Chapter 1 Chapter 1

"Why didn't you let Calvin go on that study abroad program I set up for him?" James Carter strolled over, planted a kiss on my cheek, and snagged a slice of bread from the table, popping it into his mouth. "Sending a kid off by himself to a faraway place? That's enough to make anyone worry. Plus, it's been ages since we've had a family trip. I figured you've been swamped at work and stressed out. We could all use a little downtime, right?" I slipped off my glasses and shut down my laptop. We exchanged a knowing smile. "It's a school trip, you know. A little adventure is good for a boy. And hey, I'm still on the hunt for a personal assistant and a bodyguard for him..." James grabbed my hand, his grin wide. "I get it. You've been grooming Calvin to take over someday. You've done an amazing job with his education. Every time something happens to him, you get all worked up. If that kid ever lets you down, I swear, I'd have a few choice words for him!" I let out a soft chuckle, my gaze gentle. "If my own son isn't going to be loyal to me, who will he be loyal to? I'm his mom, after all. It's my job to make sure my hard-earned boy grows up right and is ready to take over what I've built." James' face lit up at my words. "With a wife and kid in tow, what more could a guy want?" Then, he wrapped me up in a warm hug. "Honey, you're the best wife anyone could ask for. Marrying you was the luckiest break of my life." He released me and started peeling an egg for me. Then, he poured me a glass of milk. He was every bit the doting husband. If I had not overheard his chat with Mandy Wood, I would never have guessed that James had been eyeing my fortune all along. Back when the IVF had just worked and I was eager to share the good news with James, I caught him in an embrace with Mandy instead. "James, can you imagine the look on her face when she finds out the baby's ours? Gives me a thrill just thinking about it!" He ran his fingers through her hair, a gesture so tender yet so full of betrayal. "Remember, this is our little secret. When the child's all grown up, I'm going to give them the grandest present ever. Her fortune will be ours!" I bit back the rage bubbling inside me and chose to act clueless. Little did they know, I had already pulled a switcheroo on them. I managed to swap the embryos just in time, and when it came time to give birth, I brought home an orphan from the welfare home. I promised myself that I would raise this child right. Thinking back to my time with James, we had a whirlwind romance for a year and a decade of marriage. We met during a company hiking trip, and when I was parched and exhausted, he offered me an ice-cold Coke he had lugged up from the base of the mountain. Slowly but surely, his thoughtfulness and gentleness won me over. Even a powerhouse like me needed a rock to lean on sometimes, and James' constant presence brought out my softer side. After multiple IVF attempts for him, I finally got pregnant, only to find out that our maid was James' old flame, and they had even swapped their embryo with mine. There were times I just could not believe that James was actually a heartless monster in disguise.

Chapter 2 Chapter 2

"Ms. Wood, Dad, I'm home!" The sound of my son returning from his art class echoed from the front door. At the sound, I headed to the living room and caught Mandy lifting Calvin into a hug and planting a kiss on his cheek. She was the picture of motherly love. "Calvin, you're back early. Weren't you supposed to have a foreign language class?" At my voice, both Mandy and Calvin stopped in their tracks. She must have forgotten I was home, judging by her expression. Guilt washed over her face as she quickly set Calvin down. Before she could get a word out, James chimed in, "He finally got a break. Why wear himself out? I already told Calvin that Mandy would take him to the theme park." As soon as Mandy heard me, she snapped back to her super polite self. "Mrs. Carter, Mr. Carter mentioned Calvin's been doing great in school lately, and since you're both busy, he said I should take the little guy to the amusement park for some fun!" Calvin gave me an impatient look. "Mom, just drop it. We're heading out. You're always on my case to study. I'm not just some trophy for you to show off!" Before I could get a word in, Mandy stepped in front of Calvin like a mother hen shielding her chick. Her protective stance took me back to the days right after I had the baby. I physically could not produce breast milk, and I told James we might have to use formula instead, but Mandy was the first to push back. She was all about making me eat every kind of nutritional supplement out there. Sometimes, she even forgot to make my meals because she was too busy hovering over the crib all day. Aria, the other maid who looked after me, thought Mandy did not know where to draw the line. She would tease, "People know Mandy's your maid, but anyone else might mistake her for the baby's real mom!" Mandy's face fell, and she hurried to clear things up. "Mrs. Carter went through so much to have this baby, and both Mr. and Mrs. Carter have been so good to me. Of course, I'll do everything I can for the little one." I could not help but watch the drama unfold with a bit of amusement. I even threw in a curveball. "Is that so? Or did you secretly swap your own kid with mine?" Mandy froze, then quickly protested, "Mrs. Carter, what are you talking about? I didn't do anything like that. I'm not even married. How could I have a kid?" When I stayed silent, she actually started making promises. On the other hand, James looked like he was on pins and needles. I could not help but let out a big laugh. "Gotcha! How could I not know my own kid? I was just pulling your leg. Did you really fall for that?" I turned to Aria and said with a smile, "Aria, Mandy's been part of the family for ages. She's like a sister to me. Isn't that right, hubby?" James and Mandy let out a sigh of relief. I caught the exchange of glances between them in my peripheral vision.

