I saw an abandoned baby on the roadside this morning when I was heading out. Just as I was about to pick up the baby and take her home, I suddenly heard the baby's thoughts. [My mom's plan is brilliant. She deliberately left me in front of Johnson to make him pick me up and adopt me. That way, I can legitimately become the heir to the Johnson family.] [Back then, Johnson used his family background to viciously break up my parents. Now raising my mom's illegitimate daughter is exactly what he deserves!] [Once I become Johnson's daughter, I'll help my mom get rid of that bastard Johnson as soon as possible, then bring my dad over so our family of three can reunite.] The baby on the ground was still grinning at me, but I had heard her thoughts loud and clear. So when Presley insisted on going abroad for a year-long business trip despite my objections, she was actually going to have a child behind my back. A cold smile crossed my lips as I made a phone call. Since it's a bastard child, it should go where it belongs!
That evening, Presley came through the door carrying a large bag of formula and diapers. "Johnson, I heard you found an abandoned baby this morning when you went out." "You can't have children, so this baby's arrival is fate. Let's adopt her." I looked at her with feigned surprise. "Presley, what are you talking about? When did I pick up a child?" A flash of anxiety crossed Presley's face. "The child you found near our home this morning when you went out." "Johnson, I know you have a kind heart. You definitely wouldn't ignore an abandoned baby." I smiled. "That's natural. I rescue stray cats and dogs when I see them outside, let alone a child." Hearing me say this, Presley visibly relaxed. "Then hurry and bring out the baby. She must be hungry. I bought formula and I'll make her a bottle right away." I said with an innocent expression, "But the problem is I didn't find any child!" Presley's whole body stiffened. "Johnson, stop joking with me. Are you trying to surprise me?" My expression turned serious. "This is a human life. How could I joke about that? If I really found a child, I would have called the police immediately! How could I just bring her home!" Presley said without thinking, "But he said he saw you carry the child home with his own eyes..." I raised an eyebrow at Presley. "Who is 'he'?" Realizing she'd slipped up, Presley quickly covered. "The... the security guard. Yes, the security guard from our complex said he saw you pick up the child." I said with a smile, "Then the guard must have been seeing things. After all, those guards aren't young anymore. It's normal for their eyes to play tricks on them." "No, he absolutely couldn't have been mistaken." Presley was certain I had brought the child home. She searched every room in the house at lightning speed, but didn't see any trace of a baby. She instantly panicked. "How is this possible? Where's the child?" I walked over to comfort her. "Presley, if you want to be a mother, we can go to an orphanage and adopt one." I was born infertile and hadn't hidden this from Presley before marriage. At the time, she said she loved me as a person and was willing to be childfree with me for life. To show her commitment, she even voluntarily had a tubal ligation. Back then, I was deeply moved by her gesture, thinking I'd found a woman who truly loved me. Now thinking about that illegitimate daughter's existence, I found it utterly laughable. I pulled her arm, heading toward the bedroom. "Presley, you've had a long day. Go get some rest." Presley shook off my hand, saying anxiously, "I just remembered, I have some unfinished business at the office. I need to go handle it." Watching her hurried departure, a cold smile crossed my lips. I knew she was going to look for the child, but right now, no one except me knew where the child was!
I slept until dawn. The next morning when I turned on my phone, I saw countless missed calls, all from Presley. Before I could do anything, another call came through. I answered, and Presley's anxious voice came through the phone. "Johnson, where did you go? I've been looking for you all night." I said in a relaxed tone, "I felt bored at home alone last night, so I stayed at my friend's place. Why were you looking for me?" "Johnson, the child's father came looking. He said he saw you take the child with his own eyes yesterday. If we don't find the child, he's going to call the police. Please return the child to him." Perfect. I also wanted to see who the child's father really was! After hanging up, I got up, washed up, and drove straight back to the complex. Presley was pacing anxiously at the complex entrance with a man in his thirties. As soon as I appeared, she rushed toward me, but her steps halted when she saw I was alone. "Johnson, where's the child?" I looked puzzled. "What child? I told you yesterday, I didn't find any child." The middle-aged man behind her heard this and yelled at the top of his lungs, "It was you! I saw you take my child with my own eyes yesterday. Give me back my child!" His shouting attracted many onlookers to the entrance. I examined the man. He was short with a beer belly and many wrinkles on his face. More importantly, he was clearly several years older than Presley. Unless she was blind, she wouldn't cheat on me with this kind of man. Obviously this man was just a smokescreen. Presley was protecting the child's real father. I said, "You need evidence to make accusations. I'm not a human trafficker. Why would I take your child? Besides, I don't even know you. How could I take your child?" "Making such baseless accusations against me is slander. I think I'm the one who should call the police." He cried with tears and snot running down his face. "I'm a manual laborer. The child's mother left after the baby was born. I was worried I couldn't raise the child properly." "So I left the child at the complex entrance, hoping someone wealthy would adopt her so she could have a comfortable life." "But now I know I was wrong. After separating from my child yesterday, I didn't sleep all night. Please return the child to me." Presley chimed in from the side. "Johnson, since he's realized his mistake, please return the child to him. Don't let father and daughter be separated." I frowned at Presley. "Presley, how many times do I have to say it? I didn't find a child. How can you not believe me and instead believe a stranger?"
