All Chapters of Your Mom, Not Mine: Chapter 1 - Chapter 7

I distinctly heard Yelena Lipton gasp on the other end of the phone, followed by several seconds of silence."Mom's… gone? H-How could that be? This is just too sudden! I didn't mean to be absent. I-I'll buy tickets for the soonest flight possible and head back right away. Wait for me to come back, okay?""No need. From now on, you and I should go our separate ways. There's no need for us to be tied together anymore. This is exactly what you want, isn't it?"As I stared at the picture of Melinda Smith, my mother-in-law, I shook my head with a bitter smile.We had failed to give Melinda a great life before she died, and even after her death, Yelena and I were disturbing her peace with our conflict. She had worked hard to ensure my marriage with Yelena was blissful, only for all her efforts to be in vain. I could still remember the last words she had said to me. She had said that the Lipton family had done wrong by me and that I shouldn't force myself to endure any longer. She said

Before I could retort, Yelena had already ended the call.My mind buzzed with thoughts. The position of CEO had been empty for a long time, so it was prudent that someone be appointed as soon as possible. I was the best option among the company staff, bar none, as no one else had the right to compete with me, be it in performance or capability."Everyone, please stop what you're doing for a moment. It's time to announce the new CEO!"My colleagues turned to wink at me, while the HR department staff stealthily gestured for me to get ready.Sure enough, the saying that only real capability could carry one forward was true.Straightening my clothes, I took a step forward."Let us all congratulate this candidate for getting the position, for it is well-earned indeed. That person is none other than Car—""It's Phillip Warren!"Yelena suddenly appeared and swiftly interrupted the announcement of my promotion by parachuting in Phillip.Immediately, the atmosphere turned tense. The em

I retorted, "Your mom's health started failing quite a while back. I told you about it several times before, but you were just too busy taking care of the 'terminally-ill' Phillip to heed my words. That's why you were unaware of her situation for so long!"That day, I called you when the doctors were performing emergency treatment on her. However, you only picked up after multiple calls, and even then, you barely spoke to me before running off to soak in the hot springs with Phillip! Have you forgotten about that?"There was no response from the other end of the line. I assumed that Yelena was recalling the details of that day and trying to think of a comeback.Whatever the case, she was certainly not reflecting on her own actions or feeling guilty. She was the sort of person who only knew how to shove the blame onto someone else whenever something happened. It was never her fault."If I hadn't handled her funeral, she would've started decomposing by the time you came back! Mom has

This was exactly what I wanted to see. Watching Yelena and Phillip turn on each other was the best drama to witness."Lena, that's not what I meant! Of course, I want to help you snag the project! But the situation is rather urgent, so I'll tell you all about it once we go back, okay?" Phillip said."I'm not going back with you! If we succeed today, I might still be able to tolerate you a little longer. However, if we fail, I'm settling the score with you, both old and new!" Yelena then turned to me. "And you! I have important business to do today, so I don't have the time or energy to deal with you right now. Once I've resolved the company's crisis, I'll definitely come after you! I'm going to make you pay back all the losses the company suffered, with interest!"She had this triumphant look on her face, as though she had already succeeded in getting Mr. Carter's project.Even while others around us shot her contemptuous and disdainful looks, she remained in her own little world