As soon as Kayla recalled the time she spent with Shermaine, she was on cloud nine as her gorgeous daughter was the apple of her eyes.
Although Shermaine had been thrown behind bars, Kayla deemed her daughter innocent.
Hannah’s question worked like a charm and stopped Kayla from sharing the unfortunate life of hers with others.
Kayla then recalled the blissful moment she spent with her husband after she found out she was pregnant with their daughter.
“Shermaine stood out amongst her peers ever since the day she was born! She had fair skin and thick bushes of hair! She’s definitely a blessing from heaven!”
Hannah asked, “Where have you given birth to Shermaine? I mean, you have traveled to a lot of places with James back in the day, haven’t you?”
“H-Huh?”
Kayla couldn’t recall the details. She answered, “I can’t recall as it doesn’t really matter! What matters the most is Shermaine will always be a citizen of D City! We moved to D City as soon as Shermaine was born! In fact, James was in the prime of his career after Shermaine joined us! We thought she was our lucky star! She’s definitely the reason behind James’ success over the years!”
Hannah asked with a frown, “Are you telling me you can’t even recall your daughter’s birth? Have you no shame as a mother?”
Actually, Hannah was about to reprimand Kayla for not disciplining Shermaine. In fact, she thought Kayla should be held liable for Shermaine’s misery.
It doesn’t really help to spoil a child! It was the same for me! I shouldn’t have spoiled this daughter of mine! She’s still a naïve middle-aged woman; no thanks to me and my negligence!
Apart from picking on others for defying her daughter and making a fuss out of something trivial, she’s not capable of anything else! She needs to learn the proper way to behave herself!
Sighing, Hannah secretly reprimanded herself for not carrying out the role of a mother which then led to her daughter’s messed-up life and character.
“Does it really matter?” Kayla looked at her mother with her lips pursed as if she was an aggrieved little girl when she caught Hannah sighing.
Sandra, who was there since the moment the conversation began, couldn’t stand the woman in her mid-fifties behaving as if she was a girl in the elementary school anymore.
“Are you telling me it’s not crucial? As a mother, can’t you even recall the detail the day your daughter is born?”
Hannah thought it was a mother’s duty to keep those details in mind even though she had brought those up for a hidden agenda of hers.
On top of that, Hannah had a bad feeling about the things awaiting the family as Kayla couldn’t even answer her queries.
More often than not, she would choose to have faith in her gut feelings just her instincts rarely failed her over the years.
What’s with this sense of insecurity I’m feeling? Has Kayla given birth to fraternal twins?
Confused, Hannah asked, “Are you sure Shermaine’s your only daughter? Would there be a chance of you giving birth to twins?”
Instead of them bringing up someone else’s child. Hannah secretly hoped Clarissa was the missing twin.
Unsure of the thing Hannah had in mind, Kayla asserted while shaking her head, “Mom, neither James nor our family has any twins. When I was at the hospital for my pregnancy check-up, the doctor mentioned nothing about me conceiving twins either. What makes you think Shermaine has a twin sibling?”
“Well, I’m just wondering if it’s possible.”
“Are you serious? Speaking of which, I think I have given birth to Shermaine in W City! I encountered a woman who was pregnant with twins back then. That country bumpkin told me she would name her twins after the famous landscapes in town.”
Kayla shared the trivial incident with her face scrunched up in disgust. She wasn’t aware Hannah and Sandra’s expression had changed the moment they heard her.
Sandra was baffled as she recalled the things her son once brought up in front of her. She couldn’t help but wonder if her son’s hypothesis was possible.
Truth be told, she had never once appreciated Shermaine’s presence.
If it’s possible, I hope Clarissa is her niece instead. At the very least, I’m no longer the aunt of a convict! It’s great if Jacque’s able to establish some sort of relationship with Matthew!
On the other hand, Hannah was confused. However, she thought Sandra’s speculation was nothing more than an exaggeration. If Clarissa isn’t Kayla’s twin daughter, why has she been given birth in the same city as Shermaine? Why does she resemble me so much in terms of look? Does that mean we’re destined to cross paths in life?
“Mom, is something bothering you? Oh! I have a favor to ask from you! It’s almost New Year! Can you get your friends or Jacque to do me a favor and bring Shermaine back for New Year? Just a week will do! She had acquired the approval to return home, but someone got in her way again! It doesn’t matter how much it’s going to cost as long as she’s able to return to us! Mom, Sandra, please! Shermaine is just an innocent girl! You’re not going to leave her alone, aren’t you?”
Kayla’s shamelessness was the thing that had never failed to get on Sandra’s nerves.
Is she aware she’s the one who’s trying to ask for a favor from us? How dare she get full of herself and act all arrogant in front of us? One may consider her naïve, but that’s just a euphemism when she’s nothing more than a fool!
