Her hand stiffened in mid-air, and tears suddenly welled up on her face. "Owen, I am your mother. How can you treat me like this? I carried you for nine months and went through a lot of hardships. Can't you speak to me kindlier?”
"Hmph!"
Owen's face was full of disdain.
He was still young and didn't understand what it meant to carry a child for nine months.
However, he was very clear that he didn't like Emily, he hated this woman who claimed to be his mother.
"Owen, apologize to your mother!"
Ivan's eyes filled with coldness, ready to explode.
The children of the Winston family could be cold and heartless, but they must respect their elders. Someone who didn't value their own mother would be expelled from the Winston family.
"Forget it, Ivan..." Emily choked. "Although I am the children's mother, I haven't fulfilled my responsibility of raising them for a single day. It's normal for Owen not to recognize me. Don't scare the child."
She paused and continued, "Ivan, we are not married. I am nothing to the children. How can they respect me? Next time, I won't visit as often. I don’t want to affect the children."
She wiped her tears, looking pitiful.
She knew exactly how to make Ivan pity her, putting on the most pathetic appearance.
Four years ago, she brought the children to the Winston family, thinking that she would become the madam of the Winston family smoothly.
However, Ivan only wanted the children and had no intention of marrying her.
She tried all kinds of tricks but still couldn't marry into the Winston family.
In the end, she could only hold on to the identity of being Keith and Owen's biological mother to secure her position in the Winston family.
Her efforts over the past four years had paid off.
Although Owen didn't like her, Keith Winston, the eldest son, obediently followed her words.
Keith was designated as the next heir of the Winston family a year ago. As long as she held onto Keith, she could definitely take control of the Winston family.
As for Owen...
The worse Owen treated her, the more Ivan pitied her.
One day, she will make Ivan her man.
…
Haley walked out of the airport, holding the two little kids. A car had been waiting at the entrance for a long time.
"Ms. Haley, please get in the car. Madam has been waiting for you for a long time."
Haley nodded and led the children into the car.
The car headed towards the Martinez residence.
The Martinez family was Haley’s maternal family. They were the driving force behind the establishment of the DeRoss Group.
Therefore, when the DeRoss Group was first founded, her mother already owned fifty percent of the company's shares.
Later, after her mother passed away, the shares fell into her hands. With half of the family's shares, she grew up being loved by the DeRoss family.
On her eighteenth birthday, she was designated as the heiress of the DeRoss family.
Unexpectedly, the next day, she was caught by reporters who took those incriminating photos.
After that day, she was locked up in a warehouse, and her life was completely ruined.
The worst part was that Emily orchestrated the whole thing.
After escaping from the fire that year, she intended to go to the Martinez family to seek refuge with her grandmother.
However, Emily intentionally held a press conference. She publicly propagated her unmarried pregnancy and said that she gave birth to a stillborn child and set a fire in the DeRoss family, causing the DeRoss family to lose billions. Then, Haley eventually committed suicide out of guilt.
During those days, she, a "dead person," became the target of online public criticism.
As she was the granddaughter of the Martinez family, the Martinez family was also targeted by reporters.
She didn't want to involve the Martinez family, so she left.
In the eyes of many people, she was a dead person, and leaving this place was the wisest choice.
So, she lived abroad with her two children for four years.
She lay dormant and hidden for four years.
She was no longer the Ms. Haley of the betrayed DeRoss family from back then. The old Haley was already dead.
The car soon stopped at the entrance of the Martinez residence.
The Martinez family was located near a lakeside.
The scenery here was elegant and very quiet, a typical scene of a wealthy area.
The servants respectfully led the way, and Haley walked in with the two children.
"Haley, you finally came back," Madam Martinez said.
They waited for a long time at the entrance of the villa. When they saw Haley walking in, she was in a daze to see Haley.
Her unfortunate daughter had a short and tragic life, and her unfortunate granddaughter also had a tumultuous fate.
"Grandma..."
Haley leaned on Madam Martinez's shoulder, finding a moment of tranquility in her heart.
If there was still someone she cared about in this world, it would be her grandmother.
She lived in a very small town abroad, but even so, her grandmother had managed to find her and often urged her to come back.
However, she also knew that no one in the Martinez family welcomed her, other than her grandmother. Therefore, she kept delaying her plans.
"These must be Todd and Angela. They look so beautiful."
Madam Martinez bent down and touched the faces of the two children.
Todd smiled. "Grandma."
However, Angela retreated cautiously, her beautiful face filled with indifference.
Madam Martinez knew the situation of the two children and sighed. "I have already contacted a doctor. Angela will go for a check-up in a few days."
Haley had no hope at all, but she still nodded and held the children's hands, following Madam Martinez into the villa.
The members of the Martinez family had already gathered in the living room.
This was the Martinez residence, where her relatives, including Haley's own uncles, aunts, and cousins, lived.
"Mom, Grandma asked us to come back today. What's the occasion?" Barbara Martinez said impatiently.
She was Haley's older cousin, twenty-eight years old, and had already been married. Today, her grandmother had forced her to come back.
Her mother took a sip of tea and said, "Madam Martinez is getting old, and for her to be so serious about having us come back, I feel like it must be something to do with the will."