Chapter 29: Bring Me the Blonde Girl

Chapter 29: Chapter 29: Bring Me the Blonde Girl

Something about their reactions told her there was much more to this story than either of them was saying.

Mrs. Edmund turned to Henry, completely unaware of the tension in the room. "Henry, will you bring the blonde girl to me?" she asked.

Henry cleared his throat, his mind racing for a way out. He gave her a polite, reassuring smile. "Mom, I mean—I really don’t think that’s a good idea. Come to think of it, Elisha isn’t even with that woman anymore. Bringing an ex-girlfriend into a private family matter like this would be completely inappropriate."

"I don’t care about that right now," Mrs. Edmund insisted, crossing her arms. "I care about the truth. If she’s willing to speak on his behalf, she can come here and clear everything up."

"He’s right, Mom. We aren’t together anymore," Elisha quickly added, grabbing onto Henry’s excuse. "It would be inappropriate to drag her into this because of a malicious rumor from Jasmine. Just let it go."

"I will not let it go," Mrs. Edmund shot back. "If she knows the truth, then she can come here and tell me herself."

Elisha realized they were running out of excuses. He glanced desperately at Victoria and subtly gestured for help, silently mouthing, Do something. Save me.

Victoria let out a long sigh and rubbed the bridge of her nose before standing from the sofa.

"Everybody, just stop," Victoria said, her voice cutting through the room.

All three of them turned to look at her. She stared directly at her mother, disbelief written across her face.

"Mother, listen to yourself. What respectable woman would agree to come to her ex-boyfriend’s family home just to prove whether he can perform? Do you hear how absurd that sounds?"

Mrs. Edmund gasped, staring at her daughter. "Are you not worried about your own brother, Victoria? Would you just stand by and watch him ruin his life? Would you marry a man who couldn’t function?"

"But he just told you he’s fine!" Victoria argued, throwing her hands up. "Henry even vouched for him!"

"And I don’t trust either of their answers," Mrs. Edmund snapped. "Listen to me carefully. Either you bring that blonde girl here by this weekend so I can hear the truth from her myself, or Elisha is going straight to a specialist for a full evaluation. And if you refuse both options, I’m calling your father right now and letting him handle this."

The mention of their father instantly silenced the room. Elisha’s face fell as he realized just how badly this situation had gotten out of hand.

Elisha felt a hot wave of humiliation crawl up his neck. The absolute last thing he needed was his father getting dragged into an unhinged, completely fictional impotence scandal invented by a bitter ex-girlfriend. He swallowed hard, his pride taking a serious hit.

"Fine," Elisha muttered, his voice tight with defeat. "Fine. I’ll try to reach out to the girl. I’ll bring her here by the weekend to talk to you."

Mrs. Edmund didn’t look entirely appeased. "You will bring her. Because if you don’t, I’m packing my bags, coming straight to your house myself, and bringing a certified medical specialist with me. And if that isn’t enough, I’ll find a beautiful woman to go into the room with you and prove that you’re perfectly capable of functioning."

"Mom!" Victoria cried, completely mortified on her brother’s behalf.

Beside her, Henry and Elisha exchanged a single, terrified glance. Their carefully improvised lie was getting harder to maintain.

Not wanting Elisha’s mom to make matters even worse by calling Elisha’s father, Henry quickly stepped in. He leaned forward and gave her his most reassuring smile.

"Please trust me, Mom," Henry said, his voice full of confidence. "Just give us a few days. We’ll bring the girl to you. You have my word."

Mrs. Edmund stared at Henry for a long moment, weighing his words before finally giving a curt nod. "Fine. I’ll wait until the weekend. Not a day later."

"Alright, Mom. Henry promised. We’ll bring the girl here."

Elisha let out a quiet breath of relief. At least his father wouldn’t be dragged into the mess, not yet. He quickly took the opportunity to end the conversation. He shifted forward, planted his hands on his knees, and pushed himself up from the settee.

"Well," Elisha said, his voice tight with forced composure. "We should probably get going now, Mom. Henry and I both have a lot of work waiting for us back at our offices."

"Alright," his mother sighed, still looking deeply troubled. "Drive safely."

Henry stood smoothly beside him and offered Victoria a polite nod. "It was good seeing you, Victoria."

"You too, Henry," Victoria replied, giving him a tight, knowing smile.

Elisha gave his mother a brief farewell, but just as he turned to leave, Victoria’s voice stopped him. She crossed her arms and looked at their mother with an exasperated expression.

"Honestly, Mother, you’re completely overreacting," Victoria said.

Mrs. Edmund’s head snapped up, her eyes widening in offense. "I am not overreacting, Victoria! If a man cannot perform, how on earth is he supposed to give this family an heir? Think about the legacy!"

At the mention of an heir, Elisha and Henry both froze. They exchanged a quick glance as everything suddenly made sense. So that was why Mrs. Edmund was taking the whole situation so seriously, she was worried about Elisha being able to have children and continue the family line.

"Mother, even if a man couldn’t perform, that wouldn’t necessarily mean he couldn’t have children," Victoria said, rolling her eyes.

"Maybe you’re right, but that doesn’t change the fact that a man who can’t perform can still have serious problems in his marriage, Victoria!" Mrs. Edmund shot back, her voice filled with concern. "If a husband can’t satisfy his wife, it can lead to frustration and resentment, and eventually tear the marriage apart. Tell me honestly, as a woman, would you willingly marry a man who couldn’t function?"

"You shouldn’t make such a big deal out of this, Mom," Victoria countered, leaning back against the sofa with a dismissive wave. "These days, almost everything has a medical solution. Besides, when you have money, nothing is truly impossible."

"You’re the one who needs to understand, Victoria," Mrs. Edmund retorted, pointing a finger at her daughter. "You’re going to get married soon, and then you’ll understand the responsibility that comes with carrying on a family name and having children of your own. Until then, stop undermining my concerns. I’m only trying to protect your brother’s future!"

Victoria let out a dry, incredulous laugh. "By putting all this pressure on him? What if he were gay, Mom? What if he didn’t even want to be with a woman?"

The moment the word gay left Victoria’s lips, the room went completely silent.

Mrs. Edmund flinched, her face draining of color before flushing a furious red.

"Never," she hissed. The word came out with immediate disgust. "Do not ever utter such a vile thing in this house. That will never, ever happen."