###Chapter 5

“Eh?” Charles’s teasing voice rang through the phone, laced with delight. “And what about your husband? How could you snatch this prized catch from him and hand it over to an outsider like me?”

I suppressed my exhaustion and hatred, speaking coldly, “That’s none of your concern. Just handle the project well. You won’t lose out.”

He clicked his tongue. “Alright, I’ll accept your generosity, Ms. Wallace.”

Charles had been my right-hand man since my parents passed away. With his talent, he could easily have become the second-in-command of the company. But my husband didn’t like him, so I never entrusted him with the most important projects.

Now, I realized how foolish I had been.

Charles smiled. “Ms. Wallace, you treat me so well. Naturally, I should return the favor with a gift.”

Gift? Before I could ask, he had already said, “Bye-bye,” and hung up.

The next morning, Judith suddenly announced that she had an urgent illness and needed a few days off. I didn’t bother to see her wandering around, so I let her take the leave.

I took my daughter to see a psychologist and afterward, we went shopping together.

When my daughter stared longingly at a small cake in a shop window, I told the attendant, “I want all the small cakes you have here.”

But when the cakes were placed in front of her, she shook her head repeatedly. “Mom, the cakes are too expensive. I don’t want to eat…”

I gently lifted a small cake to her lips. “Everything Mom earns is for you, my little treasure. From now on, whatever you want, you can have it—because you are Mom’s little princess.”

Only then did my daughter timidly take a bite of the cake, her eyes lighting up immediately. “Mom, the cake is so sweet!”

Seeing her smile so happily, I couldn’t help but smile in return.

I bought my daughter a pile of cute princess dresses and toys. Just as I had arranged for everything to be delivered home, my assistant called.

“Ms. Wallace, there’s definitely a problem with the big project your husband is handling… I’ve uncovered a major financial loophole!”

The assistant sent me the documents. As I read through them, my palms went numb.

When Zack took on this project, he swore on his life he would handle it properly so I could focus on expanding our business abroad.

But what did he do in return?

Over two years, he embezzled at least three million dollars!

And what was all that money used for?

At that moment, my phone flashed a trending news alert.

“A mysterious billionaire rents an entire cruise ship, spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on a birthday party for his son.”

The photo showed a tall man holding Nathan, while his other arm wrapped around a curvaceous woman.

Even just from the back, that familiar figure pierced my heart like a thousand needles.

My daughter had just been attacked by a criminal and suffered both physically and emotionally, yet Zack was using my money to throw a birthday party for another woman’s son.

And with my daughter’s birthday approaching, he hadn’t shown any sign of care at all.

Every year, when I wanted to host a birthday party for her, Zack would mutter, “We shouldn’t spoil the child. If we splurge just for a birthday, what will people think of us?”

And I foolishly believed him.

My eyes swept past Judith, who was grinning from ear to ear and I suddenly smiled coldly.

I pulled out my phone and dialed the police.

###Chapter 6

Not only had she stolen our valuable possessions, but she even dared to abuse Yuna. I would make sure she rotted in prison.

Then I instructed my assistant, “Prepare the most luxurious cruise birthday party. For Yuna’s sixth birthday, I want her to be the most beautiful little princess!”

Once everything was arranged, I drove Yuna to Ocean World to see the sharks and dolphin show.

Sitting in the stands, I watched my daughter’s face slowly light up with pure, innocent joy and I couldn’t help but smile too.

My little treasure, no one who ever hurt you would get away with it. Mommy would make them pay twice over!

The next day, I prepared to take Yuna to kindergarten myself. But the moment she heard the words “kindergarten,” her whole body trembled. She shrank into the corner of the bed, curling up into a ball.

“Mom, I don’t want to go to kindergarten… “

Seeing her resist so fiercely, my heart tightened. I crouched down and gently stroked her little head. “Yuna, tell Mommy… did something happen at kindergarten?”

But Yuna just shook her head frantically, her big eyes swimming with terrified tears. “No… no…”

My eyes froze, yet my voice remained gentle. “All right, Mommy will take you out of there.”

