Chapter 604: Epilogue (31)

Mr. Lynch thought that made sense. With the New Year approaching, he couldn’t very well not give her more money, especially since she needed to hand out red envelopes.

He took a card from his wallet and handed it to Mrs. Lynch. “Here. There’s two hundred thousand in it. That should be enough.”

Mrs. Lynch quickly took it and said, “In that case, I’m going to buy a new outfit this afternoon.”

“Have you taken Holly to the hospital for her check-up yet?”

“I was just about to take her to find out the baby’s gender so we can start getting some baby clothes. Since you’re back now, let’s all go together. I still want to go shopping after we get back from the hospital.”

“Alright.”

After lunch, the four of them went to the hospital together.

The doctor didn’t state the baby’s gender directly, but simply magnified the image on the screen for Leon, Mrs. Lynch, and Mr. Lynch to see.

The moment she saw it, Mrs. Lynch’s expression changed.

“A girl?”

The doctor didn’t answer, merely checking the baby’s health status. Finally, he wrote down the details and said, “The baby is very healthy and developing well. The due date is sometime in January.”

Leon helped Holly sit up. Holly knew now that her baby was a girl, but she no longer felt any pressure. ‘What’s coming will come; there’s no stopping it.’

On the way back, Mrs. Lynch didn’t join them, saying she was off to buy clothes.

Mr. Lynch reminded her to prepare the baby’s clothes, blankets, socks, diapers, and so on.

She agreed readily, but returned home empty-handed.

Exhausted, she collapsed onto the sofa in a heap.

Seeing this, Mr. Lynch asked, “Didn’t I tell you to buy some baby clothes ahead of time? Why did you come back empty-handed?”

“I didn’t even buy anything for myself, and you expect me to buy things for *her*?” she said, her eyes half-lidded. “I thought it was going to be a grandson. Turns out it’s just some little girl.”

Holly spoke up. “But Mom, didn’t you say that sons and daughters are both Lynch children? That it’s the same whether it’s a boy or a girl.”

“Yes, I said that. Did you really take me seriously? Boys and girls are the same? What kind of bullshit is that? Why do you think the Supreme Leader is a man? Why isn’t Jean Grant the heir to the Grant Family? All this talk about equality between men and women has always been just lip service. Fine, you give birth to a daughter, and of course she’s a Lynch child. But our Leon *must* have a son.”

“What century are we living in? You still have this preference for sons over daughters? The Ellsworth Family is wealthier and more powerful than ours, aren’t they? And Mrs. Ellsworth herself told Chloe Marshall that she was perfectly happy with them just having one daughter, Dorothy.”

Mrs. Lynch sat bolt upright, glaring at her. “What’s that supposed to mean? If you’re not willing to have children for our Leon, there are plenty of women who are! What, you think other mothers-in-law are better? A pity you weren’t destined to become someone else’s daughter-in-law!”

“That’s enough!” Leon shot to his feet and stared at his mother. “Holly can’t be Mrs. Ellsworth’s daughter-in-law because she married *me*. She wasn’t lucky enough to get a great mother-in-law like Chloe Marshall’s, is that her fault? And what does it matter if it’s a boy or a girl? I happen to prefer daughters! I’ll be perfectly happy with just this one daughter, and I’ll pass the Lynch family business down to her!”

Mrs. Lynch shot to her feet, a trembling finger pointed at him. “You scoundrel! What did you just say?!”

“What, you didn’t hear me?”

“Your father and I aren’t dead yet! You don’t get the final say on the company. Letting a daughter inherit the business? Do you want to make us a laughingstock?”

Leon glared at her coldly. “Oh, so now you care about face? Did you consider your ‘face’ when you were doing all those morally corrupt things?”

Mrs. Lynch was suddenly at a loss for words.

“Fine, fine. Once a man gets a wife, he forgets his mother. No matter what I do, I’ll never be as good as your wife.”

“Don’t try to change the subject.”

Mrs. Lynch snorted. “I’m going to bed. I can’t be bothered to argue with you.”

Looking embarrassed, Mr. Lynch turned to Holly. “Your mother-in-law… her bark is worse than her bite. Just ignore what she said. Don’t take it to heart.”

Holly nodded, but she was still deeply hurt.

She was quiet and withdrawn after they went upstairs.

Seeing her looking so dejected, Leon said, “A son or a daughter, it’s our child. I’ve told you that so many times. Have you forgotten?”

“I know, it’s just… I still can’t feel happy about it.”

“Don’t dwell on it. Why don’t you go visit Nora tomorrow? She’s also a few months along. Getting out for a bit will make you feel a lot better.”

Holly nodded. “Okay.”

The next day, before Holly could visit Nora’s Home, Nora Ainsworth came to her, with the captain of her Men in Black carrying in piles of baby necessities.

Holly’s heart warmed at the sight. “Nora, how did you know I was having a girl?”

“Leon called me this morning. A girl is wonderful! I’m hoping this one of mine is a girl, too. Holly, I’ve prepared all this for you. When the time comes, have Leon take you and the hospital bag to the hospital early, just to avoid a last-minute rush if you suddenly go into labor.”

Holly smiled sweetly. “Okay. Thank you, Nora. Come in and have a seat.”

Nora Ainsworth followed her into the living room. At nearly four months pregnant, she had a round little belly. She was wearing a pink down jacket and a hat, her breath pluming in the air as she stomped her feet. “It’s freezing! Holly, you need to wear more layers.”

“I am.”

“Holly, are you feeling down? You can talk to me about anything. We’re both women; we understand these kinds of things.”

Holly nodded. “I’m a little upset, yes. It’s mostly because my mother-in-law has a strong preference for sons, so I’m feeling a lot of pressure. I’m worried that after this baby, my next one might be a girl too.”

“Matriarchs of wealthy families are all like that; they all want grandsons. But don’t worry. If you really want a son, after you have this little one, I’ll find a traditional Chinese medicine doctor to help you regulate your body’s pH balance. If you and Leon coordinate your diets as well, the chances of having a son are very high. So for now, you just need to relax. Don’t be anxious. When a mother is upset, the baby can feel it.”

Holly’s eyes lit up. “Nora, can you really do that?”

“Of course! Don’t you trust me? So right now, you need to focus on delivering this baby safe and sound. Don’t be sad. Your attention should be on your baby and on Leon. As long as Leon is there to protect you, nothing else is a problem.”

Holly felt much better after hearing what Nora had to say.

She finally broke into a smile. “Okay, Nora. I’ll do what you say.”

“That’s the spirit! Holly, let’s go out for a walk. It’ll do wonders for your mood. Come on, just the two of us. Let’s get some fresh air.”

Holly stood up, and the two pregnant women left the Lynch house together.

Just as they walked out the main gate, they saw Mrs. Lynch getting out of a car. She was carrying shopping bags and heading toward the house with a joyful expression, but she stopped dead in her tracks when she saw the two of them.