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Home / Emotional Realism Short Story / Misplaced Bonds of Blood / Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

All Chapters of Misplaced Bonds of Blood: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

11 Chapters

Chapter 1

"Why didn't you let Calvin go on that study abroad program I set up for him?"James Carter strolled over, planted a kiss on my cheek, and snagged a slice of bread from the table, popping it into his mouth."Sending a kid off by himself to a faraway place? That's enough to make anyone worry. Plus, it's been ages since we've had a family trip. I figured you've been swamped at work and stressed out. We could all use a little downtime, right?"I slipped off my glasses and shut down my laptop. We exchanged a knowing smile."It's a school trip, you know. A little adventure is good for a boy. And hey, I'm still on the hunt for a personal assistant and a bodyguard for him..."James grabbed my hand, his grin wide. "I get it. You've been grooming Calvin to take over someday. You've done an amazing job with his education. Every time something happens to him, you get all worked up. If that kid ever lets you down, I swear, I'd have a few choice words for him!"I let out a soft chuckle, my gaz

Chapter 2

"Ms. Wood, Dad, I'm home!"The sound of my son returning from his art class echoed from the front door.At the sound, I headed to the living room and caught Mandy lifting Calvin into a hug and planting a kiss on his cheek. She was the picture of motherly love."Calvin, you're back early. Weren't you supposed to have a foreign language class?"At my voice, both Mandy and Calvin stopped in their tracks.She must have forgotten I was home, judging by her expression. Guilt washed over her face as she quickly set Calvin down.Before she could get a word out, James chimed in, "He finally got a break. Why wear himself out? I already told Calvin that Mandy would take him to the theme park."As soon as Mandy heard me, she snapped back to her super polite self."Mrs. Carter, Mr. Carter mentioned Calvin's been doing great in school lately, and since you're both busy, he said I should take the little guy to the amusement park for some fun!"Calvin gave me an impatient look."Mom, just dr

Chapter 3

Pulling myself back to the present, I watched Mandy and Calvin with a grin as I approached. I dabbed at the sweat on Calvin's forehead with a tissue."I know how hard you've been hitting the books. Guess what I've got for you!"Calvin's eyes lit up when he saw the shiny VIP pass to the brand-new amusement park in my hand. He jumped for joy. He wrapped his arms around me in a bear hug."Mom, you're the best! Can Dad and Ms. Wood come with us, please?"James overheard and quickly wrapped Calvin in a protective embrace, worried he might say something he should not. "Calvin's been dying to ride the roller coaster, but he's a bit of a chicken..."I held Calvin's hand, still smiling. "So, you don't want me to come with you?"He thought for a second. "Mom, you've got work. You're busy making money for us. I don't want to bug you!""See? Calvin's such a good kid. Whenever I take him out, everyone says how polite and smart he is!"I mused for a moment, "Well, if our little guy is that g

Chapter 4

James and Mandy had always believed in staying under the radar, thinking it was the safest bet. When I was home, they played it cool. They kept their distance and acted as if their relationship was just like that of any other employer and maid. However, when they saw I was not biting, Mandy started acting like she owned the place. She would even have James chauffeur her around for grocery runs.The new neighborhood security guard? He was convinced she was Mrs. Carter.However, it worked for me. It gave me the perfect cover to jet off and visit my own flesh and blood.Mandy knew darn well that seafood was off-limits for me due to my allergies. However, every time I came home, there would be a seafood feast waiting."Mrs. Carter, Calvin's in crunch time with his studies. I've heard from the experts that seafood's brain food because of all that protein!"If it was not one thing, it was another—like the time I caught a nasty cold and Mandy quarantined me in my room like I was patien

Chapter 5

The final hundred days before the exams had them all on edge.Mandy whipped up Calvin's favorite meals daily and made sure he did not play hooky. She was on chauffeur duty morning, noon, and night.James pulled out all the stops, bringing in a star tutor to boost his grades. He would sit right there during study sessions to keep an eye on Calvin.However, despite all that, Calvin just barely managed to get into a run-of-the-mill college out of town."What on earth is going on in that head of yours? All this extra help and your grades are still stuck in the mud!" James exclaimed.I gently tugged at James' arm."They say the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. Maybe he got his smarts from me? Listen, son, when it's time to find a partner, aim high education-wise. You don't want to shortchange your future kids!"I did not mean much by it, but the words hung heavy in the air.That night, a heated argument broke out in the room next door.I flicked on the surveillance feed, and t

