After rocking the world of the Julian Thorne—heir to the Thorne empire—for one wild, unforgettable night, the System gave me a notification: Time to skedaddle. His "destined" Female Lead was coming online. I fled the hospital that very night, but I didn't leave empty-handed. I stole something of his. Four years later. My daughter got into a fight at kindergarten. The teacher called both parents. I rushed over, only to find a terrifyingly familiar man crouching in front of my child, begging for an answer. "Tell me, little one... what is your mommy's name?" 1 "Hailey!" The man froze. "What? Not Harper?" The little girl wrinkled her nose. "Mister, you might be handsome, but you can't just go around changing my mommy's name." "Impossible... absolutely impossible..." The man, usually so composed and commanding, shook his head in disbelief. He dropped to one knee, reaching out as if to hug this miniature version of himself. But when the girl stepped back in fear, his hand dropped to his side, defeated. "Little one, how old are you?" She pouted. "Mommy said I can't talk to strangers." "Strangers..." The man sucked in a sharp breath, the blood draining from his handsome face. The teacher standing nearby was totally lost. Here’s the tea: during playtime this afternoon, the best-behaved girl in class got into a brawl with the class bully. The bully, despite his size, got absolutely wrecked by my little girl. The bully's dad? The CEO of Thorne Corp. Rumor had it Julian Thorne spoiled his wife and son rotten. The Thorne family treated that boy like a golden egg. Meanwhile, my daughter comes from a single-parent home. Just me and her against the world. We were supposed to be toast. Sure enough, Julian Thorne stormed in with an entourage. But when he realized the other parent was late, just as he was about to explode, he caught a glimpse of the little girl standing in time-out. His face changed instantly. He ignored his own son—who was stomping his feet and crying "Dad! Daddy! Dad!"—and started grilling my daughter. If you didn't know better, you'd think he was the one who got called in for her. 2 I was hiding outside the door, my heart hammering against my ribs like a drum solo. I couldn't go in, couldn't run away. [System! We have a Code Red! Where are you? You said we wouldn't cross paths again!] My palms were sweating against the door handle. I watched through the crack. My daughter was still in there. I had to go in. Even though the System had tweaked my appearance a bit, if Julian recognized me, the game was over. He’d find out about Lily. Would he try to take her from me? While I was hesitating, a cheerful voice piped up behind me. "Lily's mom? Why are you standing out here?" "Don't worry, we're just here to resolve a little conflict." A teacher I recognized reached past me and threw the door open. 3 I stumbled into the office under the gaze of everyone in the room. My daughter stood ramrod straight, her little face tense with stubbornness. But the second she saw me, the tears fell. She threw herself into my arms. "Mommy!" Her tears soaked my shirt. My heart shattered. I held her tight. She was such a tough cookie. She’d held it together all this time, refusing to cry in front of them. But seeing me broke the dam. I patted her back gently, whispering comforts while fishing a couple of gummy bears out of my pocket. A sharp, predatory gaze had locked onto me the moment I entered. Now, it felt like a physical weight on my shoulder. Suffocating. I didn't look at the man. I turned to the teacher. "He started it!" the bully yelled. "We were playing House. I wanted to be the Daddy, but she said she didn't need one! She said her house is fine with just a Mommy!" "How can she not need a Daddy? She didn't pop out of a rock!" My voice went cold. "And? What else?" I didn't believe my daughter would throw hands over just that. She’s heard "no dad" taunts before. If she hit people every time she heard that, she’d be a UFC champion by now. The bully went quiet, glancing at his father. Julian stood there, eyes icy. "What else did you say?" he asked his son. "I said... everyone has a dad. My mommy said only bad kids get thrown away by their dads." The room went silent. Kids can be so cruel in their innocence. I took a deep breath, fighting the urge to punt a child across the room. I turned my daughter around and checked her for injuries. Then I walked up to the bully. "Did you scratch her neck?" The kid was spoiled, but faced with an angry adult, he panicked. He tugged his dad’s pant leg. No reaction. Tears welled up. I ignored his father completely. "Apologize to Lily. Now." The bully glared at me. "No!" He shoved me and tried to run. I grabbed him by the collar, lifting him like a chicken. "Your dad won't teach you?" I glanced at the gloomy man beside me. "Fine. I will." The teacher looked ready to intervene, but Julian stopped her with a look. Teacher: ??? "Let me go! Do you know who my mom is?!" The brat kicked his legs. "I don't care who your mom is. Apologize, or we stay here all night." Suddenly, a flash of pink rushed into my vision. The weight in my hand vanished. Slap! A stinging pain exploded across my cheek. A petite, well-dressed woman snatched the boy, hugged him, and screamed at the teacher. "You were just going to watch this crazy woman assault my son? I'm suing this school!" She glared at me, then tugged Julian’s sleeve. "Hubby, call the police!" My face burned. I felt a trickle of blood—her diamond nail art had cut me. Lily saw the blood and started wailing, hugging my leg. "Mommy, I'm sorry! I apologize! I'm sorry!" My heart twisted. I looked at the family of three opposite me. I’d never met her, but I knew exactly who she was. Gemma. The Female Lead. 4 In the car. Silence. I took Lily to McDonald's. She just sat there, picking at the placemat. Her silence hurt more than the scratch on my face. The principal had stepped in to de-escalate things. Gemma left threatening to sue everyone. Julian just stared at Lily. I shielded her from his gaze. For four years, I raised her alone, surviving on the System's mission rewards. I never figured out how to explain the "missing father" part. Today, it blew up in my face. I thought about the bully—Jett. Strong, loud, fearless. A kid raised in a honey pot. And he was the same age as Lily... So, I left, and the Female Lead stepped right in. She conquered the heart I spent three years trying to warm up. Did he fall for her at first sight, too? "Mommy..." A soft voice broke my trance. A strawberry shake was pushed toward me. "Mommy, you drink it." Lily’s eyes were red, her face stubborn but cute. "I thought you wanted this?" I asked. I usually limited her sugar, so this was a rare treat. "I want Mommy to be happy." She muttered, "I was wrong today." "What did you do wrong?" "I didn't beat Jett fast enough." She clenched a tiny fist. "Next time, I won't lose!" I laughed through my tears and ruffled her hair. "Mommy was wrong too. I shouldn't have asked for an apology. I should have just spanked him!" The image of Jett flying through the air made Lily giggle. We shared a Happy Meal and planned our next playground strategy. We didn't notice the luxury car parked across the street. Or that it followed us all the way home.
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