The Apple of My Eye novel Chapter 830

"What are you talking about, Mom?" Allen snapped. He made sure to show that he didn't agree with Peggy. Gripping Doris' hand, Allen declared, "Doris is already pregnant, and this baby is my flesh and blood. There is no other woman in this world whom I want to be my wife, except Doris. And you can be sure I mean that."

"You shut up! I don't want to hear that!" Peggy screamed. She was extremely offended and glowered at Allen to express her anger. Bringing him up, Peggy pampered Allen, and he was, for the most part, an obedient boy. He would always do what his mother asked knowing it would make her happy.

Besides, Peggy was the only person capable of convincing Sue to listen to her and for some reason, to never disobey what she said. Still, she never failed to show her full concern for Allen. She wanted to do everything to benefit her son, and Allen was well aware of this.

"Did you hear that, Allen?" Doris snapped. "Did you hear what your mother said?" she sneered while trying to suppress her anger. "Do you remember when we first decided to get into this relationship? Can you recall how strongly my parents, both of them, were opposed to it? At that time, I thought you were a good man and would be a responsible husband when we got married. So, I chose to sacrifice my relationship with my parents to be with you. I did my best to be with you, even in the face of such hardship. Now, I'm pregnant. But I don't feel like you're going to protect me, because you're acting as if this is none of your business. Tell me, is that how a responsible life partner should behave? Is this how you intend to bully me, by letting her humiliate me?"

"No, Doris! You know that's not true!" Allen defended himself. He was frowning, trying to think of a way to deal with such an awkward situation. Allen kept on holding Doris' hand to console her, "You know my mother. She doesn't mean what..."

But Peggy, voice dripping with disdain, was quick to cut in, "No amount of prodding will ever make me change my mind." It made her proud to hear her son pledge his loyalty to her. "Allen is my son, and he will listen to me and do whatever I want him to do unconditionally."

Trembling with rage, Doris said, "You..." She rolled her eyes in disgust. But no one had any idea what was going on inside her mind.

With a look of superiority, Peggy eyed Doris and said, "I know you're pregnant now, and this baby is not only your child but also my grandchild. I want to assure you that as long as you do as I say, I will treat you and your child well.

However, if you insist on aborting the baby, I won't stop you from doing it. If you believe Allen is not good for you, I won't convince you otherwise. If that's how you feel about my son, you may leave now."

"Mom..." Allen was upset after hearing his mother's words. Anxiously, he started to coax Peggy to show a little mercy for Doris. "Mom, Doris is pregnant. She's fragile now and has nowhere to live. Where else can she go?"

"It's none of my business," Peggy snapped. She fixed steely eyes on Doris. When she spoke again, her next words were a veiled threat. "Listen, let me remind you that you will only be granted recognition if you give birth to this child. After all, this baby will be part of our family. It is the only way to show your worth in this family. If you do as I wish, I will spare no effort to provide whatever you need or want. But, if you opt to get an abortion, you will lose your worth here. You will not be welcome in this family. You will never enjoy a friendly atmosphere when with the family, and neither can you demand anything such as accommodation and money. Whatever you decide, it will bring significant changes to your life. So, if I were you, I would consider everything carefully," Peggy explained.

She didn't mind spending time with Doris to patiently negotiate with the pregnant woman because Peggy was anticipating the birth of her future grandchild. But if Doris ever chose to have an abortion, it was made clear by Peggy that she would lose any leverage for bargaining in this negotiation.

After Doris listened intently to everything Peggy said, the offer was a bit clearer for her. The key word for her was money, and hearing this, she darted a glance at mother and son. After a few moments of consideration, Doris responded tentatively, "Did you really mean what you just said now?" She looked intently at Peggy, waiting for her answer with apprehension.

"Of course, I absolutely mean it!" Peggy exclaimed. She forced a motherly smile on her lips. Looking Doris in the eye, she guaranteed, "Rest assured that as long as you give birth to my grandson, everything in the family will be yours. And even though the property ownership certificate for this house is not yet available, you don't have to worry about that. You can stay here for the meantime, and there will be no problem about that."

Blowing out a breath, Doris said, "Okay, I heard everything you said. But, I'm still not ready to agree." There were a few other things she wanted.

"So, tell me what else you want," Peggy urged her. Peggy was thrilled with her conversation with Doris. She believed they were close to striking a deal. She felt the girl was softening her stance. "I will do whatever I can for you," she offered.

"I can accept the pending property ownership certificate, but you have to pay my family an agreed sum of money beforehand without delay. Furthermore, I want to have the right to decide how the wedding should take place. If there's anything, even just one, that goes against my will, I won't marry Allen," Doris laid out her conditions. There was a smug look on her face as Doris continued. "Maybe you think I won't abort the baby because it's too dangerous at this stage of my pregnancy. And you're right. But while abortion is a tough choice for me, backing out of a wedding is not. If you do anything to displease me, I will leave Allen and move immediately after the baby is born. Then I will make sure you can never find me, however hard you look for me or how much resources you utilize. I believe those conditions aren't difficult, don't you think so?"