The moment I was pushed into the river by my six stepbrothers and drowned there, I was still clutching a piece of candy my mom had given me.

When I open my eyes again, I curl up in my swaddle as a one-month-old baby.

That's when I notice six children glaring at me darkly with their hands outstretched, ready to strangle me.

As I stare at them, I begin cursing them out mentally.

"Just you wait till the day I can speak, you bastards!"

My mom rushes out of the kitchen instantly. "It's a rare occasion for me to cook for the family, so I told you to keep an eye on your baby sister. Why are you cursing all of a sudden?"

The brothers swap glances with each other in confusion. The oldest brother, Alex Finch, scratches his head.

"You must be hearing things, Mom. We were about to play with Meadow. No one was speaking just now."

Upon hearing Alex's shameless words, I continue cursing him out silently.

"You're the most shameless bastard I've ever seen! When I'm three years old, you'll plot to sell me to an old single man in the countryside! Screw you!"

Mom's hands tremble slightly at that moment. She quickly picks me up, her eyes as wide as saucers.

I flash a toothless grin at her in return. "Don't be scared, Mom. This time, I'll definitely protect you!"

Watch as I, a one-month-old baby, send my bastard of a father as well as the six ungrateful brats to prison!

My mother, Robin Chapman, pulled me tight into her arms, her eyes full of shock and suspicion. She didn't say a word. Holding me close, she hurried back to the bedroom and slammed the door shut.

The six ungrateful brats were left outside, staring at each other in confusion.

Inside the room, Mom laid me gently on the soft bed and just stood there, staring at me. Her gaze made my skin crawl. I blinked my big, innocent eyes, let out a soft babble, and blew a bubble.

"Mom, don't look at me like that. I know I'm adorable, but you don't have to stare. Don't worry, though. This time, I'll protect you with everything I have. I won't let those beasts get their way again!"

Her expression turned even stranger. She reached out, touched my forehead, and then touched her own. She murmured, "No fever…"

I had no idea what she was talking about. I simply felt a little shy being stared at like this, so I spread my toothless mouth into a grin and smiled at her.

"Mom is the prettiest and most graceful lady in the whole world. I love you, Mom."

Her body stiffened for a moment. Then, her furrowed brows slowly relaxed, and a gentle smile spread across her face. She leaned down and kissed my cheek. "I love you, too, Meadow."

Outside the door, the six brats were still chattering away.

"What's up with Mom? She just blew up like that."

"Who knows? Maybe it's menopause."

"Probably just annoyed at the sight of us. Not like we're her real kids, anyway."

Listening to them made my blood boil. "Nonsense. You're not just adopted—you're the children of that mistress! Mom's the real victim here, looking after someone else's kids!"

Mom suddenly turned her head. Her gaze seemed to pass right through the door, landing on the figures outside. Her gaze hardened.

At that moment, a knock sounded on the door. A gentle male voice drifted in, "Hey, Robin. What's wrong? Alex said you didn't seem too happy. If something's bothering you, talk to me. Don't scare the kids."

The door opened, and a tall, handsome man walked in. Behind him trailed the six brats, all with their heads lowered. They each put on their pitiful faces like they had been wronged.

That was my father, Joshua Finch—the same man who, in my previous life, caused Mom's death and took everything from Grandpa Philip's family. Just looking at that fake, polished face of his made my stomach churn.

"Here comes the biggest two-faced scumbag on earth, a useless live-in son-in-law who leeches off Mom's family and still keeps a mistress on the side.

"You had these six little brats with her and then brought them all home, making Mom their stepmother. Disgusting! Shameless! Not a single decent person in that whole lineage!"

Mom's arms tightened around me all of a sudden, squeezing hard enough that it hurt a little. Her sharp gaze settled on Joshua's face.

He shifted under her stare, his smile stiffening at the edges. "Robin, why are you looking at me like that?"

She didn't answer right away. Her voice, when it came, was calm and distant. "Nothing. I just thought you felt a little foreign to me."

Joshua's face dropped, but he quickly put on that affectionate look again. He stepped forward and reached out to take me from Mom's arms.

I immediately buried my face in her chest and clutched her clothes tight. "Don't touch me, you rotten jerk! Mom trusted you too much, and that's how you ruined her life!"

Mom's body trembled slightly. She turned to the side and avoided Joshua's hand. "I can hold her just fine."

His expression darkened, his voice turning cold. "What's with you? I come back after a long day of work, and you're pulling a long face. Anyone would think I did something to you."

She patted me gently and ignored him. The air in the room went stiff and awkward. It was then that a shrill voice cut through the silence.

"Robin, are you fighting with Josh again?"

My so-called grandma swayed in, her thick waist rolling as she walked. Her narrowed eyes swept over me, full of disdain.

"It's just a girl. What's so precious about her? Josh works so hard every day, and he still has to deal with your attitude when he comes home. You pampered, rich ladies really think too highly of yourselves."

Then, she shot a smug glance at my six stepbrothers trailing behind her.

"All that wealth, and you still couldn't give birth to a son. Good thing Josh had the foresight to adopt a few boys. Otherwise, who knows who'd end up inheriting your fortune?"

I was livid. "Wow! This vile hag sure knows how to twist the truth. What do you mean they're adopted? They're clearly your grandsons! Do you seriously have zero idea? And you have the audacity to be sexist against me.

"If it weren't for Mom, all of you would've still been stuck in who-knows-where fending for yourselves! None of you Finches should call yourself human. What a bunch of two-faced ingrates!

