Elsie's POV

The poor girl I used to sponsor suddenly announced that she was pregnant with my dad’s child. She even had the nerve to say, “From now on, I’m your stepmother. You’d better learn how to treat me with respect, or I’ll have you kicked out of this house.”

I was completely stunned. My dad’s been dead for almost twenty years.

When I didn’t play along, she got furious and, out of nowhere, called my dad.

And he actually showed up.

She clung to his arm and accused me of bullying her. Then, looking all pitiful, she dropped to her knees and apologized.

“I know you don’t like me, but the three sons I’m carrying are innocent. They need a father!”

I snorted and nodded like I was fine with the idea of her marrying my “dad.”

What she didn’t know was that the man she was hanging onto wasn’t my biological father. He was my stepdad.

——

I heard there were some new designer bags at the boutique. Since I had the time and enjoyed shopping, I turned down the store assistant’s offer to send them to my place and decided to check them out myself.

When I got there, the assistant, Celia Brewer, someone I’ve known for a while, looked awkward and uncomfortable.

After hesitating for a moment, she said, “Miss Ramsey… um… your stepmother was just here. She’s looking at the bags you reserved. She’s waiting for you in the VIP room.”

My stepmother?

I blinked. “What stepmother?”

Before Celia could answer, the VIP room door opened and out walked a whole group of people. I recognized all of them. They were my college classmates, but we were never close. The last one to walk out was Maggie Robertson, the girl I once sponsored.

Gone was her usual timid look. She walked up to me, chin held high.

“I’m your stepmother now,” she said smugly. “We split up the bags you picked. Think of it as a gift from a daughter to her new mom.”

I pinched the palm of my hand just to make sure I wasn’t dreaming. The sharp sting told me this was very real.

“Maggie, are you out of your mind? I’m Elsie Ramsey, the person who sponsored your education. I’m not your stepdaughter.” Then I scoffed. “What’s wrong with your brain? Studied too much law? Need me to check you into a psych ward?”

As such, she flushed with anger but stayed behind the group, yelling from their shadows.

“I’ve been with your dad for over a year now. I’m pregnant with triplets! We’re getting married soon. So tell me, how am I not your stepmother?”

I stared at her, absolutely floored.

My dad passed away shortly after I was born, and my mom’s been gone for years now, too. So, who exactly was Maggie pregnant with, and how was it my dead father’s baby?

This wasn’t some big family secret either. Everyone knew my father had been gone for twenty years. How could she not know?

I stood there speechless, but she looked smug as ever.

“What, cat got your tongue? Weren’t you just calling me crazy a minute ago?”

She scoofed then continued, “Better start sucking up to me soon. Once I give birth to these three boys, I’ll have every right to kick you out. Don’t forget, I’m carrying sons. You, on the other hand, are just a worthless girl. You only got to live like this because you’re the Ramseys’ only heir. But once I have my sons, your place in this family will be over.”

The others around her started chiming in.

“Yeah, hurry up and buy those bags. Give them to Maggie as a welcome gift. That way, she might still let you stick around.”

Elsie's POV

"Hey, you! Grab everything Maggie was looking at earlier and make Elsie pay for it."

"Actually, forget it. Just hand over your black card to Maggie. So, she can buy whatever she wants herself."

They were already reaching for my card when I finally snapped out of it.

“Wait a second! My dad’s been dead for years. If you're claiming you're pregnant with his child, then show me proof. Where’s the evidence?”

At the mention of my dad’s death, Maggie launched into another loud rant, giving me a headache. I rubbed my temples, irritated.

“If you’ve really got the guts, why don’t you call him here right now? Let him tell me himself. If he says it’s true, I’ll give you not just my card and the bags. You can have everything!”

She hesitated for a moment but eventually stepped aside and made a phone call. Then she looked back at me smugly.

“Just wait. Your dad’s nearby. He’ll be here in half an hour.”

As such, we all went back into the VIP room to wait. A little while later, the door opened, and Maggie squealed, “Marshall!”

I turned at the sound and, out of habit, blurted out, “Dad.”

As soon as I said it, Maggie’s smirk grew wider.

Gone was the arrogant attitude. Now she played the part of the pitiful, fragile woman. She shuffled over to Marshall Ramsey, clinging to his arm.

“Marshall, thank goodness you’re here. The babies and I almost didn’t make it.”

Marshall didn’t even glance at me. He looked Maggie over, making sure she was okay, and finally let out a relieved sigh.

“What happened? You called and said you’d fallen and were at risk of losing the babies.”

Then suddenly, tears streamed down her face.

“It was close. Elsie found out about us and completely lost it. She screamed at me in front of everyone. If it weren’t for these classmates stepping in, I don’t know what would’ve happened.”

I had expected her to twist the truth, but this place was covered in security cameras, so her lies wouldn’t hold up. I frowned and started to speak.

“Just now—”

But before I could even finish the sentence, Maggie suddenly dropped to her knees in front of me.

