My last memory was the icy river engulfing me, my mother’s candy still clutched in my fist as my six stepbrothers watched me drown. When I opened my eyes, I was tiny, wrapped in blankets—a one-month-old baby. Six boys stared at me, eyes glinting coldly. One reached out, ready to pinch the life from me. Recognizing their vile faces, I cursed them inwardly: You damn mutts. Just wait till I can talk! Suddenly, Mom rushed from the kitchen. “I asked you to watch your sister! Why did I hear ‘mutts’?” The boys exchanged looks. The eldest shrugged. “You misheard, Mom.” “We were just going to play with her,” another added. Fuming inside, I glared: You’re the worst, you traitor. At three, you tried to sell me to some creep! Mom’s hand shook. She lifted me into her arms, eyes wide with a strange light. 1 My mother, Renee, held me tight, her eyes a whirlwind of confusion and alarm. She said nothing, just hurried back to the bedroom and shut the door with a firm click, leaving the six little wolves staring at each other in the hallway. Inside, Mom placed me on the vast, soft bed and simply stared. Her intense gaze was starting to creep me out. I blinked my big, innocent eyes, made a little cooing sound, and blew a milk bubble. Hey, Mom, don’t look at me like that. I know I’m cute, but you don’t have to be so obsessed. Don’t worry, though. This time, I’ll protect you. I won’t let those animals win again. Renee’s expression grew even stranger. She reached out, felt my forehead, then her own. “No fever…” she murmured. I had no idea what she was talking about. Being scrutinized by my own mother was making me a little shy, so I stretched my toothless mouth into a wide grin. Mom is the most beautiful, most generous mother in the whole world! I love Mommy the most! Her body went still. Then, the tense line of her brow softened, melting into a gentle, loving smile. She leaned down and planted a soft kiss on my cheek. “Mommy loves her baby, too.” Outside the door, the six little monsters were still whispering. “What’s with Mom? She just blew up out of nowhere.” “Who knows? Maybe it’s menopause.” “She probably just can’t stand us. I mean, we’re not her real kids.” Hearing them, I felt a surge of fury. Bullshit! You’re not just ‘not her real kids,’ you’re the bastard children of his mistress! My mom is the poor, clueless saint who got stuck with you! Renee’s head snapped up. Her gaze seemed to pierce through the door, landing on the figures outside. Her eyes turned to ice. Just then, a knock sounded on the door. “Renee, what’s wrong? The boys said you were upset.” A gentle male voice drifted in. “Talk to me. Don’t frighten the children.” A tall, handsome man walked in. Behind him trailed the six boys, each with his head bowed, feigning innocence and hurt. This was my father, Landon. And he was the monster who, in my last life, was responsible for my mother’s death and the theft of my grandfather’s entire fortune. Looking at his handsome, deceitful face made my stomach turn. Hah. The king of all scumbags. You’re a worthless gold-digger who married into my mother’s family for their money, and you still had the nerve to keep a mistress on the side. You brought all six of your bastard sons home for my mom to raise. What a joke. Disgusting. This whole family is rotten to the core. Mom’s arms tightened around me, squeezing a little too hard. Her eyes, sharp and questioning, settled on Landon’s face. He shifted uncomfortably under her gaze, his charming smile faltering. “Renee? Why are you looking at me like that?” She didn’t answer, her voice flat and distant when she finally spoke. “It’s nothing. It’s just… you seem like a stranger to me all of a sudden.” 2 Landon’s expression flickered, but he quickly replaced it with his usual mask of devoted affection. He moved toward us, reaching to take me from my mother’s arms. I immediately buried my face in her shoulder, my tiny hands clutching her shirt. Don’t touch me, you cheating slimeball! You filthy degenerate! My mom trusted you too much. That’s why you were able to destroy her. A faint tremor ran through my mother’s body. She turned, neatly avoiding his outstretched hands. “She’s my daughter. It’s no trouble.” Landon’s face darkened. “What is your problem?” he snapped. “I come home after a long day at work to this miserable face. Anyone would think I’d done something to you.” Mom just patted my back, ignoring him. The silence in the room became thick and suffocating. Then, a shrill voice cut through the tension. “Oh, for heaven’s sake. Are you fighting with my Landon again, dear?” My so-called grandmother waddled in on her tree-trunk legs, her beady little eyes scanning me with undisguised contempt. “Just a girl. Nothing to make such a fuss about.” “My Landon works himself to the bone out there every day, and he has to come home to your sour moods. You heiresses really think you’re above it all, don’t you?” She shot a smug look at her six grandsons trailing behind her. “All that money, and you couldn’t even produce a boy. Thank God my Landon had the foresight to adopt these sons. Otherwise, who would inherit this little fortune of yours?” I was so angry I could have exploded. Oh my god, this old hag is a master of twisting the truth. Adopted? These six are your son’s own flesh and blood, you old bat. Don’t play dumb. And you look