When we were renovating our house before the wedding, Olivia Sterling told me to design everything exactly to my liking. So, when I casually placed her high heels outside the front door to air out, she threw a fit that very night, shattering a delicate teacup against the wall. "Those heels were imported from Australia! Even the soles are pure lambskin. They’re completely ruined if they touch water! How am I supposed to wear them now?" I apologized profusely, explaining I didn’t know much about luxury brands. My apology only fueled her rage. "You don't even know basic common sense? How are you supposed to be the backbone of this family?" "As the partner to the Sterling family heiress, your standards for quality of life are pathetically low!" I froze in place like an idiot. Before I could even process what was happening, she told me she wanted a breakup. Two hours later, her childhood best friend, Carter Vance, posted an official relationship announcement online, accompanied by a picture of them kissing passionately. I bowed out in silence. When we crossed paths again, it was six years later. At the entrance of Disneyland, my daughter and I were thick as thieves. "One churro for five bucks, two for eight. We'll eat them secretly. Don't tell Mommy, okay?" Just as I was about to pay, my phone was violently smacked out of my hand. "It's bad enough you have zero taste, but you're raising my daughter to be a cheapskate just like you. Ethan Hayes, is this your idea of revenge?" I stared at my daughter’s deep double eyelids and striking hazel eyes, completely dumbfounded. Was this woman hallucinating in broad daylight? Even on a weekday evening, the entrance to Disneyland was a sea of people. I couldn't tell if it was just my imagination, but it felt even more crowded than a holiday. My daughter was begging to go inside to watch the fireworks, so I scooped her up into my arms. "Be good, Lily. Mommy already bought you an annual pass last time, so we can come whenever you want. There are too many people today, and Daddy can't watch out for you all by himself. Let's go home first, okay?" My daughter had clearly inherited her mother's sharp intellect. Her eyes darted around, and she immediately started negotiating. "Then I want a churro!" I quickly covered her mouth and scanned our surroundings. Once I confirmed my wife’s driver and bodyguards were nowhere in sight, I let out a sigh of relief. "You only got away with it last time because you secretly followed Daddy out. Otherwise, I would never let you eat junk food. If your mother finds out, she’ll definitely lecture me." "Hehe, but it’s so yummy! Daddy, just this once. I promise I’ll be perfectly well-behaved for the whole week!" Lily obediently held up four little fingers in a swearing gesture. My heart instantly melted. "Alright, just this once for the month. No exceptions." I turned to the vendor nearby. "I'll take two. Apple Pay, please." Just as I pulled out my phone, a familiar voice drifted into my ear. "Did you really have to come shopping around here? There’s a line of at least ten thousand people at the gate! If it’s crowded with this many people, it’s clearly not a high-class venue. Hurry up, I have a business meeting to get to!" Carter’s smile stiffened. "Olivia, don't look so cold. We’re surrounded by kids, you’re going to scare them. It’s a fun atmosphere! Don’t you feel years younger just being here?" Olivia Sterling's voice grew even colder, laced with impatience. "I only feel that your taste has plummeted. Just standing here makes me feel like I reek of poverty." As soon as the words left her mouth, the surrounding tourists erupted. "Who the hell do you think you are? Who are you calling poor? If you're so rich, why didn't you rent out the whole park? Stop acting like you own the place!" Before Olivia could respond, a bodyguard nearly seven feet tall stepped in front of her. Someone in the crowd recognized her face, and gasps echoed around us. "Isn't that the heiress of the Sterling family...?" "What is she doing here? No wonder she thinks this place is poor. She actually has the capital to back it up." "See that handsome guy next to her? That's her fiancé. They’re super in love. Ms. Sterling probably lowered herself to come here just for him!" Olivia took a deep breath, suppressing her emotions. "Hurry up. I only have half an hour. I need someone to go to the nearby mall and buy me two new outfits. This one already smells like a crowd. It’s inappropriate for my meeting." "I heard the partner she's meeting is incredibly strict about appearances. Not a single hair can be out of place." Through the crowd, I caught sight of that familiar silhouette. She was as aloof as ever, though her profile looked much more mature. Remembering the explosive scene when we broke up, and contrasting it with the concessions she was making for Carter right now, I felt a twinge of irony. Sure enough, true love makes people