On the eve of our engagement ceremony, I noticed that Angelina Manning, my rich girlfriend, wasn't paying attention at all when we were shopping together.

I bought a hotdog from a nearby food truck and passed it to Angelina's lips. To my surprise, she tossed it to the ground furiously.

"Devon Fuller, my family wants a son-in-law who can carry himself with confidence and poise! Stop buying these cheap things! You'll just end up embarrassing me even more! How can my parents ever accept you if you keep doing things like this?"

Feeling rather awkward, I picked up the hotdog and threw it into a nearby trash can. Then, I nodded in response so that I could maintain our four-year relationship.

"Okay."

I thought that was the end of the outburst, but Angelina decided to get engaged to Jeffrey Terell the next day.

"Devon, Jeffrey committed suicide and got admitted into the hospital just so he could be with me. Once he's back to normal, I'll definitely return to you."

I still nodded and broke up with Angelina.

"Okay."

After that, I left.

Four years later, Angelina shows up at my residence with the diamond ring she had used to propose to me back then.

"Devon, Jeffrey has agreed to file for a divorce from me. We can finally be together again! I told you before that I can return to your side as soon as Jeffrey lets go of his obsession over me and stops hurting himself."

I frown at Angelina, who looks all loving and affectionate. At the same time, I mentally curse myself for picking this particular time to come home.

After all, I've decided to come back to my cottage just to grab something on a whim, only to bump into my delusional ex-girlfriend.

I just push her toward the door. "Excuse me. I don't want to be late picking up my kid from school."

Angelica trailed behind me and said, "I've already looked into it. No other woman has come to this cottage in the past four years, so where did the son of yours come from? I know you're angry, but I'll take you home right now.

"Even though your family is poor and only makes a living by raising chickens, I've already convinced my parents to accept you. They won't look down on you anymore."

I turned my head and frowned at her. "I told you my family has chicken farms all over the hills."

Angelica scoffed. "That still makes you a chicken farmer. Whatever you do, don't mention that in front of my parents. It's simply too unsophisticated."

Ugh, I might as well forget it. There was no reasoning with a city girl like her.

She had no idea how valuable those free-range, organic chickens roaming all over the hills were. My family had long since climbed out of poverty and made a fortune from them.

I quickened my pace. Otherwise, I'd be late picking up my son, Tommy Fuller, from school.

Angelica followed behind, saying, "I can take you back to my place right now. The villa is spacious, so even though Jeffrey hasn't moved out yet, there's still room for you. But you'll need to be nice to him. He's quite sensitive, so be considerate and don't provoke him."

"What the heck?" I stared at Angelica in disbelief. "You're coming after me before your divorce is even finalized, and now you expect me to live under the same roof as your husband? Do you take me for a homewrecker or a kept man? Have you lost your mind?"

I yanked the car door open and slid inside, desperate to put some distance between us.

With practiced ease, she opened the passenger door and settled in beside me, chiding, "How many times have I told you to lock the doors as soon as you get in? It's basic safety. Why do you still forget?"

Her tone was as familiar as it had been four years ago, as if nothing had ever changed.

Having Angelica stuck to me like a shadow sent a wave of fury surging through me.

"Get out of the car, now!"

Angelica buckled her seatbelt, wearing a smug expression that seemed determined to expose my bluff.

"Aren't you picking up your son from school? You'd better start the car now, or we'll be late."

I checked the time. We really were cutting it close. Once all his classmates leave, Tommy would be the only one left, and he'd be upset.

I stepped on the accelerator, and we pulled out of the garage.

"When you see my son later, please keep your mouth shut," I said with a frown.

"Fine, I won't say a word," Angelic replied nonchalantly. "Devon, you're really selling this act. I'm curious to see how you're going to pull a son out of thin air."

As I drove, I forced myself to stay calm.

We stopped at a red light, and as we sat staring at the congested traffic ahead, I asked in a low voice, "Angelica, what makes you think I'd still be waiting for you after four years?"

