Chapter 4
As soon as Phoebe walked in, she saw Jonathan being restrained by two bodyguards, while a pregnant woman was slumped on the floor.
She immediately lost it.
"Ashlynn! You vicious woman! How did the Black family ever wrong you?" Phoebe shouted. "Jonathan just made the kind of mistake all men make. Can't you let it go?"
"And you have the nerve to bring people here to make a scene! Do you even care about me as your mother-in-law?"
In my last life, she used to yell at me, pointing right at my face.
She called me a good-for-nothing hen who couldn't lay eggs, just sitting around and doing nothing.
Then she happily welcomed Courtney and her precious 'golden grandson' growing in her belly.
I shot Phoebe a cold smirk.
"Phoebe, you arrived at the perfect moment," I said. "Weren't you always itching to hold your precious grandson? Well, look, your 'golden grandson' is right here."
I gestured toward Courtney's stomach.
Phoebe's eyes were instantly drawn to Courtney. She looked her over from head to toe, her gaze critical, but even more fixated on the promise of a grandchild in that belly.
"You're Courtney, right?" Phoebe asked.
Phoebe walked over, even started to reach out, wanting to touch her belly.
Courtney called out to Phoebe Garrett like she was her lifeline, crying, "Phoebe! Help me, please!"
Jonathan finally saw a ray of hope too.
"Mom! Hurry, help me! Ashlynn's gone crazy. She wants to steal everything from us!" Jonathan cried out.
Phoebe instantly targeted me.
"Ashlynn! Don't you dare!" Phoebe threatened.
"Courtney's carrying the Black family's child. Jonathan's son! I dare you to touch him!" Phoebe shouted.
"Just because you can't have kids, does that mean no one else is allowed to? The Black family won't let our bloodline end with you!" Phoebe snapped.
She said the exact same thing in my previous life.
As cruel and selfish as ever.
I didn't get angry. I calmly handed her Jonathan's vasectomy report.
"Mom, before you start fussing over your golden grandson, why don't you take a look at this first?" I said.
Phoebe took the report, her brows furrowing as she scanned the pages.
She didn't understand at first, until she caught sight of the words "vasectomy surgery."
Her expression froze.
Phoebe whipped her head up to Jonathan, staring at him in utter disbelief.
"Jonathan... What is this?" Phoebe stammered.
Jonathan's face was as pale as a corpse.
"Mom... I..." Jonathan stammered.
Phoebe wasn't clueless.
She figured it all out in a split second.
Her son hadn't been able to father a child for three years.
The baby growing in Courtney's belly wasn't Jonathan's. It wasn't a Black family child at all.
She'd been totally duped.
She'd just been cursing Ashlynn over this bastard, pointing fingers at her like a fool.
Phoebe's face went from pale to livid. She felt like she was about to pass out from sheer rage.
Phoebe charged straight at Courtney and gave her a fierce slap across the face.
The slap rang out loud and clear.
"You filthy bitch! Whose bastard are you carrying, and you dare show your face here to fool the Black family?" Phoebe yelled.
Courtney was knocked to the floor, stunned and holding her face.
Phoebe was still fuming. She swung her foot, aiming a vicious kick right at Courtney's stomach.
"I'll beat you senseless, you lying little tramp! And that bastard you're carrying too!" Phoebe screamed.
I stopped her just in time.
"Mom, you'd better think twice," Ashlynn said coldly.
"If you kick her, you'll be killing both Courtney and her baby. That's felony assault, and at your age, you might spend the rest of your days in prison," she warned.
Phoebe's foot froze in mid-air.
Phoebe was trembling with fury, jabbing a shaking finger at Courtney before spinning on Jonathan.
"And you! You disgraceful son!" she shouted.
Phoebe stormed over, slapping and berating Jonathan. "How did I end up with such a fool for a son? You've been cuckolded and still don’t even know it."
"And you even wanted to bring that bastard into our house? You've completely disgraced the Black family!" Phoebe screamed.
Jonathan was ducking and dodging, covering his head as Phoebe slapped and cursed him, looking like a total mess.
All hell broke loose in the living room.
Colton and his team stood off to the side, watching this rich family circus with stone-cold faces.
I walked over to Courtney, looking down at her.
She was curled up on the floor, clutching her stomach, cold sweat breaking out across her forehead from the pain.
"So, do you finally see what Jonathan really is now?" I asked.
"Was he really worth it?" I pressed.
Courtney looked up at me, her eyes filled with regret and fear.
"I'm sorry... Ms. Pollard, I really messed up... Please," Courtney sobbed. "Please, have mercy... I don't want to end up in jail..."
Just then, Courtney suddenly screamed as a hot rush of blood poured out from between her legs.
"Blood... I'm bleeding..." Courtney sobbed, her voice shaking with fear.
She stared in horror at the blood spreading under her, her face completely pale.
"My baby..." Courtney wailed, her voice cracking.
Phoebe's tirade came to an abrupt halt.
Jonathan just stood there, stunned.
Everyone in the living room had their eyes glued to the shocking red stain spreading under Courtney.
I frowned.