One way or another, Harvey’s plan–which he spent so much time, money and effort to put together–had now fallen apart.
He was seething, but he had no choice but to exchange hostages with Henry!
He drove to the location where he had hidden Tommy!
Harvey had kept Abigail’s child at a nursery to avoid attention. He also hired a professional nursemaid to care for the baby.
Having no choice now, he hurried to the nursery, handled the paperwork, and left with Tommy.
Since he was driving, he kept the baby in the backseat–fortunately, Tommy just had some milk and was asleep, or he would be crying if he was awake.
Harvey glanced at the rearview mirror from time to time.
The child was less like Abigail than Diarmuid, and the thought left him aggrieved.
He managed to steal the boy and used him to coerce Abigail, only for all his plans to be foiled in an instant!
Even though he did not like the outcome, there was nothing he could do–he could not abandon his mother, and had to exchange hostages with Henry.
The old man’s plan to retaliate at Harvey with a taste of his own medicine was certainly effective, hitting him where it hurts the most in an instant!
Harvey eventually arrived at Althoff Manor, and carried Tommy himself out of the car.
Henry was seated before a tea table and calmly sipping tea, appearing rather relaxed.
Soon, a servant arrived and informed him, “A Mr. Gooding is asking for you, sir.”
Henry remained calm and unaffected. He took another sip of tea, seemingly savoring the aftertaste for a while before finally putting away his cup and telling the servant, “Show him in.”
Soon, Harvey entered with Tommy in his arms.
“Bring her in, Timmy.” Henry said when he saw the child.
Soon, Harvey’s mother was led into the room.
It turned out that Henry and his people never harassed her, and took good care of her after bringing her here.
Seeing that his mother was fine, Harvey said, “Here.”
Henry gestured for Moneypenny to take Tommy, while Rosa–Harvey’s mother–called out to him in delight.
Henry gestured for Timmy to release her, and Harvey promptly rushed to her side. “Mom, are you alright? Did they hurt you?”
“N–No…” Rosa replied–she did not want her son to worry.
Still, there was no question that she had received a fright, since people she had never met had taken her here.
Harvey turned toward Henry then. “So? Are we even now?”
Henry finally turned toward Harvey, his seemingly turbid gaze suddenly sharp. “I hope you won’t try anything funny with Abigail ever again.”
Harvey chuckled “If I recall, she and your grandson are divorced, and you were the one who finalized the paperwork yourself. Why can’t I go woo her when she’s single?”
Henry shook her head-Harvey was being such an amateur.
“Do you think you can leave this place if you say no?”
“What, are you reneging on our deal?” Harvey growled, but soon turned to find more men appearing at the doorway.
“Our deal was that I’ll give you your mother when you give me Abigail’s child. Didn’t I give her back to you? How am I reneging on our deal?” Henry asked in return.
Harvey was speechless, but he had to bear with it-this was not his territory, and his mother would get worried if he lost control.
“Fine, you’re not reneging–you’re just being out of line.”
“You went out of line first, Harvey Gooding. You abducted an infant to coerce a woman who didn’t love you to marry you. Do you think what you did is in any way reasonable?” Henry asked sharply then.
Harvey could not offer a retort–everything Henry said was the truth.
“Is that true, Harvey?” Rosa was at once caught in shock and disbelief. “You told me you were getting married soon, and you would show me your bride soon… But you were actually forcing her to marry you?!”
“No!”
Harvey was certainly not going to tell her mother the truth.
She wanted him to marry soon, but he had never met any woman he liked–saved for Abigail.
In fact, he seemed to get crazier about her with each passing encounter!
He was earnestly interested in her, and it would also satisfy his grudge against Diarmuid.
Forced to compromise, he growled, “Fine. I won’t try anything with her ever again.”
“I hope you’re a man of your word,” Henry said. “Or a man could only get that far in life.” With that, Harvey quietly left with his mother.
Rosa had no idea what had happened, but she was aware that Althoff Manor was not the place to talk.
Once inside Harvey’s car, she took her son’s hand and said, “Tell me. What was all of that about?”
She certainly felt uneasy about all that.
“Look, Harvey–your father left the company to you in its entirety, and I don’t know much about business so I can’t help much with that. I also know that things can get difficult for you, but even so, you shouldn’t force a woman who doesn’t love you to marry you. You would never find happiness that way.”
While Rosa was being considerate for her son’s sake since he would not find happiness in a marriage where coercion was involved, she was also a woman–she knew that from the perspective of the bride, being compelled to marry someone she did not love was misfortune too.
“I wish I could have a daughter–in–law who is kind and understanding, but most of all, loves you for who you are. If you love her too, your marriage will last. That’s why I’ve been so worried.”
Her advice was heartfelt and sincere, and Harvey certainly understood
That was why he told her that the woman he loved was in Cloud City. He wanted to marry her there before bringing her back to Sunny City, because he was afraid his mother would find out he was coercing Abigail into marrying him!
“Do you hear me?” Rosa’s tone became more severe as Harvey did not respond, and she gave him a smack!
“Yes, Mom,” Harvey replied despite his reluctance.
“I won’t urge you to marry, but you have to find a woman so that there is mutual affection in your relationship”
Rosa was certainly a kind mother who was genuinely considerate toward her son
“I know,” Harvey said.
“I understand that your father’s passing was a huge blow, and you’ve been indulging yourself with vices for a long while ever since, messing around with all sorts of women and doing outrageous things. I understand that you did not mean to and was just avoiding grief to keep yourself jaded I saw that you were pessimistic, but you slowly improved–you know that I have high hopes for you, right?”
As she tugged at Harvey’s hand, he lowered his gaze and murmured, “I know, Mom Let’s get you home.”
Rosa nodded “I’ve been feeling a little ill lately Stay a whule with me”
She wanted to keep Harvey with her, so that he did not do anything dangerous.
While their encounter with the Althoffs proved to just be a near shave, who could tell what would happen next time?
She did not fear for herself–she worried that her son was in danger
“Harvey, you have to keep your father’s company standing after he entrusted it to you,” Rosa said, telling him to focus on work just then
Harvey replied, “I know”
“Good I don’t want to have to worry about you”
“You won’t have to
It seemed that he would be staying home to care for his mother for a while, or she would really worry about him.
Bzzt-
His phone started ringing.
It was Enrique, his assistant. “Sir, Moneypenny was the one who took your mother.”
Harvey lowered his gaze. “I know.”
Back at Althoff Manor, Henry asked Moneypenny to bring Tommy to him after Harvey left, his eyes twinkling when he saw the child. “Don’t you think he looks just like Diarmuid when he was a child?”
“Yes,” Moneypenny answered with no hesitation.
“It’s uncanny!” Henry was basically certain then that Tommy was Diarmuid’s son, and the more he looked, the more he was pleased to see his first great–grandchild.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.
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