Sandra got up from her seat and walked away, pretending she hadn’t heard Kayla’s request.
“Mom, I just recall I have to tend to something! Why don’t you guys enjoy the evening without me? Kayla, feel free to stay for dinner if you feel like it! Just make yourself comfortable”!
As soon as Sandra made herself clear, she walked away, leaving an irritated Kayla behind with Hannah.
What the heck does she mean by make myself comfortable when this is my home?
Unable to suppress her wrath, Kayla complained, “Mom, what’s wrong with Sandra? Why has she left when I’m just asking Jacque to do me a favor? Is she trying to sever ties with me? Shermaine is their niece as well! “
Hannah was equally irked by her daughter-in-law’s response, but she thought it wouldn’t be wise to side with her daughter anymore.
After all, Kayla was the one at fault. Sandra was right when she told Kayla to make herself comfortable as Kayla was no longer an intermediate member of the Wynters.
“How dare you pick on her when you can’t even be mindful of your choice of words? Has Jacque ever turned you down? You’re the one who can’t even bring up your request in a polite manner! Have you ever expressed your gratitude for the favor he has done you? Stop making it sound as though he’s obliged to help you! Jacque is your brother, but he’s also Sandra’s husband!”
“What do you mean he’s Sandra’s husband? No one can possibly change the fact that Jacque is my brother!”
“Shut up! When will you ever learn to behave yourself and stop letting me down? Jacque isn’t obliged to do any of your biddings! He has offended the Tysons in order to help Shermaine! No longer is the family on good terms with the Tysons because of you! Just stay out of his way and stop causing him more trouble than you already have! If you can’t behave yourself, stop showing up in front of us in the future! We have been doing just fine without you over the years!”
Hannah was on the verge of letting loose of herself. Thus, she stopped holding back and warned Kayla to mind her behaviors.
As a result, Kayla, who was intimidated by her mother’s harsh remarks, burst into tears as she always had again.
In spite of the conflict they had, Kayla spent the evening at the Wynters’ place until Jacque returned home from work. She behaved as though nothing had occurred in the afternoon and brought up the request in front of Jacque. Instead of a request, it was more of a demand. She asked her brother to bail her daughter out of the jail just for a few days during New Year’s holidays.
Sandra stopped holding back against Kayla and sneered when she heard their conversation.
However, Kayla couldn’t be bothered at all. She went on and added, “Jacque, you’re the only one I can rely on! Haven’t you promised to take care of me? You’re not allowed to go back against your promise!”
Jacque’s frustration was written all over his face. He took a peek at his wife and his mother’s expression and noticed they seemed to be against the idea.
In the end, he answered in a callous tone, “Kayla, I’m not sure if it’s possible, but I’ll try my best.”
“Jacque, what do you mean you’re not sure if it’s possible? Isn’t it a piece of cake to get someone bailed out of jail? How is it different for Shermaine’s case?”
“A piece of cake? Why don’t you go ahead and give it a try if you think it’s a piece of cake?”
“Isn’t that the case? What about the ones who made it out of jail after being convicted and thrown behind bars?”
Hannah couldn’t stand her daughter anymore. She bellowed, “Urgh! Shut up! Jacque has promised to do you a favor, but there’s a limit to the things he’s capable of! He’s merely trying to do you a favor because you’re his sister! You need to stop pushing your luck and appreciate his effort!”
Kayla was about to say something to defend herself, but Hannah shot daggers at her and warned her daughter to mind her words.
Once they had their meals, James showed up and brought Kayla back with him. Finally, the Wynters was able to have a moment of peace.
When Sandra returned to their room, she found out Jacque was in the middle of a call with others to pull the strings required to get Shermaine out of the jail.
She sneered and sighed after Jacque wrapped up the conversation with the person on the other end of the call.
“Jacque, your future was at stake because of your beloved sister, yet she hadn’t stopped taking you for granted! Instead, she won’t stop complaining! If I’m your sister, I’ll definitely take advantage of you in a similar manner!”
“Can you just give me a break?”
“Have I misrepresented the facts? Those were merely the tip of an iceberg! If I tell all of you the things I have in mind, your foolish sister may—”
“Sandra!”
Sandra added with a scowl, “I hope you’re not going to regret the decision you have made for the sake of your foolish sister! We can’t even be certain if it’s your biological niece we’re talking about!”
“What do you mean?”
Jacque turned around and had his eyes glued to his wife who was on the bed.
Meanwhile, Sandra retrieved the book on the nightstand and started reading while answering nonchalantly, “I’m just kidding.”
You’re just kidding? Are you supposed to make fun of your niece when she’s currently behind the bars?
