“Kayden, let go,” Georgia pleaded softly, tugging at his arm with worry etched on her face.
Kayden released his grip, but not before giving Emmalynn a forceful shove. She stumbled back, nearly falling if not for Georgia’s father catching her.
“Madman!” she shrieked, terror and rage battling in her eyes. “You’re nothing but a lunatic!”
Seizing the moment, Jamie’s father turned to Old Mrs. Adams, jabbing a finger at Georgia and Kayden. “Mom, do you see this? This is your granddaughter and her husband. They think that just because they’re running the Adams family now, they can ignore your authority and do as they please! What they did to Jamie… they’re clearly trying to eliminate any competition, anyone who threatens their position. First Jamie, then it’ll be us, then Layla’s family, and finally… you!”
“Nonsense!” Harvey couldn’t hold back anymore, jumping to his daughter’s defense.
As a father, hearing his child slandered was more than he could bear. Harvey was usually the quiet one, the peacekeeper who kept his thoughts to himself. Among the brothers, he was often criticized for his silence.
Since childhood, Harvey had been the family’s punching bag. Whenever something went wrong, the blame landed squarely on his shoulders. He rarely spoke up unless pushed to the absolute limit. It’s why he’d silently endured Scarlett’s scolding earlier.
For the sake of peace, for his own sake, he could endure. But today, with someone accusing his daughter, he couldn’t stand idly by. They could say what they wanted about him, but his family especially his daughter was off-limits.
This was a father’s dignity on the line. And no one should dare tarnish that.
He fixed Jamie’s father with a steely gaze. “Everyone here knows exactly what kind of person my daughter is. How much she’s given to this family, how hard she’s worked, what she’s achieved are you all blind?”
Jamie’s father scoffed. “It’s precisely because she thinks like you that she saw Jamie as a threat. That’s why she did this to him. Harvey, you’re responsible for what happened to Jamie. This is the daughter you raised.”
Harvey let out a cold laugh. “That’s right, we’ve always been the ones to grin and bear it. Take whatever you dish out. You’ve always called the shots, but not today. I won’t let you slander my daughter!”
“Harvey, I bet this was a family conspiracy, wasn’t it?” Jamie’s father shot back, his words dripping with venom.
Scarlett couldn’t take it anymore. She lashed out at Jamie’s father, “You’re talking absolute rubbish! You know damn well what kind of person your son is. How many enemies has he made out there? And you have the nerve to accuse Georgia? This is slander, pure and simple!”
For all her faults, Scarlett fiercely loved her children. She might be harsh with outsiders like Kayden, but she’d be damned if she let anyone bully her daughter.
Soon, Emmalynn joined the fray. The two families were at each other’s throats in the cramped hospital room, their argument escalating to the brink of physical violence…
CRASH!
A sudden noise silenced everyone. All eyes turned to the source Old Mrs. Adams had knocked over the water cooler. One look at her face, and everyone’s heads dropped.
Old Mrs. Adams’s face was ashen, her cheek twitching. She felt her authority slipping away. First Kayden’s blatant disrespect, now this family brawl right in front of her they were treating her, the family matriarch, like she didn’t even exist.
“Go on!” she barked, her voice laced with venom. “Keep arguing! Keep making a scene!”
Her gaze swept over each face, shame written on every bowed head. “What’s the matter? Why so quiet now? I said continue!”
She jabbed her cane into Jamie’s father’s chest, then Harvey’s. Both men stumbled back, withering under her look of utter disappointment.
“A great family, brawling in a hospital like common thugs. Have you no shame? If word of this gets out, what will people say about the Adams family? That we lack discipline? That we’re falling apart? Is this how you honor your name? Is this how you uphold our family’s reputation?”
Her words rang out, sharp and righteous. After glaring at each of them in turn, she let out a heavy sigh, shaking her head. Looking skyward, she said, “Christopher, I’ve failed you. I couldn’t keep the family together. I’ve let you down. These children… I can’t control them anymore. Take me with you!”
“Mom!” Everyone hung their heads in shame.
Old Mrs. Adams nodded repeatedly. “You’ve all done so well. You’re all so successful. Clearly, I can’t handle you anymore.”
“Mom, that’s not what we meant,” Harvey said earnestly, head bowed. “We just didn’t want Georgia to be falsely accused.”
“That’s right, Mom. You know Jamie’s condition…” Jamie’s father choked up, tears and snot running down his face.
“Please, Mom, take charge of the situation!”
“Hah!” Old Mrs. Adams’s laugh was cold. “You really want me to take charge?”
“Yes!” Respecting elders was a cardinal rule in the Adams family. After Christopher’s death, Old Mrs. Adams had become the family head. The next generation wouldn’t take over until she passed.
Old Mrs. Adams nodded slightly, her piercing gaze landing on Georgia. In a voice cold as ice, she commanded, “Georgia, kneel!”
Those two words rang out with unquestionable authority. This wasn’t a request it was an order.
Georgia stood there, utterly bewildered. She had no idea what was happening. One minute she was walking into a hospital room, the next she was being bombarded with accusations, and now her grandmother was imperiously ordering her to kneel!