The Protector

“Huh? That...”
All of the Joneses were scared out of their minds.
Are we going to be further punished?
“No, no, we were wrong, please forgive us!” pleaded Michael, who was on the verge of crying.
If only I had taken the boy in as my grandson... Things would’ve been so great. Why didn’t I treasure that opportunity?
“I am simply asking you a question! My mother is your daughter, Emma Jones, but you had called me a bastard, so my biological
father must have been the one whom you had hated, right?” asked Levi.
Levi had always been curious about that.
It made sense that the others would call him a bastard, but even the Joneses had called him that.
That part was strange.
After all, my mom is a member of the Jones family after all.
Michael scanned his surroundings before asking, “God of War, can we speak privately?”
Michael had thought that there were too many people around.
“Okay,” agreed Levi.
Both men walked to a secluded corner after that.
“God of War, I will now tell you a bit about your mother. She was the most talented and powerful amongst the rest of my children,
and I spared no expense, to train her to become the next head of the family. I set everything up for her and had even arranged
her marriage, but she went to Oakland City right before her wedding and returned pregnant, with you. I was so furious that I had
almost killed her...”
Michael paused when he reached that part of the story. He snuck a peek at Levi, and when he saw that the latter wasn’t angry,
he continued, “I asked her who the father was, but she refused to say anything, not even after I had laid a hand on her. The
wedding I had arranged for her was about to take place when her suitor learned that she was pregnant! Rumor spread across

the entire city. Everyone knew that your mother had fallen pregnant out of wedlock and that the father of her child was not her
fiancé. Hence, they called the baby a bastard. She had brought shame to the family, and I had chased her out of the family, in a
fit of anger. That is why the Joneses view you as their enemy. This isn’t about you. They are angry at your mother.”
Levi then asked, “Tell me, was my mother okay with you arranging her marriage?”
“She wasn’t thrilled... Okay, she wasn’t happy about it at all. She had said that she had wanted to fight for her own happiness
and marry someone whom she loved. She had also claimed that she was willing to forgo everything, even her life, to be with
your father,” murmured Michael.
“Then she is not at fault! You are,” growled Levi cruelly.
How is it wrong to fight for her own happiness? Why do the others think that it’s right to call her a b*tch for that? Furthermore,
how does that make her son a bastard?
Levi’s heart stirred.
He finally understood that his mother had her reason for not looking for him.
Her life had been terrible, and she was no better off than he was.
“Is my mother still alive?”