The Villain Mom Awakens — Going Viral by Parenting on a Reality Show-Chapter 101: Ian Can Protect Mom, Too

On the third floor, Yvette Gunn, the housekeeper who was very close to Jane Chandler, asked, "Such an important banquet, and you’re just leaving it to Naomi Kenway?"

Jane Chandler snorted. "No matter what I say, Mother won’t believe me. She always thinks I see Naomi with prejudice. I’ll use this opportunity to show her just how stupid and incompetent Naomi really is!"

She clutched her throbbing head. "Naomi is completely unreliable. I’d like to see what kind of mess she makes of this. It’s better for the Shaw family to be embarrassed now than to be embarrassed time and time again in the future. If I were gone someday, how could I rest easy leaving all the family affairs, big and small, in Naomi’s hands?"

Jane Chandler had just gotten to her room when a maid announced Ethan Shaw’s arrival. Her eyes lit up, and she hurried downstairs.

The first thing Ethan Shaw saw as he stepped into the living room was Jane Chandler looking utterly crestfallen. He rushed over. "What’s wrong? Mom, is something troubling you?"

Jane Chandler snorted. "Who else could it be but your *wonderful* wife? I just called her over to discuss the banquet, and what do I get? She gives me attitude and even picks a huge fight with me. Does she have an ounce of respect for me? I tell you to divorce her, but you refuse. Are you trying to anger me to death?"

"That’s impossible," Ethan Shaw said instinctively.

Before, Ethan might have believed it. But he had seen how much Naomi had changed recently, and he didn’t believe she would do such a thing.

"What do you mean, impossible? You think I would lie to you? It’s bad enough that Naomi’s son sides with her, but now my own son is defending her too?!"

Ethan Shaw walked slowly behind Jane Chandler and began massaging her shoulders. "Mom, please calm down," he said softly. "Isn’t it possible there was some misunderstanding? I know Naomi. She wouldn’t do that."

"What misunderstanding could there be? Naomi is always so arrogant. When has she ever shown me any respect?"

"Maybe she was like that before, but she’s changed a lot."

Jane Chandler shoved his hands away. "Changed? How could she have changed?" she snapped. "I think you’ve been completely bewitched by Naomi!"

Ethan stood his ground, feeling a headache coming on.

"There’s no one else here, so I’ll ask you straight: when are you going to divorce Naomi? There are so many young ladies from prominent families in Veridia. Any one of them would be better than her." She sighed. "It was your father’s fault, too. Why on earth did he choose Naomi for the marriage alliance?"

"Mom, I’m not divorcing Naomi. The answer will be the same no matter how many times you ask," Ethan Shaw said, his expression tinged with exhaustion. "If there’s nothing else, I’m going to head back."

Jane Chandler called out, "Stop right there!"

She said, "Fine, if you won’t divorce Naomi, then I have something else to discuss with you. Let Ian stay here at the main house. I’ll look after him. Naomi doesn’t act like a mother at all. A while ago, she even dragged Ian onto a reality show for publicity. She’s doing a terrible job raising him. If this continues, the boy will be ruined by her."

Ethan Shaw turned around, his tone gentle but his refusal firm. "No. You’re getting older, Mom. You should leave looking after a child to us."

As Ethan’s mother, Jane Chandler knew him well. "Don’t play dumb with me." Her tone softened. "Ethan, everything Mom does is for your own good. You’ve always been so filial. Why do you lose all sense when it comes to Naomi?"

"My mind is perfectly clear," Ethan said. "I just hope you can let go of your old impression of Naomi and try to see her for who she is now."

With that, he strode out of the room. This time, no matter how Jane Chandler called after him, he didn’t look back.

"This is outrageous! Absolutely outrageous!" Jane Chandler snatched a teacup and raised it high, about to smash it. But then she remembered Susan Hughes. She cast a wary glance toward the floor above, and her hand, adorned with a jade bracelet, trembled before slowly lowering.

Yvette Gunn gently rubbed her back, trying to calm her down.

Jane Chandler closed her eyes and sighed. "Has Naomi completely bewitched my son?"

*

A driver took Naomi Kenway and Ian Shaw home. Naomi held Ian in her lap, gently stroking her son’s cheek. Seeing that his eyes were still a little red, her heart ached. "Ian, do your eyes hurt?"

Her touch was feather-light, afraid she might hurt him.

"It doesn’t hurt!" A smile spread across Ian’s face. "I’m so happy, because I can protect Mommy like a warrior now! I won’t let anyone bully you, Mommy!"

He snuggled affectionately into Naomi’s arms. "I don’t want to always hide behind you, Mommy. I can protect you too..."

A part of Naomi’s heart seemed to melt. She fought back the stinging in her nose. "You’re so brave, Ian. You can protect Mommy now."

At the praise, Ian Shaw’s round eyes curved into crescents. "Mommy, when I grow up, no one will ever bully you again. I’ll eat lots and lots of vegetables, and I’ll get really strong, and I’ll be like Ultraman and beat up all the bad guys who try to bully you!"

Naomi smiled, her heart filled with a sense of bliss. She enclosed Ian’s little fist in her hand, gazing at his features, so similar to her own. A feeling, clearer and more real than ever, washed over her: this was her child, connected to her by blood. This was the family with whom she could huddle close and lick their wounds together.

Ian looked up and saw that Naomi was crying. His own eyes immediately turned red. He threw his arms around Naomi’s neck and planted several soft, sweet kisses on her cheek, comforting her. "Don’t cry, Mommy, don’t cry. Grandma’s a bad guy. Please don’t cry."

Naomi wiped away her tears, her voice a little hoarse. "Mommy’s just crying because I’m so happy."

"Will you always stay with Mommy and protect me?" she asked.

Ian Shaw nodded vigorously, holding out his small, soft finger. "Pinky swear."

Their pinkies hooked together, and Ian Shaw said in a serious tone:

"Pinky swear for a hundred years, no take-backs,

Whoever breaks it is a son of a bitch!"

Naomi blinked. "Isn’t it ’a rotten egg’?"

Ian shook his head. "Someone who breaks a promise is a son of a bitch. And I will always protect you, Mommy!"

Naomi hugged her son even tighter.

*

Ethan Shaw returned to the manor. Naomi wasn’t in the living room, but Ian was there, playing with building blocks with the nanny.

When Ian Shaw saw him, he called out excitedly, "Daddy!"

Ethan walked over and crouched down in front of him. "Where’s Mommy?" he asked gently.

"Mommy’s in the bedroom." Ian Shaw tugged on Ethan’s hand. "Daddy, come play blocks with me!"

Ethan tried playing with the blocks for a moment, but he just couldn’t seem to get the hang of it.

Ian laughed. "You’re silly, Daddy!"

Ethan laughed too. "Yes, I am."

Ian puffed out his little chest proudly. "Then let me teach you how to build with them!"

Ethan smiled as he watched Ian’s movements. He could feel that his son was growing more vibrant and full of life with each passing day.

Many of Ian Shaw’s tutoring sessions had been canceled, yet without them, his grades were actually improving. It was a strange phenomenon, one that Ethan didn’t know how to explain.