Chapter 225 Jenny Roasted Robert Speechless
Kevin's voice dropped—low, quiet, edged with steel. "Dad. Who exactly are you planning to 'teach a lesson'?"
His face was a hard mask, jaw tight, eyes locked on Robert with a gaze cold enough to cut through the air. The tension was so thick it sat in Kevin's chest like a stone.His face was a hard mask, jaw tight, eyes locked on Robert with a gaze cold enough to cut through the air. It was as if the room itself had stopped breathing.
Robert had only heard from Quentin that Amelia had been injured—Zander had carried her straight from the riding arena to the hospital. When Robert called, his voice was calm, but his grip on the phone told a different story.Zander told him the wound had been treated and she was on her way home. Robert assumed it meant just Zander and Amelia would be returning. He was wrong.
He hadn't expected the reality: not only had Zander gone with her, but all five of Robert's sons had dropped everything to rush to the hospital.Even his own wife had been there. He was the last to know.
"Amelia getting hurt is serious," Kevin said, his gaze slicing toward Quentin. "The moment the call came, we dropped everything and went."
Kevin's eyes narrowed, and his voice dropped another shade colder. "You're Quentin, right? What exactly is your reason for coming to the Martinez mansion? Is there some special agenda behind it?"
Robert and Quentin's earlier conversation had been overheard by the brothers the moment they stepped inside. If Quentin hadn't shown up, they wouldn't even have known that Amelia had been harassed at school.
Yes—harassed.
Only Robert could twist Quentin's stunt into something worth celebrating. In Kevin and Chris's eyes, a classroom is for learning. With students and teachers constantly coming in and out, it's no place for grand gestures.
Amelia's excellence was no secret to them, and they understood that some boys might admire her without knowing she was already with Michael. That was fine.
But what Quentin had done that morning—presenting flowers and a necklace in front of the entire class—was reckless. Worse, it showed no thought for Amelia's feelings, nor any concern for the gossip that would inevitably follow.
That kind of arrogance, that lack of respect for a woman's boundaries... even if he was heir to the Williams family, it meant nothing to them.
And Robert? He didn't just fail to stand with Amelia—he'd actually said she was "ungrateful" for rejecting Quentin's advances, and that he would "teach her a lesson" on Quentin's behalf.
It was infuriating.
"I... I only came to check on Amelia's injury," Quentin said quickly when Kevin's stare landed on him, his eyes flicking toward Amelia.
He barely had time to form his next question before Amelia, seated in her wheelchair, cut him off with a voice cold enough to frost glass.
"My injury's fine. You don't need to worry about it," she said, meeting his gaze without flinching. "You've seen me now. You can leave."
Robert's jaw tightened, his temper spiking. "Amelia! Is this how your mother taught you to speak to people back in the countryside?"
"Quentin is my guest—and your fiancé—and you have the nerve to tell him to leave? Do you have any manners at all?"
To Robert, Quentin was a prize connection—the sole heir to the Williams family. The idea that Quentin might be offended and distance himself from Amelia was unthinkable. He couldn't see that his words were crossing a line.
Amelia's mother had been gone for years. Her brothers avoided mentioning her, knowing it would only reopen wounds. And now Robert had not only brought her up, but implied that she'd failed to raise Amelia properly.
The air in the room froze.
Kevin remembered the last time Robert had crossed the line—just after the school fair, when he'd said, "Rachel can't marry now, but if Amelia marries into the Williams family, our Martinez family will still get the alliance we want." Kevin had been so furious he'd nearly cut ties right then.
And now here was Robert again, spouting the same poison in front of Amelia herself.
Kevin's patience snapped. The others looked ready to speak too, but Jenny beat them to it.
"Robert, did you even think before you opened your mouth?" Jenny's voice was sharp enough to slice through the silence, her words echoing in the room like the crack of a whip.
"You call Amelia ill-mannered? The only one lacking manners here is you. You should take a good look at yourself and learn to keep that mouth of yours from spitting out things that do nothing but wound."
The room went still. Even Quentin looked stunned.
Kevin had been ready to fire back, but his mother's words were harder, sharper. Chris and Ryan exchanged a glance and stepped back, letting her take the lead.
Jenny was the only daughter of Bobby Jenkins—a woman raised with every luxury, every ounce of pride. Marrying Robert had been a step down, and if not for Bobby's support, the Martinez family would never have reached its current standing. In their marriage, Jenny had always held the upper hand. When they argued, Robert ended up placating her.
"Darling... what's gotten into you?" Robert stammered, bewildered. He'd only said Amelia lacked manners—why was Jenny this angry? She'd never been fond of Amelia before... so why defend her now?
Jenny's eyes were cold, her tone a blade. "Robert, tell me—whose fault was it that Amelia grew up alone in the countryside? Yours. You made an unforgivable choice and walked away.
"Rupert raised her alone for over a decade without a shred of help from you. And you think you have the right to say she wasn't taught properly?
"Look at her. She's intelligent, kind, capable. If you can't see that, fine—but keep your mouth shut."
Then she turned her gaze on Quentin. "And you. My daughter already has a boyfriend. Do not harass her at school again. If you do, I'll go straight to Vaughn myself."
It was the first time Jenny had ever called Amelia her daughter.
Amelia's eyes flickered with surprise. Robert and Quentin both froze.
Quentin's brows shot up. "Wait... Amelia already has a boyfriend?"
Robert's shock was instant. "Darling, you're saying Amelia is dating someone? Why didn't you tell me? This is serious!"
Panic edged his voice. Amelia was his only daughter now, his only chance at securing a tie to the Williams family. How could she be dating someone else? Who in River City could possibly match the Williams family's standing?
And then the sound of footsteps drew every gaze to the doorway.
The man who had been delayed retrieving an emerald ring stepped inside. Tall, broad-shouldered, his presence filled the room before he even spoke. His black bespoke suit hugged him with flawless precision, every line cut to perfection.
The gleam of his watch caught the light—subtle yet commanding. His expression was calm, but there was a quiet authority in the way he carried himself... the kind that made everyone instinctively straighten.