On the streets of Milan, our nanny, Fiona, livestreamed my son’s limited-edition sneakers.

A few days later, she shockingly transformed into my son’s stepmother.

I overheard Anthony telling Fiona, “Once Francesca signs the divorce papers, all her assets will be ours.”

Anthony was the man I had loved for ten years and had defied my family to marry.

I took a step back, pretending to break down in tears, trembling as I told him I would give him anything as long as he didn’t go through with the divorce.

What they didn’t know was that I had just dialed the number I hadn’t called in ten years.

In a low voice, I said, “Father, the game is over. Your heiress, the principessa, is coming home.”

When the final school bell rang, my son, Leo, came hopping out of his elementary school in Milan.

The sneakers on his feet, one of only a hundred pairs released worldwide, glinted brilliantly under the afternoon sun.

I stepped out of my Maybach to greet him.

Parents nearby all turned to look at us at once. Soon, the whispers followed, slipping straight into my ears.

“I heard she’s a fallen rich girl.”

I couldn’t be bothered with them.

Just then, another woman slid out of the driver’s seat like a snake.

It was Fiona, our live-in nanny.

She always wore clothes one size too small, fabric stretched tight against her body, deliberately exposing half a shoulder.

Right now, she was expertly holding up her phone, already livestreaming on YouTube.

“Want to see limited-edition kids’ sneakers? I’ll show you right now!”

Comments flooded her screen.

[Is it real? Zoom in!]

“Fiona, what are you doing?” My irritation flared. “You’re not allowed to film without my permission!”

She pretended not to hear me. Instead, she crouched down, fake-smiling as if to tie Leo’s shoelaces while shoving the camera straight at his shoes.

“See this, everyone? Buying such expensive shoes for a kid, this kind of showing off will corrupt children!”

Before I could react, she yanked one shoe right off Leo’s foot.

“Luxury items aren’t allowed on school grounds. I’ll confiscate it for now.”

Leo stood there barefoot on the concrete, his eyes reddening. He bit his lip, stubbornly holding back tears.

I stepped forward at once, placing myself between them.

“Give him back his shoes!” I demanded, reaching for it.

Fiona immediately swung her phone toward me and lowered her voice, threatening, “Touch me again, and I’ll call the police for assault.”

She smiled viciously. “Wouldn’t it be awful if Leo had to watch his mom get taken away in handcuffs?”

I glanced at Leo and forced myself to pull my hand back.

Swallowing my anger, I took a deep breath.

“You know those are his seventh birthday present. He treasures them.”

The surrounding parents, not knowing the full story, whispered among themselves, gradually forming a loose circle around us.

Meanwhile, the livestream comments kept rolling.

[Luxury goods should be banned from schools!]

[What a bad influence! Ban it!]

While I was distracted, Fiona reached for Leo’s other shoe and tugged so hard that he nearly lost his balance.

I grabbed her wrist in one swift motion. “Touch my child again, and you’ll regret it.”

Her hand trembled, and she finally let go.

The next second, she turned back to the camera, her expression instantly shifting into pitiful distress.

“I was just worried about the child’s upbringing. And now I’m being threatened…”

The comment section exploded.

[She’s so arrogant!]

[How can she bully a nanny just because she’s rich?]

Fiona squeezed out two tears. “I’m just a nanny. I can endure mistreatment. But buying such expensive shoes is clearly ruining the school’s atmosphere.”

“Money doesn’t grow on trees, does it? Should children from ordinary families be forced into comparison?”

Someone echoed her words. “That’s right. Shoes costing over 30 are considered expensive.”

Fiona pressed on.

“The shoes may be expensive, but who knows where the money came from?

“Leo’s father is frugal. He’d never approve of this kind of luxury.

“I bet she seduced some rich man to get it!

“She only cares about enjoying herself, not if her kid learns bad values. Don’t let her corrupt our kids!”

Her words ignited the crowd.

“I wondered why she was so flashy,” someone muttered, barely hiding their disdain.

I tried to explain. “Don’t listen to her nonsense! I bought these with my own money!”

“You don’t even have a job. Where would you get that kind of money?” Fiona sneered.

“Today, it’s teaching kids to compare shoes and seducing men. Tomorrow she’ll ruin other families and destroy homes!”

“This is outrageous! Someone like her needs to be taught a lesson!” A parent shouted, raising a fist.

“Down with the mistress! Teach her some shame!” another yelled.

Fueled by Fiona’s instigation, the crowd lost all rationality.

“Everyone here can testify!” Fiona shouted, one hand on her hip, the other pointing at Leo’s foot. “We’re just standing up for justice and protecting our school environment!”

“As for her…”

She pointed straight at me.

