Karma Doesn’t Sleep: The Revenge Queen Rises novel Chapter 141

Just hearing Timmy call her “Mom”—even with that hesitant little prefix—almost made Amelia tear up.

But then there was Grandpa Elijah.

Who came up with that name?

Amelia couldn’t help but give the old man another look. He had such a kind face, and his eyes were sharp and bright, more lively than most people half his age.

Didn’t seem like a bad guy.

Still, something was off.

She glanced at his hand, curled into a loose fist on the table. His eyes darted around. Then, pretending innocence, he started whistling—classic guilty move.

Timmy glanced at the chessboard, immediately catching on. “Grandpa Elijah, did you sneak a piece again?”

Clearly, this wasn’t the first time.

“Hey, that’s not sneaking!” the old man huffed, acting all indignant. Still, he quickly slipped the stolen piece into his pocket and tried to play the sympathy card. “I’m almost eighty! My eyes aren’t what they used to be. Can’t you cut me a little slack?”

Timmy just rubbed his forehead, exasperated. He’d been one step away from winning, but now that Grandpa Elijah had swiped the key piece, he was stuck.

As Timmy rested his chin on his hand, lost in thought, a hand suddenly reached in from the side.

Amelia picked up one of Timmy’s white pieces and placed it on the board. Instantly, the white stones closed in, trapping the black and putting Grandpa Elijah in check.

Timmy’s whole face lit up.

“Whoa, that’s amazing!”

Amelia smiled.

Chess had never been her thing, but her grandpa Tony had been a national champion. He’d had no one to play with, so he’d begged her to be his opponent, teaching her all his tricks whether she wanted to learn or not.

“Mom, you’re awesome!” Timmy blurted, throwing his arms around her.

Amelia felt a rush of joy so strong it made her dizzy. Did he really just call her that?

“Timmy, what did you just call me?”

Timmy immediately let go, looking away in embarrassment. “Uh... nothing. You must’ve heard wrong.”

She just smiled and ruffled his hair. “Alright, Mommy must’ve imagined it.”

She didn’t need to force the kids to call her Mom. Just seeing them slowly open up was enough.

The old man wasn’t so happy. He huffed and puffed, trying to argue.

“No way, that round doesn’t count! You brought in backup. That’s cheating!”

Amelia’s smile was sweet, but her tone was firm.

“Mister, you really shouldn’t try to bully my son just because you’re older. If you keep this up, I’ll come every time you play chess. And I promise, you won’t win a single game.”

Penny’s eyes sparkled with mischief. Suddenly, she covered her mouth, trying not to giggle, then slipped behind Clive and gave his leg a quick nudge.

Caught off guard, Clive stumbled forward, and Kristen, in the middle of saying something, accidentally kissed his cheek. Clive quickly steadied her, awkwardly pulling away.

He frowned and reached for Penny, but she darted behind Kristen. Kristen blocked Clive with one arm and protected Penny with the other.

The whole scene looked like a picture-perfect family: strict dad, caring mom, and their playful little girl.

Amelia looked away, her face expressionless, and turned to leave.

Just then, a spotlight snapped on and landed right on her, making her the center of attention.

She raised her hand to shield her eyes, completely caught off guard.

Somehow, a host had appeared on stage with a microphone. “And now, the most exciting event of the evening—the Rose Competition—begins! Every woman on the first floor is automatically entered. Ma’am, it doesn’t matter who you came with or how you got here, there’s no backing out now!”

The way he said “how you got here” made the whole crowd burst into laughter and teasing whispers.

What do they think I am?

A wave of humiliation crashed over Amelia. She clenched her fists, her eyes boring into Clive.

No matter what, they were still married, at least on paper. With everyone laughing at her like this, shouldn’t he, as her husband, stand up for her?

But instead, Clive looked away, awkward and silent.