Chapter 4 - Confronting The Queen Bee
By noon, I drove straight to my mother’s upscale suburban villa, bursting through her front door without even bothering to knock. Linda was sitting in her plush velvet armchair, leisurely sipping chamomile tea while reading a society magazine. She didn't even look up as I slammed the heavy oak door shut. "Daniel, must you always barge in like a barbarian? You look appalling. Have you been drinking?" I marched across the living room and snatched the magazine right out of her hands, throwing it onto the coffee table. "Evelyn didn't just leave, Mother. And she isn't some penniless orphan you can push around. Did you know she owns property? Did you know she comes from real wealth?" Linda scoffed, crossing her legs with an irritating air of superiority. "Don't be ridiculous. That girl wore off-brand cardigans and worked herself to the bone. The only thing she inherited from her pathetic background was a knack for burning toast." "She inherited an estate worth millions!" I shouted, my voice cracking with desperation. "And her lawyers—elite, high-priced attorneys—are already handling our asset separation. She’s filing for sole custody of Lucas, and Mr. Nelson just blocked my promotion because of this domestic scandal!" The teacup rattled violently against its saucer as Linda finally set it down, her eyes widening in genuine shock. "Millions? That’s impossible! She drove a secondhand sedan and apologized for breathing too loudly!" "Because she wanted me to love her for me!" I yelled, tears of absolute fury pricking my eyes. "And I failed her. Every single time you insulted her, every time you made her feel like dirt in her own home, I let you do it. I stood there and smiled like a coward." Linda’s face flushed a deep, mottled red, her maternal facade cracking to reveal the bitter, manipulative woman underneath. "How dare you speak to your mother like that over some ungrateful gold-digger! If she had any breeding, she would have accepted her place with grace instead of running away like a thief in the night!" I stared at the woman who had birthed me, realizing for the very first time in my life that she was a toxic, miserable tyrant who had poisoned everything she touched. "I never want to see you in my house again," I said coldly, turning my back on her forever.