“If she doesn’t make the child apologize today and admit his vanity corrupted others, I’ll expose everything online!”

I wrapped my arms around Leo protectively. “No, he’s innocent. He just likes—”

However, they continued to close in.

Amid Leo’s terrified screams, the remaining sneaker was ripped off his foot.

Several parents even pinned him to the ground so he couldn’t move.

“Mom!” Leo wailed, struggling helplessly.

My heart felt like it was being torn apart. I fought desperately to reach him, but they blocked me completely.

The sneakers were tossed straight into the foul-smelling roadside gutter.

Fiona cruelly raised her phone, pushing the livestream camera right into Leo’s tear-streaked face.

Something inside me shattered.

“Stop! I’ll comply!” I screamed hoarsely.

Only then did Fiona lower her phone, a satisfied smile curling her lips.

She walked over and yanked a chubby little girl with freckles to her side.

It was her niece.

The girl had grown up in the countryside. Two years ago, her parents passed away, and Fiona brought her to live with us.

She was rough-mannered and had even stolen from our home.

However, I pitied her. Since the items weren’t valuable, I never pursued them.

Fiona stepped closer to me, deliberately raising her voice so everyone could hear.

“Everyone, please listen.”

She pulled a piece of paper from her bag.

It was a printed engagement contract.

“This woman needs to promise that Leo will marry my niece when he turns twenty. And if she breaks that promise, she owes my family ten million in damages!”

“Fiona, stop making things up,” I said, forcing down my anger.

Only then did I finally understand that this whole livestream spectacle had been staged for this very purpose.

“We’re practically family. There’s no need to be so formal between us,” Fiona said, blinking her sly eyes.

“After all, we know each other well. With your son marrying my niece, both sides can rest easy.”

As she spoke, she reached out, trying to pull the two children’s hands together.

I slapped her filthy hand away and glared at her.

“Rest easy? You might trust Leo with her, but I don’t trust your niece at all!”

Fiona smiled greedily.

“Oh, come on. How can you say that?

“Leo and my niece get along just fine. He probably likes her too.

“Isn’t that right, Leo?” she asked, casting a sideways glance at my son.

Leo looked confused. He clutched the hem of my clothes and looked up at me.

“As a nanny, my son’s marriage is none of your business!” I gently stroked Leo’s head to calm him, then turned back to Fiona, my voice sharp with sarcasm.

I was done pretending not to notice and decided to lay everything out.

“Don’t think I’m stupid. Your niece has sticky fingers. She’s stolen plenty from my house, and she didn’t do it without your instruction.”

“You… You’re slandering me!” Fiona was both guilty and furious, her face flushing red in an instant.

At that moment, a male parent nearby suddenly grabbed my wrist. “Where’s your proof? Show it!”

Pain shot through my arm. I felt like my wrist was about to shatter, yet he twisted harder.

“No evidence, and you dare throw accusations around? Desperate people bite back like dogs!” he sneered. With a violent swing of his arm, he flung me aside.

I crashed heavily onto the ground, my vision spinning.

Gritting my teeth, I forced myself up. My eyes burned red, but I stubbornly refused to cry.

The wrist he had squeezed was already turning purple, trembling uncontrollably.

Yet no one stepped in.

All I heard were waves of mocking laughter echoing around me.

After enjoying the chaos, Fiona seized the moment. She quickly grabbed Leo’s small hand and dragged him toward an ink pad nearby.

“Stop!”

Reacting on instinct, I ignored the pain in my body and slapped her hand away.

The absurd contract flew into the air and tore cleanly in two.

Leo finally snapped out of it. He clutched his sore wrist and whimpered softly in fright.

“What are you doing?!” I shouted, shoving Fiona away.

I crouched down and wrapped Leo in my arms.

“I told you. Don’t touch my son!”

Unexpectedly, Fiona didn’t get angry. She laughed instead, then shot a look at her chubby niece.

The next second, the girl rushed over. Crumbs still clung to her mouth as she pressed her lips directly onto Leo’s.

Then she announced proudly, “Leo, I gave you my first kiss. You have to marry me now!

“My aunt said everything you have will be mine. Our family’s money is my money too.”

She ended it with a giggle.

I stared at her in disbelief.

This time, Leo completely broke down. He buried himself in my arms and wailed.

“Mom, I don’t want to marry her! I don’t like her!”

Fiona drifted over like a ghost and patted Leo on the shoulder.

“Oh, Leo, crying won’t help. You kissed her, so you have to take responsibility. That means you must marry her.

“I’m basically her mother. So from now on, you’ll have to call me Mom, too.

“Come on. Come to Mom,” Fiona said, reaching for him.

Leo cried even harder. “I’m not going! You’re not my mom! I hate you!”

“Take your filthy hands off him!”