Chapter 3 Chapter 3

Pulling myself back to the present, I watched Mandy and Calvin with a grin as I approached. I dabbed at the sweat on Calvin's forehead with a tissue. "I know how hard you've been hitting the books. Guess what I've got for you!" Calvin's eyes lit up when he saw the shiny VIP pass to the brand-new amusement park in my hand. He jumped for joy. He wrapped his arms around me in a bear hug. "Mom, you're the best! Can Dad and Ms. Wood come with us, please?" James overheard and quickly wrapped Calvin in a protective embrace, worried he might say something he should not. "Calvin's been dying to ride the roller coaster, but he's a bit of a chicken..." I held Calvin's hand, still smiling. "So, you don't want me to come with you?" He thought for a second. "Mom, you've got work. You're busy making money for us. I don't want to bug you!""See? Calvin's such a good kid. Whenever I take him out, everyone says how polite and smart he is!" I mused for a moment, "Well, if our little guy is that good, I guess I can take a day off and join the fun!" My words threw James for a loop, and Mandy quickly signaled him to talk me out of it. He chimed in right away, "Honey, you were up all night. You should sit this one out.""Mom, get some rest, okay? I'll bring you back a treat when we get home." I flashed Calvin a grin and said, "Okay, your wish is my command, kiddo!" Calvin leaped into the air in a burst of joy. "Mom, I need a new laptop too. The old one's a no-go for gaming!" I chuckled and gently ruffled his hair. "You got it, champ. Even if you want the stars in the sky, I'd find a way to snag them for you!" Calvin was over the moon. He kept bouncing around, tugging James with one hand and Mandy with the other. A pang of annoyance hit me hard. They looked like the picture-perfect family, all smiles and sunshine, while I felt like the villain hogging their happy ending. The truth was, when I first took Calvin in, I poured my heart into raising him. I never wanted the bad blood between James, Mandy, and me to taint an innocent kid. However, this kid... He wasn't worth my heart. Ever since he started thinking Mandy was his real mom, he practically wrote me off. All he was doing was biding his time, waiting to cash in on my demise and snatch up the inheritance. Well, if that was how it was going to be, I wouldn't play nice anymore.

Chapter 4 Chapter 4

James and Mandy had always believed in staying under the radar, thinking it was the safest bet. When I was home, they played it cool. They kept their distance and acted as if their relationship was just like that of any other employer and maid. However, when they saw I was not biting, Mandy started acting like she owned the place. She would even have James chauffeur her around for grocery runs. The new neighborhood security guard? He was convinced she was Mrs. Carter. However, it worked for me. It gave me the perfect cover to jet off and visit my own flesh and blood. Mandy knew darn well that seafood was off-limits for me due to my allergies. However, every time I came home, there would be a seafood feast waiting. "Mrs. Carter, Calvin's in crunch time with his studies. I've heard from the experts that seafood's brain food because of all that protein!" If it was not one thing, it was another—like the time I caught a nasty cold and Mandy quarantined me in my room like I was patient zero. "Mrs. Carter, Calvin can't fall ill right now. If he skips school now, he'll fall behind!" she insisted. I knew she was just trying to one-up James and keep her son under her thumb, but I kept my mouth shut. I watched their daily dramas unfold and saw Calvin grow more defiant by the day. His ears were practically tuned only to Mandy's voice. It all came to a head with just a hundred days to go before the final school exam, when Calvin threw a fit and declared he was done with school. That was the day James lost it and actually slapped Calvin. "You want to drop out? What's your plan, then? To live life clueless and uneducated?" Calvin, now a towering six-footer, retreated into Mandy's embrace. He was the picture of wounded pride. "Calvin, you should listen to your dad. Sure, we're loaded, but you've got to have some skills of your own," she coaxed. "No way. We're rolling in dough. Why bother with school? I'm not going to slog away like some poor sap. Once Mom hands me the company, I'll be in charge," he shot back. I was still groggy from burning the midnight oil at work when their shouting match in the living room jolted me awake. Bleary-eyed, I trudged downstairs. "What's all this racket about so early in the morning?" I grumbled. James glared at me as I descended. "Your precious son here is throwing a tantrum about not finishing school and not sitting for the exams. You need to straighten him out!" I slumped into the couch and motioned for Mandy to warm up some milk for me. "And here I thought it was the end of the world. He just doesn't want to take the exams. I've been saying we should send him abroad to ease off the pressure. You wouldn't hear of it!" Calvin shot James a look of deep resentment. "It's not the same. I was at the top of my class, so my son's not going to fall short. I'm not on board with this going abroad idea! Even when he's at home, he barely cracks a book. If he goes abroad, he'll totally go off the rails!" Mandy passed me the milk with a concerned look. "Mrs. Carter, I've got to side with Mr. Carter on this one. Having the kid at home just feels safer!" I shot Calvin with a sympathetic grimace. "Your dad's not budging, and I can't bail you out this time, kiddo. Better hit those books! But here's the deal—I promise if you nail college and graduate, I'll hand you the keys to the company. I'll step back and go globetrotting with your dad!" They all beamed at my words, lost in their happy daydreams. Just then, my phone buzzed with a new message: [Mom, I made it into Clarendon University. I'm over the moon!] I grinned at them and shot back a message to my son: [Son, I'm so proud of you!] Suddenly, I was the one counting down the days with the most excitement.

