Filed to story: Seventeen Heartbreaks: When Love Has No Voice
Landon continued, “Dean also advised me against visiting you at the hospital. He feared that if I upset you, it might hinder your recovery.”
Shirley paused, taken aback, and then swiftly came to Dean’s defense. “Well, you should consider why I ended up in the hospital. I wouldn’t have been hospitalized if you hadn’t orchestrated my car incident.”
Landon simply pulled out his smartphone and began swiping across the screen, his voice laced with irony. “Do you really think I orchestrated your car incident that day?”
A memory flashed through Shirley’s mind, igniting her anger as her eyes welled up. “How could you do this to me? I am your mother, after all. Don’t you fear the consequences of treating me this way? All I have been doing is for your own good. What’s wrong with my intention to surround you with reliable people? Leila is nothing but a seductress. She bewitched your grandfather, and now she’s ensnaring you. What do you see in her?”
Landon raised his gaze to meet Shirley’s, his response icy. “You mistreated Leila, yet you’ve seized everything that rightfully belongs to her.”
Through clenched teeth, Shirley retorted, “That is the Kensington family’s fortune. It was never meant for her!”
Landon smirked. “Before joining the Kensington family, Leila had her own assets, inherited from her parents. She was quite young then, and a lawyer helped her manage those assets, but after she was adopted by my grandfather, that lawyer mysteriously vanished. Mom, others might not know what happened, but I do.”
Landon had overheard this secret as a kid.
Back then, Leila’s arrival sparked both curiosity and a sense of threat in Landon. Worried about losing even the sliver of attention that Shirley spared him, he began to watch Shirley more closely. This led him to overhear things he probably shouldn’t have.
At that time, Shirley, on a call with her aides, ordered them to ensure Leila’s lawyer didn’t reappear.
Such an order was beyond the young Landon’s comprehension. As he grew older, doubts took root in his mind.
Landon’s father was running the Kensington Group back then. Frankly, his father was a poor leader. At that time, the Kensington Group was struggling financially.
Though having some savings, Shirley had been spending lavishly during that period. She didn’t hesitate to purchase anything she fancied, regardless of the price, even if it cost tens of millions.
Shirley had even bought a large villa abroad for Dean, reportedly worth hundreds of millions.
Landon, though young at the time, remembered it vividly. As he grew older, something about it didn’t seem right to him, prompting him to investigate and eventually uncover the secret.
Now, with the evidence laid out before her, Shirley couldn’t deny it even if she wanted to. Caught off guard by Landon’s discovery, she was so agitated that she began to cough incessantly.
Bedridden for a while, Shirley had become noticeably thinner, her eyes hollowed and stark, and her visage, twisted in anger, appeared quite frightening.
Furious, Shirley’s voice hardened as she confronted Landon. “Landon! What the hell are you going to do?”
Landon, finding a grim amusement in the situation, just smiled. “It’s not about what I’m going to do. It’s about what you and Dean are up to.”
Landon had barely finished speaking when a few sharp knocks interrupted their conversation, echoing through the hospital ward.
Dean’s panic and guilt were quite evident in his attempt to interrupt their talk.
Shirley avoided Landon’s intense gaze, her teeth clenched as she spoke.
“What can your brother and I possibly do? Landon, you’re the one who put me in this situation. You orchestrated my car incident. You’re trying to kill me to gain full control of the Kensington family. I saw your ambition long ago and meant to confront you.
You got panicked and then assaulted me. Now, with the entire Kensington family gathered here, even if it takes my last breath, I will expose you in front of them all!”
Blue veins throbbed on Shirley’s forehead as she glared at Landon, seeing him as nothing less than an adversary.
Landon’s face remained impassive, but inside, his heart turned icy. Even though he had anticipated it, the reality stung. After all, she was his mother.
Landon couldn’t fathom why Shirley had always favored Dean over him since their childhood. Moreover, why did she attempt to ruin one son’s future to benefit the other?
Shirley seemed to catch onto Landon’s unspoken thoughts. Out of nowhere, she burst into laughter. “Curious, aren’t you? Well, I’ll tell you why. You’ve always been like this, even as a child, and I despise it. You’re intelligent and capable, which makes everyone else seem dull in comparison. Your presence doesn’t warm my heart. Whenever you interact with me, it’s always devoid of the tenderness I get from Dean. You never sweet-talk me, always aloof and detached.”
Landon was taken aback. “Is that really the reason?”
Shirley just laughed, a bitter edge to her voice. “I sometimes wish I’d never had you.”
Landon’s laugh mingled with Shirley’s, tinged with both mockery and self-derision. So that was her reason.
Unlike Dean, who was smooth with flattering words, Landon preferred to show his devotion through his deeds.
Landon remembered Shirley’s likes and dislikes, always going out of his way to procure whatever she fancied and sending it her way.