Presley was momentarily at a loss for words. The man next to her suddenly knelt in front of me, apologizing continuously. "Sir, I really know I was wrong. From now on, even if I have to sell everything I own or beg on the streets, I'll never abandon my child again." "I'm begging you, please return the child to me. The child is my life!" I said seriously, "I really didn't take your child. Could you have remembered wrong or mistaken me for someone else?" The man immediately denied it. "Impossible. I remember clearly it was you. Yesterday you wore a blue T-shirt with a cat on it." Presley immediately confirmed. "That's right, Johnson. That's exactly what you wore yesterday." Led by him and Presley, everyone seemed to have decided I took the child, all urging me to return her. "Children are the apple of their parents' eye. I think if he wasn't desperate, he wouldn't have considered abandoning his child." "Although he was wrong first, he came to his senses in time, so it's not too late. Just return the child to the father." "Did you hide someone else's child? If you don't hand her over, we'll call the police to arrest you." I said somewhat helplessly, "If there really was a child abandoned at the complex entrance, the security guard at the gate would definitely know. If you don't believe me, you can ask the guard." A resident immediately went to the guard booth to bring over the security guard and asked directly: "When you were on duty yesterday, did you see this man take away a baby that was abandoned near the complex entrance?" The guard shook his head. "No, everything was normal during my shift yesterday. I didn't see any child, let alone see this gentleman take away a child." At these words, everyone turned to look at the middle-aged man still kneeling on the ground and accused him, "So you were the one lying all along. You almost fooled us." "I heard there are criminal gangs specifically staking out high-end complexes, then using various pretexts to scam and extort money from residents!" "I think he's exactly that type of person. He pretended a child was taken by one of our residents, then when the resident can't produce the child, he extorts a large sum of money to settle the matter. We should call the police and have him arrested immediately!" The middle-aged man panicked immediately, waving his hands frantically. "No, I'm not a scammer, I'm really not a scammer..." "I really did leave my child at the entrance yesterday, and I really did see him take the child away." He grabbed my clothes frantically. "Where did you take my child? Give me back my child!" Presley was also extremely anxious at this moment. "Johnson, I believe he's not lying. It's been a whole day and night. If something happens to the child, you could be a murderer!"
I looked at Presley coldly and questioned her sternly. "So you're saying the guard and I are both lying? Presley, what's wrong with you? You'd rather believe a stranger than your own husband!" The crowd also spoke up for me. "The average price per square foot in our complex is high. Everyone living here is either rich or privileged. Who would bother hiding a child!" "Exactly. I believe Johnson and the guard aren't lying. This man must be deliberately slandering them!" Someone even looked at Presley. "Your attitude has been strange all along, so insistent that the child was hidden by your husband. Are you in cahoots with this fat man?" Presley said somewhat guiltily, "I... I just thought his anxious manner didn't seem fake." I stared at him intently. "Is that so? But didn't you say last night that the security guard told you I picked up a child?" The guard immediately denied it. "I didn't even speak to this resident yesterday. How could I have told him that!" "So tell me, Presley, why have you been so certain since last night that I picked up a child?" Presley was speechless under my questioning, cold sweat sliding continuously from her forehead. Just then, the fat man's phone chimed. He took out his phone, looked at it, then said loudly, "I have evidence to prove you took the child!" He then opened a surveillance video on his phone for everyone to see. The video clearly showed me standing in front of a baby for several minutes, then making a phone call before carrying the child into the complex. With the surveillance video as evidence, Presley immediately regained her confidence. "Johnson, the evidence is irrefutable. How will you deny it now!" The onlookers also turned their opinions around, beginning to pressure and accuse the guard and me. The guard was the first to break under pressure and confessed the truth. "It was him. He gave me fifty thousand to cooperate and change my testimony. The child was taken by him. It has nothing to do with me." This statement drew everyone's attention to me. Presley assumed a posture of being concerned for me, earnestly trying to persuade me. "Johnson, just bring out the child. Otherwise when this gets to the police station, I won't be able to protect you." The fat man looked like he wanted to devour me. "Now the facts are clear. You conspired with the guard to abduct my child. Return the child to me now, or I'll fight you!" The crowd looked at me with constant accusations. "I never thought he was this kind of person. Living in our complex is such a disgrace to us residents!" "I heard he's been married for years without children. He must have wanted to abduct someone else's child because he can't have his own." "Everyone call the police quickly and arrest this human trafficker. Let him rot in prison!" Facing the crowd's accusations, I calmly pulled out a paternity test from my bag. "Presley, can you explain to me why the child he lost is identified as your biological daughter?"
? Continue the story here ?? ? Download the "NovelMaster" app ? search for "390573", and watch the full series ✨! #NovelMaster