Today, my husband came home with his mistress and forced me to sign the divorce papers. Then he threw me out. Because I had been a housewife and had not earned any money, they refused to let me take even a single suitcase. My bank cards were frozen. All I had left was twenty-three dollars from grocery shopping. Twenty-three dollars was not enough to find a place to stay in Manhattan. I did not want to sleep on the street, so I stubbornly kept scrolling through job apps. But every job requires work experience. I had none. Then one posting caught my eye. Wanted: Stepmother for a child. Food and lodging included. The words “lodging included” instantly caught my attention. That night, I went there. Standing outside the gates of a luxury estate, I did not expect the employer to be the Blackwell family—the richest family in the world. Beside me stood a proud-looking butler. “Mr. Blackwell is looking for a mother for his son, not a wife for himself. Please keep that in mind. Do not have any inappropriate ideas.” I lowered my head slightly and kept my eyes forward. In truth, I had only finalized my divorce that morning. I had no interest in marrying another man right now. But if I could take care of a child and have a place to stay, I would not have to spend money renting an apartment. For me, trapped in such a desperate situation, this was a very good chance. I nodded respectfully. “I understand. I won’t overstep.” Butler Whitman nodded and led me into the dining room. Beside the long dining table, a young father and son were locked in a silent battle. The calm, cold-looking man held a bowl and spoon, his face dark. The gloomy little boy bit his lip and refused to back down. After a long while, the man sighed and put down the bowl in defeat. “Leo, just one bite. Please?” Butler Whitman brought me forward. “Mr. Blackwell, another applicant is here.” The man slowly turned around. He wore simple black trousers and a white shirt. The top button was undone, faintly revealing his collarbone. I had seen this face before on financial news. He was too handsome and too striking. One look was enough to remember him forever. The moment I saw his face, I finally relaxed. He was Adrian, the richest man in the world. There was no reason for a man like him to scheme against a divorced woman as broke as me. His deep gaze swept over me lightly, his voice carrying a trace of exhaustion. “What is your name?” “Nora,” I said. He nodded and handed me the bowl. “Try feeding Leo. If you succeed, you can stay.”
I had to perform well. If I could stay, at least I would not have to sleep on the street tonight. Holding the bowl, I smiled gently and walked toward Leo. But before I could take two steps, Leo shot under the dining table. Only a pair of dark, grape-like eyes remained visible. He shouted angrily at Adrian. “No! Make her leave! I don’t want her to feed me! They are all bad women!” It seemed that before me, Leo had already met several “stepmothers.” I looked around and noticed superhero figures everywhere in the house. An idea immediately came to me. I picked up a superhero figure and placed it under the table beside Leo. Then I smiled and said, “Don’t worry. I’m not here to feed you. I’m here to feed Spider-Man.” After saying that, I pretended to feed Spider-Man. “Eat more. You need to be full before you can save New York.” “A child who doesn’t eat will have skinny arms and legs. If he can’t even protect himself, how can he protect the city?” Leo lay beside me with a pitiful look, as if he had been completely forgotten. He smacked his lips several times. I pretended not to notice. Only when his nose turned red from anxiety and he was about to cry did I act as if I had just discovered him. “Oh my! Why is there a tiny hero here too?” “Spider-Man, can you share the rest of your food with him? Only after he eats can he grow as strong as you.” I lowered my voice and pretended to speak like Spider-Man. “Of course. Only when you’re full will you have the strength to save the world.” Then I returned to my normal voice and smiled as I brought the spoon to Leo’s mouth. “Do you want to eat now?” Leo nodded hard and immediately took the spoon into his mouth. After several big bites, he even glared at me accusingly. “Why aren’t you feeding me more? Are you scared I’ll become stronger than Spider-Man? Bad woman!” I laughed. By accident, I met Adrian’s eyes. I saw the tension between his brows ease. He gave me an approving smile. I knew I had passed the interview. That night, I stayed in the estate. Four-year-old Leo and I lived on the second floor. Adrian lived alone on the third. Butler Whitman reminded me again and again. “You must never go to the third floor. A woman once got bold and sneaked upstairs in the middle of the night, trying to climb into Mr. Blackwell’s bed. Mr. Blackwell had security throw her out on the spot.” I nodded repeatedly and promised I would never cross the line. Leo was very independent. At only four years old, he could sleep by himself. That saved me a lot of trouble. The next afternoon, when Adrian came home from work, I was feeding Leo at the front of the mansion. There was a pet leash around Leo’s neck. He sat side by side with a Golden Retriever on the lawn. The Golden Retriever took one bite. Leo took one bite. They were both enjoying themselves. Adrian’s face darkened on the spot. “Nora, what the hell are you treating my son as?”
