Crises in Love (Zora and Jaylan)

Chapter 528

After Camilla and Fidelia left, I took the time to have a serious talk with Monique.

At first, she was stubborn as a mule, sticking out her little chin and arguing her case with the sass of a

seasoned lawyer.

Well, I wasn’t about to be outdone. I puffed myself up with all the authority I had, and we got down to a

full-blown debate.

Of course, the great mother-daughter debate ended with my victory. I had her nodding along with a

newfound respect for me. She even bombarded me with questions, which I answered with all the

seriousness they deserved. © 2024 Nôv/el/Dram/a.Org.

The way she looked at me changed. It wasn’t with that flighty arrogance anymore but with awe.

I couldn’t help but smirk to myself. 'Kid, I’m your mom. Do you think you could out-argue me? Back in

my day, I was the lead debater at school!'

Later, I vented to my dad, “Ugh, I’m beat. Raising a kid is exhausting! It’s like walking on eggshells, and

you’ve got to be on your A-game all the time. Dad, is it this tough for everyone?”

Dad just smiled gently and took on his professorial tone. “Darling, did you think motherhood was a walk

in the park? Especially with your kids who are so ambitious, it's going to take some brainpower.You’ve

got to grow with them and see things from their perspective. In addition to keeping up with their

thoughts, you should also outpace their ideas!”

His words weighed heavy on me.

I thought to myself, 'Why does everything get ten times more complicated when it comes to me? This

feels harder than the SATs! What kind of little geniuses did I bring into this world that they need such

extraordinary effort?'

But Dad was supportive, “You handled Fidelia’s situation very well!”

I perked up, sat up straight, and grinned at Dad. “Right? I had to be careful with that one. Camilla is so

sensitive, so I couldn’t risk bruising her fragile ego!”

“Exactly. It’s different from when we adopted Carl. He was so young. With his mother gone, although he

might not have been related to us, he’s always been around you, Monique and Probert. That creates a

strong bond.

If you had given Carl to Jaylan, it would’ve been like ruining the kid or raising a future adversary. Do

you think Jaylan has what it takes to be a good father? Out of the three kids, not including the missing

one, has he ever shown real interest in any of them?”

Dad was spot on, and I agreed. That’s why I couldn’t bring myself to hand Carl over to Jaylan cold-

heartedly.

“Would Jaylan even know how to raise him?” Dad scoffed before continuing, “And with his mother

gone, who could he possibly entrust such a young child to?”

“Well, he could just abandon Carl!” I couldn’t help my cynical retort.

“And could you live with that?”

That struck a chord. I remembered the image of Carl trying to get up from his sickbed, disregarding his

pain, crying out and calling me, pleading, 'Mommy, don't leave!'

With a lump in my throat, my eyes misted up and I felt a wave of emotion. “So, I had to take him in.

Who else could I have turned to? It’s like we’re tied by fate. This kid and I have some unfinished

business from a past life!”

I cleaned my tears and laughed it off.

“Even if Jaylan did raise him, the boy would grow up to be an enemy, given his genes. So, we need to

put even more effort into raising him than our own children,” Dad concluded, as if sealing Carl's fate.

I shook my head, my voice heavy with emotion, “Dad, what did I ever do to deserve this?”

I was fully convinced by my dad’s insight. It reminded me of something else.

“Dad, I also think Camilla’s parenting is off. That girl is quick to kneel. It must be some sort of

punishment Camilla uses. For another reason, I decided not to keep her now…”

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Dad looked at me, curious. “What is it?”

He pondered for a moment, then nodded. “It seems this young lady has her secrets!”