jin closed his eyes and leaned back in his seat, trying to calm his anxious self. The familiar fear that came over him couldn’t overcome the current tension. Slowly opening his eyes, he took a deep breath, blankly watching the familiar scenery pass by. Time continued to flow.
* * *
Mrs. Campbell’s hand, which had been reaching for the teacup, faltered. As a result, she made an undignified clattering sound by rubbing the teacup against the saucer. But she didn’t have the余裕to frown. The words her son had just spoken to her were too shocking.
“Die? What are you saying right now?”
Mrs. Campbell’s voice trembled as much as her hand. Her gaze, unable to hide the light of agitation as she looked at her son, was filled with shock and astonishment.
“You’re saying that to me, right now? No, I must have misheard. Winston, you’re my son. It’s impolite to say such things to your mother.”
She tried to deny what she had heard, forcing a smile. But Winston stared at his mother with an expressionless face that showed no sign of joking. At the gaze that seemed to look down on her, perhaps even pity her, Mrs. Campbell could no longer deny reality.
What followed was intense anger. She abandoned her usual composure and shouted, her eyes blazing.
“How dare you, how dare you utter such words! How dare you!”
Winston coldly watched his mother, who had jumped up from her seat and was shouting. It was a reaction he had already expected, but his attitude only fueled Mrs. Campbell’s anger even more. Eventually, she threw the teacup and became hysterical.
“Die? To me? How dare you say such things to me, who has dedicated myself to you until now? How could you! What have I done for you, what efforts have I made until now to pass on everything in this family to you, even ingratitude has its limits…”
Winston coldly retorted to his mother, who kept repeating the same words, as if she was very angry.
“I was just your trophy, wasn’t I?”
At the voice that mercilessly cut off her words, Mrs. Campbell glared at him with a fierce face. She was about to say something again, but Winston spoke first.
“I didn’t want any of that. You took away the one thing I wanted most and ruined my life. And you expect me to be grateful for that?”
“You bastard!”
Surprisingly, a curse word burst from Mrs. Campbell’s mouth. Unable to contain her anger, she slapped her son, who was still sitting on the sofa, across the cheek. Thwack, the sharp sound echoed, making her feel a little relieved. But of course, it was only a very, extremely small consolation. Her anger was not relieved by this.
“Kill it right now.”
Mrs. Campbell spat out through gritted teeth.
“That’s the only way you can ask for my forgiveness. Otherwise, I won’t forgive you either. Did you think I came here without a plan? I can see right through your head!”
Winston showed no reaction to his mother’s loud voice. Rather, he let out a short sigh as if resigned, and slowly stood up. Mrs. Campbell was momentarily flustered and stepped back at her son’s tall height of over 2 meters.
“Mother.”
Winston opened his mouth in a quiet voice. He calmly continued, sensing that Mrs. Campbell had become nervous for some reason.
“Didn’t I tell you? You never deviate from my expectations, Mother.”
“…What?”
It was at that moment that she felt an ominous premonition. A tremendous roar echoed from somewhere, and the mansion shook violently.