"Kelly."
Charlotte tilted her body to look at her daughter beside her.
"Mommy?"
Kelly looked back at Charlotte.
"Kelly, have you and Jackson… not taken any contraceptive measures?"
Kelly immediately froze as a feeling of impending doom hit her.
"I have a friend who went to the hospital with her daughter-in-law for a maternity checkup today. She saw you there. Are you pregnant?"
Kelly only felt something in her head combust.
She didn't understand how she was recognized even though she had been so careful.
By her mother's friend nonetheless.
Kelly remembered how there was a time when Charlotte kept nagging about wanting a grandchild. She kept bringing up marriage in hopes that Kelly and Kendall would marry a good man.
"Mommy, I…"
Kelly didn't know what to say in that instant.
"Are you really pregnant?"
Charlotte was still hopeful for it to be false news even though Kendall said it was true. However, her hopes had disappeared in a puff of smoke when she saw Kelly's reaction.
"Mommy, I-I didn't think I would get pregnant."
Charlotte was so angry that she raised her hand to slap Kelly, but upon seeing how dispirited the young woman was, her slap turned into a finger that pushed at Kelly's temple.
"Kelly Parker! Are you trying to give Mommy and Daddy a heart attack?! You are both adults. Why don't you know how to take care of yourself when you aren't dating for marriage? You didn't think you would get pregnant? I can't believe you are saying that!"
Charlotte was about to blow her head off.
Kelly only lowered her head without replying.
"You went to Jackson, didn't you? Your father said that you left as soon as work was over. You didn't come home even though you had no social engagements tonight."
Knowing that the cat was out of the bag anyway, Kelly could only confess, "Mommy, I-I did go to Jackson. I wanted to ask him if he wanted the child."
With a dark expression, Charlotte demanded, "And what did he say?"
"Mommy, Jackson said he wants the baby. He will be responsible for both me and the child," Kelly quickly explained.
Adam, who was smoking a cigarette in front of the window, turned around and jogged over before he forcefully slammed his hand on the table, startling both mother and daughter.
"I dare him to not take responsibility. I will skin him alive!"
He was enraged as well.
Kelly was the one he and Charlotte had carefully raised as their successor. Adam had always been satisfied with her performance.
The couple hadn't shown partiality as well even after Kendall came home. If anything, he felt closer to Kelly than he did his biological daughter.
However, her behavior as of late had saddened and disappointed him.
Just how did my intelligent daughter turn into such a fool as soon as she got together with Jackson?
She claimed she fell into someone's trap at first, but why didn't she tell Jackson after that? Kelly didn't tell Adam and Charlotte either.
Does she think of us as outsiders? Is it because we no longer are her birth parents?!
Kelly was later caught having an affair with Jackson, which alerted even the police. Adam had to make a trip to the police station in the middle of the night to bring back his embarrassment of a daughter.
From what Adam saw, Kelly couldn't reign herself in even though it was only a man.
He was afraid the Parker Corporation would end up being taken over by the Whittles if she was the one who succeeded the company.
He was still conflicted about which daughter he should give the company to before tonight.
From how things were so far, Kelly was definitely the more suitable pick.
However, after tonight, Adam wanted to live as best he could and wait until he was an old man before he took the back seat. Kendall should be able to support the company no matter how hard it might be then.
Now, he finally decided to leave the company to his biological daughter.
"Adam!" Charlotte called out. "Don't hit the table. You are scaring Kelly."
"She even had the courage to have an affair. Would she be scared of me hitting the table?" Adam huffed in reply.
Kelly's face immediately flushed red out of shame then.
Saying that it was an 'affair' was like a stab in her gut.
She was glad that it wasn't made public. Otherwise, she would never be able to erase the word from her life. She would be judged no matter what. On top of that, those self-proclaimed socialite friends that she had would stay away from her.
"Kelly, did Jackson promise to marry you? Is he not marrying Krystal?"
Charlotte tried to sound more gentle as she spoke.
Adam and her would have to accept the reality despite not wanting to if Jackson wanted to marry Kelly.
Once again, Charlotte was relieved that her own daughter had given up on Jackson back then.
When Kelly hesitated to give an answer, Adam boomed again, "Is he insisting on marrying Krystal? He got you pregnant, and yet he is nonchalantly getting married to another woman?! I am going to teach that punk a lesson right now. This is outrageous. How dare he trample on my daughter?!"
Adam then turned around to leave, only to be stopped by Kelly, who had stood up and was tightly holding onto him.
"Daddy! Don't go, Daddy. My reputation will go down the drain if you kick up a fuss at the Whittles'."
"Do you even still have a reputation to uphold?" Adam bitterly cursed at that.
Kelly was silent for a moment before she mumbled, Daddy, Jackson and I talked about it. Him marrying Krystal is a temporary measure. He will have a divorce and marry me after Whittle Holdings has stabilized."
After pausing for a moment, she quietly grumbled, "It is Kendall's fault Jackson has to marry Krystal. Jackson wouldn't have to marry that ugly b*tch if Kendall would help the Whittles by buttering up to Master Dylan and telling him to stop pressuring Whittle Holdings with Coleman Empire Holdings."
Compared to Kelly, Krystal indeed fell short in terms of her appearance.
Suddenly, a slap resounded.
Unable to contain his anger any longer, Adam unhesitantly striked Kelly across her cheek.
"You are blaming Kendall for the embarrassing show you and Jackson put on?"
Kelly's hand went up to hold her cheek and when she looked at Adam, the rims of her eyes had turned red.
He added, "I will not allow Jackson to marry Krystal if he is not going to be responsible for you!"
He then started to leave the house again.
"Daddy!" Ignoring the burning pain on her cheek, Kelly tried to stop him again as she blurted out, "Daddy, don't go. I… I can wait for him."
The man felt his chest tighten painfully from anger. He then pointed a finger at her and bellowed, "Are you stupid, Kelly Parker?! Is he even worth it?!"
"Daddy, I am 26 years old. I am not a three-year-old child. I am already an adult. I will handle this. Please don't worry about it anymore, both you and Mommy. And don't go to their house and start a fight."
"Kelly, you…" Adam's face had paled.
Charlotte also didn't look well as she stood up. "Kelly," she started. "Do you think that we don't have the right to teach you because we are not your biological parents? Fine. Handle your business by yourself. I won't care, and neither will I go to Whittle Residence. Do as you please. I am not your real mother after all."
After throwing that out, Charlotte turned around and immediately headed upstairs.
"Mommy, t-that is not what I meant. Mommy!"
Kelly realized that she had violated a taboo after she uttered those words.
Unfortunately, just like milk that had been spilt, there was no way for her to take back her words.
"Daddy, I really didn't mean to say that. It is just that I am an adult now, and I should be able to handle my private matters. I—Daddy."
Panicked, Kelly grabbed at Adam. "Daddy, did you misunderstand me as well?"
He shook her off and said coldly, "I didn't misunderstand. That is exactly what you meant. Your mother is right. Indeed, we are not your biological parents. We don't have the right to discipline you anymore."
Adam followed Charlotte and left after he said that.
Things were going as Kendall planned.
The Parker couple had thoroughly had their hearts broken by Kelly tonight.
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