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!"

From that day on, Mom became even more attentive, barely leaving my side. As for those six ungrateful brats, she didn't so much as glance at them.

One night, I was lying in the nursery, half-asleep, when I heard Joshua and the vile hag talking outside the door. "Mom, do you think Robin… has figured something out?"

"Impossible!" she responded confidently. "Everything you do has been flawless. What could she have noticed? She's just extra protective because her baby was born a few days ago. She'll get over it soon enough."

I pouted and turned over in bed. "Two idiots. Mom already knows everything. Just wait and see."

It wasn't long before Mom came back. She walked in and announced, "The kids are getting older. Starting this month, there'll be no more allowance. If you want something, you'll have to earn it."

Joshua and the vile hag instantly went pale with rage.

"Robin, are you out of your damn mind?" she shrieked. "They're still children!"

"Are they, though? Alex is 15 years old. Back in the day, he'd be going to war by now," Mom said. "The Finches don't raise freeloaders."

Ignoring their reactions, she scooped me up and kissed me.

"Yes! That's right! They leech off Mom all the time but try to mess with us? No way!"

Mom gently patted my back as she listened to my thoughts. Then, she turned to the six brats. "You all had better grow up well and protect Meadow. Understand?"

Joshua and the vile hag exchanged a glance and nodded. He smiled at them. "Mom's asking you a question. Answer her quickly."

They muttered an unwilling reply.

Suddenly, Joshua slapped his forehead. "Oh, man. I think I forgot to close the car door."

With that, he rushed out of the house.

"Yeah, right. He's probably running to tip off his mistress."

Sure enough, less than two minutes later, he returned.

"These ungrateful brats live off Mom, and now, they're supposed to protect me? No way. Mom needs to kick them all out immediately!"

Mom patted me gently. Before she could say something, her phone rang. She answered it, and her expression changed immediately.

"Be good, Meadow," she told me. "Something urgent came up, and I have to go."

She carefully laid me back in the crib, then summoned Joshua along to the company. "Mom, kids, please take care of Meadow and the house while I'm gone."

No sooner had Mom and Joshua left than the six brats crowded around the vile hag.

"Grandma, that woman went way too far!"

"Yeah! How dare she cut off our allowance!"

The vile hag spat on the floor. "There's nothing to be afraid of. Your dad calls all the shots in this house, after all. Once you're older, you'll take those shares from that bitch, and she'll be worthless!"

She nudged her chin in my direction. "By then, we can do whatever we want to this little shit."

I kicked my legs on the bed in pure anger and spat in her direction. Her eyes narrowed, and she darted toward me. She pinched my butt through the blanket, and it hurt so much I got tears in my eyes.

The six ungrateful brats exchanged a look. Then, Alex proposed, "Grandma, I think we should knock her silly. Once she becomes brain-damaged, Robin, that bitch, will have no choice but to rely on us."

The vile hag slapped her thigh, as if enlightened. "You're a genius, Alex!"

They snickered and ran to the bathroom, returning with a wet towel, grinning viciously as they advanced toward me. Alex grabbed my little legs and lifted me upside down.

"If anyone's to blame, it's your over-indulging mommy, little shit," Alex seethed. "Now that she's gone, no one's here to save you."

Seeing his ugly face, I shut my eyes tight, clenched my fists, and squeezed my bottom as hard as I could. A stream of yellowish pee splashed right onto his face.

"Ew! Grandma, she peed on me!" he spat and gagged, his eyes turning red with rage.

The cold, wet towel was swinging toward my face. This time, I couldn't hold back and let out a loud wail.

"Mom, save me! They're going to kill me! Mom!"