Mavis’s POV

My husband and my son don’t remember anything from our past lives, so of course they have no idea the woman in front of them is poison in heels.

‘If I act too aggressively now, I’ll just look like a psycho.’

So I smile and smooth things over. “Bubbles, you’re quite pretty. Come on in, have a seat.”

Bubbles wasted no time plopping down next to Thayer, all sweet and well-behaved as she handed over her so-called gifts to us. “I picked these out especially for you, ma’am, sir.”

Two bottles of Glenfiddich. Each one costs upwards of two or three grand.

What really caught me off guard, though, was the LV bag she brought. Not the basic kind. Not the discounted kind. No—it’s a globally limited edition collector’s piece. About 55,000 dollars for one. The exact model I’d had my eye on before.

‘There’s no way Bubbles can afford that kind of thing on her own. So where the hell did it come from?’

Then I caught Thayer staring at her like she hung the moon, and it clicked. ‘She probably bought it with my son’s money!’

My chest tightened with rage.

But I swallowed it down and kept smiling as I took the bag. “Thanks, dear. You’re so sweet.”

Then I asked the maid to bring over a Hermès bag—same price range—and handed it right back to Bubbles.

Her eyes lit up with glee. “Thank you, ma’am!”

Thayer cut in, “You’re still calling her ma’am?”

“M-Mom!” she beamed, like she just won the damn lottery.

Hearing that made me feel like I swallowed a fly. But I still forced out a grunt, “Mm.”

And just like that, she was halfway to winning this round.

I invited her to stay for dinner.

Throughout the meal, Bubbles played her part like a perfect little socialite. Thayer and Elwood were both clearly impressed.

Near the end of dinner, I looked at Thayer and said, “Son, your dad and I will take care of the wedding planning.”

Thayer smiled. “Sure, Mom.”

He seemed to have something else to say but was hesitating. In the end, he admitted, “Actually, there’s something I want to talk to you about.”

‘Here it comes. They’re gonna say they don’t want kids.’

I stayed calm on the outside, warm and gentle. “Go on, we’re listening.”

“Mom… Bubbles and I decided not to have children.”

Thayer gave me a hopeful look. “You’re still okay with us getting married, right?”

We’re a close family. Always had a relaxed, light-hearted vibe. Sometimes my husband and I even teased our son about stuff.

Back then, I thought, ‘Thayer’s just talking big. Young people, right? Play around now, settle down later. With today’s technology, there’s always a way. Besides, who’s going to inherit our billions if not him?’

So in that easygoing moment, both my husband and I stupidly agreed to the wedding—even with the no-kids clause.

And that decision… killed our entire family.

My smile vanished. “You two don’t want kids? Absolutely not. I don’t approve of this marriage.”

The cheerful mood around the table collapsed in a second.

A moment later, Elwood leaned in and whispered in my ear, “They’re still young. Maybe they’ll change their minds once they’re older.”

I shot him a glare. “No.

“What the hell did we bust our asses for our whole lives? We earned all this money—for who? We’ve got over ten billion in assets. If no one’s inheriting it, I might as well donate it all to charity!”

Seeing the shift in my tone, Bubbles seemed to have freaked out. “Mom, we were just joking. Really.”

I waved her off. “Oh, dear, you’re in the Moncriefs. We’re not some average household. This isn’t something you get to joke about.”

Last time, after we gave our blessing, Thayer ran off the very next day and got a vasectomy behind our backs.

I didn’t even find out until the day my husband and I were in that car accident.

“I’m sorry, Mom. It’s all my fault. Don’t blame Thayer.”

Bubbles rushed over and dropped to her knees in front of me.

I flinched—then couldn’t help the cold laugh bubbling up in my chest.

‘Classic manipulative little snake! She knows exactly how to play people. And she sure does.’

The second she kneeled, Thayer looked like his heart was breaking. He stared at me, practically begging. “Mom… my fiancée knows she made a mistake.”

Mavis’s POV

Even Elwood’s expression softened a little.

“Honey… maybe let’s just drop it?”

I shot him a glare. “What, Elwood? You don’t want a grandkid or something?”

He froze, then gave a sheepish laugh. “No, no, honey, that’s not what I meant.”

‘Ugh. My husband’s a good man, but sometimes he’s just really too damn soft-hearted!’

I ignored him and turned to Thayer.

“You’re our only child—the precious baby of the family. Someday you’re going to inherit billions. You’ve got to carry some weight for this family. What, you really want your parents to go make a backup kid?”

At that, Thayer lowered his head, clearly upset—but I caught a flash of defiance in his eyes.

I knew I couldn’t push too hard, so I turned to Bubbles and said, “Dear, you can leave now. I’ll consider your marriage to my son. But for now, just call me ‘Ma’am.’”

Her face went pale, and she forced a reply.

“Ma’am, Thayer and I… we really do love each other.

“We only said we didn’t want kids right now because we’re focused on our careers. We just want to wait a year or two—but we do want kids someday.”

She shot Thayer a look.

“Yes, Mom,” he jumped in. “We’re not really against having kids… It was just a joke. We were messing around.”

He tried to laugh it off, but I’ve known that boy since the day he was born.

His eyes were darting, his voice was weak. Both me and his father could see right through it—he was lying.

And worse—he was siding with her.

That pissed me off.

‘How do I make this boy realize he’s being played by a snake who’ll chew him up and spit out the bones?’

Suddenly, I had an idea.

I waved over the housekeeper and whispered a few words in her ear. She nodded and headed outside to make a call.

Not long after, she shouted, “Ma’am! I got it!”

She rushed back in, breathless.

“Tomorrow at 10 a.m., Sir Thayer has an appointment at The People’s Hospital for… a vasectomy.”