Chapter 6

Calvin finished college, and James threw a big bash to celebrate, inviting a crowd of family and friends.Mandy, hearing Calvin was back, showed up at the festivities.I casually asked my husband, "Why is Mandy here? I thought her family had stuff going on?"James squeezed my hand. "Our boy has a big heart, always remembering the kindness others have shown him. He personally invited Mandy to join his graduation party. He hasn't forgotten that she was there for him since he was a baby."I watched Mandy from afar, her hands tenderly framing Calvin's face.My tears fell, morphing into a sea of longing as I glanced at my phone. My son was pursuing his graduate studies.For my sake and for my son's, I vowed to keep fighting the good fight."Mom, I've graduated. Remember you said you'd hand over the company to me once I did? You gotta make good on that promise now!"I reached out to ruffle Calvin's hair, but he ducked away."Calvin, did everything go well with your graduation?"At

Chapter 7

After I had finished signing off on all the paperwork, Mandy had my things all boxed up and ready to go."Thought you were too good for us? You sure liked bossing me around, didn't you? Well, now, your stuff, your husband, and your kid are all mine. And you're here, feeling miserable. I actually feel sorry for you!"I barely held myself up. My voice was a whisper as I asked James, "I've given you everything you wanted. Can't you even give me a place to stay?"James looked at me like I was something stuck to his shoe."Sally, when you were rolling in money, you didn't even see me as human. Now, it's your turn to see what it's like to get zero respect! I'm a man, yet you never gave me an ounce of dignity. You made me a joke in front of everyone we know!"Just leave, and don't bother our little family again!"His words dripped with scorn and loathing. Calvin was no different, looking down on me like I was dirt."If I were you, I'd find a river and just end it all! Beat it, will you

Chapter 8

Calvin's first move at the company was to axe the seasoned pros who had been in the trenches with me. Next, he shoehorned Mandy's relatives into key positions.Those guys? They had zero skills, just big egos from their connections. They turned everything upside down.The employees were steamed, of course. I had my assistant leak that I had been stabbed in the back and was down on my luck.Gossip spread like wildfire, with some even calling their family a bunch of backstabbers."Have you heard? That guy from the Brown household, the moocher, shacked up with the maid.""Wow, really? Word is, Calvin's the kid of those two lowlifes!""No kidding? I heard it's all because of a baby mix-up..."The scandal exploded, topping our city's trending list. Everyone was out for that family of three. When the time was right, I went live."I'm Sally Brown, the woman at the heart of this mess, and yes, Calvin isn't my flesh and blood."My confession sent the live chat into a frenzy.Comments w

Chapter 9

The company was spiraling down thanks to their reckless antics. I also had my own people in there muddying the waters. So what if they managed to snag the company? Without any real skills, they were nothing but a bunch of losers. However, their big bet was all on Hudson Lynch, the hotshot from the capital. Hudson, the fresh face of the Lynch dynasty, was young but already had a reputation for shaking things up. The former chairman of Lynch Group, Sir Lynch, was on his last legs and had called Hudson back from Clarendon University.The guy had chops, earning respect from the company bigwigs in no time. That was why James and his cronies were strutting around. They were banking on a fat check from Lynch Group to rocket them to the top of Avalon City's rich list. The day Hudson arrived in town, every media outlet was buzzing. Carter Group was in charge of rolling out the red carpet, and the hotel was on lockdown, prepped for the high-profile meeting.The crowd outside was buzzin

Chapter 10

After a moment of thought, James looked at me with furrowed brows and asked, "Sally, what's your deal with the Lynch family? How did you get an invite straight from Mr. Lynch? Did you steal it?"James' question echoed the bewilderment of the crowd.They all stared at me in silence, anticipating my response.However, before I could even get a word out, Mandy spat out venomously, "A lowlife like her, mingling with someone as elite and rich as Mr. Lynch?"Calvin, with a thoughtful look, gave me a once-over and scoffed. "Dad, you hit the nail on the head. She definitely stole it. She's trying to crash the dinner, mess everything up, and screw us over!"While he was talking, he grabbed my hand. With a quick tug, I stumbled and crashed to the ground."Hey, someone get her out of here, pronto! She's gonna wreck our party!"I smacked my head on the floor so hard that my forehead started bleeding like crazy.Just then, a sleek black Maybach rolled up to the hotel's front door and out st

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