Chapter 830 The Compromise

"What are you talking about, Mom?" Allen snapped. He made sure to show that he didn't agree with Peggy. Gripping Doris' hand, Allen declared, "Doris is already pregnant, and this baby is my flesh and blood. There is no other woman in this world whom I want to be my wife, except Doris. And you can be sure I mean that."

"You shut up! I don't want to hear that!" Peggy screamed. She was extremely offended and glowered at Allen to express her anger. Bringing him up, Peggy pampered Allen, and he was, for the most part, an obedient boy. He would always do what his mother asked knowing it would make her happy.

Besides, Peggy was the only person capable of convincing Sue to listen to her and for some reason, to never disobey what she said. Still, she never failed to show her full concern for Allen. She wanted to do everything to benefit her son, and Allen was well aware of this.

"Did you hear that, Allen?" Doris snapped. "Did you hear what your mother said?" she sneered while trying to suppress her anger. "Do you remember when we first decided to get into this relationship? Can you recall how strongly my parents, both of them, were opposed to it? At that time, I thought you were a good man and would be a responsible husband when we got married. So, I chose to sacrifice my relationship with my parents to be with you. I did my best to be with you, even in the face of such hardship. Now, I'm pregnant. But I don't feel like you're going to protect me, because you're acting as if this is none of your business. Tell me, is that how a responsible life partner should behave? Is this how you intend to bully me, by letting her humiliate me?"

"No, Doris! You know that's not true!" Allen defended himself. He was frowning, trying to think of a way to deal with such an awkward situation. Allen kept on holding Doris' hand to console her, "You know my mother. She doesn't mean what..."

But Peggy, voice dripping with disdain, was quick to cut in, "No amount of prodding will ever make me change my mind." It made her proud to hear her son pledge his loyalty to her. "Allen is my son, and he will listen to me and do whatever I want him to do unconditionally."

Trembling with rage, Doris said, "You..." She rolled her eyes in disgust. But no one had any idea what was going on inside her mind.

With a look of superiority, Peggy eyed Doris and said, "I know you're pregnant now, and this baby is not only your child but also my grandchild. I want to assure you that as long as you do as I say, I will treat you and your child well.

However, if you insist on aborting the baby, I won't stop you from doing it. If you believe Allen is not good for you, I won't convince you otherwise. If that's how you feel about my son, you may leave now."

"Mom..." Allen was upset after hearing his mother's words. Anxiously, he started to coax Peggy to show a little mercy for Doris. "Mom, Doris is pregnant. She's fragile now and has nowhere to live. Where else can she go?"

"It's none of my business," Peggy snapped. She fixed steely eyes on Doris. When she spoke again, her next words were a veiled threat.

she lives in that house, Allen and I will always be guests. We will never own it. I will make sure that she leaves that house, and learns the lesson that regardless of the name on that housing certificate, that house will belong to, and only to Allen and me," she said emphatically.

Before she continued with her outrageous demand, Doris' eyes looked sharply at Peggy. "The house isn't big enough and will be crowded after the baby is born. Think of it this way, once she moves out, we'll have more space."

"But..." Peggy still didn't feel comfortable. She understood that in this matter, Doris was never going to back down. But booting Sue out of her home was not something she had the power to do.

Running out of patience because of his mother's hedging, Allen suddenly agreed to do it on her behalf. He promised Doris, "No problem. I assure you that I will talk to Sue when we have dinner and ask her to leave by tonight. You will never see her face in the house again."

"Wait a minute! Calm down, Allen," Peggy quickly jumped in. Her son's interference irritated the woman.

He threw his mother a dissatisfied look. "I don't get it, Mom. Why is it so hard for you to agree? What's making you so hesitant? Doris is right. This house is too small for the three of us, four if we count the baby. And let me say this, can you imagine how inconvenient and embarrassing it will be if she stays with us? Okay, if you feel uncomfortable telling Sue to leave, I'll do it for you. I'll ask her to move out," Allen volunteered.

His mother brushed off the offer. "Never mind. It's my business. I'll settle things." She sighed before scolding her son, "How can a rash and rude person like you be able to talk at all? I'll talk to her later. All you need to do is keep quiet."

Her abrupt remarks delighted Allen and Doris. Finally, they were getting their way, and they smiled at each other to signify their plan was succeeding.

In the kitchen, Sue found Sheryl washing vegetables in the sink.

A frown showed her displeasure. "What are you doing here?" Sue asked.