She paused.

“And it was Miss Bubbles who paid for it.”

The second she heard it, Bubbles’s face completely shifted.

A flicker of hatred flashed in her eyes as she looked at me.

Even Elwood’s face turned dark. “Bubbles… How could you?”

Thayer looked totally lost. “Bubbles… What’s she talking about?”

She turned to him and explained calmly, “Thayer, you did say you wanted to be childfree. I just helped set it up.”

I stared at him for a long while until I spoke between my greeted teeth. “You trying to give us a heart attack, son?”

Before he could even answer, his so-called fiancée slapped herself across the face.

“I’m so sorry, ma’am, uncle. I… I took it too far. Please don’t blame Thayer.”

She stood up.

“Thayer, I was wrong. I admit it. I won’t do it again. I made your parents angry… Maybe we should just break up.”

She was out of tricks and had no choice but to play the victim.

Of course, Thayer, the clueless sweetheart, totally fell for it—his eyes tearing up like it was some kind of tragic romance.

“Bubbles, my parents are actually super open-minded. Go home first, I’ll talk to them, okay?”

She even played the sweet, thoughtful card. “Thayer, just promise me you won’t upset your parents again.”

Then, wiping away fake tears, she turned to leave—didn’t even bother to grab her Hermès bag.

But right before she walked out, she gave me a quick glance—pure venom in her eyes.

Thayer started to follow her, but I stopped him. “Where do you think you’re going?”

“Mom!” he snapped. “I can’t even walk her out?”

Without waiting for my response, he stormed out the door and started whispering sweet nothings to her on the porch.

I watched them and couldn’t decide whether to laugh or scream.

‘This stupid kid’s never been in a real relationship before—that’s why he’s getting played like a damn puppet.’

Mavis’s POV

‘My son… He’s tall, handsome, and has that sunny charm. A real catch—rich, good-looking, the whole damn package. He could go toe-to-toe with any hot young celebrity out there. Girls even line up for him!’

But Bubbles… She schemed her way into his life.

‘And I just know she’s not done. She’ll pull even more tricks. I have to stay alert.’

“Honey, why do you seem to have it out for Bubbles today?”

My husband looked confused.

“Honey, I had a nightmare last night…”

I told him everything that happened in my past life, pretending it was just a dream.

When he heard about how we were targeted for our money and how Thayer got thrown off the company—bones shattered, body destroyed—Elwood turned pale with shock.

“Honey, am I being paranoid?” I asked.

“No,” he said quickly. “Not at all. You see this kind of thing on the news all the time. We need to be careful.”

Finally, I had Elwood on my side.

“Thayer, come here.”

He came in from outside and walked over reluctantly. “Mom, what is it?”

I sighed. ‘It’s our fault—he’s too sheltered.’

“Are you mad at me?” I asked.

He clenched his fists and looked away. “No.”

I gave a small smile. “Really? You’re not? I know you like her. But liking someone is one thing—marriage is forever. I don’t want you getting hurt.”

“Mom, how’s she gonna hurt me? I’m just getting married.”

“Let me ask you this—whose idea was it to be child-free? Think before you answer, and don’t lie to me.”

He hesitated, and when he answered, he lowered his head. “Bubbles brought it up.”

Then he quickly added, “But you heard her—she said it’s for the sake of her career.”

I shook my head. “Then why was she in such a damn rush to schedule your vasectomy? For her career, too?”

“You can reverse it, right? She told me it’s reversible if we ever want kids…”

Elwood couldn’t hold it anymore—he pointed at our son, furious. “Use your damn brain! Vasectomies aren’t easy to reverse!”

I didn’t yell. I just asked calmly, “How long have you known Bubbles?”

“Three months.”

I let out a bitter laugh. No wonder this naive fool got targeted.

‘Just three months in, and they’re already talking about marriage? You think this is love? That girl’s got her eyes on your hundred-billion-dollar inheritance, not your heart!’

“Son, you’re willing to get a vasectomy for a girl you’ve known for three months and be child-free forever? No regrets?”

He froze. Clearly, he hadn’t thought that far ahead.

I softened my voice. “You’re a catch, son. Good girls are everywhere. You get to choose. Don’t let anyone trap you. No matter what, love shouldn’t come with this kind of damage.”

He finally seemed to get it. “Okay, Mom. I’ll listen to you.”

I let out a breath of relief and asked lightly, “So the wedding’s on hold, then?”

He sighed and replied, “Alright.”

Elwood pulled him aside and asked a few questions.

A moment later, our son came back red-faced and ran into his room.

“They haven’t slept together,” Elwood said.

I let out another bitter laugh. ‘That idiot son of mine really is being led around by the nose. But thank God they haven’t crossed that line yet!’

Still, I underestimated Bubbles’s shamelessness.

A few days went by, and Thayer told me that sometimes Bubbles would ask him out—dinner, movies, shopping.

Sometimes she even came over to our villa, ate with us, and acted all sweet doing the dishes afterward. But we have a maid—I told her she didn’t need to.

Thayer and even Elwood started warming up to her. They began to think she might actually make a good wife and mother.

Mavis’s POV

That night, just as I finished some company work and was about to get into bed, Thayer called.

“Son? You’re still not home?”

But instead of his voice, I heard Bubbles sobbing on the other end.

“M-Ma’am… Thayer and I… We’re at a hotel. He… He forced himself on me. He’s my first! If he doesn’t marry me, my reputation’s ruined! My mom… She says I should go… to the cops. Ma’am, what should I do?”

I froze.

Damn. That was clever—disgusting, but clever.

With this move, she had my son cornered. ‘If he doesn’t marry her, she’ll send him to jail, smear his name. He’ll be labeled a rapist for the rest of his life. What now?’