66. Follow the tradition

It took a long moment before Megan answered as if she were pondering how to respond to their father's question. 'I got carried away! She insulted my pregnancy and boasted about—" 'Sis, is it that hard to admit the truth?" Jeydon interjected, unable to resist joining the conversation. She could see the defiance in Megan's eyes and the color draining from her face, but she remained silent, letting things unfold. She needed to calm down and not show her true emotions at that moment because Braun wouldn't appreciate her getting angry; he would only worry about her. Dr. Nami had emphasized not to stress herself out. 'What do you mean, Jeydon?" Kimineah asked, furrowing her brow. 'Shut up, Jeydon! Don't butt in if you're not asked!" Megan snapped at him. 'I have my right to talk, especially when I know what happened," Jeydon replied firmly and bravely. Their father let out a frustrated sigh, clearly irritated by the squabble between his children. 'Just tell me what the hell happened? Why wasn't I informed about this chaos?!" their father exclaimed irritably. 'Jeydon, go on." 'I accompanied Briella to the hospital because of a sudden stomachache, and then Mommy and Megan suddenly arrived. They started bullying Chelsey, and when they saw Briella, Megan began saying all sorts of things. Briella didn't engage, but I don't know what came over Megan; she caused a scene and accused Briella of various things while pulling at her hair," he recounted. 'And what did she say to Briella?" their father's face darkened as he waited for Jeydon's answer, but before Jeydon could respond, she intervened. 'It doesn't matter. We didn't come here to seek sympathy and find allies," she said. She heard Megan's loud sigh at her statement. 'You'll do anything to get attention, won't you? You're playing the victim here but deep inside, you're evil and laughing at us! Bitch!" Megan exclaimed at her. 'One more foul word and I'll send you right away to jail, Mrs. Lorenzo. It's not a threat, it's a warning," Braun said. Megan fell silent, seemingly scared by Braun's words. 'With all due respect, it may sound harsh, but I didn't come here to ask you anything, Sir. I'm here because your daughter hurt my wife and our baby. Good thing nothing happened to both of them, because if anything had happened to them, I swear I would not rest until they both faced the consequences of what they did," Braun stated firmly. 'B-Briella's pregnant? I'm going to have a grandchild?" her father asked in astonishment, looking at her and then at her stomach. 'Yes, and that's why your daughter is so furious at my wife," Braun replied. 'What?" her father exclaimed. She glanced at Megan's quiet mother who was sitting beside their father, even Megan's husband stood silently behind her, looking visibly weary from standing behind Megan. 'I believe that your daughter hates my wife because of her insecurity. Envy and shame consume her because she thought she was pregnant and could claim the wealth that would go to the first child who could give you a grandchild," Braun said without hesitation, ignoring Megan's presence. 'Let me remind you, I am the CEO of one of the most well-known companies in the country. I also have investments outside the country, and my child will inherit all of that. I can support my family without relying on anyone else's wealth. That's a husband's duty." There was a long silence, and it seemed like nobody had any intention of speaking further. She grabbed Braun's arm, and he immediately turned to her. 'Let's go home, I want to rest," she said. Without wasting any time, Braun bid farewell to her father. 'I hope I made myself clear, Sir. If your daughter or anyone else in your family disturbs Briella again, I will be your opponent," he politely said to her father. 'Can I . . . Can I see you again, Briella?" he softly asked her. She didn't respond and simply continued walking out, followed by Jeydon and Kimineah as they exited the mansion. 'I'm so jealous, you're with Jeydon again. When will it be just the two of us, Brie?" Kimineah asked with a pout while holding her hand. She smiled and faced her, while Braun opened the car door for her. 'If you're not busy tomorrow, you can visit me at our house." 'R-Really?" Kimineah's eyes sparkled with excitement. 'I'll come too!" their youngest sibling chimed in. She smiled and nodded. 'Just call me whatever time you plan to visit so I can prepare a little something for us to share," she said. Kimineah hugged her happily. She didn't hold any grudges against them because they hadn't done anything wrong to her. In truth, she had received gifts from Kimineah and Jeydon several times, but she had always kept her distance, not out of anger towards their mother, but because she hesitated to approach them. Her siblings were innocent in whatever happened between her parents. Even though she was willing to accompany and reconcile with Megan, it seemed unlikely now that she had inherited her mother's harsh demeanor. Unlike her two siblings who inherited their father's humility and kindness. Her Daddy was kind, affectionate, and caring, but because of the jealousy and whispers of that demon Meryll, he suddenly changed his treatment towards their Mommy. Kimineah and Jeydon waved goodbye before they finally left the place. 'Are you okay, wife?" Braun asked her. She gave him a sideways glance. 