"Once I'm older, the first thing I'll do is bury this wicked hag. Then, I'll deal with all six of those brats one by one."

Mom held me close, gently patting my back, her gaze increasingly cold.

…

Dinner wasn't any better. The atmosphere was eerily tense.

Joshua cleared his throat. "Robin, this is the company's latest project proposal. Take a look."

He handed the file to her, then added, "There's something else I want to discuss. I'm thinking of transferring some of the shares under our names to the six kids. What do you think?"

He put on the act of a loving father and patted Alex Finch, the oldest child, on the head.

"The kids are growing up. They should have a safety net. And if they get involved earlier, they'll be able to help us more in the future and… protect Meadow."

The vile hag immediately chimed in from the side, "Exactly. How can boys not have any assets to their names? If the Finch family business doesn't go to them, who else would it go to?"

Alex stood up at once, looking at Joshua with shining eyes. "Thank you, Dad and Grandma! We'll study hard so we can protect Mom and Meadow!"

The others quickly echoed him, putting on a show of brotherly harmony. Hearing all that, I was so mad I could explode.

"Protect who, exactly? You're just taking advantage of the fact that I can't talk yet, ganging up on Mom and me! The Finch family business? Give me a break. You're a useless leech living off your wife. How do you have the nerve to say that?

"That company was left behind by Grandpa Philip and Grandma Eloise. What right do you have to give it to these ungrateful brats?"

Mom lowered her eyes to look at me. After a moment of silence, she answered, "No."

Everyone at the table froze. Joshua was holding back his anger. "What does that mean, Robin?"

Mom set down her cutlery and looked at him without a flicker of emotion. "What I mean is that Mom and Dad left me the company. It has nothing to do with the Finches."

With that, she carried me straight back to the bedroom, leaving the others looking alternately pale and furious. It was almost comical.

Back in the room, Mom pulled a thick photo album from the cabinet. Inside were pictures of Grandpa Philip and Grandma Eloise when they were young and a smiling Mom.

I knew she had once been the daughter of a wealthy tycoon, living in glory. However, ever since a car accident took Grandpa Philip away and caused Grandma Eloise to be in a vegetative state, Mom's world collapsed.

"Don't be sad, Mom. That wasn't an accident, actually. It was Joshua, that bastard, who orchestrated it! He wanted to wipe out your family!

"You spent all these years taking care of his family and those six brats, working as a housewife for him. Now, he controls the company. It'll be too hard to fight back at this point."

I watched her tears fall, drop by drop, onto the photo album. My heart ached. She closed the album and wiped her eyes dry.

The next day, Mom appeared like a completely different person. She slipped into a sharp, professional suit and carried me in her arms.

Looking straight at Joshua while he was eating breakfast, she said, "I've been stuck at home for years, and I'm bored. I'm going back to the office."

He nearly choked on his milk. "You're going back? You haven't worked in years. What can you even do there?"

She rebuked, "The company is, after all, Mom and Dad's life's work. Isn't it only fair for me to check in?"

Joshua's face twisted. He tried to come up with a reason to stop her, but none of them stuck. "But I've been managing the company, haven't I? You should just stay home and look after the kids."

Mom smiled. "What, do I need your permission to return to my own company?"

He was left speechless.

From the side, the vile hag sneered. "A woman should stay home, raising children. What would people say if they saw you strutting around outside?"

Mom didn't even spare her a glance. When she arrived at the company, everyone was shocked.

Joshua's secretary, a young, beautiful woman, rushed over to greet Mom, clearly startled. "M-Ms. Chapman, you're here…"

"Oh, look. Isn't this the mistress' niece? Planted at Joshua's side—a secretary on paper but actually a spy. No wonder the company's accounts are a mess. Who knows how much they've embezzled already?"

Mom gave the secretary a cool glance and walked straight toward the CEO's office. Along the way, several veteran employees recognized her and rushed over excitedly.

"Ms. Chapman, you're finally back!"

"Pete Nicholson, Finance Director, Grandpa Philip's loyal subordinate. He's been sidelined by Joshua all these years… Leroy Hills, Marketing Manager—also one of us—has been elbowed out badly…

"And that guy in the floral shirt? Joshua's lapdog, HR Manager. Who knows how many of their people he's planted in the company?"

Mom greeted the veteran employees with a smile.

During the meeting, Joshua subtly signaled to a few of his cronies. They launched into a long-winded report, painting a picture of perfect profits and growth.

"That doesn't add up. If the past few quarters were that good, why is the profit margin for the third phase so low?" Mom asked, tapping the table.

"Ms. Chapman, that's because… Well…"

The group stammered, unable to give a coherent answer. Mom turned to Joshua. "You'd better have an explanation, Mr. Finch."

His face darkened. The pen in his grip was almost about to break. Without bothering with his tantrum, she simply turned and walked out of the meeting room.

Back at home, the first thing Mom did was pull up the company's accounts from the past five years. She held me in her arms, flipping through page after page.

"Why is Mom suddenly so focused on the company? The trajectory is so different from my previous life…"

I let out a big yawn. I couldn't stay awake any longer and drifted into a deep sleep. By the time I came to, Mom was looking at me with eyes that sparkled like they held a secret.

"Whoa! What's with Mom's look? Can she… hear my thoughts?"

She gave me a playful wink. In that moment, my heart leapt with joy.

"No way! She can actually hear me! This is amazing! Together, we'll be unstoppable! This time, we're going to make those scumbags regret everything they've ever done!"