One day, my partner, Natalie Moore, cried and begged me to let her have the baby she had conceived with her childhood sweetheart, Yarden Holt.

I agreed, but only on two conditions.

Firstly, Yarden had to take the child abroad and never come back.

Secondly, if Natalie ever broke the first condition and allowed them to come back, half of the Moore family’s estate had to be transferred to me.

Everyone called me a gold-digging opportunist. They accused me of using a woman to climb the social ladder and coveting the Moore family fortune. Nevertheless, Natalie was willing to go against the entire Moore Corp board just to keep that child.

Five years after that, I went to a neighboring city for a project and found a little boy. I took him to the police station so they could contact his family. The officer dialed the number the boy gave, and the voice that came through was one I knew all too well.

“Baby, don’t worry. I’m coming to get you right now.”

Less than half an hour later, Natalie, who was supposed to be hundreds of miles away at a meeting, stormed into the police station.

I sat on a bench and watched her indifferently.

She froze, and her face turned pale.

I smiled and stood up to greet her. “Natalie, I had no idea that you had secretly brought this little boy back. Did you stop caring about your inheritance?”

“Zayden, I can explain!”

Natalie Moore pulled the boy behind her. Her instinctive gesture cut me like a knife.

“This is not the place to talk,” I cut her off and picked up my briefcase.

“Have that man come to pick up the child. Then we can talk.”

“Yarden isn’t well—”

“Natalie.”

I stared at her coldly. My gaze was as sharp as a blade.

“Do you want me to call your grandfather right now, or should my lawyer be the one to contact him?”

Natalie fell silent. The agreement we held could strip her of her position as chairperson of Moore Corp and leave her with nothing.

The boy, Xeno Holt, suddenly stuck his head out and shouted at me, “You’re a bad guy! Don’t bully my mom!”

It was the innocence children spoke with that made their words hurt the most. Natalie quickly covered Xeno’s mouth and stared at me in panic.

“Great attitude,” I sneered. “Yarden sure taught him well. It seems that, instead of improving himself, he spent years turning his son into his little pawn.”

With that, I turned away and walked out of the police station. It was snowing, and the wind carried a cold air that pierced through me.

I recalled Natalie’s words, five years ago, begging me to let the child she was carrying that wasn’t mine live. She had kneeled in front of me and explained that the infant was the result of a drunken accident with her first love, Yarden Holt, and that the Moore family had too few heirs.

At that time, I had just finished negotiating a major project for Moore Corp. It had exhausted me so much that I ended up in the hospital with a stomach ulcer.

I thus decided to sign an agreement with two conditions:

Firstly, Yarden had to take the child abroad and never come back.

Secondly, if Natalie ever broke the first condition and allowed them to come back, half of the Moore family’s estate had to be transferred to me.

Back then, Julian Moore, Natalie’s grandfather, was so furious that he almost broke her legs with his cane. Still, to appease me and protect the Moore family’s reputation, he agreed to my terms.

That day, Natalie swore to me, “Zayden, it was just a mistake. You’re the only one I love. The shares are yours. My life is yours. Just let me give birth to the child and send him away. I’ll spend my whole life making it up to you.”

Until today, she had truly devoted herself to keeping that promise. No matter how busy she was, she made sure to call every day to report her schedule. On every holiday, she never failed to send expensive gifts. She even turned down contracts worth hundreds of millions just to be with me on our wedding anniversary.

I thought time would erase the past.

The snow had stopped.

Natalie had the driver take Xeno home first.

She had not dared to leave without me.

We sat in a coffee shop right next to the police station.

“Zayden, it’s not what you think.”

Natalie gripped her coffee cup so tightly that her knuckles turned white. Her voice was hoarse.

“Yarden… He really did take the child away after he was born, but his business there failed, and Xeno has a congenital heart condition. Abroad, medical care is too expensive. As a foreigner, he simply couldn’t afford it.”

“So that’s why you brought him back?” I tapped my fingers lightly on the table. “I mean, wasn’t bringing him back good enough? Did you have to put him in a high-end apartment under Moore Corp and visit every week too? Natalie, are you doing charity, or are you two in a sugar relationship?”

“I only visit that place to see my child! He’s my own flesh and blood!” Natalie quickly defended.

“Zayden, the child is innocent. Xeno isn’t well. Every time he has an attack, he cries out for me. What else am I supposed to do? I can’t just stand by and watch him die.”

“So you chose to keep me in the dark like a fool?” I asked. “Natalie, do you really think that as long as you don’t bring them right in front of me, you’re not breaking the agreement? What about the promise you made back then?”

Natalie said nothing.

That silence was soon broken by the ringing of her phone. However, she looked at the screen and did not pick up. Then, it was my phone’s turn to ring.

It was an unknown number.

I accepted the call, and Yarden’s voice came through, sounding calm, gentle, but weak.

“Mr. Jenkins, this is Yarden. I know you’re with Natalie right now. Can I… explain something to you?”

I put the sound on speaker and set the phone on the table.

“Mr. Jenkins, it’s all my fault.”

Yarden spoke politely, with the meek, helpless tone of an educated man.

“I’m a failure. I couldn’t provide for Xeno. That is why I had to swallow my pride and come back to ask Natalie for help.

“She is loyal and kind, and she only felt sorry for the child. Please don’t blame her.