At the kindergarten, I had Yuna sit on a hallway bench eating a small cake while I strode straight into the principal’s office.

Facing me, a benefactor who had donated millions, the principal grew anxious when he heard I wanted to withdraw my daughter.

“Ms. Wallace, please calm down! I’ll call Miss Wilson right away to clarify. There must be some misunderstanding!”

Suddenly, a sharp, piercing commotion erupted from the playground. “This dress is so expensive. How can a worthless brat wear it?”

“You wretched girl! Why didn’t the thug finish you off last time?”

“Dare to get cake on my shoes? Do you know how expensive these are? Get on your knees and lick them clean!”

Immediately after came my daughter’s heart-wrenching scream.

Blood surged to my head in an instant.

I rushed outside and saw several children pinning Yuna to the ground. Nathan, fat as a piglet, was pressing his cream-covered shoe against my daughter’s mouth, his tiny eyes filled with malice.

“Lick it, you wretched girl!”

“Haha, she’s like a little dog!”

The other kids cheered, some even yanking Yuna’s hair and forcing her head onto the dirty shoe.

Her cries were drowned out by their wicked laughter.

I couldn’t believe children so young could be so cruel.

“Get away!”

I charged forward and slapped Nathan hard across the face, sending him tumbling like a ragdoll. He froze in shock, clutching his cheek, the clear imprint of my hand marking his face, tears welling in his eyes.

At that moment, a stylish, seductive young woman stormed into the crowd, flanked by bodyguards.

She looked somewhat familiar.

But what was even more familiar were the custom diamond necklace around her neck and the limited-edition Cartier watch on her wrist. These were things I had brought back on my last business trip.

She scooped up Nathan from the ground with apparent concern, glaring at me. “How dare you hit my son? Do you even know who my husband is?”

The principal, gasping for breath, hurried up. “It’s a misunderstanding… it’s all a misunderstanding…”

“Shut up! Do you even have the right to speak?”

The woman scolded the principal with disdain. He paled and tried to respond, but a single look from me silenced him instantly and he stepped back.

“Is these just kids fooling around? And you, an adult, laying hands on a child like that. Have you no shame?” she said, pointing at my nose, her tone arrogant. “Now my son is hurt! He’s the only heir in our family for three generations. Can you even afford to pay for this?”

She clearly had no idea who I was. Otherwise, even with ten times her courage, she wouldn’t dare act so arrogantly in front of me.

I smiled coldly. Once her little performance was over, I turned to the principal and spat out three words. “Call the police.”

She seemed to think I’d just made the funniest joke in the world. She rolled her eyes in contempt. “Call the police? My husband is the head of the Wallace Group. Even the police chief has to give him face. You’re the one who’s going to jail!”

Several kindergarten teachers had also gathered around, chattering to support her.

“We all saw it. This woman started hitting Nathan first! How dare she call the police?”

“Nathan is the heir to the Wallace Group. This kindergarten exists because of his family’s donations. Who do you and your daughter think you are?”

It seemed I had truly neglected my daughter’s life so much that even the kindergarten teachers thought they could trample over me.

Amid the clamor, I fixed a half-smile on Nathan in front of me. “Heir to the Wallace Group? Funny… I don’t recall having a ‘son’ like you.”

Nathan’s mother’s heart skipped a beat. “What did you just say?”

Immediately, shame turned to fury. She barked sharply at the bodyguards behind her, “Teach this wretched mother and daughter a lesson! Beat them until they’re dead. My husband will cover it!”

Just as she was baring her claws, her phone vibrated. Seeing the ID name “My husband” on the screen, she arrogantly shot me a glance, then answered, her voice suddenly sweet and aggrieved.

“Honey, come to the kindergarten quickly! Some shrew is bullying our son…”

The next moment, her face drained of color, pale as paper, her eyes bulging as if they might pop out. “What? The police… took my mom away?”

At the same time, my phone rang.