Even when Dean ended up taking the credit on numerous occasions, Landon wasn’t bothered. To him, showing filial respect wasn’t about seeking acknowledgment. However, he didn’t expect that in Shirley’s eyes, he was an aloof son. His mother simply dismissed his efforts.
Perhaps Landon’s sarcasm had struck a nerve. Shirley’s anger flared even more. She felt an urge to rise from her bed and strike Landon.
The knock on the door evolved into pounding, growing incessant. Dean shouted outside Shirley’s ward, “Landon, what’s going on in there? Why are you blocking the door? Hurry up and open it! What are you doing to our mom?”
Shirley’s face brightened at the sound of Dean’s concerned voice. She was desperate to scream for help.
But Landon’s voice cut through. “You think by siding with Dean against me, you can rely on him in the future? You fail to see that you’re merely a tool to him, expendable once your usefulness runs out.”
Shirley snapped, “What nonsense are you spouting? Dean cares about me, unlike you, who’s always so cold and distant. You’re bound to end up alone.”
Landon remained calm, his gaze drifting to the IV drip above Shirley.
Seeing his distant look, Shirley blurted out frantically, “What are you planning? I’m your mother. You won’t dare harm me, will you? You’ll end up in prison if you cause me harm!”
Landon couldn’t help but chuckle. “I’m not the one trying to harm you. It’s Dean. If you want to stay alive, tell him you’ve decided to recover at my place.”
Landon took a deep breath before saying solemnly, “Mom, I get we have different opinions on certain subjects. But you remain my mom, and nobody can change that. I’ll be upfront. If you choose me and give up your schemes, I can provide enough for you to live a decent life. But to return to your previous luxurious lifestyle? Forget about it.
Moreover, you must return what you have claimed from Leila. That’s rightfully hers. You know how I operate. I will surely follow through with my intentions even if you don’t agree.
Now, the choice is yours. Support Dean, and any dire circumstances that follow will be the consequences of your wrong decision. Don’t approach me by then.”
Shirley hesitated, her mind racing. But the sound of Dean’s voice outside hardened her resolve.
Shirley sneered at Landon. “You’re guilty, so you’re trying to lock me up. The so-called car accident was your doing. Once I’m better, I’ll expose you for how monstrous you really are!”
Landon stared at Shirley, her eyes wild and unhinged. The last flicker of hope within him died. The truth was, he had known exactly what Shirley and Dean had been up to for some time. He was always on guard. How would he get drugged? It was Shirley, his own mother, who’d slipped him the drugs.
Since Shirley was his mother, Landon had looked everywhere else for the culprit, even suspecting Edgar, but never her. He had assumed they’d had their differences, but they were still mother and son. He never imagined she’d pull off something like drugging him, disregarding his well-being.
Upon finding Shirley administering drugs to him, everything clicked. Landon then realized Shirley had long decided to favor Dean, acting like Dean was her only son.
Landon exhaled a weary sigh before posing one last question. “Did my dad have a love child a few years back? What happened to that boy and his mistress?”
Shirley’s tirade abruptly stopped. Her eyes flashed with something sinister. “What nonsense are you talking about? Your dad and I had a perfect marriage. No love child ever existed!”
Landon let out a bitter laugh. “Is that so? Isn’t that child’s name Stan? It seemed my dad quite adored him and wanted to raise him well outside. But you found out and got furious. You even burned down their home in a huff. My dad’s mistress died on the spot, and half of Stan’s face was disfigured. Later on, Stan approached you demanding an explanation. After all, my dad’s will explicitly stated that Stan was disinherited and his presence in our lives was inconsequential.
However, you concocted a tale that I wanted him and his mother gone, and you simply handled things for me, claiming your actions were out of your indulgence of me. Essentially, you scapegoated me for your transgressions.
Having fully believed your story, Stan’s hatred toward me has intensified over the years and somewhat became his drive for growth. Have you seen him again since you two met that year? Not only is he alive, but he’s thriving.
I’m uncertain how he managed it, but he’s now a lackey to some perverted noble in Ysland. Stan’s miserable existence has been fueled solely by his hatred for me and you.
It’s too late to set things right. His resentment has distorted him, and the truth no longer concerns him. If he is going down, he will definitely drag me down with him. The crisis I’m facing is a direct consequence of your actions.”
Landon’s narration was detached, as if he were recounting someone else’s story.
Shirley’s eyes widened in shock as she absorbed the information. “Is Dean involved in this?” she asked nervously. “Will Stan seek revenge against Dean?”
Landon scoffed. “Absolutely not.”
Landon wasn’t being completely honest. Stan hadn’t plotted revenge against Dean solely because Dean was merely a pawn in his broader scheme.
Landon saw no point in intervening. The inevitable confrontation between these few evil folks would be destructive.
Guilt gnawed at Shirley, but the irrevocable nature of her relationship with Landon rendered any explanation futile. She cleared her throat awkwardly. “If you’re finished, leave. I don’t want to see you anymore. Instead of interrogating me, you should focus on damage control. I’ll be transparent about the situation eventually,” she declared.