Jeffrey couldn't have dreamed it would turn out like this! Chuckling at his own expense, Arthur said, "You only wanted a fling with Paige, but she fell for you head over heels. Everyone in our circle knows your game, Jeffrey. Only she was naive enough to take you seriously. But don't play the victim, man! You were the one who pursued Paige in the first place, right?" Jeffrey had to admit that was true.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtAt that time, he thought the young woman was quite a catch—only 19 and already turning heads. No wonder Jeffrey was interested! "But you got Paige pregnant, then tried to pin it on me. Don't think I'll let that slide!" "So what are you going to do? Scare me? What's the big deal? You come from money, so what? Go ahead, try to take me down!" Arthur spat disdainfully, his smirk cold. "Paige was not even 20 when she got involved with you. You dumped her after a few months and now I'm settling the score. It's what you deserve! Jeffrey, oh Jeffrey, what goes around comes around! Aren't you about to get engaged? I'll be waiting for the day you have a daughter, just to see her get played by some guy and tossed aside like you did to Paige!" Arthur's eyes were filled with loathing, a look that haunted Jeffrey even as his parents dragged him into the car.
The closer he got to Karen's apartment, the more he felt a sense of panic and shortness of breath.
Seeing her son's pale face, Paloma patted his shoulder. "Jeffrey, you know you messed up. Just make it right from now on. Let the past be the past, and stay away from that Paige girl." Jeffrey kept his eyes downcast, silent, lost in thought.
As they drove into the neighborhood, he finally spoke up. "Mom, Dad, you guys go on home. | want to talk to Karen alone." "Huh? Are you sure you can handle it?" Paloma was worried.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmA mother knows her son best, and she knew Jeffrey all too well—quick-tempered and often thoughtless. Who knew what he might blurt out? "Mom, if I bring you and Dad with me, it feels like we're pressuring Karen to agree. She hasn't done anything wrong, so whether she forgives me or not should be her choice.” "I'm just afraid you don’t know how to cheer a girl up. Karen's pregnant, don't upset her!" "Let the kid deal with the consequences himself," Huxley suddenly chimed in. "At the end of the day, it's his fault. He’s right about one thing: it's Karen's decision whether to reconcile or not. We shouldn't interfere. It's good for Jeffrey to reflect on his actions over the years." Paloma sighed, mainly concerned about the baby Karen was carrying.
What if the talk didn’t go well? Would they really break up? But seeing the firm stance of father and son, she held back further comment.
After his parents drove off, Jeffrey walked toward Everett's car.
Everett was busy with paperwork inside the car.
Noticing a shadow, Everett paused his work and rolled down the window, "You got the results?" "Yeah, it's not mine." "Then why aren't you upstairs talking to her? What are you doing down here?" Jeffrey grimaced, "Got a smoke?" "Karen's pregnant, and you want to smoke?" "Just one, to calm my nerves! I'm going crazy here." As Everett reached over to the glove compartment for a pack of cigarettes, his peripheral vision caught a figure in the rear-view mirror.
Kenneth! He was back again.