The moment Sophia heard that I had called the police, she panicked so badly she nearly jumped in place.

"Nat, how could you call the police?!"

I looked at her frantic reaction and found it almost amusing. "I called the police to help this child find his biological parents, and to clear my own name. What’s wrong with that? Or are you afraid the police will discover that you’re the one who abandoned the baby?"

When I stared straight at Sophia, I clearly saw the flash of panic and fear that crossed her eyes.

Nevertheless, she recovered quickly and immediately turned to our parents for help. "Mom, Dad, listen to what she’s saying. Just to cover up the truth, she’s actually framing me in front of everyone!"

Mom frowned. "Natalie, apologize to your sister."

"She accused me without any evidence. Why don’t you make her apologize first?"

Dad shouted my name again, harsher this time. His eyes were cold, unquestioning, leaving no room for argument.

Watching how blatantly they favored Sophia, bitterness rose in my throat.

Even though they had done the same in my previous life, going so far as to throw me out of the house, they were still my biological parents. It would be a lie to say it didn’t hurt at all.

However, I wasn’t going to apologize, and I wasn’t going to hold on to even a shred of hope for them anymore.

In the middle of the standoff, the police pushed through the crowd and stopped in front of us.

"We received a report about an abandoned infant. Who made the call?"

I raised my hand and explained everything from beginning to end. "Officer, I want to review last night’s surveillance footage and see who actually left the baby at my doorstep."

The officer nodded. "We’ll check the surveillance footage. For now, we’ll take the child back to the station."

I handed the cardboard box with Tom inside to the officer. Suddenly, Sophia lunged forward and snatched it back.

"Officer, my sister already agreed to adopt this baby. There’s no need for you to take him away!"

She shot a look at our parents. They immediately understood and rushed to back her up.

"Yes, yes. Our eldest daughter here, Natalie, already agreed to take him in. Just leave the baby with us for now."

"I never agreed—" I had barely started to speak when Mom slapped me across the face.

"Shut up! Who told you to call the police? Haven’t you embarrassed us enough already?"

As she spoke, she dragged me into the house by force and locked me inside a room. However, I wasn’t panicked at all. I used the time to pack my belongings and get ready to move out.

After a long while, presumably after they had sent the police away, they came back carrying Tom.

Mom shoved Tom straight into my arms. "We brought the baby back. From now on, you’ll raise him."

I placed Tom down on the couch. "I never agreed. Whoever wants to raise him can do it themselves."

Mom was so angry that she pointed at my nose and cursed. "The incident today has already spread. Everyone says you’re the one who abandoned the baby. If you don’t raise him, you’re bringing shame to our family!"

"I already told you, this isn’t my child. If you want to raise him, then do it yourselves. Don’t try to force this on me!" With that, I grabbed my suitcase and headed for the door.

Dad stopped me. "Where do you think you’re going?"

"I’m moving out."

"Who allowed you to move out? If you dare walk out today, don’t even think about stepping back into this house ever again!"

Sophia rushed over and grabbed my arm. "Nat, you can’t run away from your responsibility like this. If you’re going to move out, at least take the baby with you."

I shoved her hard, sending her to the ground. "I’m not coming back. From now on, I’m cutting ties with all of you completely. Don’t ever come looking for me again."

Without sparing these so-called family members another glance, I turned around and walked away.

I never expected them to take advantage of a moment when I wasn’t paying attention and put Tom into the trunk of my car.

By the time I reached my new place and opened the trunk, I saw Tom lying inside the pitch-dark space, crying so hard he could barely catch his breath.

There was a message from Mom on my phone.

"Natalie, Sophia still has an engagement to follow through with, and we’re too old to take care of a child. Whether this baby is yours or not, just take him in for now."

I laughed and drove Tom straight to the police station.

At the same time, I requested last night’s surveillance footage. The video captured everything clearly.

A figure appeared in the middle of the night, sneaking around while holding a cardboard box and placing it at our doorstep. Tom cried in there all night, until I discovered him in the morning.

I recognized the person immediately. It was Sophia.

I saved the surveillance footage as evidence.

The police tried several times to contact Sophia, but every call was rejected. With no other choice, they sent Tom to a welfare home.

After that, I went back to work as usual.

In my previous life, I had given up my career just as it was reaching a critical stage to raise that child. Every day felt like I was being drained dry.

This time, I finally had the chance to continue pursuing the dreams and life I had left unfinished.

Work projects were intense. I often worked late into the night, sometimes so busy I even forgot to eat. Fortunately, my teammate, Daniel Derrington, always took good care of me. He frequently brought me food and even stayed late to work overtime with me.

As time passed, we gradually developed feelings for each other.

When the project was successfully completed, the boss publicly commended me at a company-wide meeting and promoted me to senior management.

Daniel took the opportunity to confess his feelings, and just like that, we became a couple.

A year later, Daniel and I got married, and I gave birth to our son, Elliot Derrington. Together, we raised him. He was bright, quick-witted, and well-behaved. From a young age, he showed extraordinary interest and talent in astronomy.

I posted a few photos of Elliot and his awards on social media. I never expected my parents and Sophia to see them and reach out to me on their own. They probably mistook my son for Sophia’s child.

