The Villain Mom Awakens — Going Viral by Parenting on a Reality Show-Chapter 142: Kneel Down

From the force of the slap, Renee Jennings’s hair had come undone. A few strands clung to her cheeks, giving her a wretched appearance.

She suppressed the rage in her heart, her eyes welling with tears. "Mom, you’ve really misunderstood. I’ve never mistreated Mona. I take care of him with all my heart every single day. Mona is my child, too. I adore him more than anything! If you don’t believe me, ask Mona."

Renee Jennings called out to Mona a few times, but the boy just kept crying, completely oblivious to his surroundings.

Sophia Zobel sneered. "Do you really think I can’t see your intentions? Treating Mona as your own child? Don’t you feel the least bit guilty saying that? There’s no faking the look in Mona’s eyes. He’s definitely suffered at your hands! Let me tell you, if you’re just after money, the Lynch Family can afford to give you plenty. But if you’ve been secretly abusing Mona, don’t blame me for being ruthless."

When Sophia Zobel was young, she had a bold and fiery personality. Back then, when Nathaniel Lynch’s father, Charles Lynch, took a mistress who then wrote provocative letters to Sophia, she attacked them both on the street, screaming obscenities. Fliers detailing their affair were spread across nearly half of Veridia, and the incident even made the newspapers.

She never had to deal with that kind of trouble again after that.

Sophia Zobel sat on the sofa with Nathan Lynch in her arms. She pointed a finger at Renee Jennings and ordered, "Kneel. You can get up when you’ve had time to reflect."

Renee Jennings knew how vicious Sophia Zobel always was. If she knelt, it could be for hours. Her legs would be ruined. She had an event to attend tomorrow; if the media caught her, it would be a massive embarrassment.

Nathaniel Lynch tried to intervene. "Mom, Rachel is too frail. She can’t kneel."

Sophia Zobel just clutched her chest. "You’re getting more and more outrageous. Is it that you have no respect for me now that your father is gone?" As she spoke, she let out a few groans and complained that her heart was hurting.

How could Nathaniel Lynch dare to argue with her now? He hurried to call their private doctor. Filial piety was paramount, and he had always been a dutiful son.

The floor was cold and hard, so Renee Jennings found a carpeted spot. Still, her heart ached with injustice as her hopeful gaze landed on Nathan Lynch.

"Mona, please, explain to your grandmother..."

Nathan Lynch glanced at her, but then, for some reason, he turned away, tilting his head to lean back against Sophia Zobel’s shoulder.

Renee Jennings felt a sudden sense of disorientation.

’Mona wasn’t like this before.’ He had been raised by Victor Vance and was kind, just like his mother. Renee Jennings remembered when she first joined the Lynch Family. His eyes, bright as stars, had been full of rejection and loathing. Yet, he hadn’t acted out or caused trouble like other naughty children might. He had even handed her a handkerchief and told her not to cry when she accidentally tripped and fell.

’When did he start to change? When did he become so cold and heartless...’

An inexplicable anxiety seized Renee Jennings.

"Why aren’t you kneeling? Do I need to help you?" Sophia Zobel roared.

Renee Jennings immediately dropped to her knees. A few servants walked past, and she was overcome with humiliation.

Sophia Zobel held Mona, comforting him for a while and showing him new toys, but his spirits remained low.

Sophia Zobel’s heart ached for him. She glanced at Nathaniel Lynch and proposed, "It’s clear you two aren’t in the right frame of mind to look after a child. Why don’t you let me take Mona home with me?"

Renee Jennings reacted even more strongly than Nathaniel Lynch. She cried, "No! You can’t take Mona!"

Sophia Zobel glared at her. "When did I say you could speak?"

Nathaniel Lynch added anxiously, "Mom, you’re getting on in years. It’s better for us to look after Mona. He’s probably just been crying because he’s stressed out from too much homework at kindergarten lately. I’ll definitely have a word with his teachers. This was truly an accident."

Nathaniel Lynch said everything he could to placate her.

Renee Jennings, not caring about anything else, also made a slew of promises.

’If Sophia Zobel really takes Mona, won’t all my hard work have been for nothing?’

After some time, Sophia Zobel "reluctantly" agreed. As Nathaniel Lynch had said, she was getting old and was tormented by the "three highs." Looking after a child was simply too taxing. Besides, she wasn’t keeping up with the times anymore. It was best for Mona to stay with Nathaniel Lynch.

Renee Jennings finally let out a long sigh of relief.

Sophia Zobel stayed and played with Nathan Lynch for a long time, until night began to fall. Even as she left, she didn’t allow Renee Jennings to get up. She only warned her to take good care of Mona, adding that she would drop by for surprise inspections at any time.

Nathan Lynch had already gone upstairs.

Nathaniel Lynch helped Renee Jennings rise from the floor and sit on the sofa. She had been kneeling for several hours, and her legs were almost completely numb.

Her heart was filled with hate—for her fierce and vicious mother-in-law, for her weak and passive husband. She even began to hate Nathan Lynch. He’d had a clear opportunity to speak up for her.

A wide patch of red covered Renee Jennings’s knees, a shocking sight at first glance.

Frowning, Nathaniel Lynch called for the private doctor.

Renee Jennings first asked a maid to bring a mirror. Her cheek was still swollen, looking almost disfigured.

Renee Jennings violently threw the mirror, wailing, "My face!"

She clutched her face with both hands.

Nathaniel Lynch grabbed her arms. "Rachel, don’t be like this."

Renee Jennings lowered her hands, asking through her tears, "Am I hideous right now?"

Nathaniel Lynch hesitated for two seconds. "...You’re not hideous. Really, you’re not."

But Renee Jennings had already read the answer in his eyes. "This is all your mother’s fault!" she said, full of resentment. "How am I supposed to face anyone now? I’ve been doted on my entire life. When have I ever been humiliated like this?! Your mother is a viper!"

Nathaniel Lynch had been about to comfort her gently, but his expression changed instantly at her last words. "Rachel, how can you talk about my mother like that? Her methods might be a little questionable, but she’s an elderly woman. Shouldn’t we, as the younger generation, be more considerate?"

His words made Renee Jennings see his callous nature for what it was. He was full of sweet talk, but the moment Sophia Zobel was involved, Nathaniel Lynch immediately turned on her.

"Rachel, my mom had it very tough. When my dad passed away, my brother and I were still very young. A lot of our relatives were coveting the Lynch Group. We had wolves at the front gate and tigers at the back. It was my mom who..."

Renee Jennings had heard Nathaniel Lynch’s stories about Sophia Zobel’s difficult past so many times she could have recited them by heart.

Overcome with grief and indignation, Renee Jennings covered her face and began to sob, her shoulders shaking. The messy reality of life always had a way of shattering her fantasies.

*

「Interplay Entertainment」

"Nicole, your fanbase is growing fast lately. A lot of your new followers are ’mom fans’ of Ian. I actually have a suggestion. We should consider building a public persona for Ian."

Laura Grant handed a cup of coffee to Naomi Kenway, who was sitting opposite her.