His voice was cold and sharp. I trembled. Before I could say anything, Leo spoke first. “Daddy, Nora and I are role-playing. Look, I ate way more than Max!” “Woof! Woof woof! Woof woof woof!” Adrian’s frown deepened. Slowly, he turned to look at Butler Whitman. Butler Whitman hesitated before speaking. “Mr. Blackwell, Miss Nora’s method is a little unusual, but it clearly works.” “Before, no matter how we chased after Leo to feed him, he refused to eat. But this afternoon, Leo already ate two large bowls of pasta and even swore that he must beat Max.” Adrian coldly looked at Leo, who was eating without the slightest dignity. In the end, he let out a breath. “Fine. But people and dogs should still use separate tableware.” I immediately replied, “Please don’t worry, Mr. Blackwell. Your dog is very clean.It didn’t even touch Leo’s spoon.” Adrian froze. The next second, his face turned black, and he turned around and went into the house. Because Leo had eaten too much, I had no choice but to walk him and Max around the garden for half an hour. What I did not know was that Adrian was standing by the second-floor window, watching us. Seeing Leo laugh as he raced Max, the corners of Adrian’s tightly pressed lips lifted into a rare smile. Butler Whitman sighed again and again. “Miss Nora really is impressive. Leo usually doesn’t like eating, talking, or exercising. But in just one day, he has changed so much.” “Mr. Blackwell, this time, we may truly have found the right person.” When I went upstairs, Adrian was sitting on the sofa in the first-floor living room. His long legs were crossed, and his presence was outstanding. I removed the leash from Leo and was about to take him upstairs for a bath when Adrian suddenly stopped me. “Nora, let’s talk.” I handed Leo to Butler Whitman and sat properly across from Adrian. Adrian looked at me and asked, “You’re very good with children. Have you had a child before?” “No. I once helped look after my ex-husband’s sister’s child for two years.” I shook my head. Back then, my ex-husband’s family thought I earned too little and ordered me to quit my job. After I quit, they said I was freeloading at home, lazy and useless. So they simply fired his sister’s nanny and threw all the childcare work onto me. Adrian nodded. “Your file says you were divorced?” “Yes.” “Why?” I fell silent for a moment, then said calmly, “We had different values.” Adrian looked at me with deep eyes. “You saw the job posting yesterday. I’m looking for a mother for Leo.”
