Chapter 26
After ending the call, Kathleen felt helpless. She turned, noticing that Shawn and Henry had finished their chess game and were now quietly sipping their drinks.
Reflecting on Judy and Henry’s earlier words, Kathleen suddenly felt fortunate about her situation.
At that moment, a maid approached and informed Henry, “Mr. Vance, Mr. and Mrs. Page are here.”
Henry glanced at Shawn, clearly displeased. “It’s Christmas Eve. Can’t they give us some peace?”
Shawn appeared completely unconcerned as he stood up. He glanced at Kathleen, signaling her to follow him.
“Are they Ryan’s parents?” she whispered.
“Yes,” he replied.
Kathleen couldn’t help but think how rude it was for them to show up uninvited, especially on Christmas Eve.
When they entered the living room, Judy was already sitting on the couch across from a couple in their early 50s, with Ryan sitting stiffly to the side.
Upon seeing Henry and Shawn enter, the Pages quickly stood up.
When Ryan didn’t budge, his mother, Elena Fowler, immediately nudged him to stand. He reluctantly complied.
“Please sit,” Henry said flatly.
Kathleen sat beside Shawn as soon as he took his seat.
Ryan stared intently at Kathleen before shooting Shawn a hateful glare.
“Mr. Vance,” Ryan’s father, Raymond Page, began respectfully, turning slightly toward Henry, “I apologize for disturbing you on Christmas Eve. We’re here today hoping you might spare us, considering the long–standing relationship between our families, and give us an out.”
Henry raised an eyebrow, puzzled. “What exactly did I do to make you say that?”
Raymond froze momentarily. Then, he quickly turned toward Shawn, plastering a forced smile. “Shawn, technically speaking, we’re cousins. I’m sincerely asking you to let us off this time.”
Kathleen was stunned by this revelation.
Shawn was actually Raymond’s cousin? That meant Ryan would have to address Shawn and her as his elders.
She nearly choked but managed to hold herself together.
“You’ve got the wrong person,” Shawn replied coolly, his tone as indifferent as his father’s.
Raymond hesitated briefly.
Then, he finally turned toward Kathleen, recognizing her as the woman his son had been pursuing.
In his heart, he disliked Kathleen, blaming her for clouding Ryan’s judgment with her looks. However, knowing that the Vance family had inflicted nearly a hundred–million–dollar loss on their business because of her, he forced another polite smile.
“Kathleen, I know this might be inappropriate to say, but my son’s improper actions were because he couldn’t move on from you. Considering you once dated him, please don’t hold it against him.
“I promise, I’ll send him abroad after Christmas, and he’ll never bother you again.”
Kathleen was surprised by how polite Raymone was. She glanced at Ryan, whose expression alternated between anger and embarrassment, and secretly enjoyed this.
However, she maintained her composure as she answered, “Your son’s actions weren’t just improper. The police reports clearly show how malicious he
was.
“Given our current family relationship, I am technically his elder now. If Shawn hadn’t trusted me completely, Ryan’s behavior could have destroyed our marriage.”
Kathleen sat up straight and calmly continued, “Your son has been disgraceful and disrespectful toward me. If it had only happened once, I might have seen it as a misunderstanding, but he’s done it several times. That makes it clear it was intentional and meant to hurt me.”
The Vance family sat quietly, offering no interruptions, allowing her to speak freely.
Kathleen felt satisfied as the Pages reddened before paling
Ryan’s expression grew darker by the second. If no one else had been there, he probably would’ve tried to strangle her on the spot.
