The Billionaire's Forbidden Longing

Joe was beaming with pride.

The room was buzzing with admiration, making Blair look even more foolish.

"I just don't get it," Liliana cut in. "Mrs. Bennett, you come from a prestigious family. Is it really that hard to admit your daughter is more accomplished than you? Or does Allison's success make you so insecure and jealous that you want to tear her down?"

Blair's face went pale.

Allison, who had studied psychology, was stunned to see how deep her mother's resentment ran.

Blair's eyes were filled with venom as she glared at Allison. "Allison is my daughter. She should stay with us and be a good girl, not act out and go against us! If she had just listened, we wouldn't be in this mess!"

Allison had thought Preston was the twisted one, but now it was clear that Blair was just as deranged. Blair hated her own daughter for being too talented, for outshining her.

"Ridiculous!" Alexander had had enough. He called for James. "Take Mrs. Bennett to a psychiatric hospital for an evaluation. I suspect she has mental issues. Also, notify the Ember family. They need to explain this."

James and the security team entered. The room fell silent.

Blair, seeing this, lunged at Allison in a fit of rage. "Allison, you'll pay for this! You drove your father mad, and now you want to put me in a mental hospital? You ungrateful brat! I should have strangled you at birth!"

At that moment, a group of people entered the hall. Dwight quickly went to support the leading woman, Kismet, who had come to attend the engagement party.

"Mrs. Bennett, what are you doing?" Kismet's voice cut through the tension.

Blair froze, then tried to back away, but Xavier blocked her path.

"Strangle Ms. Bennett? On her fifth birthday, you drank too much and tried to choke her. If Preston hadn't intervened, she would have died! I've lived over eighty years, but I've never seen a person as heartless as you," Kismet fumed.

Her words shocked everyone. They turned to Blair in disbelief.

"Is this woman insane? Trying to strangle her own daughter? What was she thinking?" Allison also wanted to know why.

"Mrs. Bennett, since you are still relentless towards Ms. Bennett, I won't hold back the truth any longer. You and Mr. Bennett had a business marriage. You despised Ms. Bennett because you desperately wanted a son but gave birth to a daughter," Kismet said.

"You're lying!" Blair protested.

Kismet pressed on. "You know very well if I'm lying or not. Mr. Bennett was unfaithful and spent most of his time abroad. You knew he cheated but took it out on Ms. Bennett because you blamed her for not being a boy. You thought that's why Mr. Bennett abandoned you. Mrs. Bennett, you are so narrow-minded!"

Kismet's words hit Blair like a ton of bricks, exposing her deepest secret.

"When you gave birth to Ms. Bennett, you had complications and couldn't have more children. This made you hate Ms. Bennett even more, thinking her birth ruined your chances of having a son. If it weren't for Mrs. Bishop's protection, Ms. Bennett would have died from your abuse!" Kismet revealed.noveldrama

Kismet didn't want to air these grievances, but Blair's attitude left her no choice. Why should Allison bear all the blame for their sins?

"That's nonsense! Even if it's true, it's not my fault. If Allison had been a boy, Preston wouldn't have had other children!" Blair retorted.

Declan sighed in exasperation. "Good grief, what century are we in? Mrs. Bennett still holds such outdated beliefs?"

Blair's words destroyed any remaining sympathy Allison had for her.

"Is the gender of a child something I can control? Just because I'm a girl, Preston abused me. But Yasmin is also a girl, and he dotes on her. Don't you see, Mrs. Bennett? Preston never loved you. He just wanted your family's support. Whether you had a boy or girl, he wouldn't care," Allison said.

"That's not true! If I had a son, he wouldn't have cheated!" Blair insisted, her delusion clear to everyone.

"Mrs. Bennett, let Ms. Bennett go. Stop tormenting her. You've signed an agreement disowning her. Now that she's doing well, you want to claim her again? Have some dignity," Kismet said firmly.

Allison stepped into her embrace, finding solace.

"Ms. Bennett, don't worry. As long as I'm alive, I won't let the Bennetts harm you again," Kismet declared, hugging Allison tightly.

Kismet then turned to Blair. "To support your business, Mrs. Bishop sold off her family assets to support you, and you ended up squandering all the money! Ms. Bennett and I worked hard to buy back the Bishop family's assets, yet you and Mr. Bennett came demanding them back. Have some shame!"

Kismet's revelations left Blair extremely humiliated. The Bennett family's dirty laundry was now public, and Blair had no defense.

"I heard Ms. Bennett prepared a substantial sum for you, fulfilling the obligation of blood ties. You never treated Ms. Bennett well; you barely kept her alive. Take the money and leave. It's the least you can do," Kismet said coldly.

Blair, escorted out by James, was handed an agreement.

"Ms. Bennett has provided you with a hundred million dollars. Sign here to collect it. She's also arranged a property abroad for you to retire. If you're willing, I can make the arrangements," James said.