Those Opulent Days by Jacquie Pham

Author:Jacquie Pham
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Grove Atlantic
Published: 2024-10-22T19:03:29+00:00

Madame NhÆ° struggled to free her body from his grip, her face darkening with fear.

“I simply introduced her to Monsieur Moutet upon his arrival, out of courtesy. On your behalf? Yes? He might have charmed her into following him home. Who am I to know? My dearest son, women are opportunistic beings.”

She went on.

“And you are clearly too gullible. She has you eating grass out of the palm of her hand.”

As if to intensify the dramatic effect of the story she had spent all night anxiously weaving, Madame NhÆ° shook her head, exclaiming her disdain by smacking her lips together.

“You are lying!” Minh spat at the ground, his finger trembling slightly as he directed it at his mother’s face, an act of barbaric disrespect. “Hai would never do that to me. She doesn’t care about money or reputation or any of these vain things you are always obsessed with. This is your doing, I know it.”

Minh glared at his mother, the red veins in his eyes like puppet strings, pulling Madame Như’s son further and further away from her.

“Where has your sense gone, you pathetic boy?”

She wanted to raise her hand, to give Minh a slap on his defiant face, but she stopped herself. He was no longer a child, and he was now immune to her pointless, ineffectual beatings.

“I could never, ever, make the Moutets do anything. You of all people should know that. If the girl were to leave with Monsieur Moutet, she left willingly.”

Madame NhÆ° panted, trying her best to hold the last few words in her mouth. She needed Minh to believe that he had been betrayed, not by his own mother but by the lowborn Hai, the greedy, manipulative woman who jumped at the first chance to be with the indestructible Leon Moutet, who got everything he wished for, no matter the cost.

Madame NhÆ° eyed Minh cautiously, scrambling for more convincing details. To her surprise, though, Minh stopped arguing. Slowly, the anger evaporated, leaving his face white, his eyes empty. He was completely heartbroken, Madame NhÆ° realised, sensing an ache inside her chest.

That wouldn’t change her mind, however; she knew her family would be better off this way.

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