compromise. Even someone as arrogant as Olivia Sterling was no exception. Sensing my gaze, she slowly turned her head. I quickly turned my back and tried to finish paying, terrified she would notice me. "Bag them up, please, man. We'll eat them on the way." Just as I was about to tap my phone to the terminal, it was violently smacked away. The screen shattered against the pavement. "It really is you." "Running into someone with no taste in a place with no taste. All these years have passed, and you haven't grown at all." I refused to back down. "If you're standing here too, your taste can't be much higher." "What, does Ms. Sterling want a bite? My treat." Lily tugged at my sleeve, asking cautiously: "Daddy, who is this lady? Why is she trying to steal my food?" Olivia's gaze slowly shifted downward. When she saw my daughter's face clearly, she froze completely. "Fighting over garbage food? Ethan Hayes, is this the life you lead after leaving me?" She stared dead at my daughter's face, her voice starting to tremble: "That birthmark behind her ear... the shape, the location, it’s exactly the same as the one I had when I was a kid." "Ethan, do you still dare to say she isn't my child?" My temples throbbed with anger. "Who’s eating garbage? Watch your mouth!" "A birthmark? You think you gave birth to every kid in the world with a birthmark?" "Are you so desperate for a child that you've lost your mind? My daughter has absolutely nothing to do with you!" I thought my attitude was firm enough, but upon hearing my words, she just gave me a look that said, Keep acting. She lowered her voice and leaned in close. "Whether she's mine or not, a DNA test will prove it." "If you have the guts, come to the hospital with me. If you don't, then admit it—you're terrified." I didn't even have the energy to curse at her. Did she not know that birthmarks can be inherited from the father's side, too? My daughter got that birthmark from my grandmother. I looked at my daughter’s deep double eyelids and hazel, mixed-race eyes, and I genuinely couldn't fathom how Olivia could possibly mistake her for her own. How could someone be this narcissistic? My expression turned ice-cold. I couldn't even be bothered to humor her anymore. "If you love birthmarks so much, go get one tattooed on yourself so you can see it in the mirror every day." "My daughter has nothing to do with you. Stop flattering yourself." With that, I turned to leave. I had lost my appetite for the churros anyway. Olivia took a step forward to grab me. But Carter intercepted her. "Why are you grabbing me? Let go! Can't you see Ethan is taking my daughter away?" Carter looked incredibly aggrieved. "Olivia, I am your fiancé. We haven't even had our wedding yet. If you bring a child back now, how am I supposed to explain this to my parents? What does that make me?" "Besides, this child might not even be yours, you—" Before he could finish, Olivia cut him off angrily: "Shut up!" "I'll handle my daughter's affairs myself. It's not your place to speak!" She took a long stride forward, tightly gripping my wrist to pull me back. "You can't leave! My daughter stays with me today!" "I told you, this is not your daughter. Let go of me!" "You say she isn't? Then do you dare come to the hospital with me? Do you?" I laughed out of sheer anger. "I have to get home. Why on earth should I go to the hospital with you? Who do you think you are? Does the whole world revolve around you?" Saying that, I pulled out my shattered phone, intending to call my wife’s bodyguards. Less than three seconds later, she snatched the broken phone and hurled it across the pavement. "Why are you faking it? If you don't dare go, it's because you're guilty!" "You've taken my daughter away for five years. She's stuck eating cheap street food with you. I have to take her away!" The massive argument instantly drew a crowd of tourists. "This guy is way too selfish. Sneaking away with the kid is bad enough, but now that he's caught, he won't even admit it. The kid is really suffering with a dad like that." "There aren't many good women like Ms. Sterling left. This guy is just lucky. If it were anyone else, they would've snatched the kid back and buried him by now!" Neither Olivia nor I spoke. We remained deadlocked in the middle of the crowd. After a long moment, she took a deep breath and suddenly changed her tone. She pushed Carter a few feet away and lowered her voice so only I could hear: "Ethan, I don't have time to waste with you." "This child looks familiar. You must come get a DNA test with me today." "If the test proves she isn't mine, I will apologize to you immediately, and I'll walk the other way whenever I see you from now on." "If she is mine—" "Name your price." I froze for a second. Not because of her words. But because she had finally stopped acting like a lunatic and was negotiating with me in the tone of a normal human being. Unfortunately, it