The Pampering CEO: Don't Mess With My Secretly-Married Sweet Wife
Chapter 493 A Mother's Heart

"Hold on." Susan Shelby helped Mandy Ainsley stand up in a flurry of panic.

"I'm begging you." Mandy looked at her pleadingly.

Susan felt confused. "Why... do you want to hand over Lucas to me? I know where Luke is. Don't you want to let Lucas be with his father?"

At the mention of Luke, a complicated look that Susan could not describe as love or hate flashed past Mandy's eyes.

She let out a bitter laugh and then said softly, "Hand him over to Luke? It would be better if I handed him over to you. That man doesn't love me at all and he doesn't love our child either. Otherwise, why would he leave us behind so resolutely in the past? So many years have passed, yet he has never bothered inquiring about us all this time."

"Maybe he's had difficulties too?" Susan attempted to comfort Mandy.

"There's no need for you to console me," Mandy said rather calmly. "I know everything very well in my heart. I just refused to acknowledge it in the past. My union with him was a mistake. Afterward, it was me who made an extraordinarily painstaking effort to steal Lucas. If Luke had been given a choice, he would never have married me or allowed Lucas to be born. My child Luca... wasn't wanted by his father right from the start."

Mandy spoke in a calm tone, yet there was ineffable sorrow hidden in her gaze.

While looking at Mandy behaving like this, Susan felt as if something had struck her heart. She felt sadness, bitterness, and ineffable discomfort.

"Luke... still doesn't know about the existence of Lucas. When he replaces out, he will certainly love the child too," said Susan.

"Forget it, I won't be betting on this probability," Mandy said with a bitter smile. "Besides, he hates me so much that if Lucas was handed to him, he would think of me whenever he saw Lucas. Wouldn't that be causing him more trouble on purpose?"

As she was speaking, Mandy looked at Susan earnestly. "I trust you more to take care of Lucas compared to Luke! Susan, I know that as long as you agree to do it, you will certainly be able to take good care of Lucas." "Uh..." Susan found this inappropriate. She was not worried about being burdened. However, the parents of the child's father were still alive, yet she had to raise the child as an outsider? It felt rather strange anyhow.

Mandy noticed Susan's hesitation, so she struggled and knelt down with a loud thump.

Susan wanted to help Mandy stand up, yet she insisted on kneeling and refused to stand up. She said pleadingly, "Susie, I'm begging you. Just consider this picking a stray cat or dog from the streets. I don't demand too much. I'm only begging you to give Lucas something to eat and a room for shelter. Just don't let him starve or freeze to death. As long as you're willing to promise me this, even if I can't return your goodwill in this lifetime, I will work like a slave in my next life to repay you."

As she was speaking, Mandy bowed before Susan profusely.

Susan wanted to stop Mandy but was utterly incapable of stopping her.

"I'm begging you, I'm begging you." Mandy begged and bowed once. At last, she bowed so much that her forehead started bleeding.

Susan panicked when she failed to stop Mandy. She could not help saying, "Stop doing that. I promise you, I promise you."

"You promise?" Mandy raised her head and looked at Susan in surprise.

"Yes, I promise." Susan accepted the task in all apparent seriousness. "Lucas is a good child. I will treat him just like I treat Chessie."

"Thank you, thank you," said Mandy in delight.

She could trust Susan's character fully.

Since Susan had agreed to do this, Mandy believed that she would certainly follow through.

Meanwhile, Susan was feeling rather perplexed. "I can take care of the child, yet are you not planning to let Luke and his grandparents know about his identity? If they were to replace out about this, perhaps they wouldn't necessarily agree to let me take care of him."

Mandy let out a bitter laugh. "I already told you that Luke was not looking forward to having this child. Letting him know about Luca's existence would only trouble him more. As for my parents, they still have a young son to take care of. How can they have time left for Luca? Luca's life... It's best not to let them know. If possible, will you please change Luca's surname to Shaw when I'm dead? Don't misunderstand me. I'm not hoping for Luca to benefit from the surname. I just don't want other people to know about his identity. I..."

"I know." Susan interrupted Mandy's remark gently. "If that is your wish, I will follow through. However, Mandy, no one is capable of replacing a mother in a child's life. If it's possible, I still hope that you'll be able to take care of him by yourself until he's grown."

"If one can live, would one think of death?" Mandy's expression was bitter. "I will try my best, but how long I will be able to be with him will depend on God's will."

Susan did not know what to say, so she could only heave a sigh softly.

When they were done discussing this matter, Susan opened the door and let Julian return to the room with the two children.

Lucas ran over to Mandy's bedside at once. He looked at Mandy's forehead and said anxiously, "Mommy, what happened to your forehead?"

"It's fine. I bumped it accidentally earlier," said Mandy lightly.

"You're okay, you're okay, mommy." Lucas stood on his tip toes and blew at the wound on Mandy's forehead gently.

Uncontrollable sadness could be seen in Mandy's expression.

Luca was really a good child.

She had been living for Luke Jenkins her entire life.

On the other hand, the person she had let down the most was this child.

She had brought the child forcefully into the world, fueled by her selfish goal.

However, she was incapable of performing her duty as a mother, which was to be with him and watch him grow.

Mandy rubbed Lucas' head gently.

Frankly, Lucas was not supposed to be Susan's responsibility.

In all seriousness, her behavior was really shameless.

Unfortunately, she really could not think of another person that could put her at ease more than Susan!

For Lucas' future, she had decided that she would be shameless.

She trusted her vision, and Lucas' future would surely not be too bad if he was brought up by Susan.

'Luca, this is the only thing that mommy can do for you.'

The corners of Mandy's lips curled into a self-mocking smile.

She had treated Susan as her biggest enemy in the past. Now that she was on the verge of death, she wanted to entrust her only child to Susan. Fate was really cynical.

Susan could not bear to watch Mandy and Lucas huddling anymore so she said softly, "We'll leave you two to talk. We won't bother you anymore."

"Thank you." Mandy looked at Susan gratefully once again.

Susan did not comment further. She turned around and left the room with Julian and Chessie.

Mandy would need to be hospitalized for a long time due to her illness. Susan hired a specialized caretaker to take care of Mandy.

Then, she stayed in the hospital until nightfall before she returned to the hotel.

Chesney was sleeping in the car. Susan placed Chesney on the bed so that she could sleep well when they got back to the hotel.

In the living room, Julian looked at Susan with a pondering expression. "What did Mandy beg you to do?"

Susan heaved a sigh and said, "She entrusted Lucas to me. She told me not to let anyone else know about Lucas' real identity and to change Lucas' surname to Shaw after her death."