Chapter 237
Chapter 237
At Robert's mention of France, I was reminded of how my biological mother, Sandra, used to stay there. She had lived her life as a grand duchess back then. "I don't have the time," I replied as I wrapped my down coat tighter around me. Robert parted his lips to form a smile. "Your mother was the one who told me to invite you. She wants to see you, and she's waiting for you in the castle in France." At Robert's mention of France, I was reminded of how my biological mother, Sandra, used to stay there. She had lived her life as a grand duchess back then. "I don't have the time," I replied as I wrapped my down coat tighter around me. Robert parted his lips to form a smile. "Your mother was the one who told me to invite you. She wants to see you, and she's waiting for you in the castle in France."
I was shocked to hear this. "Do you know my mom?"
Robert reached his hand up to pat my head, but he eventually retracted it and rubbed the back of his own head after I glared at him. "Yeah, I know her. I've known her all along. The dress that you wore the last time was a gift from her." NôvelDrama.Org owns this.
"She never told you to give me that dress the way you did it. In other words, I find it hard to believe you after what you've done," I uttered flatly.
"Do you not believe that I know your mom?" he asked.
I walked toward the helicopter without saying anything while Robert tagged along behind me as he continued explaining himself. "I'm being honest. I know your mom. She's my uncle's wife, and I stayed with her for a few years when I was a child. Even though she's my aunt, I call her my mom as well."
My footsteps came to a halt as I was reminded of how Robert had once said that his mother liked lisianthus flowers. My mother liked lisianthus flowers as well. Otherwise, there wouldn't be so many of those flowers by the bottom of Brimstone Mountain and on the hill where the Xenos' Villa was located. Robert was gradually convincing me to believe him.
When he caught me questioning myself, he immediately pulled his phone out to make a call before shoving the phone to me. "If you still don't believe me, you can see it for yourself."
I was dazed. "Who are you calling?" He simply smiled at me without responding. I pressed the phone against my ear to hear a gentle and sophisticated tone of voice calling my name. "It's me, Renee," the voice said.
"Who are you?" I frowned. However, I realized who the person was the moment the question escaped my lips. I simply hadn't expected Robert to give her a call directly. "I'm Sandra, Renee." She didn't have the guts to say that she was my mother.
"Oh. Robert was the one who phoned you," I replied calmly. I sounded as calm as if I had been speaking to a stranger. "I want to meet you, Renee," Sandra said. She was the one who abandoned me, but she was also the one who gave me life. Both of these came into conflict in my mind as I thought about it. But… She also gave me one of her kidneys back when I was younger. She gave me a second chance to live life, so I guess I do owe her something.
I finally decided that it would only be appropriate that I agreed to meet up with her. However, this meetup didn't mean much to me—I simply thought of it as returning the favor after she gave me her kidney. "Okay. I'll head over to France later." I returned the phone to Robert after that, and he sheepishly trailed along behind me as we boarded the helicopter.
I ordered Joseph to chase Robert out, but Robert clung to my sleeve before letting out an awkward chuckle. "Why don't you bring me along since we're headed in the same direction? You don't know the way to the castle, anyway."
I pretended not to hear him, but he continued to come up with more offers. "Shawn is stuck in Finland because of the Saunders family. If you bring me to France now, I promise I won't cause any trouble for Shawn in the next six months." I ended up letting Robert onto the helicopter.
Robert looked around like a curious child—he was interested even in the black army uniform that Joseph was dressed in. "Our design is a little different. You have a belt here!" Robert exclaimed. I was speechless. I let out a sigh as I watched Robert fumbling with Joseph's belt. Joseph ignored him the entire time, so Robert eventually stopped pestering Joseph. Instead, he turned to speak to me. "You were acting like a loser just now. Why did you give in to the people from the Olson Family just now?"
"They're all regular citizens, and I didn't want to be too oppressive. Furthermore, they're Olivia's future in-laws, so I thought it'd be best to show them some respect. Furthermore, Christopher had decided not to use a luxurious car to save the doctor some embarrassment. Christopher had decided not to waste his resources just to cause a grand scene, yet you meddled with his plans the moment you showed up. Now, the Olson Family, the doctors, and other colleagues all know how rich Olivia is. They're probably going to cause her trouble in the future! They might perceive Olivia as an ATM now that they know how rich she is. If she doesn't agree to help them, then they might start spreading rumors about her," I explained.
Robert sat down beside me. "You broke the whole thing down thoroughly. You're right—those guys are going to go to Olivia whenever they need money in the future. Olivia would probably agree to help them since these people are her future husband's family or colleagues. When these people see how generous she is, they might even try to test her limits! However, you forgot about one thing—do you
think Olivia's future husband would allow others to bully her? Furthermore, the commotion that occurred earlier today might also help to reduce future issues. Now, no one would have the guts to look down on Olivia, and no one would have the guts to talk badly about her. Based on my research, some of the doctors had bullied her in the past."
"I'm not too sure about all that," I replied. I figured that someone with Olivia's temper would be able to handle things on her own. After all, she was the one who managed to save me after defeating a bunch of guys. "Forget it. Let's not talk about this anymore." Robert lost interest in continuing the conversation and rested his head on my arm as if I was his pillow instead. I was about to push him away when he spoke. "I haven't slept in three days. Why don't you just let me rest here for a while?"
"We shouldn't get so intimate. I have a partner, and we're not that close," I replied icily. "Your mom is my mom, so I'm technically your brother. There's no need to worry about being intimate since we're siblings!" he claimed.
I was speechless. He actually made sense. When he saw me staying silent, he wrapped his arms around mine as he spoke in a soft voice. "I'm really your brother, Renee. You have to be nice to me." I still didn't know what to say, but I eventually decided against pushing him off. Perhaps I felt sorry for him, or perhaps he had a special spot in my heart because of how he called my mother his mother.
It took us about five hours to arrive in France. With the time difference in both countries, it was noon time when we reached France, and the sun hung directly above our heads. The weather was rather warm. It was too warm for a down coat, yet I felt too cold without it. Robert brought me to a nearby mall to get some clothes.
He had a preference for France's traditional clothing, but I rejected all his suggestions and eventually picked a more common-looking shirt. I matched the shirt with a mini-skirt.
"Horrendous," Robert uttered as he shot me a sideways glance. Anything that didn't go along with his will was 'horrendous' to him. I wasn't in the mood to speak, so I simply got him to bring me to the castle. I felt a strong sense of wistfulness when the car came to a halt in front of the castle.
Robert got me to make my bodyguards stay by the front door, but I argued against his request. "No. They're here to protect me every step of the way."
"There's no danger in meeting your mother," Robert replied. "These are my principles," I retorted. I had no such principles, but I simply didn't want to step into the castle on my own. "Fine," Robert said with a frown. After that, he led me into the castle grounds. Greenery sprawled far and wide in front of me, and there was a pavilion built in the middle of the grassland. A modern-looking glass table was placed in the middle of the pavilion, and there was a woman in a traditional dress sitting in front of the table. She had her back turned toward me, but I could tell that she was a proud and elegant woman just by looking at her posture. She looked even more charismatic than Shawn's mother.
"Mom!" Robert cried out with a smile. When the woman heard his voice, she turned around to look at him. I froze when I saw her side profile. "We're so alike," I muttered to myself.