“If you can’t tolerate us, I’ll leave with Xeno immediately.

“Even if we have nowhere to go, I’ll never make trouble for you.”

Suddenly, the phone carried the sound of a child coughing, and Yarden’s panicked voice followed, trying to calm him.

Natalie’s face paled.

She grabbed my phone and shouted into it.

“Yarden, is Xeno having another attack?

“Don’t move! The medicine is in the cabinet! I’ll be there right away!”

She hung up and gave me a pleading look, panic written all over her face.

“Zayden, Xeno’s heart condition is acting up. He could die. I have to go! We can deal with everything else when we get home, okay?”

I looked at her.

One moment, she was confessing to me. The next, she heard Xeno coughing on the other end and could think of nothing else.

I knew Natalie too well.

Yarden only needed to show a little helplessness, a bit of fatherly concern, and he could completely control her.

“Go.”

I leaned back into my chair, and my expression turned cold.

“Natalie, once you leave, we’re done.”

She froze.

She stared at me, full of doubt. Finally, she spoke through clenched teeth, “Zayden, a life is at stake. I can’t just stand by.”

Without another word, she turned around and left.

I watched her walk away before picking up the cold coffee in front of me to pour it onto the floor. It felt like something lost that could never be recovered.

Then, I pulled out my phone and called Julian.

“Mr. Moore, I’m in the neighboring city. I’ll visit you later.”

I went straight to Moore Corp’s branch in that city.

Julian was inspecting the office. When he saw me, he did not look surprised.

The office cleared out, leaving only me and him inside.

“Zayden, why do you look so grim?”

Julian raised his coffee cup and studied me with sharp eyes.

“Mr. Moore, you already know, don’t you?” I lost no time asking. “Yarden has been back in the country for three years. He is still living in a Moore Corp apartment and is spending Natalie’s money. You have people everywhere in the company. There’s no way you didn’t know.”

Julian paused his sipping and sighed. “Natalie is foolish and soft-hearted.” He set down the cup. “I remember that child. He is an illegitimate son, yes, but he carries Moore blood. He is not healthy. It’s natural for Natalie to take care of him.”

“Natural?” I scoffed. “Then about the agreement Natalie and I signed? Was it all a joke?”

“Zayden!” Julian raised his tone. “You are the Moore family’s son-in-law. You need to think long-term. As long as that man doesn’t become part of the family or threaten your position, why not give Natalie some dignity in public? Besides…” Julian looked at me meaningfully. “No children have come out of the five years you and Natalie spent together. A family as large as the Moores needs an heir. Natalie having a child outside the marriage was also for the sake of the Moore family.”

A cold feeling spread through my body. Suddenly, I was the party at fault for not making Natalie pregnant, and she was the kind and thoughtful one for having betrayed me. My righteous anger apparently spoke of nothing else but selfishness.

“What if I say I want a divorce?”

I stared at Julian.

His face darkened, and he slammed his cup onto the table. “Don’t be ridiculous! Do you think divorce is a game? Moore Corp’s stock can’t handle this kind of shock. The shares in your hands are both protection and leverage. Do you really think you can walk away with the Moore family’s money? It won’t be that easy.”

Julian narrowed his eyes. The authority of a person long in power filled the room.

I clenched my fist. My nails pressed into my palm. In this family, there was no warmth, only cold calculations of interest.

Someone knocked at the door.

The secretary entered with an awkward expression. “Mr. Moore, Ms. Moore is here. She brought the child with her.”

Natalie walked in moments later.

She held Xeno in her arms. Yarden followed behind her. His face was pale.

“Grandpa.”

Natalie did not dare to look at me. She went straight to Julian and brought the child closer.

“Xeno heard you were here and insisted on coming to see you.”

Xeno was pale, yet obedient. “Hello, Great-Grandpa.”

Julian’s expression softened immediately.

“Good boy. Very good.”

He reached out and touched Xeno’s head gently.

Yarden stood in the corner and glanced at me. That look did not match his gentle, harmless appearance. There was a trace of cold provocation in his eyes. As long as Julian acknowledged Xeno, even if Yarden never officially joined the family, he would still be credited as someone who had secured an heir for the Moore family.

Meaning that sooner or later, I would be kicked out of the family.

Natalie looked at me with new confidence.

“Zayden, Grandpa has already made his stance clear. Just think of this as doing good by the Moore family.”

My insides twisted painfully. Years of business dinners for Moore Corp had left me with chronic stomach problems, and the pain struck without warning. Cold sweat broke out over my back.

I pressed a hand to my stomach, and the color started draining from my face.

Natalie kept talking, oblivious. My body swayed, and I almost collapsed.

“Zayden!” she cried.

I pulled my hand away from hers and walked straight into the lounge. Sitting and breathing a little bit helped me recover. Then, Yarden appeared out of nowhere and dropped to his knees in front of me. His eyes were teary, and his expression showed insecurity.

“Mr. Jenkins, I know I should never have returned. But Xeno’s heart condition requires surgery. The best specialist is in the city. I came back because I had no other way to save his life.”

He looked up at me. His face was undeniably handsome, with the polished look of a sugar baby.

“As soon as Xeno’s surgery succeeds, I’ll take him and leave immediately. We won’t trouble you again. Mr. Jenkins, you’re a man too. You should understand the misery of not being able to protect your family. Please, have some compassion for me as a father.”