My tone caught her off guard, and a flicker of unease crossed her mind. But it was quickly replaced by her usual confidence.

"Having met me, how could you ever settle for anyone else? Who of any real substance do you even meet besides me? If you're not waiting for me, who else could you possibly end up with?"

I let out a long sigh.

So, that was it. In Angelica's mind, I simply wasn't worthy of meeting anyone better. That was why she had left without a second thought back then and now returned with such confidence.

The traffic light turned green.

I pressed the accelerator. Once we passed the intersection, I said softly, "Angelica, I'm not joking. I'm married and have a son now. Once we park, please leave. I don't want you disrupting my life."

Angelica frowned slightly. "Devon, do you really think you can fool me? I know you're upset, so go ahead and throw whatever tantrum you want. I'll be right here with you, until you've had enough and come back to me."

Since there was no getting through to her with words, I decided to let her see the truth with her own eyes and crush her hopes once and for all.

Tommy stretched out his arms and ran toward me with a sweet smile.

"Daddy, why are you so late today?"

"I stopped by the old cottage to pick up some things," I said. "Sorry to keep you waiting. How about I make it up to you with some fries later?"

"Okay!" Tommy replied, hugging me happily.

Angelica clearly hadn't expected me to actually return with a child. Her expression changed instantly.

"Devon, there should be a limit to your jokes. You can't just drag around someone else's kid like this. This is child abduction. Do you know you could go to jail for this? Hurry up and take him back."

She angrily grabbed Tommy's arm, trying to lead him away.

I quickly slapped her hand away and scooped Tommy into my arms. "What do you think you're doing?"

The preschool teacher, Marissa Lopez, spotted us and walked over.

"Oh, are you Tommy's mom? We've always seen his dad but never met you. Glad to finally put a face to the name."

Angelica stared at me in disbelief. "He's really your son?"

"Of course he is." I was about to walk away with Tommy in my arms when she blocked my path.

"How old is Tommy?" she asked, her eyes fixed intently on Ms. Lopez.

"He's three this year."

Three years old?

Angelica stared at Tommy, who stood a head taller than the kids around him. Suddenly, her hands shot out and gripped my arm tightly.

"Devon, he's not really three years old, is he? He should be four. Our baby that was born prematurely back then—he didn't die, did he? You hid him from me all this time, didn't you?"

I looked at her calmly. "If that baby had survived back then, would you have refused to marry Jeffrey?"

"I…" Angelica faltered, then lowered her head and frowned. "If Jeffrey couldn't marry me, he would have killed himself."

I let out a cold laugh. "You have no right to bring up our child ever again."

"Devon, I'll take you and Tommy home right now," she said. "My parents have always wanted a grandchild. If you bring Tommy back with you, they'll surely overlook our different backgrounds."

I rolled my eyes so hard I was practically looking at my own brain. "Who said I was going back with you? I told you, he's not your son. Can't you get that through your thick skull?"

"Enough, Devon. I can't just stand by and watch my family's bloodline be raised outside our home. Why didn't you tell me sooner? How could you send our child to a school like this? How can he grow up properly in such a cramped, run-down place?"

I glanced at the preschool, then back at Angelica.

This was a top-ranked preschool, the kind that fed into the best K-12 schools in the state. Did Angelica even get how much that mattered? Her so-called elite school, where everyone just coasted through, didn't even come close to them.

I specifically had my wife, Vera Lambert, transfer Tommy here. I didn't want him to pick up the arrogant, entitled habits of those kids from wealthy families.

It never crossed my mind that Angelica would look down on this place so much. Honestly, it made me all the more grateful that I hadn't married someone with such narrow-minded views.

"Stay away from us. This has nothing to do with you," I said coldly.

"Who else could he be if not my son?" Angelica pulled Ms. Lopez aside. "Tell me, whose name is listed as the mother in Tommy's records?"

