My CEO Husband Says I'm Irreplaceable

Chapter 156: Chapter 156: Don’t Call Me That

The next second, Nancy Linton was shoved hard, the force so great she stumbled. Luckily, Brandon Linton reacted in a flash, his hand shooting out to steady her and keep her from falling.

Once Nancy Linton steadied herself, she saw Kevin Hawthorne rush to Shirley Langley’s side, carefully helping her up, his face etched with pain and concern.

"Cheryl, how are you? Are you hurt?"

Shirley Langley took the opportunity to nestle into his embrace, her eyes reddening as tears welled up. Her voice was soft and wounded.

"Kevin, I’m fine. Don’t blame her. I just lost my footing..."

"You’re just too kind, too soft-hearted! Bullied to this extent, and you’re still making excuses for her!" Kevin Hawthorne’s face was a mask of fury as he wheeled on Nancy Linton, glaring. "At your age, still getting into jealous catfights and laying hands on Cheryl? Have you no shame?"

"My mom didn’t even touch her! She fell on purpose!" Brandon Linton explained. He had been standing right behind Nancy Linton and had seen it all perfectly clearly. Shirley Langley had fallen deliberately to frame her.

SLAP—

Kevin Hawthorne raised his hand and slapped Brandon Linton hard across the face.

"Who gave you the right to speak? This is a matter between your elders, what business is it of yours! Just as I’d expect from someone raised on the outside—no manners at all. Both of you, mother and son, get upstairs! Get out of my sight!" Kevin Hawthorne’s eyes were wide with fury, his tone vicious.

Brandon Linton’s cheek instantly swelled and turned red, stinging hotly. He bit his lower lip hard, his hands clenching into tight fists as rage churned in his eyes.

"You dare glare at me? You’re rebelling, are you! Do you believe I won’t gouge your eyes out right now!" Seeing this, Kevin Hawthorne grew even more furious.

Watching her son get slapped, all the blood rushed to Nancy Linton’s head. The last shred of her composure and dignity shattered. She strode forward, raised her hand, and viciously slapped Shirley Langley across the face.

She put all her strength into the slap. Shirley Langley was stunned by the blow, instinctively raising a hand to her stinging cheek. Tears instantly streamed down her face. Her body trembled as she bowed her head and sobbed, looking utterly pitiful.

"If hitting me helps her feel better, I don’t mind..."

Kevin Hawthorne’s heart ached for her beyond words, and his expression instantly grew thunderous.

"Nan. Cy. Lin. Ton! Apologize to Cheryl this instant!"

Nancy Linton straightened her spine, the corners of her lips curling into a cold, mocking smile.

"You laid a hand on my son, so I hit your precious woman. You want me to apologize? That’s impossible!"

At this point, she could no longer be bothered with the so-called decorum of a wealthy family, nor did she care what anyone else thought.

’If I stand by and do nothing while my son is wronged, what right do I have to call myself a mother? Now that he’s back by my side, I’m no longer alone. I have someone to protect with everything I have. I don’t have to just swallow my anger and suffer in silence anymore.’

"Mom, you’ve gone too far! No matter what happened, you shouldn’t have hit her!"

Just then, Aidan Hawthorne hurried over, planting himself in front of Nancy Linton. His intention to shield Shirley Langley was unmistakable.

’So this was the son she had raised so meticulously. Time and time again, at the most crucial moments, he sided with another woman.’

Nancy Linton’s eyes were filled with disappointment as she looked at him.

"What a fine son I raised. To think I raised a viper in my own bosom!"

A flash of impatience crossed Aidan Hawthorne’s eyes. "I’m just being objective. You were in the wrong the moment you hit her!"

Shirley Langley’s eyes were red, tears streaming down her face. "It’s not her fault, it’s all my fault. I never should have come here. Since she can’t stand to have me here, I’ll leave now. I’ll just... leave..."

With that, she pushed Kevin Hawthorne away and turned to go upstairs and pack. How could Kevin bear to let her go? He immediately grabbed her, pulling her into a tight embrace without another word and soothing her softly.

"Cheryl, don’t say such foolish things. You went through hell to give me Aidan. To keep her condition from getting worse, you even gave our son to her to raise. It’s one thing for some people to be ungrateful for your sacrifice, but what right do they have to kick you out? As long as I’m here, no one will make you suffer."

"As long as she’s okay, a little suffering on my part is nothing," Shirley Langley said, leaning against his chest. She cried even more sorrowfully, her words full of magnanimity and forbearance.

Listening to this pair’s shameless, truth-twisting lies, Nancy Linton was so furious she actually laughed. Her laughter was filled with desolation and hatred.

"It’s not as if I, Nancy Linton, don’t have a son of my own! Why the hell should I raise a child for you two? You shameless pair of bastards, you conspired to deceive me for over twenty years, forcing me to live in a world of lies and pain. And now you have the nerve to stand before me, playing innocent and feigning devotion?" Nancy Linton trembled, every word laced with agony. "If I had known from the beginning that Aidan Hawthorne was your bastard spawn, I never would have kept him!"

The thought that her two decades of torment, pain, and sacrifice were all caused by the man and woman before her made Nancy Linton grit her teeth, the hatred in her heart so intense it threatened to consume her.

Her gaze swept over to Aidan Hawthorne, clad in expensive designer clothes and radiating an air of pampered privilege. Then, she looked at her own son, Brandon Linton, standing beside her in cheap clothing after having suffered for more than two decades.

The stark contrast was unbearably ironic.

"Nancy Linton, you’re utterly vicious!" Kevin Hawthorne’s face was ashen as he snarled. "No matter what, it was Aidan who was by your side all these years, who saw you through the hardest of times! How could you say something so heartless!"

"The biggest regret of my life was marrying you and raising that ungrateful wretch, Aidan Hawthorne!" Nancy Linton shot back with a cold laugh.

"Mom, I could never forget the debt I owe you for raising me. Even now that I’ve been reunited with my birth mother, your place in my heart will never change," Aidan Hawthorne said with false sincerity.

"I am not your mother!" Nancy Linton cut him off sharply, her voice icy and resolute. "From this day forward, you will not call me that again!"

At her words, the hand hanging by Aidan Hawthorne’s side tightened slightly, and a flicker of coldness, almost too quick to see, flashed in his eyes.

Just as the tension in the living room reached a breaking point, Ian Bell walked in, followed by several imposing bodyguards.

He walked up to Kevin Hawthorne, his expression respectful. "Second Master, the Old Master has ordered me to personally supervise Miss Langley’s departure from the Hawthorne villa. If Miss Langley is unwilling to cooperate, we can... assist."

As his words faded, Ian Bell gave a slight raise of his hand, and the three well-trained bodyguards behind him immediately stepped forward.

Shirley Langley’s expression flickered. She instinctively shrank back into Kevin Hawthorne’s arms, her fingers clutching his shirt tightly, her heart a storm of panic and resentment.

’She had gone to such great lengths to move into the Hawthorne family’s main residence and finally gain a foothold. How could she possibly be willing to be thrown out so easily?’

Kevin Hawthorne’s expression turned exceedingly ugly, his brow deeply furrowed. He hadn’t expected the Old Master to act with such ruthless efficiency, showing him no deference whatsoever. To think he was so intent on casting Cheryl out.

"There, there, don’t be afraid," Kevin Hawthorne whispered, though he was filled with resentment. He knew the Old Master’s ways too well to defy him openly, so he could only try to placate Shirley Langley in his arms. "Go upstairs and pack your things. I’ll take you somewhere else to stay. After a while, I’ll find a way to bring you back."

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