After marrying her CEO husband, Sebastian Langford, Sophia moved to a distant city. She hadn’t seen me again and had no idea I had ever been pregnant.

When she saw the photos of Elliot, she commented directly underneath.

"Winning so many awards at such a young age! He’s definitely going to be impressive when he grows up!"

I replied, "Good genes."

Sophia responded, "Are you complimenting yourself through the kid? You really think highly of yourself."

I let out a cold laugh and didn’t reply again.

Mom and Dad even transferred some money to me.

"Natalie, use this money to buy our grandchild more nourishing food. He’s at the age where he needs to grow."

I rejected it all. I didn’t lack their money, and I had never shortchanged my child when it came to food. After all, this was my own biological child.

Later, Daniel and I started our own business together. Our company, Northvale Holdings, grew larger and larger, and Elliot was successfully admitted to one of the country’s top universities, Sterling University.

I decided to celebrate his admission. At the party, I planned to announce Elliot as the sole heir to Northvale Holdings.

I had never told my family about my entrepreneurial journey or even invited them to my wedding. Somehow, though, they found out that I was hosting the party.

This part seemed to be exactly the same as in my previous life.

The moment my son got into Sterling University, my parents and Sophia were ready to come and take him.

The difference this time was that this was my biological son.

"Natalie, Sophia said she wants to come and show her support. You both haven’t seen each other in years. Take this chance to catch up!"

I looked at the message Mom sent me and curled my lips into a cold smile.

Fine.

I had a big surprise prepared for them.

On the day of the party, my parents arrived at the venue early.

The moment Mom saw Elliot in his tailored suit, her face lit up with a wide smile as she rushed over, reaching out to pull him into a hug.

Elliot smoothly stepped aside, dodging her embrace. A trace of distance flickered through his eyes.

Mom froze in place, instantly embarrassed.

Smiling, I wrapped an arm around Elliot’s shoulder. "Sorry. He’s never liked physical contact with people he isn’t familiar with."

Dad’s face darkened immediately. He pointed at me angrily. "What kind of nonsense is that? We’re his grandparents by blood. How are we strangers?"

"You didn’t raise him, and you never fulfilled any responsibility as elders. To him, you’re no different from strangers."

"You—!" Mom snapped, "How can you talk like that? We’re your parents. We’re your son’s grandparents!"

"I already cut ties with you a long time ago. I didn’t invite you here. If you’re unhappy, feel free to leave."

I couldn’t be bothered to argue with them any further, so I told Elliot to get ready to go onstage later.

Among today’s guests were many heavyweights from the business world, connections I had built over years of hard work. I had also specifically invited the media. It was both a celebration for Elliot and a way to pave the road for Northvale Holding’s future successor.

My parents watched as I moved calmly through the crowd in a bespoke gown, champagne in hand, chatting and laughing with powerful figures. Their expressions grew complicated.

Mom lowered her voice and said to Dad, "Don’t you feel like Natalie looks more and more impressive these days? She seems to be doing even better than Sophia."

Dad let out a cold snort. "So what if she looks impressive? Sebastian is the CEO of the giant Langford Corporation. Natalie just runs a small company. Besides…" His voice dropped even further. "She’s still in the dark. She has no idea that the heir she worked so hard to raise is actually Sophia’s son. In the end, she’s just doing all this for someone else."

After finishing my rounds among the guests, I stepped onto the stage as planned to celebrate Elliot’s admission into Sterling University and announce that he would inherit Northvale Holdings in the future.

Thunderous applause erupted.

Elliot walked steadily onto the stage, took the microphone, and looked at me. "If I’ve achieved anything today, the person I need to thank the most is my mom!"

The words had barely left his mouth when the doors to the hall were kicked open.

Sophia stormed in, wearing an eye-catching bright red dress and towering high heels, her presence aggressive and unrestrained. She raised her hand and pointed straight at me. "She’s not your mother at all. I am your biological mother!"

The man linked arm-in-arm with her was her CEO husband, Sebastian Langford.

The entire room exploded into chaos. Media cameras instantly swung toward them.

With reddened eyes, Sophia pointed at Elliot and shouted, "Kid, I’m your real mother. Back then, it was Natalie who stole you from my side and forced me to search for you for over ten years!"

The hall erupted with murmurs. Cameras clicked nonstop as reporters captured every second.

Standing beside her, Sebastian looked at Elliot with deep emotion. "Son, your parents have finally found you. From now on, you’ll be the sole heir of our company!"

Their expressions were so moving that it was almost convincing, as if they were truly parents who had spent years desperately searching for their lost child.

Sophia briskly pulled out the child’s birth certificate from back then.

"Look. I have all the evidence! I’ve been looking for you for so many years, my sweet child. I never imagined my own sister could do something like this!"

Some guests and reporters were genuinely fooled by their performance. A few even began wiping away tears.

Sophia stepped onto the stage, reaching out to take Elliot’s hand.

Cameras zoomed in, ready to capture this so-called touching reunion.

However, Elliot frowned deeply and shoved her hand away.

"Ma'am," he said coldly, "I don’t know you at all."