He continued, “This child has no sense of security. He only wants to stay at home. He refuses to go out, and he refuses to go to kindergarten.” “I’m very busy with work, so I want to find a patient woman to be his mother.” “I will sign a prenuptial agreement with you. There will also be a property notarization.” I nodded.“I understand.” Families like theirs all did this. Although my last marriage had been for love, the gap between our backgrounds was too large, so I had also signed a prenuptial agreement. So when that love finally wore down to nothing, I was left with nothing in the divorce. Even my wedding ring had been taken back. After thinking for a moment, I said seriously, “Actually, I’m already satisfied as long as I have a place to stay. We don’t need to legally register the marriage.” But Adrian insisted, “The marriage certificate is for Leo.” “I want to find him a long-term mother. Marriage is the strongest contract.” I obediently nodded. “Then we’ll do as you say.” Adrian added, “I will give you twenty thousand dollars a month for living expenses. It will be for your personal use. Don’t worry. That money will belong completely to you.” “Okay. Thank you.” He paused, then continued, “As for married life, I have no need for it for now. So you will still sleep on the second floor.” I immediately nodded. “Okay. I have no need for that either.” And just like that, on the third day after my divorce, I got married again. Just like my first marriage, there was no wedding. At dinner, Butler Whitman specially asked the kitchen to add a few extra dishes. Adrian handed me a diamond ring. I quickly waved my hand. “That’s not necessary.” Adrian said, “For Leo.” “Oh. All right. Sorry for the trouble.” That night, I had just lain down when Leo pushed open my door and stood there nervously. “What’s wrong?” I asked. He twisted his fingers and said awkwardly, “Nora, can you read me a bedtime story?” “I’ll ask my daddy to pay you more. Of course, if you don’t want to, forget it.” My heart softened instantly. I smiled at him. “Come here.” I lifted the blanket, and the little boy climbed in smoothly. That night, Leo fell asleep in my arms while listening to my bedtime story. Early the next morning, Adrian was shocked when he heard about it. Once again, approval showed between his brows. “Nora, thank you for your hard work. I’ll add another ten thousand dollars to your monthly allowance.” “Mr. Blackwell, that’s too much!” It really was too much.
After all, I had done far more in my last marriage. But when I got divorced, I was so broke I could not even afford a motel. During the day, I looked after my ex-husband’s sister’s child. At night, I cooked for my ex-husband. After satisfying his physical needs, I still had to get up in the middle of the night to clean the house. Even so, when we divorced, the Reed family said I had enjoyed three years of good life. “Mr. Blackwell, you’re giving me too much.” “I really like Leo. He may seem cold on the outside, but he is warm inside. He is very kind.” “I only read him a story. It was nothing difficult.” As I spoke, I suddenly felt something small and warm grab my right hand. I looked down and saw Leo holding my hand, looking up at me. His little face was serious, but his dark, grape-like eyes were watery. I did not expect him to be moved so easily. Adrian said, “The women who came before only cared about pleasing me. They ignored Leo’s feelings.” “The extra ten thousand dollars is decided.” Since I could not refuse, I could only thank him. From that day on, Leo became inseparable from me. Until one day, I needed to go to the hospital for a checkup and get my medicine. Butler Whitman had told me that Leo could not leave the estate gates, or he might easily have a stress reaction. So I discussed it with him and asked him to wait for me at home. I promised I would come back as soon as possible. But Leo held my hand and refused to let go. He said nothing. He only looked at me with those beautiful, gloomy eyes. I was about to keep coaxing him to stay home obediently. But he had already climbed into the car first. Butler Whitman asked anxiously, “ Leo, are you going to the hospital with Miss Nora?” Leo nodded silently. Butler Whitman instantly burst into tears. “God bless us! Leo is actually willing to leave the house!” In the end, Leo came with me to see the doctor. The doctor said my depression had improved recently and encouraged me to keep staying positive and relaxed. Before I left, he prescribed me a pile of medicine. After we came out of the consultation room, Leo asked worriedly, “Nora, are you sick? Does it hurt?” His face was full of worry. “If it hurts, I can give you candy.” As he spoke, he took a piece of chocolate from his pocket and placed it in my palm. “If you eat candy, you can forget the pain. Daddy told me that.” Looking at his innocent, concerned little face, my tears fell without warning. I had once told my ex-husband Ethan that I had depression. But he said I was pretending to be depressed for sympathy. He said I was deliberately annoying him and causing him trouble. Yet this cold-faced little boy was willing to take out his favorite candy to comfort me. I could not hold back anymore. I pulled Leo into my arms. He quietly curled up in my embrace and even patted my back with his chubby little hand. “Nora, I will eat properly. When I grow up, I can protect you.” I laughed through my tears. “Then you’d better grow up quickly.”
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