Unpredictable Betrayal : A Sweet of Revenge

Alden was stunned. He was sure he hadn’t misheard what his mother just said. The firm tone of her words made him immediately question.

“What? What did Mom just say?”

“From now on, you have to keep your distance from Aurora,” Zendaya repeated, feeling compelled. There was no change whatsoever from her previous statement.

“Why does Mom suddenly ask me to keep my distance from Aurora? What’s wrong?”

Despite the unpleasant incident at his mother’s birthday party a few days ago, Alden didn’t think there was any major issue. Zendaya even reassured him that everything was fine.

So why today, after a week has passed without any incidents, out of the blue, his mother suddenly asked him to distance himself from a woman he clearly cared about?

“Mom…” Alden called out when he found his mother silent. “What’s really going on?”

Zendaya looked visibly conflicted. Her expression was hard for Alden to read. He couldn’t guess what had actually happened to his mother. Was there a big problem or something bothering her, causing her to suddenly change her mind?

“Mom knows this must be hard for you. But Mom feels you really need to start keeping your distance from Aurora.”

“But why? There must be a reason for Mom to suddenly act like this. Didn’t you say yesterday that there’s no problem at all?”

Zendaya nodded.

“I felt the same way before.”

“Then why the change now? What’s wrong with Aurora that I have to avoid her? Is it because of her status as a widow?”

“It’s not that,” Zendaya denied. “Mom has never once had an issue with Aurora’s status all this time.”

“Then why? Or could it be that Mom is starting to believe Aunt Savana’s rumors?”

This time, Zendaya shook her head vigorously. She denied the assumptions her son made. But deep down, she also didn’t intend to be malicious like this. Zendaya knew well how much Alden loved Aurora. His feelings for her hadn’t changed at all.

“Not like that, Alden.”

“In that case, what’s the reason? There’s no way Mom would suddenly change like this without a reason.”

Zendaya took a deep breath. Between embarrassment and feeling conflicted, she told Alden why she asked him to distance himself.

“At first, Mom thought everything was fine. But lately, Mom has been feeling disturbed, and it’s been wearing Mom out.”

“What do you mean, Mom?”

Zendaya then recounted. She recalled what had happened recently. It all started with Savana’s remarks in one of the WhatsApp groups and continued when they met again a few days ago at a restaurant.

“If you want to get richer, you should be smart enough to find opportunities.”

When they gathered, Savana rambled on. Acting like a know-it-all, she talked about anything and everything to her friends. “Do you want to know…” the woman of Arab descent then said. “Why Zendaya’s business is thriving?”

“Why is that?” one of Zendaya’s friends asked.

“Well, because she’s smart at seizing opportunities.”

Zendaya tried to cut her off then. That’s why she responded to Savana’s ramblings to stop talking nonsense.

“Everyone who wants to succeed must seize opportunities as best as they can. Whatever it is, as long as the goal is good, it should be utilized,” Zendaya replied casually.Belongs to (N)ôvel/Drama.Org.

“Yeah, including selling your son for your own benefit, right?”

“What do you mean?”

Zendaya started to get angry. For how many days she had restrained herself from Savana’s words that seemed to cause chaos.

“Don’t deny it. Everyone knows your daughter is well off. But, for the sake of business profit, you let her have a relationship with a woman who clearly isn’t useful.”

“Savana… watch your words. Don’t embarrass yourself by spreading false news.”

Savana laughed.

“Who’s spreading false news? For two years, Aurora has been married to my son. For two years, she hasn’t been able to give grandson.”

“Your son might be the one with issues. Don’t just blame the woman.” Savana retorted. She rejected Zendaya’s overt defense of Aurora.

“Don’t be ridiculous! The proof is there! When my son chose a new partner, that woman got pregnant. So, who’s the one with issues here? Besides, what do you expect from Aurora? If Aurora wasn’t the daughter of someone as rich as Joshua Harperwood, I’m sure you wouldn’t have ever allowed your son to marry such a cheap widow.”

“Enough!” Zendaya snapped. Pressing her lips tightly together, she refused to be insulted in such a manner. “Stop talking nonsense. And stop spreading baseless rumors.”

“Who’s spreading rumors?” Savana deliberately countered. “That’s the reality. If you don’t have any vested interests, I’m sure you wouldn’t let your child get involved with Aurora. Or, perhaps, you intentionally had Alden work at the same hospital as Aurora from the beginning. Yeah, to make it easier to get close. I also suspect your child deliberately seduced Aurora while she was still in the process of divorcing my child, right?”

For heaven’s sake, if Zendaya hadn’t been in a public place, she would have scratched that annoying Savana’s face. But, aware of her own classiness, Zendaya chose to ignore her. From that moment on, she decided she would never want to know or associate with Savana again.

However, that wasn’t enough. Two days later, during a business meeting, one of her associates approached her for a conversation while they were having lunch together.

“Zendaya, I heard from Savana that your son is going to marry a widow. Sorry if this is presumptuous, but why not matchmake your son with my daughter instead? She’s also a doctor. If they’re together, I’m sure our businesses could prosper even more. Well, even though I’m not as wealthy as Joshua Harperwood, at least my daughter is still single and definitely not barren.”

Zendaya felt deeply hurt hearing her son being belittled. Moreover, almost all her friends who were influenced by Savana’s words assumed she was seeking business advantage through her son’s relationship.

“But, none of those accusations are true, Mom,” Alden tried to defend. After all, he was the one in this relationship and knew exactly what was going on.

“Mom knows that. But, by God, this matter is really disturbing. I don’t want to continue being seen as someone who’s after profit from your relationship with Aurora, who’s clearly a conglomerate’s daughter. I can’t bear it, Alden. It hurts me to hear them think you deliberately approached Aurora, a widow, for some gain in wealth and status.”

“I’ll resolve this issue as soon as possible. If necessary, I’ll sue Aunt Savana for defamation.”

Zendaya shook her head. “No. You don’t need to do that. Just do what Mom asks.”

“But-”

“If you love Mom, please keep your distance or stay away from her as soon as possible.”