#THE_LAST_MINUTE_GROOM_S2
©Sir_Zach
EPISODE 22
Vera watched the two with envy and hatred. She was supposed to be the one getting the hugs and calling him her child. Valen didn’t even look at her twice even though she was supposed to be his ‘mother’.
Not liking what she was seeing, she coughed into her fist to break them apart but nobody cared about her.
She coughed again, a little louder than the first time but still, nobody responded. Annoyed, she finally spoke. “Jeslyn, he’s on needles. It must be hurting him. Also, he just woke up and needs some rest and fresh air.”
Jeslyn broke the hug and grabbed Valen’s left hand to check the needle on his wrist to see if she accidentally hurt him but she couldn’t see anything because a brown tape was used to secure the needle to his wrist.
“Don’t worry, he is fine,” Jeslyn said to Vera with a smile that didn’t reach her eyes.
“I was only worried as a mother.” Vera retorted.
“I also have a mother’s instinct, so I understand your concern. I should allow you two some space for now.” She turned to look at Valen and smiled. “Child, you must be famished. Let mommy go prepare you something delicious.” She brushed his long and uneven bangs up before placing a soft kiss on his forehead.
Valen wanted to stop her but when he heard she’d be cooking for him, he happily agreed with a nod and a smile on his lips.
After Jeslyn walked out and closed the door, the smile disappeared in an instant and he turned sharply to look at Vera.
“It’s my skin. Whether I get pricked by needles is not your concern. Don’t speak on my behalf next time… my daddy is not here, you should leave now.” Valen used to think that when he finally meets his mother, he would feel some connection, h@ťě, or happiness. However, looking at this Vera, he feels absolutely nothing but disgust for her.
She definitely cannot be his mother. It’s either his father made a mistake or Vera lied. Valen refused to believe he was related to this woman.
Vera was stunned at the child’s sharp tongue. He’s just 6 years old, no, almost 7 years old! Aren’t words too heavy for him to use? He talked like they were old-time enemies and it offended Vera greatly but she still had to maintain a loving attitude.
“Child, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to cause you agony. I was only worried that… fine. I was wrong. I–”
“Go out! I’m feeling sleepy!” He lay down on his side, giving Vera his back.
Valen wasn’t afraid that she would do anything to him because there were CCTV cameras in the room and the emergency button wasn’t far from his reach.
Vera was so angry that her face alternated between red and blue. Still, she suppressed it and said with a fake smile; “Ok, I’ll see you later.” She turned and hurried out. She couldn’t wait to leave.
After she left, Valen sat up. He stared at the shut door for a while with lots of thoughts running through his mind before turning his gaze back to the TV. His great-grandfather’s face was no longer on the screen, so he changed the channel to some anime. Too bad he didn’t hear what the old man said.
Thanks to Jeslyn, he started watching anime. Even though he still doesn’t understand much about these cartoons that hardly die when ki||ed, he knew that Jeslyn likes to see him watch them, so he’ll try to understand their concept.
…
Along the corridor, Vera was running towards the sitting room, crying. On her way, she spotted Rex and Maverick walking towards her.
Vera’s cries increased. She was silently crying before but suddenly started to wail.
Rex looked over his shoulder at Maverick. “Did you raise your hand on a woman?”
Maverick gave him a death glare without saying anything.
They’ve been together since, so when did he beat a woman who was coming out of the lab?
Rex awkwardly scratched the tip of his nose and said; “That’s right, you don’t hit a woman… Then why is she crying?” Looking at where Vera was coming from, he thought, ‘did Jeslyn bully her?’ That’s not right. They saw Jeslyn in the kitchen before coming here.
His mind snapped and he exclaimed. “Valen!”
Maverick looked at him like an idiot.
“Mav,” Vera stretched her hands, intending to hug Maverick and bury her face on his chest but instead of Maverick, a tablet greeted her stomach.
Maverick pushed her back with the edge of the tablet he was holding, stopping her from coming in contact with him.
“Mav,” she called with grievance and took a step back, separating herself from the tablet. She wiped her tears and tried to speak but she couldn’t talk coherently.
“I don’t have the whole day,” Maverick spoke in annoyance with a cold voice.
Vera nodded before she started to lament; “Valen is awake but he seems to h@ťě me. I’m his mother!” She wiped her face again, causing one who sees her to feel pity for her.
“Mtcheeeeew,” Rex hissed and walked forward, leaving Maverick and Vera on the passageway.
After Rex left, Vera secretly sighed. She h@ťěs that guy.
“Mav, I know I wasn’t there for Valen when he was growing up. But we both know it was not my fault. Please,” she stretched out her hand and tried to hold his hand. Maverick had one hand in his pocket and the other was holding a tablet.
She couldn’t hold the hand that was holding the tablet, and neither would she dare to pull his hand out of his pocket. So, her hand was left outstretched in an awkward manner.
