Chapter 26 A Gift Given Is Not Taken Back

Gladys could clearly sense the sarcasm in Angela's words. A mistress receiving a 170-million-dollar property from her patron, while she, the legitimate fiancée of the Green Family, struggled with loans for a 280 square foot apartment, had just been outshone by a "mistress"!

"My mommy is not being kept!" Eddie retorted, "You’re just envious that my mommy's house is bigger and more expensive than yours! If you're capable, have your husband buy you a 400 square foot house. If you can't afford it, don't be jealous of my mommy."

Fuming, Gladys spat back, "Angela, is this the poorly raised bastard you gave birth to?"

"Bastard?" Angela countered, "Your daughter, born from such circumstances, has no right to call my son a bastard. Why would he need any manners for someone like you? Do you even need a check to deal with a beggar?"

"You—!" Gladys seethed, calling Angela a cheap and sharp tongued wretch.

Eddie chimed in, "Bad woman, you’re spreading rumors, you're slandering. That's a crime! Do you know how many years you get for defamation?"

Gladys was taken aback.

Eddie added, "You're committing a crime, and it will affect your children too!"

Laughter echoed through the sales hall as everyone appreciated Eddie's not only handsome and sharp but also endearing for standing by his mother.

Most children his age might have hidden fearfully behind their mothers, but Eddie stood in front of Angela, his young face resolute in defending her.

Gladys, feeling uneasy with the whispers around her, understood that public opinion was against her. The strangers were charmed by Eddie's adorable intelligence.

Biting her teeth, she warned Angela, "Don't get too smug! I'll find evidence of you being kept one day!"

With those words, she left with Jacob to save face.

Whispers of awe followed.

"Your son is so cute!"

"Smart and protective of you, you're so fortunate to have a child like him!"

"If I had such a thoughtful son, I must have saved a galaxy in my past life!"

"…"

Angela felt immense satisfaction in her heart. She didn’t care about the rumors, but in critical moments, Eddie was always her strongest support. He loved and cared for her more than anyone else.

Indeed, she was a winner in life. In her past life, she must have done many good deeds to deserve Eddie as her son in this life.

Crouching down, Angela said to Eddie, "Eddie, you truly are mommy's darling boy." Privately, she felt a twinge of guilt; after all, it was because of her that Eddie had to face these insults.

Eddie arched his brow, "Why should I take seriously what that kind of person says? I am not a bastard. My father is Carlos, he just doesn’t know it."

He knew better than anyone that he wasn't illegitimate, so those words never affected him.

Angela said, "Yes, if you acknowledged your father, you would not have had to suffer like this."

Eddie’s curiosity peaked, "Mommy, do you love daddy?"

Angela hesitated. No one had ever asked her this question before.

She vehemently shook her head, asserting, "I don't have feelings for him!"

However, a deeper truth lingered beneath her denial. Despite Carlos's arrogance and cold demeanor towards her, Eddie's presence softened her aversion. Whenever she saw Eddie, her animosity towards Carlos lessened.

Yet, an underlying fear persisted—a fear rooted in Carlos's immense power and influence.

In that moment, Angela saw in Sidney's face a miniature version of Carlos, and she was suddenly reminded of that night in the study, Carlos's cold lips...

Her face flushed immediately.

Eddie, seeing this, felt a sourness in his heart, mistakenly thinking Angela blushed because of Sidney's kiss. When he kissed mommy, her cheeks never turned red.

"Mommy, I want a kiss too!" Eddie tiptoed.

Angela knew Eddie was jealous and reached out to pat him on the head, "Eddie, be good. How about mommy promises you a kiss later?"

Sophia, Sidney's great-grandmother, approached with a somewhat embarrassed question, "How did you succeed in winning over Sidney to such an extent?" Despite her fondness for Sidney, he never initiated kisses with her, requiring coaxing and trickery to elicit even a reluctant peck.

Angela was at a loss for words. Not to mention Sophia, she herself did not understand why Sidney was so attached to her.

Sophia voiced her suspicion, "Did you give him some kind of love potion?"