The Villain Mom Awakens — Going Viral by Parenting on a Reality Show-Chapter 99: Bad Grandma, Don’t Bully My Mom

Naomi Kenway visibly froze for a second. She frowned slightly at the completely unfamiliar name.

"Who is Wayne Wyatt?"

She searched her memory, but her mind came up blank. "I don’t know him."

"The man who did the scene with you at the audition." Ethan Shaw didn’t miss a single one of her expressions. Naomi looked natural, showing no signs of lying, which put him somewhat at ease.

A flicker of recognition crossed Naomi’s face. "You mean that new assistant? The director on set had him help me with my audition. He looked pretty young. Wait a minute..."

A confused look appeared in Naomi’s eyes. "How do you know what happened at my audition?"

Ethan paused for a moment. "Luke Lowell was at the audition. He told me about it."

"Why are you suddenly asking about Wayne Wyatt?"

"It’s nothing." Ethan’s tone held a hint of irritation, stemming from feelings he couldn’t control.

"You go ahead and sleep. I’m going to the balcony to get some air."

With that, he got out of bed.

It had just rained heavily, leaving the air damp and the evening breeze cool.

Naomi watched him head for the balcony in just his thin pajamas and called out, "Ethan, put on a robe or something before you go out. It’s pretty cold..."

The moment the words left her mouth, Naomi regretted them. ’Why would Ethan listen to me when he’s clearly in a bad mood?’

But to her surprise, Ethan turned back, picked up his robe, and glanced at Naomi. His tone was much gentler than before. "Get some rest."

Ethan’s lightning-fast mood swing, like a magic trick, left Naomi stunned. When she came to her senses, she replied, "Okay."

*

With his family pressuring him to get married, Luke Lowell came to Ethan Shaw’s office for sanctuary, as he always did. But just as he was about to push the door open, Liam Sherman stopped him.

Luke Lowell gave him a confused look. "Is he in a meeting?" 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

Liam Sherman shook his head. "President Shaw was in a bad mood yesterday and ordered us to knock three times. I don’t know what his mood is like today, but it’s better to be safe than sorry."

As he spoke, he knocked three times for Luke Lowell, each knock perfectly spaced and timed.

Luke Lowell was utterly bewildered, and his gaze toward Liam Sherman held a hint of pity.

’He looks so used to it. I wonder how many times he’s been tormented...’

"Come in."

Liam Sherman seemed to let out a sigh of relief. "President Shaw seems to be in a good mood. You can go in."

Luke Lowell pushed the door open and walked in.

At first glance, Luke Lowell noticed a change in his cousin. He hadn’t seen him in a while, and his cousin’s style of dress had changed quite a bit.

"Cousin, I’ve never seen you wear a shirt like this." Luke Lowell gave a thumbs-up, laying on the flattery. "You’re so handsome and dashing, you look good in anything!"

"Your cousin-in-law bought it."

Luke Lowell wasn’t sure if it was his imagination, but he felt there was a hint of showing off in that sentence. Yet when he looked over, Ethan Shaw’s face was as expressionless as ever.

Maybe he was mistaken.

’Naomi has changed so much it’s like she’s been reborn, and my cousin has changed quite a bit too. His whole aura is different from before.’

Luke Lowell sat stiffly on the sofa, finding it a bit hard to speak. "Cousin, I came here this time to..."

"Seek refuge? Have a seat."

Luke Lowell was even more astonished. ’He’s being way too agreeable. I’ll take a dozen more of this reasonable cousin, please.’

*

With the Shaw family matriarch Susan Hughes’s birthday banquet approaching, Jane Chandler summoned all the younger generation to the old family estate to discuss the arrangements and preparations for the party.

Naomi knew Jane Chandler couldn’t stand her and didn’t want to deal with her, but the birthday banquet was a special occasion she couldn’t ignore.

Ethan Shaw had to go to the office first to handle some work matters, so Naomi and her son set off, driven by the chauffeur.

Naomi put one arm around Ian Shaw, continuing the story she hadn’t finished last time.

Ian Shaw closed his eyes, and the scenes Naomi described gradually formed images in his mind.

Naomi paused and gently poked Ian Shaw’s cheek. "Are you asleep, Ian?"

The next second, his big, watery eyes opened. "Ian wants to hear more~"

So he wasn’t asleep after all.

Naomi continued telling him the story.

The car pulled into the old estate, and Naomi got out with her son.

Ian Shaw had only been to the old estate a handful of times. He clung to Naomi’s side. "Mommy, I don’t like it here. It’s scary."

Naomi knew that when Ian said "scary," he was probably referring to Jane Chandler. She coaxed him, "Don’t be afraid, Ian. Mommy will protect you."

She would stay by her son’s side every second.

Naomi picked Ian Shaw up and pointed to a fountain in the distance to distract him.

Jonathan Shaw and Jane Chandler had a son and a daughter. The daughter, Jenna Shaw, was born to them late in life and was currently studying abroad in Meridia, so she couldn’t make it back today but would arrive in Veridia on the day of the banquet. Besides Jane Chandler, who sat at the head of the table, members of the Shaw family’s branch families were also present.

When Naomi entered with Ian Shaw, they drew the attention of everyone in the drawing room. Ian Shaw was the only great-grandson in the Shaw family, so the members of the branch families couldn’t stop praising him.

Jane Chandler shot them a glance and huffed, "Why are you clinging so close to your mother? You’re already four years old; you should be more outgoing."

Naomi took a seat next to Jane Chandler with Ian. "Ian is a bit introverted."

"Introverted? If he’s supposed to take over the Shaw Family in the future, is he going to be too scared to even leave the house? He’ll be a laughingstock!" Jane Chandler’s brows furrowed tightly. "He doesn’t like to talk, and he doesn’t like to learn. How could there be a child like this..."

A chill entered Naomi’s eyes. "Mom, isn’t our purpose here to discuss the birthday banquet? Why has the conversation suddenly revolved around Ian? Everyone is waiting for you to lead the discussion. It’s not right to keep them all waiting like this, is it?"

The people sitting at the table all looked awkward.

Jane Chandler didn’t expect Naomi to turn the tables on her in just a few words. She said angrily, "I say a few words and you get annoyed? Ian is my grandson. Am I not even allowed to criticize him a little?"

She stood up, her finger trembling as she pointed at Naomi. "You’ve been dissatisfied with me for a long time, haven’t you? You were probably impatient about coming to the old estate this time, too!"

Ian Shaw suddenly slid off his chair. He spread his arms to shield Naomi, his big, grape-like black eyes filled with vigilance and wariness. "Bad Grandma! Don’t you bully my mommy!!"

Naomi was taken aback for a moment, then a wave of warmth washed over her.

Ian Shaw’s appearance was strikingly similar to Ethan Shaw’s. For a moment, Jane Chandler was in a daze, as if she were seeing a young Ethan. Faced with Ian’s resentful gaze, her heart ached for an instant before anger surged through her.

"Bad Grandma? Naomi, what on earth are you teaching this child all day? Is this how you drive a wedge between us, between grandmother and grandson?!"

"I never taught Ian that."

"You think I’d believe your nonsense? He’s a four-year-old child, what does he know?! You’ve probably been secretly bad-mouthing me to him! I see you’re determined to stir up trouble and ruin the peace in this family!"

The others at the table also stared at Naomi with disapproval. No matter what, Naomi shouldn’t have taught a child to say such things.

Ian Shaw spoke again, his words clear and his logic sound. "Teacher says people who bully others are bad guys. Grandma bullies Mommy and yells at Mommy. So Grandma is a bad grandma!"