BILLIONAIRES: Father or Son

Chapter Twenty-One

JAYDEN'S POV

"Are you going to talk, or do you want me to escalate this?" I demanded, my gaze shifting sharply between the two women standing before me.

My mother sighed, the sound exasperated, like she couldn't believe I was making a fuss over something so trivial. "I did what I had to do to save us from that woman and the trouble she was bound to cause."

"What the hell did you do!" I roared, taking a menacing step forward. My sudden outburst sent a flash of panic across her face as she flinched, disbelief widening her eyes. It was probably the first time I had ever raised my voice at her, and the shock of it hung thick in the air.

"Jayden, watch your tone!" she snapped back, her composure barely holding as her gaze turned icy and hard. "I'm disappointed in you. Where's your backbone? You were supposed to be a businessman. Did you think the Kensingtons built this empire by indulging in pathetic sentiments?"

"I don't give a damn how Kensington got here!" I shouted, my voice echoing off the walls. "Flora is my wife!"

"And she asked for a divorce!" my mother countered; her face contorted with anger. "Do you think she would have kept her mouth shut once she left? Women like her don't walk away quietly. They use people like us to climb up the social ladder. She would've run to every journalist, every tabloid, spinning tales about how you cheated on her, dragging our name through the mud. What do you think that would do to the Kensington reputation? Think, Jayden! Think!"

I shook my head, stunned and disgusted by her warped sense of logic. Was she really that paranoid about a potential scandal? My head spun, trying to grasp just how far my mother was willing to go to keep up the Kensington name.

"And you should be grateful to Melissa," she continued, her voice dripping with condescension. "It was her idea to plant the jewelry in Flora's suitcase. She is a smart woman; one you need beside you."

My gaze snapped to Melissa. Tears brimmed in her eyes, and she shook her head desperately as if denying the very words my mother had just uttered.

"You," I croaked, my voice strained with disbelief and a new, deeper rage simmering beneath the surface. "You came up with this insane idea?"

The room felt suffocating, the walls closing in. I stared at Melissa, feeling my world tilt on its axis. This wasn't just a petty scheme; this was outright sabotage. My shoulders slumped under the weight of it all, every thought swirling like a chaotic storm in my head. I had known I was at fault, but to realize that they—the people I trusted—had conspired to destroy everything? It was a betrayal I hadn't seen coming.

"How could you call yourself a mother?" I whispered, staring at the woman who raised me with a mixture of anger and sorrow. My vision blurred as tears of frustration welled up. I felt utterly trapped. Caught between the lies I believed and the truth I didn't want to accept. "You're a heartless, selfish person. You don't care about anyone but yourself and your precious public image. You didn't just ruin my marriage—you ruined everything."

My mother's face hardened, but for the first time, a flicker of guilt passed over her features. It was fleeting, but it was there.

"Did you push her down the stairs too?" I asked, my voice raw. "Did you cause that, Mom?"

Her brows furrowed in irritation. "Of course not. The stairs were wet, and as clumsy as that girl is, she slipped and fell. How was that my fault?"

"She lost a baby, my child, while you falsely accused her of being a thief," I spat, my words laced with venom. "And now you're trying to wash your hands of it?"