Chapter 328
Chapter 328
Chapter 328
"You guys don't have to feel intimidated. He might look aloof, but he's actually pretty benign." Kendall tried to put in a good word for Dylan, causing Adam to chuckle.
That was because Dylan had fallen in love with her. Even so, he was only benign toward his daughter. Then again, it was good like that, for he needn't worry the man would cheat on his daughter.
Knock, knock… A rap came at the door.
"Come in."
Kelly entered. Seeing that Kelly had arrived before her, she shifted her gaze away for a split second before sauntering in nonchalantly.
"You wanted to see me, Dad?"
To that, Adam hummed a response, then gestured for Kelly to take a seat.
Kelly pulled the chair closer and sat next to Kendall. After taking a gander at the woman, she drifted her gaze to her father, beaming. "What is it, Dad?"
"Kelly, are you certain you want to keep the baby?"
Kelly's smile froze for a second upon hearing so. However, she still nodded and said softly, "It's still a life, after all. I can't bring myself to lose it."
"Have you told Jackson about your decision to keep the baby?" Adam asked grimly, fighting back his
urge to blow a fuse.
After a moment of hesitation, Kelly nodded.
"What did he say?"
"He wants me to keep the baby too. Dad, Jackson and I—he doesn't actually love Krystal. He only married her because…" Kelly couldn't continue on.
She wanted to defend Jackson, but what he did made it hard for her to even go against her conscience to do so.
"That wretched b*stard!" cussed Adam as he slammed his palm on the desk, pretty disappointed with Kelly as well.
Meanwhile, Kendall left the room to return with a glass of water. "Here, Dad. Have some water. Don't get too upset."
After taking the glass of water from Kendall, Adam looked toward Kelly, who also happened to be staring at him. Both of their gazes burned ablaze, on the verge of entering a fight.
"Dad, Kelly's an adult. She has the ability to bear the consequences of her actions. Since she has chosen to keep the baby, she must have prepared herself to be a single mother and is also ready to face the world's criticisms. There's no need to be upset over her."
"Stay out of my business, Kendall!" Kelly felt nothing but animosity for Kendall at this point.
If that woman hadn't told their parents about her pregnancy, she wouldn't have clashed with them, broken their hearts, and caused them to be disappointed in her.
People sure acted differently after they found themselves a solid backer. The old Kendall wouldn't even dare raise her voice at her, and she barely knew anybody either. But now, that woman just needed to whisper to her backer, and someone would eagerly dig into whatever she wanted to know.
Kelly knew well that her nausea in the elevator made Kendall suspicious, and she only used her backer's power to obtain proof of her pregnancy.
Kendall sniggered in response. "Don't worry, I'm not a fan of poking my nose into other people's businesses. I don't even want to bother myself with your business even if I'm asked to. I just feel bad for my parents, and I don't want them to be upset over you."
Kendall was rendered at a loss for words.
"Kendall, please let us speak in private."
Adam didn't want his girls to get into a fight. Even if Kelly wasn't their own, they had raised her like their own daughter in the past twenty-plus years, after all.
How could he favor one and not the other?
Kendall obliged and left the office in two shakes.
"Kelly, Kendall's right about one thing. You're already an adult, so you have to bear the consequences
of your actions. I won't force you to drop the child either, but hand over your work to someone else in the next couple of days. I want you to pack up and oversee our sub-company in Albarife."
Kelly's face tensed upon hearing so. "Dad—"
"Albarife is miles away from Orapolis," Adam interjected. "Even flying will take about four hours. Our company has just begun planting ourselves there. No one knows who you are there, so you can give birth with peace of mind. Don't worry, I'll arrange for two experienced helpers to take care of you. Jackson knows well that you're bearing his child, yet he still wants to marry Krystal. I don't know what blandishments he used to sucker you, but this alone proves that he's no decent man."
He added, "Kelly, you might not be my birth daughter, but your mom and I have loved you like one of our own all these years. We really want the best for you. But looking at things now… You entered the company earlier than Kendall and learned a lot more than her, but even she could wake up and cut her ties with Jackson, yet you… Forget it. Since you say that you can handle it, we won't intervene anymore."
He continued, "We haven't abandoned you by asking you to go to Albarife. Instead, we want to protect and prevent others from pointing their fingers at you. Your history with Jackson will become inglorious following his marriage with Krystal. It might not be a big deal for him. If anything, people will just say that he's adulterous, but what about you? The girls are nearly always the ones to suffer the drawbacks. All the gossip and scandals will be thrown at you. People will even call you a vamp and curse you for being shameless. The legal wife might even bring a group of people with her to tear you apart… No one will stand with you or think you're right because you're the homewrecker."
Kelly's face blanched in response.
"Your mom always taught you to treasure yourself… There's no point in saying all this anymore. Just do as I say. You can come up with another plan after you've given birth to the child. If you want to find a man to marry off to, find one in Albarife. Don't come back to Orapolis, lest someone finds out you have a love child. Even if you find a man in Albarife, be honest with him about the child's existence. As for the story, you can make it up however you want. You said you don't want us to get involved, so we won't. The only thing I can do as your father now is to send you to Albarife before this gets out of hand."
Kelly knew her adoptive father had her best interests at heart, but she couldn't bear to leave.
If she left now and returned a year later, Kendall would've already taken a firm root in the company. By then, what else was there for her to fight for?!
She had poured her heart and soul into Parker Corporation, thinking that she'd be taking over the company in the future. She'd flip out if all of her efforts ended up being a massive gift to Kendall.
"Dad, I don't want to go to Albarife." Kelly turned down Adam's well-intentioned arrangement. "People will still eventually find out even if I move to Albarife. Do you think Kendall wouldn't tell the world about Jackson and me? Dad, that woman isn't as innocent as you think she is. She keeps attacking me and treats me like an enemy. I know she loathes me for hogging her parents, but it's not my fault that we were switched!"
Adam frowned in response. "When has Kendall ever attacked you? What has she ever done to you? Do you have any proof?"
His words rendered Kelly speechless.
"You really don't want to go to Albarife? Are you really choosing to face people's slanders?"
Adam's disappointment for her deepened when not only had she rejected his well-intentioned arrangement, but she even went as far as slandering Kendall.