Betrayal unmasked

On seeing that their secret was about to be exposed, Claudia interfered sharply and said, "Valerie, dear, I know that you are upset with us for letting you become a surrogate mother at such a young age. But we had no choice, child. It was because we wanted to save your father, and to better the family finance".

Valerie scoffed in disgust, and shook her head. "What does that have to do with driving me out of the house? I was left in the streets for days. I had nowhere to go, and no one to ask for help".

"I need an explanation, Claudia. What exactly does Valerie mean when she said that she was thrown out of the house? Didn't you tell me that she left the house on her accord?" Edmond narrowed his eyes on her.

"Dad. We didn't drive her out of the house. She's just making this up" Patricia snapped.

Valerie wasn't surprised. Just as she expected, they were never going to admit to the truth. Seeing both of them shattered her health, and she realized she was much happier being away from them.

"How dare you, Claudia? How dare you drive my daughter out of her house? You are a despicable woman. I thought you told me the truth, but it turned out to be a lie" Edmond held Valerie's hands.

Claudia fumed in annoyance, and clenched her fist in fury. All she wanted was for her husband to think she actually misses Valerie. "She… She was being so stubborn. I didn't mean to. We apologize for what we did to you, and we totally regret it".

"Sorry, sister. We regret our actions".

"Enough. Today is supposed to be a happy day because after 6 years, Valerie came home again. The food is going to get cold if we keep talking about your cruelness" Mr. Edmond glared at Claudia and her daughter before they walked to the dining table.

Claudia noticed how her husband cared for Valerie, and immediately harbored a greater grudge against Valerie.

"Just because of her, my husband now thinks of Patricia and me as liars. She just came back, and she's already causing trouble for me".

For some reason, Patricia started to think that Valerie grew prettier though she lost weight, she was still glowing. In that instant, she began to feel even more jealous of her. "Such a pain".

"Oh, I forgot to get you the parcel I have to give you, Valerie. Just hold on, I'll get the gift for you" Edmond smiled at her, and walked upstairs.

"Valerie, I don't know what you're up to coming back here, but I'm warning you… forget about whatever stupid idea you have in your mind. This family had absolutely nothing to do with you" Claudia threatened her.

Valerie glacially chuckled, and said, "Why not? When my father first built his business, my grandparents invested in it too, but you both had the temerity to think of taking it all away. I helped with the family business too, at least you succeeded in making me a surrogate mother at a young age".

"You…"

"Know your place, Valerie. I thought you were smart, but of course, you had to show your foolishness. I drove you out of the Watson's family six years ago, what makes you think I'll not be able to drive you out again?" Claudia smirked mischievously.

"My father is the only reason why I came back to this family, which is none of your business. Likewise, my dad can do whatever he likes with his inheritance, which is also none of your business" Valerie refuted.

"About that, don't you ever think of getting the bigger share of my husband's inheritance. As far as I'm concerned, you're still not part of the Watson's family" Claudia glared at her with hatred written all over her.

Valerie smiled dryly and said, "My dad is still alive and still has a long way to go with his life, and here you are talking about his inheritance. Do you want him gone so badly? If that is the case, then I'll do whatever it takes to make sure he lives a long life. That way, none of you will get anything from his inheritance" Valerie coldly yelled. 

"You little…" Claudia paused. She won't dare say any further before she ends up getting herself into trouble. She never loved Edmond, she only married him for his money. Which is why she was so concerned about the family finances.

"What are you talking about? My Mom loves my Dad, and he's always going to stick to him" Patricia defended. Immediately, they heard the footsteps coming from the staircase, they quickly kept quiet.

Mr. Edmond walked to the dining room with smiles all over his face. He was holding a box of presents. He handed it to Valerie, and said, "Here is my welcome home gift for you, Val".

Valerie took the box with awe. Opening it, she saw a diamond necklace neatly placed inside the box. "Oh my goodness! Dad, you shouldn't have spent so much money. Seeing you alone makes me happy, I know this will cost a fortune".

"You're worth more than this, Val. I'll help you put it on" Mr. Edmond took the necklace, and wore it on Valerie's neck.

"Hey, get a mirror" He pointed at a servant. A few minutes later, the maid rushed in with a mirror. It was handed over to Valerie who looked at herself in the mirror, and smiled, "Thank you so much, Dad".

The father and daughter rushed into each other's arms, while Claudia and her daughter couldn't help but fume in anger.

"Dad, you have never given me a present before" Patricia sniffed, feigning tears.

"What is wrong with you, Patricia? Your sister has been away for so long. You should even have presents for her" Claudia scolded her pretentiously.

"Valerie dear, when are you coming back to the Watson's Residence? You shouldn't be in Northridge anymore" Edmond raised his brows.

"What? Why would she…?" Patricia freaked out, but paused as her father glared at her.

"I'm sorry, Dad. I can't leave Northridge".