Chapter 241: Family Tensions
Just before Alaric and Stellan returned, Marigold had discovered the last names on the birth certificates of Caspian, Harry, and Elisa—and it sent her into a fury.
The three children were upstairs in the study, unaware of the storm brewing downstairs. Marigold paced the room, her anger mounting as she looked at the documents in her hands.
“Three kids, three different last names,” Marigold muttered bitterly to Joe. “I can’t believe it.” Harry and Elisa had finally returned to the Knight family, but they didn’t even have the last name Knight—they took Stellan’s last name instead?
Marigold scoffed. “Who thought this was a good idea? Two kids with Stellan’s last name and one with a fake one. Is she trying to provoke me?”
Marigold was all about family bloodlines and heritage. Seeing Harry with the last name Storm and Elisa with Hartley made her blood boil.
Joe, ever the peacekeeper, tried to calm her down. “Mrs. Knight, please don’t be angry. Even without the Knight name, Mr. Storm and Miss Hartley are still part of the Knight bloodline. That’s undeniable.”
Marigold’s lips curled into a sneer. “You think it’s undeniable? What about how outsiders will see it? When they see these last names, they’ll think they don’t belong to the Knights. Our family has noble blood, and yet Harry and Elisa don’t even have the Knight name. It’s ridiculous!” She was seething, her frustration spilling over onto Stellan, though she never once considered that it might have been Alaric’s decision.
Just as Marigold’s anger reached a boiling point, the door opened, and Alaric stepped inside, Stellan by his side. Marigold’s expression darkened immediately.
“Mr. Knight, Mrs. Knight,” Joe greeted them respectfully, though he could sense the tension. He glanced at Marigold, silently reminding her to hold back. “Mr. Knight and Mrs. Stellan Knight are back.”
Marigold forced a smile, her voice strained. “You’re back. I saw you were busy, so I came to check on the kids.”
As if on cue, Caspian, Harry, and Elisa heard their parents and rushed downstairs to greet them.
“Daddy, Mommy, you’re finally back!” Caspian and Harry rushed to Stellan, while Elisa darted straight to Alaric, who scooped her up with a grin.
“Daddy, you haven’t been home in two days. Don’t you miss me?” Elisa pouted, looking up at him with wide eyes.
“Of course, I missed you.” Alaric kissed her cheeks and said, “From today on, I’ll be coming home every night to be with you.”
Elisa’s face lit up. “Yay!”
Stellan smiled warmly at the children. “Have you been good while I was away?”
Caspian answered quickly, his voice full of sincerity. “Of course, Mommy. Don’t worry. We’ve all been well-behaved.”
Stellan smiled, relieved. “That’s good to hear.”
Harry, however, wasn’t quite done. He turned to Marigold with a pointed look. “Now that Mommy’s back, shouldn’t you keep your promise?”
The room fell silent, and everyone turned to look at Harry. Marigold’s heart skipped a beat. What promise was he talking about?
Alaric raised an eyebrow. “What promise?”
Harry, unfazed, explained matter-of-factly. “She said she would apologize to Mommy, and only then would we accept her as our grandmother.”
Everyone’s gaze turned to Marigold, who stiffened at the mention of the promise she had made. Stellan stood in stunned silence, not having expected Harry to bring it up.
“Harry, don’t be disrespectful,” Stellan scolded gently.
But Harry wasn’t backing down. “I don’t want to be disrespectful, but she’s been badmouthing you. She’s been saying you’re a bad woman, telling me not to accept you.”
The room was heavy with tension as Marigold’s face turned pale. Harry was speaking the truth, and Marigold felt exposed.
Marigold quickly tried to deflect. “Harry, you can’t slander me like that. I never said such things.”
Harry wasn’t buying it. “It’s outrageous for you to deny it. Are you saying I’m lying? You clearly said Mommy is a bad woman who ran off with another man right after giving birth to me and never took care of me.” His voice trembled with the weight of her words. “She is a…”
“Harry, don’t talk nonsense!” Marigold interrupted sharply, panic rising in her chest. She knew the truth had come out.
Harry, though, was undeterred. “You did say it. I heard you clearly.”
“I never said that!” Marigold blurted out, her anxiety mounting. She tried to recover, but the more she denied it, the worse it sounded. “I never said that to you!”
But Harry was persistent. “If you didn’t say it to me, who did you say it to?”
Marigold’s words faltered. “I… I said it to Caspian, not to you…” She immediately regretted her honesty. How could she let that slip?
Harry shrugged nonchalantly. “See? You did say it. I didn’t make it up, did I?” He crossed his arms innocently, his eyes wide. “You badmouthed Mommy behind her back. Isn’t it fair to ask you to apologize to her?”
Stellan stood frozen, shock and hurt written across her face. “Mom, how could you say something like that to a child?”
Alaric, too, was visibly angry, his eyes narrowing. “You’ve gone too far, Mom.”
Marigold’s face flushed with shame. Her anger and pride had clouded her judgment, but now it was too late to take back her words.
“I misspoke,” Marigold muttered, trying to defuse the situation. “It was just a slip of the tongue. There’s no need to make a big deal out of it.”
Stellan, trying to ease the tension, spoke up. “It’s okay. Didn’t we clear things up this morning? Let’s just forget about the past. There’s no need for an apology.” She paused, turning to Marigold. “You said it yourself earlier—we don’t get along. For the sake of family harmony, maybe it’s best if we keep some distance. How about this: the kids can stay with you on Friday and Saturday nights, and we’ll pick them up on Sunday. Is that alright?”
Marigold seethed internally but forced a smile. “Fine,” she said, the words almost choking her. “I’ll pick them up from school on Friday, and they’ll stay with me for two days. I’ll have the driver bring them back on Sunday.”
Stellan nodded, satisfied with the agreement. “Okay.”
The children exchanged reluctant glances. “Fine,” Harry muttered. “We’ll give you two some alone time. We’ll sacrifice ourselves for the family. No need to thank us.”
Both Stellan and Alaric could only smile helplessly at Harry’s dramatic comment.
After the awkward exchange, Stellan subtly indicated that Marigold should leave. Marigold, fuming but with no other choice, quickly gathered her things and left, her anger simmering just below the surface.
As she stormed out, Marigold muttered to herself, “What does Stellan mean by that? Does she think she’s the mistress of the Knight family now? Ordering me around like this… With Alaric backing her up, she’s become so arrogant!”
Her words were laced with resentment, but it was clear that the tension between them was far from over.