Chapter 316 Thanks
Claire's face went all stormy. "Don't call me Mom. I don't have a son like you."
Larry didn't wanna suck up, but he couldn't help himself.
He was still eyeing Claire's property, scared it might end up with me.
He put on his best fake smile. "Mom, I know you're not feeling great, so I got you some fancy supplements."
Claire snorted, "I don't need 'em. Take your junk and scram."
"Mom, I'm still your flesh and blood. The Harris family can't be handed over to outsiders."
Claire laughed, almost losing it. "Who you calling an outsider? Bella's part of the Harris clan. Seems like your wife and kid are the real outsiders here."
Larry tried to keep his cool. "Look, Kimberly ain't my biological daughter, but she's family. We raised her, and that counts for something. If you don't accept her, people are gonna talk. What'll that do to the Harris name?"
Claire knew arguing with him was a waste of time. "You think you're getting the Harris estate? Let me spell it out: not a chance."
Claire added, "Tell your wife to stop dreaming. The Harris family has nothing to do with her. Raising her and her daughter all these years is more than enough."
Larry, not getting what he wanted, wasn't about to leave.
"Mom, Kimberly is my daughter, and that ain't changing. I raised her. Even if you favor Bella, you can't seriously think she's ready to take over. She's young, clueless about our legacy. Giving her that power would be a disaster."
Larry always had his doubts about me.
Not that we had much of a father-daughter bond. So I kept quiet and watched the drama.
Claire stayed calm. "Even if Bella messes it up, I'd be fine with it."
I knew Claire was trying to rile Larry up, but her words touched me deeply.
With Claire trusting me so much, how could I mess up the Harris family?
"Mr. Harris," I finally spoke up, coldly, "No matter what, you're my biological father. As long as you don't mess with me, I won't mess with you. Your life won't change. But if you keep pushing, we'll see what happens."
Larry didn't buy it. He wanted way more than what I promised. "You're pretty sharp for a young one," he said with a laugh. "You figured out my mom's the boss here. And that's how you played us. Congrats, you won this round. But don't think you've won over the Harris family. Not yet."
Suddenly, a familiar voice echoed. "Mr. Harris, with all due respect, shouldn't you be seeing a doctor instead of showing up here?" .
I turned and saw Jerry. When he walked closer, I asked, "Didn't you say you had something to do?"
"Yeah, I swung back to check on things." Jerry's voice was all soft when he talked to me, but then he turned to Larry, and it got icy. "You haven't even sorted out Skylar's mess, and you're already gunning for the whole Harris empire? Ambition's cool, but you gotta have the guts for it."
Larry, being the elder, couldn't just take it lying down. "I'm Bella's father. If you wanna marry her, show some respect!"
Jerry's lips twisted into a mocking grin. "Oh, now you remember you're her dad? When you were teaming up with outsiders to mess with her, where was that fatherly love?"
Larry was left fuming, glaring at me. Knowing he couldn't win against Jerry, he turned to Claire. "Mom, if you go through with this, we'll be the laughingstock of the whole city! The Harris name will be trashed!"
I was about to step in, but Claire stopped me with a hand on my arm.
Claire was totally unfazed. "I've lived long enough, and I'm about to join your dad. If you make a scene, even if you get the Harris family in the end, you'll be cursed for decades."
Larry's face twisted in anger. He opened his mouth but couldn't find the words. Finally, he stormed off, shaking his sleeves.
Once we were inside, Claire excused herself, giving Jerry and me a knowing look. "I'm gonna rest in my room for a bit. You two catch up."
"So, what brings you back?" I asked Jerry.
He shrugged. "Had a feeling things might get messy here."
"What?"
Jerry explained, "Kimberly's in my hands. I wanted the antidote from Sawyer. But then Cecil showed his hand. Without Cecil, Sawyer and Skylar will come to me for Kimberly. And they can only mess with me through Larry now."
I didn't see myself as a saint. Being kind depends on whether the person deserves it.
If it were me, I'd use Kimberly to pressure Skylar for the antidote too.
I couldn't just watch Claire die.
"If Larry goes back, Skylar will guess that Claire plans to leave the Harris family to me. Will they do something crazy?" I asked.
Jerry chuckled, giving my cheek a playful squeeze. "You finally get it, babe. Don't worry. I've got it all under control. Skylar and Larry won't be causing any more trouble for you or Claire."
I looked at him. "You can't get hurt either. Got it?"
Jerry suddenly leaned in and kissed me.
His voice was low and seductive. "If I behave, what's my reward?"
Meeting his deep gaze, I thought of his tricks, and my face heated up.
I asked, "You're about to be a dad. Protecting yourself should be a given, right? You still want a reward?"
"Yeah, you're right." Jerry surprisingly didn't argue. "Besides, since we're already here, why not let me help you take down the Harris family. How about that?"
I was thinking the same.
But being pregnant made things a bit more complicated.
I also noticed that since I was pregnant, Jerry's methods had softened a bit.
I joked, "Then the baby and I are seriously grateful. You're a real one, Jerry. Thanks for always having our back."
Jerry grinned. "Just saying thanks?"
He leaned in close, a sly smile on his lips. "Kisses or or something more intimate would work too."
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