The Villain Mom Awakens — Going Viral by Parenting on a Reality Show-Chapter 256: Renee Jennings, Let’s Get a Divorce.
Chloe Murray handed her the signed photo. "Next time, make sure you keep your eyes wide open. Don’t be the sucker who pays for someone else’s shopping spree again."
Clementine Coleman nodded repeatedly.
Chloe Murray checked the time. "We have to get going, but let’s hang out another time. Nina is a great racer, too."
Clementine Coleman asked in surprise, "Really?"
"Mhm," Chloe Murray nodded. "She’s the one who taught me, actually, but she hasn’t raced in a long time."
Clementine Coleman nodded emphatically, her head spinning from the wonderful surprise. "Okay, yes, of course..."
*
Not long after returning home, Clementine Coleman received a huge package. The sender was Renee Jennings.
Clementine Coleman opened it to find it was filled with all the things she had paid for. She laughed, exasperated, and had someone send the package right back. "Tell her I want every last cent back, or I won’t let this go. Who wants the trash she’s already worn!"
Renee Jennings received the package and scrambled to raise the money. The Lynch Family was wealthy, but Nathaniel Lynch held all the purse strings. Renee felt like his pet, fobbed off with a fixed monthly allowance, unable to get a penny more no matter how she tried.
She and Nathaniel Lynch were not on equal footing.
Renee Jennings grew even more resentful. ’I have to make it big in the entertainment industry,’ she thought, ’then I’ll never have to put up with Nathaniel Lynch’s scorn again.’
Renee Jennings looked at the bill from Clementine Coleman. In just two or three months, she had somehow spent 8.36 million. The bulk of it was on jewelry.
Because she was in a hurry, and because of depreciation, Renee Jennings only managed to get a little over four million after selling everything Clementine had bought for her. She was still short by about half...
Gritting her teeth, Renee Jennings reluctantly sold her own long-treasured jewelry, finally scraping together a little over eight million.
Her jewelry box was now half-empty, and her heart ached unbearably.
’Money can always be earned back,’ she tried to console herself, ’but a ruined reputation is hard to rebuild.’
When she turned around, she was startled to find Nathaniel Lynch standing nearby, watching her with a menacing expression. Renee jumped, clutching her chest. "Nathaniel! What are you doing? Why didn’t you knock?"
"This is my house. Why would I knock?" Nathaniel Lynch eyed her furtive movements. "What are you doing?"
Renee Jennings instinctively clenched her hands. "I was just tidying up the desk. You’re home just in time, I need to talk to you about something." A sad look crossed her face as she sighed. "My dad... he’s sick. He needs money for surgery."
Nathaniel Lynch was usually tight-fisted, but he wouldn’t ignore something like this.
But to her surprise, Nathaniel Lynch sneered. "Your dad’s sick? I think you’re the one who’s sick in the head!"
"How could you insult me like that?!"
Nathaniel Lynch threw his phone at her. "Look what you’ve done! Mrs. Coleman told me everything. I asked you to look after Clementine, and what do you do? You scam her out of her money?! Do I not give you enough? Are you that desperate for cash?!" 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚
Renee’s stomach dropped. She didn’t dare meet Nathaniel Lynch’s blazing eyes.
She gritted her teeth in frustration. ’I was already working so hard to pay it back. I can’t believe Clementine would be so vile as to run and tattle to Nathaniel.’
"Stop playing dumb. Speak!"
"You’ve got some nerve!" Renee Jennings shot back. "You give me a mere 100,000 a month! I wanted to do sponsored posts on social media to sell things, but you wouldn’t let me, saying I was embarrassing you! The amount of money I can actually spend is tiny! I can’t even afford decent jewelry. When Clementine takes me to parties, I can’t tell you how many times people have laughed at my outfits! All I did was buy a few things! Was that so wrong?!"
Nathaniel’s finger trembled as he pointed at her. "You’re being completely unreasonable! It seems you’re obsessed with money!"
"I’m obsessed with money? A single watch you buy costs more than my allowance for several months! Nathaniel Lynch, you only care about yourself!" Tears welled in Renee Jennings’s eyes. "I pinch every penny and still can’t afford a few decent pieces of jewelry. The ones you gave me two years ago are completely out of style! You’re the one who’s unreasonable! Giving me so little money each month and expecting me to wait on you and your son like a nanny!"
The more she spoke, the more aggrieved she felt. As another daughter-in-law of the Lynch Family, her sister-in-law, Lucy Summers, wore casual outfits that cost hundreds of thousands. Why was her own life so wretched in comparison? She had to pathetically maintain a "frugal and thrifty" persona on variety shows, and any little bit of money she managed to save was spent on custom-made clothes for Nathan Lynch, all to build up her public image.
A throbbing ache started in Nathaniel Lynch’s head. "So you’ve been unhappy all this time?" He no longer had any of his former patience for her. The adoration he once felt had curdled into disgust, and he hated himself for having been so blind. "Fine, Renee Jennings. Let’s get a divorce!"
Tears streamed down Renee Jennings’s face. "Fine! A divorce it is! But let me tell you, Nathaniel Lynch, I’m no pushover like Victor Vance was. You humiliate me like this today, and I’ll make you pay dearly. I’ll show you what real pain feels like!"
Nathaniel Lynch glared at her, his expression not that of a man looking at his wife, but at his mortal enemy.
"You dare!"
"What wouldn’t I dare? I’m just a rookie actress. My influence is nothing compared to a National Film Emperor like you! Since you’re the one who did something wrong, you should have known this day would come!"
...
Outside the half-closed door, Nathan Lynch stood frozen, clearly hearing the argument inside. His body trembled slightly with fear.
He remembered how his mother used to argue with his father just like this. His father had been like an enraged lion, his roars sounding as if they could tear the roof off. Back then, he had stood right outside the door, feeling lost and helpless.
Nathan Lynch slowly sank to the floor, burying his head in his arms.
’What’s going to happen now?’ he wondered. ’Is Dad going to get a divorce again and find me another stepmom?’
’What will the new stepmom be like? Will she be gentle like Mom, or selfish like this one?’
The two extremes surfaced in his mind.
"Nathan, what are you doing here?" The nanny came up looking for him. As soon as she took his hand, she saw the bedroom door was ajar, with waves of angry shouts coming from inside.
The nanny understood immediately. She gently patted Nathan Lynch’s back. "Don’t be afraid, Nathan."
"Why is this happening?" Nathan Lynch muttered. "They got along so well before, why are they fighting now? They never fought before they got married. I think..." Nathan’s eyes grew red-rimmed. "Marriage is so scary. I hate fighting... I don’t want to get married. Not even when I grow up..."
The nanny’s heart ached for him. All she could do was stroke his head and say, "It’s not like that."
Nathan Lynch insisted stubbornly, "It is. Mommy isn’t happy. She’s not happy at all..."
The door was thrown open. Nathaniel Lynch stormed out, tugging irritably at his tie. He froze in alarm when he saw his son, who barely reached his waist, standing there.
