After nursing the baby, I closed my eyes to rest for a moment.

The nanny, thinking I was asleep, brazenly clung to my husband, cooing, "Harlan, if your wife finds out that the son she gave birth to was swapped out long ago and that the baby in her arms is actually ours, do you think she’d be furious?”

“You’re so smart. Swapping the babies at the hospital was brilliant. Once our daughter inherits her fortune, we’ll kick her out of the house in no time!”

I pretended not to hear their conversation. I continued to raise my daughter with utmost care and devotion.

When she returned from her studies, I immediately transferred all my shares to her, supporting her to become the youngest heir of the company.

At the handover celebration, the nanny dressed even more extravagantly than I did. She boldly grabbed my daughter and declared, “I am Yasmine’s real mother! You’ve kept her from me all these years, but now it’s time that the truth is revealed!”

My husband handed me the divorce papers with a smug look. “For Yasmine’s sake, let’s part ways amicably.”

My daughter folded her arms and glared at me. “Since you raised me for so many years, I’ll visit you in the nursing home once a year.”

Watching their victorious smiles, I lowered my eyes. “As you wish.”

I hope you’re ready to handle the kind of wealth that shatters the heavens!

"Babe, why aren't you sleeping yet? It’s that time of the month for you, so you really shouldn't be staying up this late!"

Harlan brought over a glass of warm milk, which he brewed and placed in my hands. Then, he brought a blanket and gently draped it around me, asking tenderly, "Is your back sore? Would you like me to massage you?"

I closed the file in my hand and smiled brightly at him. "Yasmine's school recital is coming up soon. She's been unhappy with the piece she's been practicing. I got the most renowned pianist in the country to come and coach her in a couple of days."

Harlan looked touched. "You're always so dedicated to Yasmine. When she becomes successful, she’ll surely repay you a hundredfold!"

I looked at Harlan and replied naturally, "Of course. Yasmine is smart and talented. Being her mother is my greatest blessing."

Harlan sighed gently and embraced me from behind. "The Thornes are incredibly blessed that I married such a wonderful wife like you!"

Turning my face so he couldn’t see, I sneered silently without responding.

Harlan and I had been together since college, which equaled four years of dating and seven years of marriage. Despite eleven years of being together day in and day out, he was almost perfect in my eyes.

During our relationship, he never forgot when my time of the month was and prepared a glass of warm milk for me for over a decade without fail. After marriage, he knew I loved surprises and romance, and no matter how late he came home, he always brought a small, thoughtful gift.

Until I overheard his conversation with the nanny, I had always thought I was the happiest woman in the world.

"Wow, Lana, you're amazing!"

From the music room not far away, Yasmine’s delighted applause rang out.

Instinctively, I got up and walked toward the door of the music room. The graceful melody of the piano ceased. Lana picked my daughter up and affectionately tickled her under the arms. "So, do you want to continue practicing?"

"Heehee, Lana, give me a kiss, and I’ll keep practicing!" Yasmine pouted and acted coy.

Lana gave her a big kiss on the cheek. "Alright, play it for me one more time. If you play well, I'll make you egg and soldiers tomorrow morning!"

Their intimate tone resembled that of a biological mother and daughter.

From the corner of her eye, Lana noticed me and immediately got up. Flustered, she put Yasmine down. "Dana, I..."

Before she could explain, Harlan quickly interjected to smooth things over, "You haven't been feeling well these days, so I asked her to help Yasmine practice the piano. She used to be a music teacher, and you can see she's done a decent job with Yasmine."

Upon hearing this, Lana gave me a bashful smile and then quickly lowered her head. "Well, I was a substitute teacher for a few years. Your family has been so good to me. I just wanted to help Yasmine as much as I could."

Seeing her guilty demeanor, I couldn’t help but think back to the day I gave birth. After narrowly escaping death, I woke up to find her holding the child I had risked my life to deliver, soothing her skillfully.

Harlan had explained she was a nanny hired from a top agency.

Lana had taken care of my child with such care that even when my mother wanted to hold the baby, she was reluctant to let go.

Back then, a nurse had joked, "This nanny seems to love the child even more than the mother does!"

At that time, Lana wore the same expression: a lowered head to hide her guilty conscience.

Seeing I hadn’t spoken for a while, Lana nervously twisted her hands. "Dana, I know I'm just a nanny, and I shouldn’t have gone into the music room. But Yasmine was upset today, so I went in to cheer her up. I..."

I raised my hand to interrupt her, smiling. "What are you saying? You’ve been helping me take care of Yasmine since my postpartum days. I’m grateful to you. Why would I blame you?"

Hearing this, Lana and Harlan exchanged a quick glance, visibly relieved.

Yasmine seemed to sense the lightened atmosphere and ran toward me with her head tilted upward. "Mommy, can you come to my rehearsal at school tomorrow?"

I bent down and pinched her chubby cheeks. "Do you want Mommy to?"

The little girl smiled sweetly. "I want you to go and earn money for us to spend. Lana and Daddy can watch my rehearsal instead!"

Lana’s expression changed, and she hastily took Yasmine from my arms while explaining anxiously, "Dana, don’t be upset. Yasmine is just worried about interrupting your work. She always says she’ll repay you when she grows up!"

Harlan caught Lana’s look and quickly chimed in, "That’s right. Yasmine has been more mature than other kids since she was little. You’re her mom. You understand her best!"

I pretended not to notice their unspoken exchange and gently patted Yasmine's head. "Alright, I shall listen to you."

