Chapter 418: Mia Is My Daughter!
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
Tanya was still dazed when Hillary’s shout woke her up.
She hadn’t slept all night because she was watching over Mia. She had only just started having some shuteye in the morning when she was woken up. After that, she was pushed out of the ward.
It wasn’t until she was outside the ward—and when the doctors and nurses, both inside and outside, as well as the patients’ family members all cast strange looks at her—that she finally reacted.
Hillary did not go to Mia right away. Instead, she continued to verbally abuse Tanya.
“Are you also going to steal my daughter when you’ve already stolen my man? Tanya, why are you so shameless?!
“Don’t you even think about taking my daughter from me!”
“She’s my daughter! Mine!”
Her words made people who didn’t know the full story look at them. Everyone looked at Tanya reproachfully.
Some people even pointed at her as they spoke.
“She must be someone’s mistress, right?”
“Ugh, people who destroy someone else’s family are so shameless!!”
Of course, there were also some reasonable people who spoke up for Tanya.
“… It’s not easy to be someone’s stepmother these days!”
“Yeah, she watched over that little girl the whole night. I thought they were mother and daughter, but as it turns out, she’s actually her stepmother?”
“… It’s pretty nice that a stepmother can do as much as she did!”
“…”
Be it positive or negative, all the comments made Tanya feel as if her cheeks were burning, and she subconsciously wanted to flee.
But she couldn’t.
Mia was still here. Joel had entrusted her with Mia. She didn’t know what exactly had happened between Joel and Hillary, but she knew that Mia didn’t like Hillary, and was wanted to stay with Joel instead.
She looked into the ward.
Hillary’s loud yells had woken Mia up. The little girl rubbed her eyes and sat up. When she saw Hillary, she tensed up.
She was so scared that she turned as pale as a sheet. She called out weakly, “Mommy, don’t be angry… My teacher is not a bad person…”
Her eyes were all red. She wanted to explain on behalf of Tanya, but she looked terrified.
However, Hillary ignored her and continued yelling at Tanya. “Do you feel a great sense of accomplishment because you stole someone else’s man? Why are you so shameless? You’ll die a terrible death! Your whole family will die terrible deaths!”
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Her whole family?
The look in Tanya’s eyes sharpened. “Don’t forget that the person next to you is also part of my ‘whole family’.”
That’s right, the person next to Hillary was none other than Tanya and Hillary’s mother, Mrs. Jones.
Mrs. Jones, who was holding Hillary, was also glaring at Tanya. Upon hearing what she said, she snapped, “I don’t have a daughter like you!”
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Hillary sneered, “Look at how abominable the things you did are, Tanya! Even your mother won’t acknowledge you anymore! If you have even the slightest bit of morals and ethics, then leave this place and leave Joel alone! Give him back to me!”
Tanya looked at the terribly anxious Mia on the bed. She didn’t want to argue with Hillary here, so she said, “If there’s anything you want to say, then say it at home. Let’s stop for now.”
However, this only made Hillary think that she was scared. She shouted furiously, “Why should we talk about it at home? I didn’t do anything shameful that I need to hide. Is it because you also find your own actions shameful? Why didn’t you think of how shameful your actions were when you did it? Why didn’t you think of how your actions are not fit to be brought up in public when you stole my husband?”
Tanya clenched her fists. “Hillary, who exactly took him away from whom?!”
Her words made Hillary choke.
However, Mrs. Jones spoke up at this point. “Tanya, how can you make up such lies? Hillary was obviously also in a relationship with Joel back then! Our families were already planning to let them bond with each other! Who do you think you are? Hillary is the Joneses’ eldest daughter while your father is a piece of trash! He’s a bastard! You and Mr. Smith are from two different worlds right from the start!”
“…”
Tanya stared at the woman in front of her.
It had been five to six years since she last saw her. She looked as charming as ever and didn’t seem to have changed much. Even the way she defended and protected Hillary so indiscriminately was still the same as before.
She smiled wryly and lowered her head.
She had never understood why a mother like her existed.
It was almost as if she found pleasure in belittling her own daughter.
In fact, she was even dubious about whether she really was her daughter or not?!
Tanya clenched her fists. She suddenly raised her head and looked at her again. Just as she was about to say something, Joel’s sharp, icy-cold voice traveled over. “Is that so? How come I didn’t know that there’s a marriage agreement between the Smiths and the Joneses?”
As his voice rang out, he finally strode over quickly and stood beside Tanya.
He had waited anxiously outside the operating room during Quentin’s operation in the day, and also accompanied Nora when she went to take revenge the night before. As a result, he hadn’t had any shuteye for a whole thirty hours. The whites of his eyes were all bloodshot at the moment.
The violent aura around him because of Quentin’s accident had yet to dissipate. Thus, despite just simply standing there, there was a bloodthirsty and murderous aura all around him, which made everyone around him fall silent and not dare to speak.
The way he looked frightened Mrs. Jones, who blanked out for a moment. Then, she stammered, “M-Mr. Smith, why are you here?”
Joel looked down at Hillary and stared at her. “You should have been abroad by now, shouldn’t you?”
Mrs. Jones hurriedly explained, “Hillary was unwell, so I brought her here to the hospital for consultation. We’re thinking of sending her abroad once she recovers.”
Joel sneered, “There are hospitals abroad, too. Of course, if the Joneses don’t have such connections abroad, the Smiths are very willing to help.”
After speaking, he glanced at Tanya, who was next to him. Her eyes were all red. Then, he glanced at Mia, who was looking at him from the bed a distance away with Hillary standing in between them.
The little girl’s eyes had turned all red from fear. The way she looked so helpless and at a loss as she sat on the bed made his heart ache.
Even Tanya knew that they shouldn’t be disturbing Mia’s rest at the moment.
That was why she had been saying that they should talk at home instead.
Yet Hillary, Mia’s mother, hadn’t noticed Mia’s emotions and reactions—because her attention was fully on Tanya!
A mother like her… The look in Joel’s eyes turned even colder.
He turned to his secretary and assistant beside him and said, “Since the Joneses are so tardy in this matter, you guys can provide Ms. Jones some assistance. She should be out of the country within an hour. I don’t want to see her in New York ever again.”
His assistant nodded at once. “Yes, sir.”
Joel then walked straight into the ward.
Hillary and Mrs. Jones had the guts to get physical with Tanya, but they didn’t dare to stop Joel. Both of them gave way to him in silence.
Hillary watched as Joel picked Mia up and carried her in his arms. She stared at how resolute the man was, and how handsome he still was, just like how he had been back then. She watched how he didn’t cast even a single glance at her…
Despair suddenly welled up from the depths of her heart.
Yes.
Despair.
From beginning to end, the man had never once loved her.
The realization made fury overwhelm her rationale. Hillary suddenly screamed, “Tanya, haven’t you always disliked me since we were kids? You hate me, don’t you? Are you willing to raise my child for me now?! Hahahaha! What a joke you are!”