'You said you'd behave, is that what you call behaving?" she asked him instead of answering his question. Her husband laughed lightly. 'Wife, don't you know how much I'm restraining myself from getting angry and speaking harshly?" Nodding, Braun held her hand. 'Do you know what's on my mind while talking to that woman? I want to rip off her tongue and throw her in jail with her mother. I want them to suffer for what they've done to you." She took a deep breath and smiled at him. 'You just came back from another country, and problems immediately greeted you. Why don't we change the topic and talk about our baby?" Braun's face softened immediately, and he sweetly smiled, gently kissing her hand. He stopped the car on the side of the road and turned to her. 'Thank you for bringing another sunshine to my life. I'm so blessed I've found you," he expressed lovingly. She smiled and caressed his face. 'We've come to another chapter of our life, Braun. I hope you won't get tired of me when we have a child. You see, I don't have a good family background. My mom is in a mental institution because of my dad's mistress. I didn't have a good experience as a child, and I don't want that to happen to our child—our future child." 'I will always love you, wife. I don't see any other woman but you. I can't promise to be a perfect husband, but I will do my best to support you in every decision you make," he emotionally assured her. He kissed her on the lips, which she reciprocated immediately. Another chapter of her life had opened, and she knew that each page would be more colorful because of the promises made by the person she loved. Meanwhile, in the Montañez mansion, rage-filled the eyes of the patriarch. He couldn't believe that Megan was capable of ruining and hurting just for the sake of the wealth she would inherit. 'Why do you believe that woman over me?!" Megan accused him resentfully. 'She is my daughter, Megan. She is my first-born daughter!" he retorted angrily. 'And I'm your daughter too! We're not far apart in age. You just chose to marry her crazy mother over Mommy!" Megan shouted, seemingly losing control. 'Megan, that's enough. You shouldn't—" 'No, Mommy!" she interrupted her. 'How many years have you been submissive and obedient to Daddy? His first wife has been gone from this house for a long time, why hasn't he married her yet?" 'What nonsense are you talking about marriage?" he asked Megan, his eyes narrowing as he looked at Meryll. 'What absurdity are you putting into our children's minds, Meryll?" The woman fell silent, as did their two children, Jeydon and Kimineah. He took a deep breath and grasped his senses. 'I think it's time you knew why I couldn't marry your mother," he said. 'Damian, please, don't do this," Meryll pleaded with him. 'And what do you want me to do? Stay silent again and ignore what's happening. Can't you see what kind of ideas you've planted in our children's minds, Meryll?" he accused her. 'What's happening? Is there something we need to know?" Jeydon asked, his eyebrows furrowed. He released a deep sigh before speaking, ignoring Meryll's pleading. He knew that revealing the truth might be too late, but he had to say it anyway. 'Your mother is the reason why I beat Briella's mother," he confessed. He heard Kimineah gasp and Jeydon clenched his jaw. 'Because of her intense jealousy towards my wife and to make her leave me, she set up Lebyth. It's not true that my wife had an affair, and the man I caught with Lebyth was a close friend of your mother. I found out too late, and I regretted everything. I killed my innocent child who was unaware of the world," he couldn't help but cry as he recalled his actions of beating Briella's mother, which led to the miscarriage and caused immense trauma to his wife. 'No, that's not true!" Megan screamed, turning to her mother. 'Mom! Speak up, tell Daddy he's lying!" 'It's the truth, Megan, and I have evidence of your mother's conversations with her close friend. I didn't take action or report to the police because I was thinking of you, and your mother was already pregnant with Kimineah back then. I felt so hopeless, and every night I prayed that Lebyth would recover and that we would be punished. I'll admit my sins, and I'm ready to face the consequences," he confessed. 'Why are you only saying this now, Daddy?" Jeydon asked bitterly. 'Didn't you ever wonder what Briella went through when she lost her mom and her sibling?" 'When I found out Briella was pregnant, I was afraid that Megan might do the same thing as her mother. I didn't want history to repeat itself, and I didn't want an innocent child to suffer because of someone else's greed. That's why it needs to stop here. I won't allow my children to hurt each other just for wealth that will never belong to them," he said firmly. 'W-What do you mean? Is this a joke? Mom told us that whoever gives you a grandchild—" 'It's a lie!" Meryll shouted. 'What?!" Megan also shouted. 'The Lé Fragrancé company is owned by Lebyth's family, which she inherited from her parents. Because she was the first to have a child, the company went to her, and we had an agreement to follow the tradition started by her parents. Even before Briella was born, the company was already in her name, and I'm the one managing it because she chose to distance herself and pursue her dreams," he explained.