“Elsie, I know you’ve always looked down on me as I’m just a poor girl from the countryside. I know you sponsored me, but only to look good, not because you actually cared about me. I get it. And now that I’m with your dad, you must think I’m just some gold-digger. But I swear, it’s not about money. Marshall and I really love each other. Love doesn’t care about age, status, or background.”

She then reached for my hand and pitifully begged, “Please, I’m begging you… Let us be together. I don't care if you hate me, just not my babies. They’re your brothers, Elsie. One day, they’ll be the ones you can lean on.”

She was sobbing so hard she could barely breathe.

Meanwhile, the classmates around her were glaring at me like I was the villain who nearly killed a pregnant woman and her unborn children.

I was raised to be calm and respectful, so I tried hard to keep my temper in check. But before I could say anything, Marshall grabbed my arm and pulled me out of the VIP room. He led me into the empty room next door and shut the door behind us.

Frustrated, I folded my arms. “How did you and Maggie even end up together? And why is she going around saying she’s my stepmother? And you—”

Before I could finish, Marshall suddenly dropped to his knees.

“Elsie, please. Don’t deny that I’m your father. Just think of your mom. Think of all the years I raised you like my own. Besides, you’ve called me ‘dad’ for so long.”

He wasn’t wrong. I had called him “dad” for years. But the truth was, we were not related by blood.

After my biological father passed away, my mom met Marshall. They fell in love and eventually got married. He always treated me like I was his own daughter. Even after my mom died, and he moved out, we still stayed in touch.

Elsie's POV

I let out a deep sigh and helped Marshall to his feet.

“What’s really going on?” I asked.

He lowered his head, clearly embarrassed, and narrated, “At first, I had no idea Maggie was the underprivileged student you were sponsoring. She started pursuing me, and honestly, I didn’t think much of it. But not long after we got together, she told me she was pregnant with triplets.”

Marshall didn't look that old, but let's face it. He was not young anymore. There was no way Maggie actually liked him for who he was. She probably ran into him one of the times he came to school to visit me, and decided to make a move.

I was worried he was being played, but then Marshall admitted it himself.

“I found out the truth later. I knew she was only with me for money. But I’m getting older. I’ve always wanted children of my own. So please, Elsie, don’t expose me. At least not until the babies are born.”

I wanted to say no. After everything I’d done for Maggie, this betrayal cut deep. But maybe that was exactly why I couldn’t bring myself to reject him. I gave him a small nod and followed him back to the VIP room where Maggie and the others were waiting.

“You have my blessing,” I said. “Go ahead with the marriage.”

With my approval, Maggie quickly married Marshall and got her hands on a marriage certificate.

Marshall originally planned for them to live in his suburban house, but Maggie didn’t like the idea. She kept saying she wasn’t in it for the money, but insisted on moving into my villa instead.

Her excuse? She wanted to “bond” with me.

What a joke.

As soon as she moved in, her true colors came out. Whenever Marshall wasn’t home, she dropped the sweet act completely and became downright unbearable.

“Elsie,” she’d sneer, arms crossed over her baby bump. “I’m carrying your three brothers, and you think it’s okay to serve me this garbage?”

“I asked for a steak, and you just gave me steamed vegetables? Are you kidding me?” she snapped. “I may have been some poor charity case before, but I’m your stepmother now. If I weren’t such a kind person, I would’ve kicked you out of here already.”

But whenever Marshall came home from work, Maggie flipped the switch instantly. She’d morph into the picture of a gentle, fragile wife.

“I just had steamed vegetables today,” she’d say, tears brimming in her eyes. “It wasn’t much, but Elsie’s right. Eating too much will make me gain weight. And I know you’d hate that... I mean, I’m just a girl from the countryside. I’m lucky to have anything at all.”

Marshall knew I wasn’t the kind of person to mistreat someone, but he still scolded me now and then just to make her happy. I found the whole performance ridiculous, but in the end, I played along for the sake of peace.

Watching Maggie act like this left me speechless. I had treated her with nothing but kindness. I paid for her education and even planned to give her a position in my family’s company after graduation. But clearly, she had no intention of building her future honestly. All she wanted was to use her unborn children to secure a place in high society.

Months passed. I couldn’t take it anymore. I was afraid I’d break down and spill the truth before she even gave birth. To keep my sanity and avoid ruining everything, I moved into a small villa closer to campus.

I thought moving near school would finally give me some peace. But I was wrong.

Maggie wasn’t done with me. She actually chased me all the way to school.

Since she hadn’t been back on campus since marrying Marshall, her sudden appearance, heavily pregnant, caused a stir. Everyone was shocked and crowded around her, asking when she got married and why they hadn’t been invited.

With a smug little smile, she pointed at me and said in a sharp, sarcastic tone, “Blame Elsie! I’m her stepmother now. Yet she kept saying I wasn’t good enough for her dad. Although she agreed to let us get the marriage certificate, she refused to let us have a proper wedding.”