Bounded By A Deal

Chapter 21

Bryan's POV

I had asked Isabelle what my mum talked to her about.

"She just asked me if you were being a gentle man and told me that I reminded her of herself," she'd said.

When I told Flora that mum had invited Isabelle for a girl-to-girl talk in her room, she boiled up. "Seriously?! See, tell that future wife of yours to stay away from my mother, our mother."

"It's just so unfair," she continued. "How is it that mum cares about Isabelle more than she cares about us? I know I've not done anything meaningful to deserve her love and sometimes, most times actually, I act like I don't want her care and attention, but not-so-deep-down, I want it. I want her to treat me like a normal mother would treat their daughter. Why is she treating Isabelle like that when she has never treated me like that? Is Isabelle her daughter? What's paining me is that I've never really entered her room before, maybe only like ten times in the past sixteen years of my existence!"

She lowered her voice and went on. "And none of those times I entered her room was because she called me there for a talk. 'Fetch my purse for me, young lass', 'Get me that file on my cabinet'. That's what she always told me. Those were the only reasons I entered her room."

I laughed at how Flora mimicked mum's words in a weird British-like accent. I understood her frustration. The favor and attention mum gives Isabelle annoys me too, a bit.

"Mum seems to be in a good mood though," I told her. "She was looking at me and smiling as she talked. You should try talking to her, maybe it would go well."

My sister gave a sarcastic laugh. "You think she'll talk to me? Bryan, you know your mother. There is nothing in this world that would make her actually talk to me. We both know that."

I sighed. Why is she interested with how mum showed more love to Isabelle today? Abi, it's me that went to stupidly tell her that mum had a talk with Isabelle in her room? Can I blame her for feeling angry?

"Just give it a—" Before I could finish my sentence, my mum opened the door of Flora's room and entered inside.

"Hi Bryan! Hi Flora!" she said with an apologetic smile.

We stayed glued to our spots and stared at her.

Who is this woman here, and what has she done to her mother?

"Hi? I guess?" Flora replied awkwardly. I just gave a sheepish smile.

Mum sat down at the edge of Flora's bed. She looked at Flora who was lying on the bed and then at me as I sat at Flora's reading table.

"I know," she started. "That I have been a horrible mother. I've been treating you both horribly because of a grudge I've had with myself and your dad and other people–"

"What grudge?" Flora interrupted with the least respectful expression on her face.

"Hopefully, you'll find out in the nearer future. Hopefully!" She gave Flora a weak smile, making Flora roll her eyes.

"As I was saying," mum went on. "I've been thinking, and I have thought... that I shouldn't take out all my anger and frustration on you two. You guys are a blessing to me, and I should accept that. I want to treat you two like a mother should, treat you guys like my children and not like random strangers."

"I just hope you'll let me. Let's all forget about the past and move on. Let's create better relationships with each other." She gave us a wide smile at the end of her speech. I was utterly confused, surprised, flabbergasted and any word in-between.

Flora sat up straight and scrunched her face in disgust. "Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait!" She said quickly. "So mummy, out of the sixteen years that both of us have been living together as mother and child, it is today that you remembered that you should behave like a mother to me? To us? It is today that you remembered that we are your children?"