down on me for being a girl? If it weren’t for my mom, your whole family would still be eating dirt in some backwater town! Every single one of you, from old to young, is a two-faced parasite! Just wait until I grow up. The first thing I’m doing is sending you to the crematorium, and then I’m sending your six little wolves to meet the devil himself! Mom held me, gently patting my back, but her eyes grew colder and colder. The atmosphere at the dinner table was thick with unspoken hostility. Landon cleared his throat. “Renee, this is the proposal for the company’s new project. Take a look.” He slid a folder across the table. “And there’s something else I wanted to discuss with you.” “I was thinking… we should transfer some of our shares into the boys’ names. What do you think?” Landon put on his best loving-father act, ruffling the eldest’s hair. “They’re getting older. We need to give them some security.” “Besides, if they start learning the business now, they’ll be able to help us manage things later. And protect their little sister.” The old hag immediately jumped in. “Exactly! A boy needs to have assets to his name. Who else would we give the family fortune to?” The eldest boy shot to his feet, his eyes shining with fake gratitude. “Thank you, Dad! Thank you, Grandma! We’ll study hard so we can protect Mom and our sister!” The other five murmured their agreement, a perfect picture of brotherly devotion. I nearly choked on my own fury. Protect my ass! You’re only getting away with this because I can’t talk yet! Your whole family is ganging up on me and my mom. The family fortune? My ass! You’re a useless parasite living off your wife. How dare you even say those words? This company belongs to my grandparents! Why should a pack of ungrateful wolves like you get any of it? Mom looked down at me, her face unreadable. She was silent for a long moment. “No.” 3 Everyone at the table froze. The color drained from Landon’s face. “Renee, what are you talking about?” Mom set down her fork, her expression a blank mask. “I’m talking about the fact that this company was built by my parents. It has nothing to do with you or your family. Not a single cent.” With that, she picked me up and walked out, leaving a room full of stunned, sputtering vipers in her wake. It was glorious. Back in the bedroom, Mom pulled a thick photo album from the closet. Inside were pictures of my grandparents in their youth, and of a younger Mom, her face radiant with happiness. I knew the story. My mother was the sole heiress to a fortune, a princess who had the world at her feet. But a single car crash had changed everything. My grandfather died, my grandmother was left in a vegetative state, and my mother’s world collapsed. Mom, don’t be sad. That car crash wasn’t an accident. That bastard Landon arranged it! He did it to wipe out your family and seize the inheritance! You’ve spent all these years as a housewife, taking care of this house and his six little monsters. He controls the company now. It’s going to be so hard for us to fight back. I watched her tears fall, spotting the glossy pages of the album, and my tiny heart ached for her. Mom closed the album and wiped her eyes. The next day, she was a different person. Dressed in a sharp, tailored power suit, she held me as she addressed Landon at the breakfast table. “I’ve grown tired of staying home. I’m going back to the office.” He nearly choked on his coffee. “Back to the office? You haven’t been involved in years. What could you possibly do there?” “That company is my parents’ legacy. I have every right to check in on it.” Landon’s face shifted through a series of emotions. He wanted to stop her but had no grounds to. “Renee, I’m running things just fine. You should stay home and take care of the baby.” Mom smiled, a cold, cutting thing. “Do I need your permission to return to my own company?” He was speechless. The old hag sneered from the sidelines. “A woman’s place is in the home, raising children. Parading around in an office… it’s shameless.” Mom didn’t even bother to look at her. At the office, her arrival caused a stir. “Mrs. Sterling… What are you doing here?” Landon’s secretary, a pretty young woman, rushed out to greet her. Well, well, if it isn’t the mistress’s niece. Planted here as Landon’s “secretary,” but she’s really just his spy. I bet the company’s books are a complete mess. God knows how much they’ve embezzled. Mom gave the girl a cool, dismissive glance and swept past her toward the chairman’s office. Along the way, several older employees saw her and rushed over, their faces alight with excitement. “Miss Renee! You’re finally back!” That’s Mr. Wallace, the CFO. One of Grandfather’s most loyal men. Landon stripped him of all his real power. And that’s Mr. Lee from Marketing, another ally. He’s been pushed to the sidelines. The one in the floral shirt is one of Landon’s lapdogs. The HR manager. He’s probably filled the company with their cronies. Mom smiled warmly, exchanging pleasantries with the loyal old guard. In the boardroom, Landon shot a subtle look to his key people. They launched into a glowing report, painting a picture of incredible success. “That can’t be right,” Mom’s voice cut through the drone, sharp as glass. She tapped a finger on the table. “If performance has been this strong for the past