Semua Bab My Son Chose Another Mom: Bab 1 - Bab 8

8 Bab

Chapter 1

After scoring eight million in the lottery, I sold the restaurant I'd been running for, like, twenty years. Then I started hunting for a three-story house for Henry—a place he could settle into once he got married.That night, I gave him a call."Henry, I closed up the restaurant today. Thought I'd come crash with you for a bit, cool?""Closed it? What, did it go under or something?" he asked, totally thrown."Yep. Sold it at a discount," I replied with a hint of playfulness. "Honestly, I've been running it solo for years—I'm wiped. Feels like the right time to retire. And with your wedding next month, I don't even have to worry about asking for time off—"Before I could finish, I heard Tina, my future daughter-in-law, shout in the background, "Retire? You're not even fifty! Don't tell me you're planning to mooch off us already?"Her words left me speechless for a second.Tina and Henry had met right after college and dated for two years before getting engaged last year. We'd me

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Chapter 2

A week later, the storm finally let up enough for flights to resume. I booked the first one out and headed straight to Henry's apartment.I knocked for what felt like forever, but no one answered. Finally, a neighbor walked by and stopped."Are you sure you've got the right place? The people here moved out last week."My stomach dropped. "Are you positive?"She must've noticed the disbelief on my face because she led me to her door and pointed. "Yep. Left in a hurry. They even gave me some furniture they couldn't take..."I glanced over—and there it was, unmistakably Henry's stuff, piled up by her door.What could've happened that made him leave so suddenly? Was he in debt? Or caught up in something he couldn't escape? But even if there was trouble, why would he keep it all from me?Anxious and desperate, I thought about going to the police but worried it might just make things worse for Henry. So, I hired a private investigator instead, hoping they could track him down.We arr

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Chapter 3

Henry's hysterical expression was a far cry from the warm voice that had once promised, "I'll take care of you in your old age."At this point, it was painfully obvious—he'd lied about the car accident, lied about everything. I wasn't family to him. I was dead weight he couldn't dump fast enough."If you've got even a shred of decency left, leave!" he yelled, pointing dramatically at the hotel doors like he was casting me out of paradise. His face was practically curdling with disgust.Right on cue, Mona swooped in, all graceful, like she was rehearsing for a soap opera. She laid this delicate, supportive hand on his shoulder, pretending to look sympathetic."She is your biological mother, after all," she sighed. "Maybe I should be the one to leave. I'm just the outsider here.""Don't say that!" Henry interrupted, way too fast. "You're the one who's been a real mother to me. This woman? She's the one who forced her way between you and my father. She's the real home-wrecker."Then

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Chapter 4

Everyone went dead silent. A second later, Tina sneered. "Are you insane? Do you even know where you are? This is the biggest five-star hotel in the city—a single night costs a fortune. Renting the entire place would be, what, at least a hundred grand? You really think you can afford that?""If you don't believe me, ask the staff," I said, keeping my voice steady as I motioned for the security guard to get a receptionist.The guard hesitated but eventually went to fetch someone. A receptionist named Lily walked over, and after getting a rundown, she gave me this patronizing look."Ma'am, these guests booked their wedding properly. Even if you're staying here, you don't have the authority to kick out other guests. If you keep causing trouble, I'll have to ask security to escort you out." Her words were polite, but her tone dripped with condescension, like she was dealing with some delusional woman.I didn't flinch. "My name is Zoe Thorne. I booked this hotel last night and paid in f

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Chapter 5

Mr. Jordan whipped around to face Lily, barely keeping it together."Lily, care to explain? Didn't I specifically say the hotel was closed to the public all week?""I... I thought it'd be fine since they're only using the lobby and kitchen. It's not like they're up in the rooms..." Lily stammered, clearly caught off guard. She shot me a resentful look, muttering, "Besides, you just said closed to the public. You didn't say it was fully booked."She threw me another look, dripping with contempt. "I mean, it's not like she needs the whole hotel to herself.""Enough!" Mr. Jordan cut in, his face going dark. "I want all unauthorized people out. Now."Before Lily could reply, Tina and others jumped in."What do you mean, 'unauthorized people'? We paid, too!" Tina huffed, crossing her arms."Actually, the hotel has no record of any payment from you," Mr. Jordan said coolly. He'd been running this place long enough to know better than to risk the hotel's reputation over a double-bookin

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Chapter 6

Lily's face twisted, her voice rising sharply. "Excuse me? I told you from the start this hotel was booked for a private event! I even suggested you book for next week. But you were too cheap to pay full price, so you slipped me a third of the fee to rent it on the sly. Now you want to dump all the blame on me? Yeah, no way!""You—you... liar!" Mona stammered, her anger giving way to irritation and a touch of panic.I couldn't help it—I raised my hands in a slow clap. "Oh, so this is what Tina meant by you are rich, huh?"Mona's face turned green.Tina and Henry looked just as humiliated, their heads down, all the bravado from earlier gone.I was done wasting my time. Turning to Mr. Jordan, I asked, "Now that we're clear on who actually belongs here, shouldn't the uninvited guests be shown the door?""Yes, yes! Absolutely," Mr. Jordan said, snapping out of his shock as he signaled the security guards to start escorting them out.Before they could get close, Henry called out, "Wa

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Chapter 7

I figured my life would stay quiet. But nope. Three months later, I went back to my old house to grab some documents, and just as I got to the door, someone practically lunged out of the shadows and clamped onto me."Mom! You're finally back! I've been looking everywhere for you!"It was Henry.He looked rough—gaunt, scruffy, like he hadn't seen daylight in weeks. His eyes locked onto mine, all desperate and pleading.Startled, I pulled myself together and shoved him back, totally blank-faced. "Pretty sure you've got the wrong person.""Mom, are you still mad at me?" he stammered, eyes filling with guilt.I just turned to unlock the door, ignoring him.But he stepped in front of me, refusing to move. Then, like he was trying out for a tragic soap opera, he dropped to his knees, his eyes bloodshot and pathetic."Mom, I know I messed up! I went crazy and let Mona mess with my head. She convinced me you were out to ruin them, so I left with her... But I get it now, I was so wrong.

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Chapter 8

Once Henry was gone, I waited until the house was silent, then opened my eyes. Sure enough, when I checked my bank account, my balance had predictably tanked to zero.Good thing I'd stashed my lottery winnings in a separate account ages ago.With a sigh, I didn't hesitate this time—I called the cops.The station was just around the corner, so they showed up in under five minutes.I figured it'd take longer to track Henry down, but to my surprise, the officers had him with them already."Ms. Thorne, can you confirm this is the person you reported?" one of them asked, pushing Henry forward.I'd already explained everything over the phone, so I just nodded, still a bit stunned by how fast it all went down.The officer added, "We spotted him skulking by the entrance to the complex. Tried to bolt the second he saw us."Caught red-handed.I let out a bitter chuckle. Pathetic.Henry's face turned every shade of red and purple as he gaped at me. "How were you awake?"I lowered my vo

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