was too late. "Olivia. It's been six years." "You still only know how to use your own methods to make decisions for other people." I held my daughter's hand and took a step back. "She is not your child. And I am not going anywhere with you." "If you really think she's your daughter, go investigate what exactly you missed six years ago." Olivia’s eyes trembled. "What do you mean?" I didn't answer. I simply picked up my daughter and turned into the crowd. Behind me, I heard Carter's urgent voice: "Olivia, he's just putting on an act! Don't let him trick you!" "We need to go. There are still so many things to prepare for the wedding..." Olivia didn't move. And I didn't look back. 2 I was blocked. Not by Olivia. By her bodyguards. More than a dozen men in black suits swarmed from all directions, trapping me and my daughter in place. Lily gripped the hem of my shirt, her voice thick with tears: "Daddy... who are they..." I crouched down, shielding her in my arms. I turned to look at Olivia. She stood where she was, not giving any orders. Nor did she call them off. She just watched me in silence. Like she was looking at someone she had finally caught but didn't know what to do with. Carter sidled up to her: "Olivia, I told you he was acting—look, he doesn't even have the guts to run." Olivia ignored him. She walked up to me, crouched down, and looked my daughter in the eye. Her voice was very soft: "What's your name?" Lily shrank back into my chest. Olivia waited for three seconds. Then she stood up. "Take them back." "Olivia." I stood up, glaring at her. "This is kidnapping." She didn't look at me. "After the DNA test, if she isn't mine, I will personally escort you back." "If she is—" She paused. "If she is, I'll say sorry again." I laughed. My eyes stung. Six years ago, when she dumped me, I never got a single "sorry." Six years later, she says "sorry" in exchange for kidnapping my daughter. "Olivia, do you know what this is?" She finally looked at me. "A belated apology is worth less than dirt." Her eyelashes fluttered. She didn't speak. With a wave of her hand, the bodyguards closed in. I shielded Lily as the crowd forced us toward the cars. Lily started to cry. Not a soft whimper, but the full-blown, terrified wail of a child. "Daddy! Daddy! I want Mommy—" Olivia's footsteps halted. She turned around and looked at my daughter's red, tear-streaked face. That expression— I couldn't read it. It looked like she had been pricked by a needle. Or like she had remembered something. She opened her mouth, wanting to speak. Carter immediately stepped in: "Olivia, it's normal for kids to cry. Just take her back and raise her for a couple of days, she'll be fine. Don't go soft—" "Shut up." Olivia didn't look at him. She walked over and took Lily from the bodyguards' hands. Lily struggled even harder, her tiny fists pounding against Olivia's shoulder. "Bad lady! You're a bad lady! I want my Mommy!" Olivia didn't dodge. She held the child, awkwardly patting her back. "...Don't be afraid." Her voice was so low. So low I almost thought I misheard. "I'm not a bad person." She placed my daughter into the car, then turned to me. "Get in." I didn't move. She waited for three seconds. Then she got in the car herself. The door remained open. Through the half-open door, she looked at me standing there. "Ethan." "You just said I should go investigate what I missed six years ago." "I will." "But until I find out the truth—" She lowered her eyes. "Will you give me a chance? Please?" The wind blew past. The Disney music was still playing in the background. I stood outside the car, listening to my daughter sobbing inside. Then, I got in. Not because my heart softened. But because she had finally asked, "Please." Six years ago, she never asked me. Six years later, she did. It was too late. But still—it was different. 3 It wasn't until the car pulled into the manor that I realized who Olivia was here to meet. Stella Thorne. My wife. I could navigate this estate with my eyes closed, but Olivia didn't know that. Afraid that my daughter and I would cause trouble, she locked us in a side lounge and forbade us from leaving. Through the crack in the door, I saw her take a deep breath in front of the reception room, straightening the collar of her suit. Carter was behind her, whispering something. Olivia ignored him. She just kept her eyes down, flipping through the contract in her hands over and over. —She was nervous. In the three years I spent with the Sterling family, I had never seen her nervous. Even facing hundreds of media outlets, she maintained that same icy demeanor. Now, she was so nervous about meeting my wife that she flipped the same page of the contract five times. "Daddy, why are we hiding in here?" Lily tugged at my shirt. I crouched down and pressed a finger to my lips: "Because Mommy is working." "That bad lady is here to talk business with Mommy, so we shouldn't disturb