few quarters, why is the profit margin for Q3 so low?” “Well… uh… Ms. Sterling… that is…” The men stammered, unable to form a coherent answer. Mom turned her gaze to Landon. “You’d better have a very good explanation for this.” His face was a thundercloud, his hand gripping his pen so tightly his knuckles were white. She didn’t wait for an answer. She simply turned and walked out. Back home, the first thing Mom did was pull up the last five years of the company’s financial records. She held me in her lap, flipping through page after page. Why is Mom suddenly so invested in the company? This is totally different from how things went last time. I let out a big yawn, my baby eyelids finally giving way to sleep. When I woke up, Mom was staring at me, her eyes shining with a brilliant, knowing light. Whoa, what’s with that look? Could it be… she can hear my thoughts? Mom gave me a playful wink. A joyous explosion went off in my mind. Holy crap! She really can hear me! This is amazing! Mother-daughter power duo, united against the forces of evil! Watch out, you bastards. We’re coming for you, and we’re going to take you down. 4 From that day on, Mom was inseparable from me. She doted on me, never letting me out of her sight. As for the six little wolves, she ignored them completely. That night, I was dozing in my crib when I heard voices outside the door. It was my scumbag father and the old hag. “Mom, do you think… do you think Renee knows something?” “Impossible!” his mother snapped. “You’ve covered your tracks perfectly. What could she possibly know? She just had a baby; she’s obsessed with it. It’s a phase.” “It’ll pass.” I rolled my eyes and turned over in my crib. You two idiots. Mom knows everything. Your judgment day is coming. A little while later, Mom came back into the room. She made an announcement that shook the whole house. “The boys are old enough now. Starting this month, their allowances are cut off.” “If you want something, you’ll have to earn it yourselves.” Landon and his mother’s faces went dark. “Renee! Have you lost your mind? They’re just children!” the old hag shrieked. “Are they? The eldest is fifteen. In medieval times, he’d be old enough to go to war. This family does not support freeloaders.” Ignoring their stunned, furious faces, Mom leaned down and kissed my forehead. That’s right! That’s how you do it! They live in her house, eat her food, and they still want to harm us? Not a chance! Mom listened to my thoughts, a small smile playing on her lips as she gently patted my back. She turned to the six boys, her smile deceptively sweet. “You six need to grow up strong and protect your little sister, understand?” Landon and his mother exchanged a look. He forced a smile. “Your mother asked you a question. Answer her.” The boys mumbled a reluctant agreement. Suddenly, Landon slapped his forehead. “Oh, dear. I think I left the car door unlocked.” He scurried out of the room. Yeah, right. Like anyone believes that. He’s obviously going to call his mistress and warn her. Sure enough, he was back in less than two minutes. These ungrateful brats. They live off my mom, and they can’t even be bothered to pretend they care about me. Mom, kick them out! Kick them all out! Mom patted me and was about to say something when her phone rang. After a brief conversation, her expression changed. “Be good, baby. There’s an emergency at the office. Mommy has to go.” She placed me back in my crib and called to Landon. “I’m leaving Mina in your mother’s care, and with the boys.” The moment Mom and Landon were out the door, the six boys swarmed their grandmother. “Grandma, Renee is being a total bitch!” “Yeah! How dare she cut off our allowance!” The old hag spat on the floor. “What are you afraid of? Your father is the one who runs this house!” “Just wait until you’re a little older. Once you get your hands on that bitch’s shares, she’ll be useless!” She jerked her chin in my direction. “And then, you can do whatever you want with this little bastard.” I was so furious I kicked my legs, spitting in her general direction. The old woman’s eyes narrowed. She marched over and, through the blankets, gave my bottom a vicious pinch. Tears sprang to my eyes from the sharp pain. The six boys exchanged a dark look. The eldest spoke, his voice low and cruel. “Grandma, why wait? Let’s just… scramble her brains now.” “If she’s a vegetable, that bitch Renee will have no one to rely on but us.” The old hag slapped her thigh. “Now that’s my brilliant grandson talking!” They snickered and disappeared into the bathroom, returning a moment later with a dripping wet towel. They advanced on me, their faces twisted into menacing grins. The eldest grabbed me by my ankles, dangling me upside down. “You have your mother to thank for this, little bastard.” “She’s not here to save you now!” Staring at his ugly face, I closed my eyes, clenched my tiny fists, and squeezed with all my might. A stream of warm, yellow liquid sprayed all over the eldest wolf’s face. “Ugh! Gross! Grandma, she peed on me!” he sputtered, spitting and wiping at his face, his eyes red with fury. The cold, wet towel was coming closer, aimed right for my face. This was it. A terrified wail tore from my throat. Mom! Help me! They’re going to kill me! MOM!
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