Chapter 124

"Jack White, you better explain yourself!" Amy Miller demanded sharply, her authority as the Women's Committee Head in full display. Who would have thought that Jack, known as the most honest man in the village, would mistreat his own mother? Clara White had given everything for this son, and the two had long been held up as a model of filial piety in the village.

The news sent shockwaves through Six Paths Village.

Sweat beaded on Jack's forehead as he scrambled for a way out. He knew full well about Fiona's abuse of the old woman. Ever since his mother became bedridden, he had turned a blind eye. After all, she couldn't speak or move. As long as it didn't kill her, he was content to play dumb.

He'd learned this trick from his mother.

If Clara knew how "filial" her son had been, she'd be sick with regret.

Now that the truth was out, denial was impossible. Elder abuse was a serious crime that could land him in jail. Worse, in a small village, a ruined reputation meant his son would never find a wife.

Jack's eyes darted around before he suddenly turned and slapped Fiona across the face.

"You vile woman! I trusted you to care for my mother, and this is how you treat her?" He kicked her out of the house while cursing.

Paul Jackson quickly intervened, "If you want to fight, do it behind closed doors. Don't make a scene here!" He saw right through Jack—no son could be unaware of his own mother's suffering.

Jack threw himself at the old woman's bedside, weeping dramatically. "Mother, I've failed you! These past days I've been scrambling to pay your medical bills, tending to Maya's illness, and the farmwork couldn't wait..." Snot and tears streamed down his face as he vowed, "I swear I'll stay by your side every day from now on!"

Clara sneered. Did he think she didn't know her own son's true nature? For years she had guarded against this very day, even keeping the land deeds tightly in her grip.

"Enough," the old woman cut him off. "Today, in front of the Mayor, we'll draw up a contract."

George Clark and the others quickly prepared the document, pressing their fingerprints to it.

Before leaving, the Mayor made a point of instructing, "Committee Head Miller, visit the old woman weekly from now on." The message was clear—Jack wasn't to be trusted.

Once everyone had gone, Jack sidled up to his mother. "Mother, please calm down..."

"Move your wife to the shack by the pigpen," Clara said coldly. "And bring me the money from my chest."

Jack paled. "That place isn't fit for living!"

"Oh?" The old woman's gaze turned razor-sharp. "If I could live there, why can't your wife?"

Jack wilted instantly. Under his mother's withering glare, he didn't dare utter another word in Fiona's defense.