Chapter 5 Chapter 5

The final hundred days before the exams had them all on edge. Mandy whipped up Calvin's favorite meals daily and made sure he did not play hooky. She was on chauffeur duty morning, noon, and night. James pulled out all the stops, bringing in a star tutor to boost his grades. He would sit right there during study sessions to keep an eye on Calvin. However, despite all that, Calvin just barely managed to get into a run-of-the-mill college out of town. "What on earth is going on in that head of yours? All this extra help and your grades are still stuck in the mud!" James exclaimed. I gently tugged at James' arm. "They say the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. Maybe he got his smarts from me? Listen, son, when it's time to find a partner, aim high education-wise. You don't want to shortchange your future kids!" I did not mean much by it, but the words hung heavy in the air. That night, a heated argument broke out in the room next door. I flicked on the surveillance feed, and there was Mandy, clad in a slinky nightie, tears streaming down her face. "It's all on me. I'm the one with the lousy brain, messing up your family's stellar genes." James did not argue, almost as if he agreed with the accusation. Mandy, steaming mad, whacked him with a pillow. "Shh, keep it down! What if Sally wakes up?""So what if she does? I'm sick of this anyway. What am I now? The other woman? A side chick? I'm stuck waiting for you and your kid, and that woman too!" James quickly wrapped Mandy in his arms. "Just hang in there a bit longer. Once Calvin is in charge of the company, I'll make Sally vanish, and then you and I will have our big, fancy wedding!" The room was charged with their secret romance, and I did what I always do—I saved the video, keeping it for evidence someday. On the day Calvin was off to college, James clung to his son. Mandy was behind them, quietly crying. They watched Calvin until he was on the plane, and only then did they leave with heavy hearts. I could not help but tease them, "Anyone else would think you two are an item. He's just off to school, not like he's gone for good. Is all this drama necessary?" Mandy, realizing she had been a bit over the top, scrambled to explain, "I watched Calvin grow up, okay? I'm attached!""Sure, honey. You can get attached to anything if you're around it long enough—even pets." James said. I just chuckled. "Let's face it, our boy's grown up. He's got his own life now. We just need to look after ourselves!" Back home, Mandy told me a relative was sick and she wanted to quit. I did more than just let her go—I gave her a bonus. They must have thought I was an idiot, letting them play me like that. After Mandy left, James started coming home less and less. Whenever I asked, he would say he was hooked on night fishing. Yeah, right. Unbeknownst to him, the overpowering perfume clinging to his clothes and the lipstick stain on his collar were dead giveaways. Still, I played it cool, knowing that the time for payback had not come yet. When he stumbled in one night, a coldness clung to him that sent shivers down my spine. James smelled strongly of booze. "Honey, I've been missing our boy. You think he's doing alright? Once he's back to take the reins of the business, you can hang up your hat, and we'll jet-set around the globe. Does that sound good?" I fought back a wave of disgust and managed a smile. "Absolutely. As soon as he's ready to run the whole show, it'll just be the two of us in our own little world!" Despite his tipsy grin, James' eyes were sharp as ever. "We're about to be a complete family again!"