My Inner Voice Made Mom Go Wild

Joshua's face dropped, but he quickly put on that affectionate look again. He stepped forward and reached out to take me from Mom's arms.

I immediately buried my face in her chest and clutched her clothes tight. "Don't touch me, you rotten jerk! Mom trusted you too much, and that's how you ruined her life!"

Mom's body trembled slightly. She turned to the side and avoided Joshua's hand. "I can hold her just fine."

His expression darkened, his voice turning cold. "What's with you? I come back after a long day of work, and you're pulling a long face. Anyone would think I did something to you."

She patted me gently and ignored him. The air in the room went stiff and awkward. It was then that a shrill voice cut through the silence.

"Robin, are you fighting with Josh again?"

My so-called grandma swayed in, her thick waist rolling as she walked. Her narrowed eyes swept over me, full of disdain.

"It's just a girl. What's so precious about her? Josh works so hard every day, and he still has to deal with your attitude when he comes home. You pampered, rich ladies really think too highly of yourselves."

Then, she shot a smug glance at my six stepbrothers trailing behind her.

"All that wealth, and you still couldn't give birth to a son. Good thing Josh had the foresight to adopt a few boys. Otherwise, who knows who'd end up inheriting your fortune?"

I was livid. "Wow! This vile hag sure knows how to twist the truth. What do you mean they're adopted? They're clearly your grandsons! Do you seriously have zero idea? And you have the audacity to be sexist against me.

"If it weren't for Mom, all of you would've still been stuck in who-knows-where fending for yourselves! None of you Finches should call yourself human. What a bunch of two-faced ingrates!

"Once I'm older, the first thing I'll do is bury this wicked hag. Then, I'll deal with all six of those brats one by one."

Mom held me close, gently patting my back, her gaze increasingly cold.

…

Dinner wasn't any better. The atmosphere was eerily tense.

Joshua cleared his throat. "Robin, this is the company's latest project proposal. Take a look."

He handed the file to her, then added, "There's something else I want to discuss. I'm thinking of transferring some of the shares under our names to the six kids. What do you think?"

He put on the act of a loving father and patted Alex Finch, the oldest child, on the head.

"The kids are growing up. They should have a safety net. And if they get involved earlier, they'll be able to help us more in the future and… protect Meadow."

The vile hag immediately chimed in from the side, "Exactly. How can boys not have any assets to their names? If the Finch family business doesn't go to them, who else would it go to?"

Alex stood up at once, looking at Joshua with shining eyes. "Thank you, Dad and Grandma! We'll study hard so we can protect Mom and Meadow!"

The others quickly echoed him, putting on a show of brotherly harmony. Hearing all that, I was so mad I could explode.

"Protect who, exactly? You're just taking advantage of the fact that I can't talk yet, ganging up on Mom and me! The Finch family business? Give me a break. You're a useless leech living off your wife. How do you have the nerve to say that?

"That company was left behind by Grandpa Philip and Grandma Eloise. What right do you have to give it to these ungrateful brats?"

Mom lowered her eyes to look at me. After a moment of silence, she answered, "No."