The Marvelous Elijah's Return novel Chapter 163

MOTHER!!

The moment Melina stepped out of her car, a swamp of reporters came for her with their camera crews

There were at least twenty different journalists with microphones and cameras all clamoring to talk to her. She tried to keep them away from her by holding up her hands in a placating gesture, but her efforts went unappreciated as she was surrounded immediately on all sides.

“Melina! Have you watched your Ex-husband’s interview with Thomas Jefferson from the Point Media about your infidelities within the years of your marriage?” A journalist asked.

Then another reporter soon cut in, pushing his mic into Melina’s face, saying “Is it true you manipulated the media and used your influence to shift the blame on him when in fact you were the one who cheated and abandoned him?”

“I never cheated and never abandoned my husband… Imean ex-husband!” Melina shouted, struggling to push past the reporters. But they weren’t budging. They just kept coming forward and shouting questions like, “What do you say to the video of you kissing Derrick Manson, your father’s best friend, Mr. Mason’s oldest son, and making up with him at the birthday party he allegedly threw for you why you are still married to Mr. Maxwell.”

“At that time, Elijah and I were already talking about getting a divorce… We bickered constantly and had fights. He was so infuriating sometimes that I didn’t even know if I was going to make it out of the relationship alive… You all knew him to be my no-good stay-at home husband then. But you didn’t know the monster that I was living with behind closed

doors!” Melina screamed, tears streaming down her cheeks and dripping off of her chin.”I had to find love somewhere else… because at home… at home, it was a horror show that not even my family knew about!”

A look of confusion settled on the news reporters’ faces, and even though all of them were thinking about the question, none of them dare to utter those words until after a couple of mninutes of silently, someone mumbled, “Fuck it,”

“Melina, are you claiming that Elijah Maxwell was an abusive husband and that’s why you cheated on him with Derrick Manson?” He continued as he focused his camera on her teary eyes. “You have no idea… the horror… the horror I was living through!” Melina choked out. “He once threw a wine bottle at me, and I swear that night, I thought he was going to kill me!”

“So did you divorce him because he was a no-good loser at that time, or because he cheated on you with your cousin, his current wise, or because lie was an abusive liusband and therefore you needed another man’s touch to make you feel safe from your allegedly abusive husband? Which one is it?”

Nervously, Melina darted her eyes, realizing that the reporters weren’t eating what she was feeding them, and then she tried again, “. “The last time you attacked Peach Maxwell for this so-called abusive man, and claimed that she stole him from you…and how much you love him! Al that time, the way you acted, he didn’t seem to be this monster that you are suddenly describing… So which story are you

trying to sell here?” Another female reporter asked, The other reporters started nodding, and one by one Melina could see that there wasn’t any point in lying anymore, and she just shouted, “You all are victim-blaming!”

Then she rushed back into her car, started the engine, and drove off, almost hitting two reporters, who jumped out of the way immediately.

“The companies are falling apart. The employees are resigning like crazy, and our investors and partners are pulling out of the businesses… Our family names have become like a plague that other companies and individuals don’t want to deal with because their stocks are at risk because of scandals like these!” Tommy lashed out, looking away from the television.

Staring at her two brothers, Amelia sighed, and then her gaze lowered as she mumbled, “I can not believe Elmer, Mathew, Cora, and Eli are all caught up in this shitty web that Elijah has set up against our family.”

“You are seriously your mother-daughter!” Dean growled, pacing around as he rubbed his forehead.

“All Mother has ever been doing is cleaning up the mess your daughter dragged us into over a couple of million bucks bet! It’s not our mother’s fault that that scuinbag had power and money working on behalf of him?!… Honestly, I can’t believe you think Mother is to be blamed

for this, and you are taking his side.”

“I am on no one’s side here! Did you see the shit that he just did to my daughter?! He had ruined her character and made her a public enemy. If there’s anyone I want to mess up pretty badly is him. But if my children are getting condemned for the shithole we are stuck in, then our mother gets all of the blame! That’s the only way this is gonna end well for the three of us!

Silence settled in the room as the remaining three children of Madam Jewel, who still had the taste of freedom on their tongues wallowed in their thoughts.

“I say, ‘We sell the companies and the properties, move to another country, and forget about this whole ordeal. I mean…we are not going to be able to come up with a good enough strategy to fight Elijah…” Tommy spoke up slowly. “That filth-bag is filthy rich. We are only going to end up like the other four.”

“The companies aren’t worth much now anyway.” Amelia pointed out. “We have gone bankrupt due to Elijah’s bullshit… The only way to fix this is to fix our image and ruin his.” “You sound like your mother, Amelia.” “What? And you think selling the companies and properties is the solution to this whole debacle… Huh, Dean?!”

The sudden sound of Madam Jewel’s voice made the three of them turn to see her timeworn face with puffy bags under her eyes, red nose, and hair disarray, “You guys are going to do what?!”

“Mother, it’s not like that.” Amelia quickly said, standing from her chair.

“Ohhh, it’s definitely like that! Tommy’s plan is genius! We sell the companies… After all, it’s not legally ours anyways. We split the money, and everyone goes their separate ways, and does whatever the hell they want.” Dean said, glaring at their mother.

Scowling at Tommy, Madam Jewel’s eyes glow dark as she lashes out, “Are you losing your damn inind?!”

“No. He’s a genius!” Dean mocked, his anger towards his mother running as deep as his hate for Elijah.