She slowly put her hands down as tears ran down her cheeks.
“Mav, please help me talk to our son. I’m his real mother and I have no evil plans towards him. A stepmother can never be able to love him like a real mother would. Please, I want to bond with him, please, Mav. This is the only thing I ask.”
Maverick looked at her with dull eyes, then his eyes trailed to her stomach. Vera followed his eyes and hugged her stomach in fright.
“Take care of it.” He said and walked away.
Vera stood there frozen. She didn’t understand what he meant by that. Was he still after her baby? That can’t be because Valen needs the child’s bone marrow. Then, is he trying to warn her that Jeslyn would do something to her baby?
Her mind snapped. That’s right! Every angry woman would do that. Since that’s the case, she’ll have to drive Jeslyn out of this house before she gets to do anything.
With that in mind, she hurried to the kitchen.
Getting to the kitchen, she walked in and stood a distance away from the stove. There were two servants– Chef May and Maya. It would be good for them to be witnesses anyway. She thought.
“Jeslyn, I’m here to have some words with you.” She shifted her gaze between May and Maya. It was clear what she wanted to do. “Can we speak in private?” She sounded like a good person.
“You can see I’m busy. You are free to talk here.” Jeslyn who was dissing some veggies replied without looking back at her.
Hearing that, Vera smiled. That was what she wanted anyway but she didn’t want to appear too desperate.
“Ok… I thank you for everything you did for my son. For him to love you so much, means that you were a good woman to him. Now, he’s awake.” She paused.
“Ok…???”
Vera took a deep breath and continued. “You understand my circumstances very well, and as a woman, you would also be able to tell my sorrow. Please, I beg you, allow me to bond with my child…” she went on her knees and started to kowtow while sobbing.
Jeslyn paused and turned to look at her. Seeing what the pregnant Vera was doing, Jeslyn’s eyes flashed with an evil glint.
“How am I stopping you from bonding with your child?” She asked.
“You know the influence you have on Valen. He was about to warm up to me before you came in and he suddenly turned cold towards me. I beg you, as a woman, please let me unite with my child.”
Jeslyn sighed and ignored her to continue dissing while imagining she was cutting Vera instead of vegetables.
Maya and May were already angry, so Maya spoke up, after all, Jeslyn was the real deal. “Miss, when Madam Jeslyn came into this house some months ago, nanny Mulan was here too. Little Master was deeply influenced by her but Madam didn’t drive away nanny Mulan. Instead, she wrestled little Master away from her. You could do the same if you want your son to want you.” She sneered.
Vera ignored Maya’s taunting and continued to kowtow even harder while chanting. “Please, pity this mother, Jeslyn!”
Her chanting was becoming too annoying after a while, so Jeslyn slammed the knife hard on the chopping board, producing a loud bang.
Maya, Chef May, and Vera flinched when they heard the sound.
Vera raised her head from the floor and looked at Jeslyn. The aura shrouding her was so dark that a cold sweat broke out from her forehead due to the fear that was sailing inside her. ‘Th– this can’t be real!’ she thought.
Seeing the fear on Vera’s face, Jeslyn curled her lips into a deadly smile and slowly picked up the knife before walking languidly towards her.
Vera was too shocked to react. Before she could get up on her own, Jeslyn had stopped in front of her and supported her to get up.
“You shouldn’t mess with me, Vera. What is mine, I don’t share. I might be kind, but don’t take me for granted.” She smiled.
Vera wasn’t seeing that smile as an innocent smile at all. In those hazel eyes that looked exactly like Valen’s, there was ki||ing intent.
Instinct told her to move away but Vera couldn’t move. She could feel that Jeslyn could ki|| her with that knife she was holding, but still, for some reason, she couldn’t lift a hand. She was frozen!
True to her instinct…
“Shunk!”
Vera widened her eyes in horror as she felt a sharp object which she believed was the knife plunge inside her stomach. With disbelief and pain written on her face, she slowly lowered her eyes to her stomach and saw Jeslyn’s fair hand holding the hand of the knife whose blade was buried deep into her stomach.
She slowly raised her head to see the evil grin on Jeslyn’s face.
“Tchm!” The knife was pulled out.
Vera took a sharp breath and held her stomach with shaky hands before falling to her knees.
Maya and May didn’t understand what happened at first until they saw Vera fall to her knees with her hands covered in blood.
“Ahhhhhh!”
“Ahhhhhhhhh!”
The two let out an ear-piercing scream simultaneously and hugged themselves while shivering.
How could Jeslyn ki|| a pregnant woman just like that?! It wasn’t that they’ve never seen deaths before but this was too shocking. ki||ing Valen’s pregnant mother was uncalled for!
Vera didn’t know why her eyes were feeling dizzy. She didn’t want to leave the world like this. Her mission wasn’t complete. Her wish to sleep with Maverick again hasn’t been fulfilled. There were lots of things she hadn’t done yet.