CHAPTER 32: CHAPTER 32: VERA SHERIDAN STRIKES BACK AND EXPOSES THE TRUTH

The mother-in-law wants her to become a surrogate.

Vera Sheridan took a deep breath.

Regarding children, she believed they were the crystallization of love between a husband and wife. She had thought about overcoming her psychological barrier and naturally having one with Ian Kane.

Not in this way.

She played dumb, "Mom, there’s nothing wrong with Ian. We don’t need surrogacy. He and I just haven’t had enough time as a couple yet."

This was also what Ian Kane had previously said to appease his mother.

On the other end, Jean Crowe listened to Vera’s evasive words, her fingers fervently twisting the Buddha Beads, almost breaking the Prayer Beads.

This Vera is truly selfish!

They’ve been married for almost a year, and she hasn’t even consummated with her son. Now, she’s given her a clear path, yet she plays dumb. Is she trying to maintain her figure as an actress?

She has no sense of responsibility as a daughter-in-law, no awareness to bear children!

Moreover, this is an urgent matter!

Jean Crowe’s face remained stern, but her tone was still pretentiously kind, "Vera, Ian’s father passed away early. He and his mother had no backing in the Kane Family all these years, enduring countless disdain. Ian has suffered greatly to reach his current position."

"He pursued you for six years, he even ventured to the brink of death for you. Now he needs a child to solidify his status and power. He cherishes you and can’t bear to see you suffer during pregnancy. But as women, how can we not want children?"

"Other noble daughters-in-law strive for three or four children to consolidate their positions."

And she still doesn’t realize this!

Jean Crowe grew more indignant the more she thought about it, "Vera, as a fellow woman, I’m truly looking out for your best interest!"

Vera felt increasingly suffocated as she listened.

If the mother-in-law had not known about her psychological issues and said these things, Vera might not have reacted so strongly. Pressuring to give birth is a common social phenomenon.

But she knew and still intentionally said so much, clearly morally coercing and pressuring her.

Vera no longer wanted to tolerate it, "Mom, you obviously knew about my psychological barrier for a long time, yet you pretended not to know and kept prodding my sore spot about giving birth. Is that really for my own good?"

Upon hearing this, Jean Crowe applied force with her fingers, breaking the Prayer Beads, sending 108 eaglewood beads clattering to the ground!

She, she actually knew all along!

Jean Crowe was genuinely shocked, blinking her thin eyelids constantly, staring at the massive one-ton Hetian jade Guanyin statue before her.

This Guanyin statue was a birthday gift Ian Kane gave her last year.

An exquisite piece of Hetian jade, created by a nationally renowned sculptor, completed after months of seclusion, worth 500 million.

After composing herself, Jean Crowe broke the standoff, "Vera, what are you talking about? Mom doesn’t understand."

Vera smirked, "Why do you have to be like this?"

"I know Ian Kane treats me well, and for his sake, I’ve been enduring your passive aggressiveness. You’re his mother, and I genuinely want to have a good relationship with you. But you treat me like an outsider, always looking down on me."

She still remembered the desolation and embarrassment on the halfway point of the mountain in the rain last time.

Jean Crowe coldly snorted and signaled to the maid nearby, "Vera, what did this mother-in-law of yours do wrong to make you think of me this way?"

She spoke in a hoarse, trembling voice, sounding as if she was being wronged.

Vera didn’t want to continue the act, "Mom, whether to have a child or not is my personal choice. Once I recover, I will try my best, but for now—"

Jean Crowe, "What, what illness do you have?"

The maid, seeing her clutching her chest and her lips trembling, cried out: "Madam!"

Vera frowned, was the old lady faking illness again?

Six months ago, Jean Crowe had once invited Vera for afternoon tea to listen to a storytelling, narrating a tale of a bygone era where a performer and a noble young man fell in love, but were separated by family due to differences in social standing.

She said: "Vera, it’s not the old days anymore. We respect your profession, but words are powerful. You’re a noble daughter-in-law but still performing on stage seductively. Others laugh at our family because of it!"

Vera realized she was dissatisfied with her working at the dance company, "Mom, whether it’s storytelling, opera, or ballet, they are all forms of art. Those people who call me an actress and mock me simply have a low level of understanding."

The old lady’s face turned white, immediately clutching her chest, claiming heart pain, and lay in bed for three days to assert her authority.

"Knock, knock, knock—"

The urgent knock on the door pulled Vera back to reality.

When she opened the door, it was Ian Kane.

The man, wearing a robe, had a dark expression, holding a phone in his hand, "What did you just say to my mom on the call?"

"She’s having a heart attack right now and is being rushed to the hospital!"

"Did you tell her about your illness? Vera, did you tell her the truth to deliberately anger her?"

His tone clearly carried accusation and blame.

Following Jean Crowe’s signal, the maid called Ian Kane, saying in the call that the old lady’s face was increasingly grim during the phone conversation with the young lady, her lips turned purple, and when asked, "What illness do you have?", the old lady fainted.

Vera’s breath hitched.

As expected, the old lady was "ill" again!

At the same time, she noticed something off in his words.

"Ian Kane, do you think I deliberately wanted to anger her?" she exclaimed in anger, "It was her knowing full well—"

Ian Kane had already hurried out, leaving behind a sentence: "Quickly change clothes, we’re heading back to Ardendale immediately. My mom recently caught pneumonia from me!"

Pneumonia...

He caught pneumonia because of her.

Another accusation.

...

The two took a private business jet, rushing back to Ardendale overnight, heading straight to the noble private hospital under the Kane Group.

According to the doctor, Mrs. Kane had a sudden angina attack. Fortunately, she was taken to the hospital in time. After emergency treatment, her vital signs were stable, but she was emotionally unstable, silently shedding tears.

Ian Kane clenched his hands.

At the door of the hospital room, he was about to push the door open but then turned back, saying lightly to Vera, "I’ll go have a smoke first."

Vera raised an eyebrow, watching his tall figure, "Do you think she just found out about my illness, is worried I can’t give your family a child, and is heartbroken, and you’re feeling sorry for her and helpless?"

Ian Kane paused in his steps, turned back to her, and lowered his voice, "Isn’t it obvious? I told you to hide it from her, she can’t take any stress. Grandfather is also pushing. She’s under a lot of pressure. Why did you have to tell her?"

Vera smiled bitterly, "What if I told you she has long known about my illness and has been pretending not to this whole time? On the phone, she even wanted me to do surrogacy, so I had to reveal it."

Ian Kane frowned tightly, looking disbelieving, "My mom couldn’t have known all along!"

Vera knew he wouldn’t believe it. The mother-in-law would never say a bad word about her in front of him, sometimes even nagging when he went back alone, "Why didn’t you bring my daughter-in-law back? I miss her. Next time, don’t come back alone!"

She took out her phone from her bag, found a recording of a conversation between her mother-in-law and Maeve, played it, and held it out to Ian Kane.