Chapter 4
“Mom, didn’t you always say that even if I married Austin, I couldn’t control him? That he’ll cheat sooner or later? Isn’t breaking up now and cutting my losses a good thing?” Moira kept her voice steady, masking the hun beneath her words.
“But how could you lose to her daughter!” Jane’s voice cracked, and she clutched her chest in despair.
For years, Jane carried the pain of her broken marriage, channeling all her hopes into Moira. She dreamed of raising a daughter so remarkable that one day, she could stand tall before the Mitchells and prove her worth.
However, she never expected Moira to lose to Darlene’s daughter, just as she had lost her husband to Darlene years ago.
Hence, to Jane, Moira’s breakup felt like a long–awaited chance at redemption that had cruelly slipped through her fingers,
Moira sat beside her mother, guilt, weighing heavily. “Mom, I didn’t lose to her, Moira said softly. “Except for Austin, I’ll never love to her in anything else.
However, Jane was inconsolable. Tears streamed down her face as she vented years of frustration and regret.
“If I hadn’t taken you with me… Though less precious than Darlene’s son, you’d still have been their rightful heiress if you’d stayed with the Mitchell family. If your last name were Mitchell. Austin would’ve never left you. This is all my fault. I was selfish. I’m sorry I’m so sorry”
Moira’s throat ughtened. She waited silently, letting her mother cry herself into exhaustion. Once Jane had finally fallen asleep, Moira gently tucked her in and slipped out of the room.
Moira tidied the mess in the ward to distract herself, then reached for her phone,
When she opened X, the social media app, she was immediately greeted by trending topics that made her stomach twist uncomfortably.
After Moira started college, she worried her mother might feel lonely, so she used her p
part–time jobs earnings to buy her a smartphone. It allowed. ane to chat, make video calls, and enjoy watching dramas.
Jane was adaptable, mastering the apps young people used and finding them surprisingly entertaining
During her hospital stay, with few people to talk to, she spent her time browsing social media and chatting on WhatsApp to keep herself occupied
It seemed that Austin had publicly announced his relationship with Kayla Mitchell right after Moira resigned and ended things with him, a move she hadn’t anticipated
Darlene, Kayla’s mother and a first–generation entertainment icon, also commented, liked, and shared the post. She congrandated her daughter on the relationship and followed Austin, too.
When Darlene married into the Mitchell family, the media went wild with the story. Naturally, Kayla was now celebrated as the heiress of the Mitchell Group.
The media buzzed about the perfect match between a tech mogul and an heiress, hailing them as the couple of the year.
Moira stared at the posts, her chest tightening. She might have congratulated them if she weren’t Austin’s ex. But as it was, it felt like a slap in the face.
Switching to Instagram, she began deleting old photos of her and Austin, just as she scrolled through her account, her phone buzzed. It was Zea
“Moira! Did you see the posts in X Austin went public with Kayla! He’s your boyfriend, isn’t he? What’s going on!” Zea’s voice crackled with anger
Seeing Jane was fast asleep, Moira left the ward and exhaled. “I broke up with him”
we can’t
“Ife cheated, didn’t he? Zea snapped. “That jerk! “You stuck by him when he had nothing, and now he cheats after making it big! Moira, we them get away with this. Let’s expose hirn online! I’ll help you.”
Moira shook her head, her voice calm but firm. “No. My mom’s surgery is this weekenal. I don’t want to risk upsetting her.
Zra’s frustration was palpable “So, that’s it? Are you just going to let this slide! Moura, it’s not fair!
Fair or not, Moura couldn’t afford distractions. Right now, her mother’s health was the priority, and everything else could wait.
Returning to her mother’s ward after ending the call, Moira slapped her phone into her bag, but her head throbbed at the sight of the marriage license. She hadn’t even figured out how to explain her subden marriage to her mother…
Given Jane a fragile health, Moira knew her mother wouldn’t accept
Moira rook out her phone again, hesitated momentarily, but ultimately decided to call Virgil.
Copter t
trying again with no luck, she recird [Mr. Ademns, can we wait to tell ner percces
She wanted, but there was no reply. Thinking Virgil might be bunny, the turke her phone into her fing
Later in the day. Moita went t
permarket Hilary groceries She then made soup, cooked a
fishes that Jane Hand, and
Entering the wand, she saw her mother still lying in heel, eyes closed, motionless. The touch she had brought earlier remained and ended
As she leared the table, her phone suddenly rang
Seeing that it was Virgil on the bar, Moira felt the ward to answer the call.
“My nwither wants to int Jon diquet. Are you her tonight?” Virgil’s võilir–sonated from the other endt
Moira paused“feeling slightly overwhelined. “Mr. Adams, didn’t you see my message?”
There was a brief silence on the other end before he responded, “I told my moon your’re my girlfriend”
His respouse tugged at Moine’s heart a linte, and slir calined drom. Though initially wanting to reject the dinner, she changed her mind after thinking about how he probably tend förler his mother know about their relationship, for
“Ton fire tonight, but my mother
be there. Shehas simgery this werkend, and the aber for wangt det her leave the hospital. Would ple
“That’s fine.” Vingil replied. “Tinalinde busy now, but I’ll pick you up lanc
fits alright. Just tell me the location, and Take a tasi, Maira said.
Virgil had asked her to meet at Carmen’s Kinchen, a well–kinwn restaurant in Elgaria Kapenting an upscale atmosphere, Mogra weit henge, changed into a new outfit, and applied light makeup.
Upon arrival, the waitress. The entrance led Moiral
sendioned Virgil
indicating that he had already made a re
a
Maira stepped ou
out of the elevator and saw a red carpet striching to the end of the hall. The walls were adorned with exquisite oll pesantings, and sparkling chandeliers hung from the ceiling, creating a beautiful atmosphere,
Though it wasn’t her first time at the restaurant, it was her first experience in the VIP section, where she heard the minimum spending was three Thumsand dollars.
Moara remembered Zea saying that you could i
d tell how much
ow much someone valued your by their actions. Virgil’s choice of this place for their first family meeting showed how much he valued their marriage,
All the doubts and ergerts in her heart dissipated at that mensent.
“Mrs. Mitchell, onder whatever you like. Don’t be shy, and don’t worry about the cont. And Kayla, you’re too diant You need to eat more and take care of yourself?”
The Lamar wire of a woman reached Moira’s can. ! She stopped in her tracks and saw a group of people walking toward her.
