Win My Husband Over to Find My Child
Chapter 244: Two Seething Lionesses

Chapter 244: Two Seething Lionesses

Old Madam Xu, Andrian and Harper had just arrived at the pavilion when Calix and Leslie appeared. Butler Gu and two other helpers were serving tea and confectioneries on the table.

"Won’t you two stay for dinner?" asked Harper, hoping. She gestured at the seats opposite her to Calix and Leslie.

"We will," replied Calix shortly.

After a helper moved one chair away, Calix pushed Leslie’s wheelchair closer to the table. He adjusted its height, letting her be on a comfortable angle with the huge table.

"Charlene, have some tea and desserts," Old Madam Xu fondly smiled at Leslie, addressing the young lady with her legal name, "This almond jelly is perfect for early summer ah."

"I will, Grandma..." Leslie returned a smile to the old lady, "Thank you..."

Soon, Butler Gu and the helpers left the family alone. Harper beat Andrian by being the first to ask about Calix and Leslie’s one-day getaway yesterday.

"Where did you two go ah? Why didn’t you stay there overnight?"

Calix and Leslie exchanged a look, silently thinking to begin immediately. They didn’t want to beat around the bush.

"We went to an orphanage in Bridgeland City," replied Calix as he placed his gaze on Andrian and Harper, "Mom, Dad, whatever I’ll tell you next will surely surprise you. Can you please listen to me first?"

Calix’s firm tone piqued Andrian and Harper’s interest. They wondered what made their son sound so urgent. Even the mention of the orphanage baffled them.

The spouses looked at one another before they returned their eyes to their second son.

"Alright," Andrian nodded, "Tell us, Calix."

Harper said nothing, only nodding alongside Andrian.

While question marks hung over the spouses’ heads, Old Madam Xu appeared calm. She sipped her tea leisurely, anticipating her son and daughter-in-law’s reactions to her grandson’s explosive revelation.

"Before that, I’ll tell you how I and Charlege were connected."

Calix’s words aroused Andrian and Harper’s curiosity. None of them expected the extent of what their son would be telling them.

Seconds turned to minutes. Minutes made a complete round for an hour.

Eventually, everything was revealed to Andrian and Harper. To say they were shocked was an understatement. But, their reactions were better than Old Madam Xu’s earlier, especially the composed Andrian.

"When I oversee the company, you and Charlene will stay closer to Calliope to get to know her better?"

Calix and Leslie nodded in unison. Once the former finished talking about that night six years ago and Calliope’s existence, a huge burden seemed to leave their shoulders.

"I’ll rearrange my schedule first, Dad. If I leave abruptly, rumors will fly," Calix responded, already thinking which was the right time to take his leave, "Like I said earlier, our next steps will depend on Calliope’s reaction after she learns we’re her parents."

Andrian exhaled a sigh, understanding the reason behind Calix’s choice. Taking his gaze away from his son, he stared at his wife.

"Hey, why are you crying like that ah? Aren’t you embarrassed? Your son and daughter-in-law can see, you know?"

Sobbing, Harper smacked Andrian’s back. Her action earned the man’s laughter.

"How can I not cry ah? Our son... and daughter-in-law were played by someone evil! Calix got into a long coma! Charlene was exiled!"

Harper hastily rubbed her eyes, fury spiraling from the depths of her heart.

"That vicious old woman! How could she treat her own granddaughter like that? Charlene was pregnant! No matter what happened, shouldn’t she support her granddaughter? Argh! I’m mad!"

Enraged, Harper curled her hands into fists. Her swollen eyes kept gushing out tears as she trembled in anger.

"Huh! If it’s up to me, I’d go marching to their house already," Old Madam Xu scoffed, showing how disgusted she was with the Li family, "Harper, my blood boils so much ah."

"Mother! How could they?" Harper quickly ignored her husband, now looking at her mother-in-law, "What should we do? We can’t let this slide!"

That damn Old Madam Li!

Rowan and Bianca too!

Why didn’t they shield their own daughter? Charlene was at her most vulnerable state!

Andrian was speechless. Both his wife and mother were glowering like two lionesses now. If he wasn’t careful, he might get bitten in the process.

"Mother, Harper, I understand ah. But, Calix and Charlene are still here," Andrian rubbed Harper’s back, trying to ease his wife’s exploding fury, "Drink some water. We’re not done with this conversation yet."

"Yes, yes, Dad’s right," Calix pushed a glass of mineral water to Harper, "Mom, don’t be too angry ah. I’ll surely get back at them."

"You better do!" Harper shot at Calix, her glaring eyes burning in rage, "I don’t care who they are! How dare they mistreated my daughter-in-law like that! Ah... Mom is sorry, Charlene. I don’t mean to show you this side of me..."

Realizing Leslie’s stare at her, Harper quickly toned down her wrath. She sheepishly took the glass offered by Calix before hurriedly downing everything down her throat.

"It’s fine, Mother..." Leslie had a smile on her lips. She was inwardly amused by Harper’s reaction, "Thank you for being... worried for me... Father and Grandma too..."

Leslie wouldn’t lie about how nervous she actually was to bring this matter up to Andrian and Harper. Fortunately, her concern was unwarranted.

Once again Calix’s parents expressed their high level of empathy, something neither she—and Charlene—experienced from their own parents.

Harper abruptly stood up, rounding the table to Leslie. The latter was surprised when suddenly the older woman hugged her. Her mother-in-law’s soft fragrance enveloped her.

"Charlene, we’ll help you and Calix," Harper vowed verbally. She gently rubbed Leslie’s back, her heart torn as she couldn’t imagine the extent of torment her daughter-in-law had gone through, "The child... Calliope will be happy to meet you two as their parents."

"Hehe, thank you, Mother..."

Shrugging, Calix smiled in helplessness. His mother’s reaction was just like his grandmother’s earlier, that time when the old lady rushed to hug Leslie.

"Calix."

Andrian’s low voice caught Calix’s attention. He swiftly shifted his focus to his father.

"Do you have any idea who did that to you?"

Calix raised his brows, understanding that Andrian was referring to the mastermind.

"Unfortunately, no," replied Calix with a shake of his head, "Six years ago, you didn’t know where I was before the accident, wasn’t it, Father?"

Andrian frowned, recalling the hazy details of the night Calix’s life was almost doomed. If the paramedics were a second late, his second son would’ve been gone forever.

"No. Everything didn’t make sense but, I found nothing."

Andrian pulled out all the stops, desperately trying to dig deeper into Calix’s accident. To his dismay, anything he found was not helpful at all.

The lack of discoveries disheartened Andrian. It was the first time he felt extremely powerless despite possessing immense wealth and influence.

Calix smiled lopsidedly, feeling sorry to see the sad look on his father’s face. Rising to his feet, he walked over to where the middle-aged man was seated.

"Father, you’ve done everything you could," Calix put a hand on Andrian’s back, wanting to reassure his father, "The culprit was well-prepared. I don’t know why he’s quiet all these years but, I won’t just sit back if he reappears."

Andrian pursed his lips, holding back the unpleasant feeling in his gut.

His son was right.

Nothing happened after Calix regained consciousness.

Who was the mastermind?

What was his motive?

Or, were these all purely coincidences?