Page 83 of Second Chance with the Enemy CEO
“Liam,” my mum, Sharon, greets, smiling warmly. “What a pleasant surprise.
“Not likely,” I reply curtly, my tone sharper than I intended. “Is Dad here? I saw his car out front.”
As if on cue, my father, Charles, appears at the top of the staircase with my youngest sister, Cara, beside him. His booming voice carries down the stairs, warm and jovial. “Well, if it isn’t my son who treats this house like a museum - only visits when he feels like it. What brings you here today, Liam?”
I wait until he sits before I speak. “Good. Now that everyone is here, we need to have a family meeting. There is something I need to address.”
The room falls silent. My father leans back, a curious frown on his face. “What’s this about?”
“This question and conversation is five years too late.” I look directly at my mother, then at Linda and Lillian. “I want you to tell me the truth, no beating around the bush. Did you give Hazel a hard time when we were dating? Belittle her? Make her feel like she wasn’t good enough?”
Their expressions tighten, but none of them say a word.
“Fine,” I say, shifting my focus entirely to my mother. “Mom, I am going to ask you some questions. One, is it true that you were the one who offered the money to Hazel, twice, for her to leave me, and not her coming to ask you for it? Two, did you tell her that she is not good enough for me and threaten her? Did you tell her there was someone better for me?”
Her eyes widen, but she recovers quickly. “What kind of nonsense is this, Liam?”
“Don’t Liam me.” My voice rises, sharp and cutting. “Tell the truth.”
“I don’t know where you’re getting this from…”
“Tell me the truth, dammit!” My shout reverberates through the room, and my mother flinches. Everyone is staring at us now.
Finally, she sighs, her shoulders slumping. “Yes. Fine. Yes, I did. There, you happy now?”
The air leaves my lungs.
“What?” My dad’s voice booms, his shock palpable. He springs up from the chair, his face darkening.
I just stare at her, barely able to find the words. “Why? Why would you do that? To me?”
Mum folds her arms defensively. “I did what I thought was best for my son.”
“Best?”
“She wasn’t right for you, Liam,” she says defensively. “A poor orphan girl? She did not belong in this family.”
“Belong?” I repeat, the word tasting bitter. “You thought you had the right to decide that for me?”
“Liam…”
“No!” My voice cuts her off. “Do you even realize what you’ve done?”
“Liam…“
“So, let me get this straight,” Dad’s chair scrapes as he shoots to his feet again, walking close to Mum. “You mean to tell me you drove that girl away? The girl your son loved. Are you out of your mind, Sharon?” He thundered.
“Oh no, no, no. Do not pin her leaving town on me Charles, she did that on her own accord,” she says, shaking her head and glaring at Dad.
“You had a role to play, regardless,” Dad says. “Have you forgotten you were poor before we married? Or does that part conveniently slip your memory?”
“That’s different!” Mum snaps, glaring at him. “I was not a gold-digger! She was, Charles! She eventually cashed the cheque!”
“She didn’t!” I yell, standing now. “She never cashed it! You would have known that she never cashed the cheque. She kept it all this time. So, don’t you dare stand there and call her a gold-digger!”
The room is suffocating with tension, but I turn to Lillian and Linda. “You both…, my dear sisters… you were part of the whole thing, weren’t you. For goodness sakes, I tell you about her, every time, even before we started dating, and you always say you are happy to have her in the family, she’s a nice girl, and whatnot, but behind my back, you disliked her so much to want to drive her away from me, right?”
“Liam, we…”