Yasmine tilted her little head and wrapped her arms around Lana’s shoulders, swaying. "See, I told you, Mommy will agree! Lana, let’s keep practicing the piano. Daddy, come listen too. Don’t bother Mommy anymore!"

Harlan casually moved closer to Lana and sat beside her whereas Yasmine focused on practicing the piano, leaving no one to spare me a glance.

I smiled indifferently, turned, and went back to the study to continue working.

Perhaps because I seemed easygoing, or they thought their act was seamless, Lana's behavior became increasingly overstepping.

In the past, when I caught her being overly close with Yasmine, she would at least offer an explanation. Now, she would openly hold Yasmine in her arms and feed her right before me.

"Dana, you're busy with work. Leave Yasmine's matters to me!"

"Dana, I attended Yasmine's parent-teacher meeting on your behalf today. You've been up working until midnight lately, so Harlan asked me not to disturb you."

"Dana, Yasmine is down with the flu. I'll stay with her for a few nights so that she doesn’t disturb you or affect your work."

...

Later, I would wake up several times in the middle of the night, only to find that Harlan wasn’t in bed. In Yasmine's room, just separated by a wall, the sound of laughter from the three of them rang out.

I silently turned over.

Seeing that I didn’t notice anything amiss, Harlan became bolder. Sometimes, he even held Lana’s hand under the dining table and stroked it right in front of me. My very own daughter, Yasmine, grew more attached to Lana as well. Sometimes, she would refuse my bedtime stories and insist on Lana putting her to sleep.

Neither did I reprimand them nor did I get angry. Instead, I silently allowed all of this to happen.

Then came the day Yasmine’s university entrance exam scores were released.

Looking at her poor scores, Lana was more anxious than I was as her mother. "How did you score so little? Look, there isn’t a single school in the country that will accept you!"

Admiring her freshly done manicure, Yasmine replied irritably, "If I can’t study in the country, I’ll go abroad. My mom’s the CEO of a corporation. Do you think she’ll let me go without an education?"

Seeing that I didn’t immediately respond, Harlan acted like he was about to scold Yasmine. "Your mom and I have spoiled you too much! Your mom has sacrificed so much for you, and this is how you repay her? How do you expect to manage the company in the future or gain others' respect?"

Yasmine turned her head to avoid him and angrily clung to my arm. "Mom, I want to study abroad. Can you figure something out for me?"

Looking at these three putting on such a dedicated performance, how could I ruin the mood? I smiled faintly, speaking in a gentle tone, "Yasmine is right. If she can’t study locally, she’ll go abroad. My daughter will never lack opportunities. Once you’ve completed your studies, I’ll hand the company over to you. My Yasmine deserves nothing but the best!"

For a moment, a look of jealousy flickered across Lana’s face, but she quickly suppressed it. The three of them exchanged a smile as if they had reached some secret understanding.

I smiled too.

I was smiling at their audacity.

With my support, the procedures for Yasmine's study abroad were processed quickly. The study destination of choice was decided after lengthy discussions between Harlan and Yasmine, and Lana helped pack her belongings—six large suitcases in total.

While waiting for the paperwork to be finalized, I started introducing Yasmine to the company operations. Under my subtle guidance, she quickly gained a firm foothold in the company and even cultivated her own circle of trusted aides.

The day of departure was a bright and sunny one. Harlan held his daughter’s hand, giving her endless reminders like a doting father.

Pushing five of the suitcases by herself, Lana looked at me and said with her head held high, "Dana, I’ve been raising Yasmine since I came to your home. I can’t bear the thought of her being all alone in a foreign country. This time, I’ll accompany her there. Harlan has already paid for everything."

Harlan awkwardly rubbed his hands and looked at me apologetically. "I’m just worried about Yasmine. She’s so used to Lana taking care of her. You don’t mind me making this decision on my own, do you?"

I smiled. "How could I? I’m glad you care so much about Yasmine."

Then, I turned to Lana. "Speaking of which, you’ve handled everything about Yasmine. These next four years will be hard on you."

Lana nodded with a smile. "You flatter me, Dana."

After the two of them boarded the plane, Harlan remained at the airport, teary-eyed as he watched the plane disappear into the sky.

Once Lana and Yasmine were gone, the house suddenly felt much quieter.

At first, Harlan pretended to be a devoted husband, but as time went on, it seemed like he didn’t even want to keep up the act. He’d either find excuses to go fishing with friends or claim he had enrolled in a culinary class to learn how to cook for Yasmine’s return.

I watched his performance, pretending not to notice the frequent notifications on his phone about flights to Australia. Instead, I played along, sighing. "You’ve put so much effort into Yasmine over the years. She won’t disappoint you in the future!"

Harlan straightened up proudly. "Of course! Our Yasmine is bound to be the best!" Although he emphasized the words "our Yasmine," his gaze seemingly passed right through me as if he were looking at someone else.

Four and a half years later, Yasmine returned, glowing with pride, accompanied by Lana. The two of them were dressed in matching mother-daughter outfits with identical hairstyles and even wore custom-made rings—one large, one small.

Harlan rushed forward, taking both of them into a tight embrace, rambling on about how much he had missed them. Passersby couldn’t help but think they were a picture-perfect family of three.

"Sorry, I got too excited and didn’t realize," Harlan explained when questioned about why he had embraced Lana as well.

Yasmine pushed him away with a playful smile and clung to my arm, shaking it. "Mom, I got straight A’s abroad! When can I take over the company? I’ve been dying to help you out!"

Couldn’t wait any longer, could she?

I smiled, holding her hand. "You can take over right now. I’ve already convened a shareholders’ meeting. Let’s go announce the handover!"