All that Glitters is not Gold

Ellie and Jennie were both glaring at me with ashen faces. Ellie snapped, "Let me give it to you straight, James Langford—you're the one who should leave! We both have executive powers in this building, while you're just a student!"

"What's going on here?!"

That was when a fair and graceful middle-aged woman squeezed her way through the crowd, looking at us and demanding, "Why are you all just standing around and not taking your seats?!"

She was Quincy Waltz—CEO of Skymex Group, and my biological mother.

And yet, she was hurrying to Harold's side, wiping his tears as she sighed, "Oh, Harold—don't cry. Just tell me, who did this to you? I'll punish them this instant!"

Ellie was at once pointing at me, snapping angrily, "James Langford! Who else would have the audacity to bully Harold while I watched?!"

My mother slapped me across the face right then!

"You've really gotten full of yourself!" She hollered. "Bullying Harold just because we've been good to you?! Kneel and apologize this instant, or we're not giving you any moment over the next year!"

I watched in disappointment as my own mother immediately leapt to Harold's defense—but it wasn't surprising.

Just like in our past lives, she, Ellie and Jennie were all mindlessly infatuated with Harold, and it still hurt even though I anticipated that much.

At first, I never understood—I was definitely my mother's son, while Harold was nothing more than Ellie and Jennie's boy toy.

And yet, once my mother met Harold, she spoiled him with utter determination as if possessed.

When she had learned that Harold was actually Ellie and Jennie's gigolo, she really whipped both of them for hours.

I tried to stop her out of the goodness of my heart, only for her to whip me too—the scars were still left on my arm.

Ironically, my mother didn't just allow Ellie and Jennie to continue their affair with Harold, she even pulled strings to get Harold enrolled in the country's best university.

Worst of all, she issued an ultimatum to Ellie and Jennie: if they really loved Harold, then they must fight fair until he chose one of them as his bride, and the one who won would inherit her wealth and position.

It was definitely a strange reaction, so I secretly investigated Harold, eventually coming to realize that he was the son of my mother's first love.

He was a mirror image of his father, so my mother recognized him right away, and the memory of her late first love was enough to secure a stranglehold over her head.

It was a terrible injustice to my late father, who had died not knowing that his wife was in love with another man.

Leering at my mother, I snorted, "I am not apologizing! In fact, shouldn't you be saying something? Ellie and Jennie just said that Harold is their brother and the heir of Skymex Group!"

Harold promptly leveled a doleful look at my mother, knowing that she especially hated seeing him tear up.

And to no surprise, my mother slapped me twice and bellowed, "Say what?! Ellie and Jennie are right—Harold is my dearest son and the heir of Skymex Group!"

Seeing that she was lying through her teeth, I bellowed at her furiously, "Quincy Waltz! Do you even have a conscience?! How could you bear to face my father?!"

My mother simply ignored me and turned to Ellie and Jennie, snorting, "Get that loser out of here already."

Seeing my mother's apathy, my heart swelled with a myriad of different emotions.

That was the woman my father loved his whole life? The mother whom I had admired for eighteen years?

Not only did she refuse to protect their son, she wanted to disown him over her first love's son.

I was also sure that my father wouldn't have expected that the two girls he took in—and raised as if they were his own daughters—would hurt his son over their lover.

Rearing my head and holding my mother's glare, I growled coolly, "My family owns Skymex Group! Outsiders like you don't get to strut here!"

I emphasized 'my family' very loudly, which left my mother incensed.

"Get him! Hold him down!"

She bellowed at Ellie and Jennie, who did just that, restraining me with a vice grip.

She then walked up beside me, and grabbed me by my hair, and shoved my forehead painfully against the glass wall.

"Your family?! Don't make me laugh!" She shrieked. "I ruled Skymex for years—why shouldn't it be mine?! Why don't I get to decide who gets to inherit it?!"

I fought back my tears, determined as I bellowed back, "My grandfather owns Skymex! I am the only heir to the company!"

Thump!

Just as I finished, my mother shoved my head on the glass wall again as she kept hollering, "Dream on! I designated Harold as my heir last year already! Whoever he marries will inherit the company with him!"

Though everyone was stunned by her words and regarded Harold with even more admiration, that was when an elderly but strong voice boomed in the gala hall behind us, "Quincy Waltz! I dare you to say that again!"