I swung my hand back and slapped Fiona across the face.

A bright red handprint immediately bloomed on her cheek.

I didn’t want to waste another word on people like her. So, I picked Leo up and turned to leave.

That night, a cautious private message from Leo’s homeroom teacher popped up.

[Ms. Francesca, this incident has had too much impact. To calm public opinion, would you consider issuing a public apology?]

[We did nothing wrong. Why should we apologize?]

After replying, I angrily shut off my phone.

When my husband, Anthony, came home and learned about what happened, his expression darkened.

He yanked at his tie irritably. “It was just a pair of shoes. Why did it blow up like this? Where does that leave my reputation?”

I looked at him coldly.

“So now you think this is all my fault?”

Anthony’s tone grew impatient. “Fiona has worked for our family for two years. Even if she hasn’t done anything remarkable, she’s put in effort.

“You shouldn’t have humiliated her like that in public.

“Today, you were in the wrong. You should apologize.”

I stared at the man I once loved deeply, unable to believe what I was hearing.

“How can you side with Fiona and criticize me? She was clearly the one who started it!” My voice trembled with grievance.

“Francesca, I never thought you’d become this unreasonable.”

With that, he slammed the door and walked out.

My heart clenched painfully.

I decided to leave the house for a while and take Leo out to clear our heads.

Soon after, photos of Leo and me out at sea were posted in the parents’ group chat.

The caption read: [Rich mom and son skip school to travel the world, while ordinary kids keep studying.]

In her livestream, Fiona accused us openly.

“When the rich skip school, it’s called freedom. When the poor ask for leave, it’s truancy. Parents, justice speaks for itself!”

She successfully stirred up anger, and more than half the parents jointly demanded that the school punish Leo.

On the morning of the seventh day, I walked Leo toward the school field.

Parents around us pointed and whispered.

The homeroom teacher hurried over, looking uncomfortable.

“Ms. Francesca, because Leo missed training, he won’t be able to participate in today’s soccer match.”

Leo’s head dropped instantly, and his eyes filled with disappointment.

In the distance, Fiona was holding up her phone, livestreaming. The camera was pointed straight at us.

She smiled, full of provocation.

“Miss, I know missing training was wrong…” I knew I was at a disadvantage, yet I still tried to fight for my son.

“But you know how much Leo loves soccer. He’s been looking forward to this match.”

Just as the teacher was about to respond, Fiona suddenly appeared beside us.

“It was your fault to begin with. Now you regret it? Too late. Hmph!”

Her livestream camera swept over me from head to toe.

“Everyone, take a look at how she’s dressed. So revealing, with heavy makeup too.”

She even reached out and tugged at my collar.

“Oh my, look how low this neckline is. You can practically see everything.”

Humiliated and furious, I shoved her away.

“Stop spreading nonsense!”

Fiona smiled maliciously.

“Isn’t this exactly how you seduced your husband in the first place?

“Instead of staying home to serve your man, you dress like this and parade around. Who are you trying to entice?”

Her gaze flicked meaningfully toward the male parents nearby.

I stared at her in shock, never expecting her to say something so vile.

There were plenty of fathers who came daily to pick up and drop off their children. This was blatant incitement, pushing female parents to turn on me.

The livestream comments surged like a tide, each one sharper than the last.

[This woman is so calculating!]

[My child goes to this school too. I’ll never let my husband do pickups again!]

[She’s absolutely vicious!]

The surrounding parents quickly followed suit, and hostility closed in around me.

“Slap!” A female parent rushed up and struck me across the face. “So shameless!”

Another spat at me. “You cow! Get out of our school!”

They shoved me so hard that I stumbled and fell to the ground.

The skin on my palm scraped open instantly. Sand ground into the wound, burning with pain.

“What kind of mom dresses like this to pick up her kid? Trying to hook a sugar daddy, huh?”

“Tsk. Probably looking for a new long-term meal ticket.”

Fiona kept her camera trained on me, her words growing more outrageous by the second.

I couldn’t take it anymore. Struggling to my feet, I grabbed her and pulled her close, lowering my voice.

“I’m wearing a completely ordinary blouse and skirt. Stop twisting the truth.

“Spreading rumors in front of children—you’ve gone too far.”

She took advantage of the moment, stepping backward as if I had pushed her.

Instantly, she turned to the livestream, crying, “Everyone, look! She dresses like this and still doesn’t want people talking?

“Can a woman like this really raise a child properly? What kind of example would she set?”

The comment section exploded, flooding the screen with accusations of indecency, malice pouring down like filthy water.

Fiona turned the camera toward herself, adopting a saintly expression.

“Honestly, wouldn’t it be better if I raised Leo instead as his stepmother? What do you all think?”