her." "Then why did she lock us in?" I thought for a moment. "Because she doesn't know that this is our house." Lily didn't really understand. But her attention had already shifted to something else. "Daddy, that light is so pretty!" She pointed at the massive crystal chandelier, her eyes sparkling. Before I could say a word, she had already stepped onto the sofa, scaled the cabinet, and scrambled up like a little monkey. "Baby! Get down!" Too late. She had already reached the edge of the chandelier, hanging off it and swinging back and forth. My heart skipped a beat in terror. But she had already shimmied up the chain to the very top, sitting on the metal frame of the chandelier, grinning down at me triumphantly. I took a deep breath and opened the hidden door in the closet. —If I didn't get her down right now, Olivia’s meeting would be over. And if Stella saw her daughter climbing the chandelier... I might be sleeping on the couch tonight. As I hurried through the hidden corridor and pushed open the side door to the reception room, I heard Olivia's voice. "...Ms. Thorne, the details of the collaboration are all set. Would you like to review the contract?" Stella didn't look at the contract. She looked up, her gaze passing right over Olivia and landing on me. "Ethan?" Olivia whipped her head around. I froze in place. Before I could speak, a violent shaking came from the ceiling— "Mommy!" The chandelier swung wildly, the crystal pendants crashing together in a cacophony of chimes. My daughter's tiny silhouette slipped from the frame, plummeting straight down. Stella's face went deathly pale. She lunged forward, catching that tiny, falling shape. I dove toward them, wrapping my arms around both of them. Our family of three crashed into a tangled heap in the center of the reception room. The crystal pendants were still swaying above us, ringing out. Lily threw her arms around Stella's neck, crying so hard she couldn't catch her breath: "Mommy... I thought I couldn't reach you anymore..." Stella didn't say a word. She just held our daughter tighter, her hand soothingly stroking Lily's back over and over again. Then, she looked up at me. The corners of her eyes were red. "...Next time she climbs the chandelier, remember to close the door." I nodded. I pressed my forehead against hers. "I will." In my peripheral vision, Olivia was still standing exactly where she was. Her hands had gripped the contract so tightly the paper was deeply creased. Carter was whispering furiously in her ear, but she didn't hear a single word. Her gaze fell on my wife's face. On my daughter's face. On the way I pressed my forehead against Stella's. Then, she looked away. She picked up the coffee on the table and took a sip. It was scalding hot. She didn't frown. She just swallowed it down. When she set the cup down, her fingertips were trembling. Stella finally stood up, placing Lily into my arms. "Ms. Sterling, I apologize for the interruption." She took my hand and walked over to Olivia. "This is my husband, Ethan Hayes." "And this is my daughter, Lily Hayes." "We've been married for six years, mostly living abroad, so we don't know many people stateside." Olivia stared at Stella holding my hand. The wedding band on her finger sparkled under the lights. She opened her mouth. "...You are a lucky woman, Ms. Thorne." Her voice was hoarse. Stella smiled faintly. "Ethan is a gift from heaven." "When we first met, he always loved buying cheap street plushies and covering my study in cartoon stickers." "At first, I really couldn't adapt." "But then I realized, why does life need so many strict rules?" "The warmth and chaos he brought... that's what's truly precious." Olivia didn't say a word. She looked down and signed the contract, her fingers gripping the pen so tightly her knuckles turned white. Every stroke looked like she was carving something into stone. Signed. She stood up. "Pleasure doing business with you." She extended her hand. Stella shook it. "The pleasure is mine, Ms. Sterling." Olivia pulled her hand back. Her fingertips were ice-cold. She didn't look at me again. "Ms. Thorne, your business takes priority. Having Mr. Hayes walk us to the door will be more than enough." Stella's gaze shifted between me and Olivia. "...Did you two know each other before?" I instinctively wanted to nod. But Olivia spoke first: "You misunderstand, Ms. Thorne." "I just thought Mr. Hayes looked a lot like an old friend I parted ways with many years ago." "I felt a bit nostalgic and wanted to chat." She smiled flawlessly. But I was the only one who noticed her hand hanging by her side, the nails digging painfully into her palm. Stella didn't press the issue. She stood on her tiptoes and whispered in my ear: "Come back quickly after you see them out." "I'll wait for you for dinner." I nodded. Holding Lily's hand, I walked Olivia to the door.
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