Chapter 258
"Wait, who agreed to let her stay here?" I called out to Luke.
With one glance from me, Lila and Imogen immediately caught on and blocked Luke, who was about to leave.
Luke frowned, "Why are you blocking me? I have a job interview scheduled for this afternoon. If you delay me any longer, I'll miss it."
"Your mother's situation isn't even settled yet, and you're this eager to leave?" I looked at him with a half-smile. "Is this the filial piety you're so proud of?"
"I already brought her here, what more do you want?" Luke completely lost his patience, his voice rising uncontrollably, "Do you have to push me to my death before you're satisfied?"
Before I could speak, Jason had already stood up with a stern face, positioning himself in front of me. His eyes were dark and menacing, staring at Luke like a blade, making Luke's face turn pale.
Jason spoke slowly and deliberately. "Just now, were you yelling at my wife?"
"I..." Luke finally realized what he'd done. I was now Jason's wife, not some pitiful person struggling to survive in his household.
Luke didn't dare meet Jason's eyes, so he looked at me instead, "My attitude just now wasn't great, but I had my reasons. I'm not making excuses, but I really do need to get to this interview."
Watching him patiently explain himself in a pleasant tone, I found it rather novel. With a smile on my lips, I stared at Luke for a moment before lazily speaking, "So? What does that have to do with me?"
"You—"
"I already clearly refused to let Cora stay at my house. You didn't think that just by bringing her here, you could force me to agree, did you?" I said softly.
A flash of guilt crossed Luke's eyes at being called out. Then he cleared his throat, "How could that be? Aren't you also her daughter? Don't forget, you also have an obligation to take care of her!"
Finally, we'd gotten to the heart of the matter. I laughed genuinely.
Cora looked at me in confusion, "What are you laughing at?"
"Laughing at how stupid you are without even realizing it." I paused. "Since we've come to this point, I'll just repeat myself one more time: I don't recognize Cora as my mother."
Under Cora and Luke's increasingly dark expressions, I added unhurriedly, "Don't worry, I'll give you some compensation. As long as the request is reasonable, I'll agree."
"In your dreams, we—" Cora's words were cut off by Luke.
He looked somewhat nervous and expectant, "Are you serious? You'll satisfy any request?"
Could Luke not understand plain English? Wasn't I clear enough?
"If the request is reasonable." I repeated.
Luke nodded repeatedly, "Reasonable, reasonable, definitely reasonable, don't worry."
"Have Mr. Cooper arrange a job for me, preferably something like a corporate executive position, high salary with flexible hours. After all, I need to take care of Mom in her old age, and since you don't want to deal with it, this kind of job is obviously the most suitable." Luke's tone was full of entitlement, "Oh, and the job should be in Seaside City too. The climate here is good for Mom's health."
At these words, obvious pride appeared on Cora's face. I glanced at her face and could clearly see the words "worthy of being my son" written there.
I pulled my lips into a sarcastic smile. So it didn't matter if you couldn't find a job, didn't matter if you had no ability—as long as you kept talking about filial piety? Cora was as indulgent with Luke as ever.
However—I shook my head. "No, your request is unreasonable. I can't agree to it."
Luke frowned, "Why not? I'm not asking for money, I just want a job where I can support myself. That's not okay?"
"You don't have the ability, you're not qualified for that position at all. Glacier Corp has always valued merit—that's how you earn respect. If you want to parachute in as a nepotism hire, are you trying to make others question my husband and undermine his position?" I questioned coldly, putting pressure on him without any guilt.
A flash of panic crossed Luke's eyes. He glanced carefully at Jason and quickly shook his head, "No, no, Mr. Cooper, please don't worry, I absolutely don't have that intention. I just simply want a job that gives me time to care for my mother. Our mother worked hard to raise us, and now that she's old, she needs our care and attention."
As he spoke, he stared straight at me. I sat back on the sofa with peace of mind, ignoring him. Given how Cora treated me back then, the fact that I was willing to pay for her treatment when she was sick already showed how magnanimous I was.
Jason nodded, "Filial piety is indeed important."
Luke's face lit up, but before he could speak, he heard Jason add the second half, "But a company needs to operate and make profits. If everyone came to me saying that because their elderly family members need care, they want a high-paying job with little work, how would I manage the company?"
He paused and added, "However, I can agree to your request to arrange a job for you in Seaside City. But likewise, you need to sign this document."
"What document?" Cora immediately became alert.
Lila promptly placed the prepared severance agreement on the coffee table. Luke picked it up suspiciously, and his expression changed the moment he saw it.
"Mom, look at this." He handed the document to Cora.
Cora only glanced at it before exploding, "Severance of relationship agreement? What does this mean? You're completely refusing to acknowledge me as your mother, is that it?"
I smiled and nodded, "I'm glad you finally realized."
Cora stared in disbelief, suddenly stood up, and slammed both hands on the table. "Sue, don't think that just because you got married, you don't have to take care of me anymore. I'm your mother, and even if we go to court, I'm in the right!"
These words sounded strangely familiar. I wasn't sure if Luke said this first, or Cora. I crossed my arms, leaning back lazily and comfortably on the sofa, looking at her calmly.
"So what you're saying is, you're not planning to sign?" I turned my gaze to Luke and sighed regretfully, "Although your previous request wasn't very reasonable, I was originally planning to arrange a job for you—room and board included, with lifetime employment. Since Cora doesn't agree to this deal, you should both leave."
"When Cora gets old and can't walk anymore, I'll give her the minimum support payment of eight hundred dollars a month."
Hearing it was only eight hundred dollars, Cora's face turned green with anger. "What can eight hundred dollars a month do?"
I looked at her deeply and answered seriously, "It's enough for three months of my meal expenses at school, and enough for my food and rent when I first started working."
My life back then was really hard. So hard that just remembering it made me find it hard to believe. How did I even survive?
Jason's eyes turned cold, and the atmosphere around him became icy.
But Cora gritted her teeth, "Nonsense! Didn't I give you living expenses every month?"