I Watched My Mother Kneel For His Family, Then I Ended His Chapter 06

I Watched My Mother Kneel For His Family, Then I Ended His Chapter 06

I underestimated just how unhinged Dillen could get.

At noon, my phone vibrated.

Bethel: [Ms. Holden, Mr. Guzman has gone completely berserk at the office.]

Bethel: [He called all department heads into a meeting and demanded that the entire company drop everything to track you down.]

Bethel: [Mr. Guzman’s father chewed out both his son and his wife for over an hour. He said if they don’t bring you back, neither of them needs to bother coming back.]

I didn’t reply.

A little while later, Bethel sent another one.

Bethel: [Mrs. Guzman was reduced to tears, and Mr. Guzman looked livid—he even smashed two glass mugs.]

Bethel: [Mr. Guzman’s father mentioned that the contracts for the six major clients this quarter add up to over eighty million dollars. If you don’t return the licenses, every cent will have to be paid back in damages.]

Bethel: [Three of those business partners have already sent formal legal letters.]

I put my phone down.

Celia walked out of the bedroom carrying a stack of files.

“Things are escalating even faster than I anticipated. A colleague at my firm mentioned that two of Guzman Group’s partners showed up early this morning to consult on copyright infringement lawsuits.”

“What about Rowley?”

“He’s looking for you–pulling strings, calling in favors. Hasn’t found anything yet.”

I nodded.

“If he can’t find me, his only option is to beg the partners. But they won’t grant him time-the longer this drags out, the heavier their losses.”

Celia sat across from me.

“Elva, I’ve known you for ten years. You’re the most patient person I’ve ever met.

“And now I see you’re also the most ruthless.”

I looked out the window.

“Ruthless? They earned it ”

ALTwo In the afternoon, Dillen finally tracked me down.

Not through any clever means I let him.

I had texted Bethel earlier, casually mentioning that I’d be discussing some business with a friend at the

coffee shop near my house

I knew Bethel was close with Dillen’s secretary.

I also knew that message would reach Dillen’s ears within half an hour.

Sure enough.

At two-forty, I was sitting by the window of the coffee shop, reviewing new company registration materials

with Celia.

My mother sat beside me, quietly sipping hot milk, looking much better than she had yesterday.

The door chimed.

Dillen walked in.

He looked a complete mess. His dress shirt was crumpled, his hair disheveled, and dark circles bruised the skin under his eyes.

He looked as if he hadn’t slept a second all night.

The moment his eyes landed on me, his expression turned wildly complex.

Relief from finding me, suppressed rage, and a sudden, unfamiliar edge of panic.

Rowley and Frederica followed behind him.

Rowley was suited up, but his face was deathly dark.

Frederica’s eyes were swollen, her makeup haphazardly applied; she looked like she had aged ten years

overnight.

Dillen was the first to approach.

He sat down across from me and reached for my hand.

I withdrew my hand and tucked it beneath the table.

He froze for a beat, pulled his hand back, and took a deep breath.

“Elva, I’ve been searching for you for an entire day and night. Do you have any idea how worried I was?”

His eyes were bloodshot.

Whether from genuine exhaustion or staged drama, I couldn’t tell.

“Elva, come home. Let’s go home and talk this through.”

“I’m not divorcing you-not now, not ever.

“You know how good I’ve been to you over these five years. I’ve never lost my temper with you, I gave you everything you wanted…”

“You hit my mother.”

His words choked in his throat.

“You never lost your temper with me, but you took it out on my mother.”

“Because you knew that a single slap to her face kept me entirely in line.”

“Every time you hurt her, you’d turn around with apologies, meals, and flowers. Then everything went back

to normal until the next time.”

“Dillen, that’s not ‘being good to me.’ That’s control.”

His face shifted.

“Elva, it’s not like that. I did it for our family; a family needs rules…”

“What kind of rule allows a son-in-law to beat his mother-in-law? Or forces an elderly woman to get down

on her knees to toast?”

“I…”

“Or does the Guzman way just boil down to whoever’s the cruelest calls the shots?”

He went dead silent.

Rowley walked over.

He pulled back a chair, sat down across from me, and forced a strained smile.

“Elva, I know Dillen went way out of line this time. I came today specifically to apologize on his behalf.”

“Dillen has been reckless since he was young. Frederica and I gave him a severe earful yesterday. Rest

assured, something like this will never happen again.”

“How about this? Restore those design licenses first, and we can all head home to talk things over. Name

your terms-as long as they’re reasonable, I’ll agree to them.”

He said all this with an air of humility.

Yell caught the glint it his eyes.

Shrewd, calculating, desperate.

He hadn’t come to apologize.

He had come to cut his financial losses.

“Mr. Guzman.”

I addressed him formally.

His fake smile stiffened instantly.

“I have no terms. The divorce agreement is clear-I want nothing.”

“Sign it, and the licensing issue is over.”

“Don’t-and we’ll see each other in court.”

Rowley’s composure finally cracked.

He shot a sharp glare toward Dillen.

Dillen clenched his fists tight.

“Elva, are you really taking this all the way? Don’t you dare…”

“Mr. Guzman,” Celia cut in, her voice cool and measured.

“I’m Ms. Holden’s lawyer, Celia Mitchell. You may address any legal matters directly to me.”

“Threatening my client will get you nowhere. The revocation of these licenses was executed in full

compliance with the law. For every additional day Guzman Group continues using these designs, another

count of commercial infringement builds against you.

“I strongly suggest you make your decision promptly.”

Dillen stared at Celia, then turned his gaze back onto me.

His breathing turned erratic.

“Elva… I really do love you.”

“Everything I’ve done over the years was because I loved you.”

“You can’t do this to me…”

His voice quavered as tears spilled down his face.

This man, whom I had once believed I would spend the rest of my life with, sat weeping before me.

How did I feel?

Five years ago, the first time he’d broken down like this and apologized, it shattered me. I truly believed he’d actually feel sorry.

Now?

I felt nothing but sheer disgust.

“Dillen, divorce is my only condition. Non-negotiable.”

He abruptly stood up, his chair scraping violently against the floor

“I won’t sign! Do you hear me, Elva? I won’t!”

Rowley slapped a heavy hand onto his shoulder, holding him back.

Then, Rowley casually tilted his head toward the door.

Two bodyguards standing outside immediately moved into action, striding directly toward me.