Since we didn't want our identities exposed, we had left the mother's information blank in the preschool's records. As a result, Ms. Lopez genuinely had no idea who Tommy's mother was.

Hearing that they had no information about the mother, Angelica became even more convinced that Tommy was her son.

"Devon, it must've been hard raising Tommy on your own all these years. You've had your fun, but enough is enough. Let's go home now."

Tommy didn't understand what we were arguing about and just whispered in my ear, "Daddy, weren't we going to get fries?"

As if she'd heard something outrageous, Angelica suddenly flared up.

"Devon, how could you feed Tommy such junk?" she snapped. "First, it was those cheap food truck hot dogs you used to love, and now you're letting him eat this filthy garbage?

"What if something happens to him? Could you bear the responsibility? He's the only heir to my family!"

I was planning to have our housekeeper, Sharon Palmer, prepare homemade fries for Tommy. How was that "filthy"?

Ignoring Angelica, I headed for the car with Tommy in my arms.

She, however, blocked the car door. "Don't put Tommy in this old thing. It's beneath him."

To avoid drawing attention, I'd deliberately chosen this understated, reliable car. Though not luxurious, the back seat had been specially modified to be the safest and most comfortable for Tommy.

If Angelica had simply glanced at the back seat earlier, she would've realized I had a son and that I took his safety seriously. But alas, she never paid attention to anything about me.

She simply pointed at her Mercedes and said, "Devon, stop with this act. Only I can give you and Tommy the best life."

As she spoke, Jeffrey walked over. He was dressed in a tuxedo that looked completely out of place on the bustling street.

He lifted his feet slightly in disgust, then said with a frown, "Angelica, weren't you supposed to pick Devon up? What are you still doing here? After this, you still need to accompany me to meet the mysterious Ms. Lambert, who just took over Lambert Group."

Angelica's demeanor softened instantly when she saw him. "I remember, don't worry. I'd never forget anything about you," she said gently. "I need to deal with a problem here, but I'll join you soon to meet Vera.

"You look so handsome and charming. I'm sure she'll be drawn to you and become your wife. The Lambert family is Riverton's most prominent family, far surpassing my own. Jeffrey, you'll find true happiness. Just give me a moment to wrap things up here, alright?"

When I heard their exchange, I froze for a moment. Were they saying what I thought they were?

Jeffrey was supporting Angelica in reconnecting with her ex-boyfriend, while she was helping him find his next partner? And more importantly, was the Vera they mentioned actually referring to my wife?

I looked at Jeffrey with a complicated expression. This guy really rubbed me the wrong way.

"I really am just too charming," Jeffrey said smugly. Then he turned and saw me holding Tommy. Instantly, he let out a sharp cry, "Devon, who is this child?"

Angelica panicked and hurriedly explained, "This is my son, Tommy. Jeffrey, let me explain—"

Jeffrey looked as if he'd been struck hard. He suddenly clutched his chest and said, "Angelica, you had a child with Devon behind my back?

"You could've just left me back then, so why betray me like this? Is it because of them that you never wanted to be intimate with me all these years?"

Seeing how devastated he was, Angelica rushed over to comfort him. "Jeffrey, it's not what you think. This happened before we were married. You know about the premature baby I had with Devon back then, right?

"Devon grew up poor and was afraid of losing me, so he hid Tommy to keep me tied to him. I only found out today. Jeffrey, please don't take it out on Devon, alright?"

Jeffrey pointed at me in anguish. "Devon, how could you be so shameless? How dare you hide Angelica's son? Don't you have any conscience at all?"

Tommy didn't fully understand his words but could tell he was attacking me. He pointed a tiny finger at Jeffrey and fiercely declared, "You're a bad person. Why are you yelling at my daddy? You're so mean!"

Jeffrey raised his hand as if to strike Tommy. In an instant, I shifted Tommy to one arm and caught Jeffrey's wrist.

"Try laying a hand on my son. I dare you."

Angelica grabbed my arm. "Devon, let go of Jeffrey. He didn't mean it."