"Mommy." Jonathan Shaw, standing to the side, dropped his playful attitude. He had never seen Zoe Shaw with such a serious expression before. He reached out to hold her hand, quietly staying by her side.
Zoe looked down at him, not having forgotten her purpose for coming to the kindergarten. Moving with lightning speed, she scooped him up over her shoulder. While everyone’s attention was fixated on the ambulance, she sprinted away from the school.
The security guards, having just seen the ambulance off, caught a glimpse of Zoe’s retreating back out of the corners of their eyes. Finally realizing what was happening, they immediately ordered people to give chase.
"After them! That woman kidnapped the child!"
"Wait..."
Realizing she had been spotted, Zoe ran for her life, ignoring the shouts echoing behind her. If she hadn’t been forced into this, she wouldn’t have done it! She was Jonathan’s actual mother, yet this massive pursuit made it seem like she had come to the school to steal a child!
Back at the office, Cyrus Ford leaned lazily against the leather sofa, his eyes half-closed as he took a sip of his coffee.
Sean Shelton silently mourned for Zoe before reporting the truth with trembling trepidation. "Mr. Ford, I received word from the kindergarten. They said Zoe broke into the school at noon and took Jonathan away..."
In an instant, the veins on Cyrus’s forehead bulged. His knuckles turned slightly white as he gripped his cup, and a layer of frost seemed to cover his face. "How is the school handling things? Go after them!"
Sean hadn’t expected Cyrus to be so furious. Startled, he could only brace himself and ask, "Mr. Ford, I’ve already sent people to investigate. What about the afternoon meeting?"
"Cancel it."
The cold glint in Cyrus’s eyes shot toward Sean like a sharp blade. He immediately stood up. He wouldn’t rest until he brought Zoe back!
Meanwhile, Zoe was panting heavily as she ran. However, relying solely on her own two feet, she couldn’t escape very far.
Jonathan seemed to see through her thoughts. The little boy was an expert at covering things up. "Mommy, why don’t you send me back? When the time comes, I’ll say it was my idea to sneak out and that I intentionally pestered you."
Zoe narrowed her eyes slightly, seemingly unwilling to concede. "No, Jonathan. Don’t even think about it. I won’t let you go back."
The two of them squatted by the roadside as if they had reached a dead end. Suddenly, Zoe’s eyes flickered, and she let out a soft scoff. She had just thought of a good place.
"Mommy?" Jonathan asked, but he was ignored as she hailed a taxi on the street.
Watching the gradually familiar scenery roll by outside the window, a faint bitterness welled up in Zoe’s heart.
Six years ago, her mother had held her hand as they walked down this winding path. Pointing to the exquisite villa not far away, her mother had smiled and playfully tried to pry information out of her. This chapter was copied from novelping . com without permission.
"This house is one of the dowries I’ve set aside for you," she had said. "I wonder, does our Zoe have someone she likes?"
At that time, she and Cyrus had just gotten together. Too embarrassed to admit she was in a relationship, Zoe could only offer a half-smile and steer the topic away.
Later, after finding out her mother had passed away, she never laid eyes on this house again. She wondered if Charles Shaw had confiscated this property after stealing the Shaw family business.
As the view drew closer, the delicate little courtyard appeared before her. Withered vines crawled all over the iron railings, making it look as though it hadn’t been lived in for years. Zoe let out a subconscious sigh of relief. Rummaging for the key she always carried with her, she unlocked the door.
Jonathan’s face fell into a grimace. "Mommy, is this place even livable?" Compared to the Fords’ grand villa, it was a far cry.
Zoe pinched his ear gently, her expression turning stern. "Have you learned to be so picky just from following Cyrus around?"
"I’m just worried about you, Mommy! What if you freeze living in a place like this?"
Jonathan’s sweet talk was completely ignored by Zoe. She walked in first, but the moment she reached the living room, she heard a series of piercing shouts and stomping footsteps coming from upstairs, accompanied by the pulsing bass of heavy music. The deafening noise was no different from a nightclub.
Zoe hesitated slightly and looked up at the ceiling, feeling incredibly speechless. She thought, "Are thieves this arrogant nowadays?"
Following the source of the noise, she headed upstairs. Zoe pressed the door handle and pushed it open.
Her sudden appearance drew everyone’s gaze to the doorway. The group of young people, led by Faye Ford, abruptly fell silent. The crowd subconsciously held their breath as they took in Zoe’s bright and captivating face. Her eyes were clear as rippling spring water, her skin like creamy jade, and her soft, rosy lips added a touch of alluring charm.
They wondered where this beauty had come from.
Faye was slightly stunned, a flash of awe crossing his eyes. He couldn’t even tear his gaze away.
"Whose friend is this?" someone asked.
The crowd exchanged glances and shook their heads in unison.
Zoe’s shimmering eyes revealed a careless attitude. She casually dangled the keys in her hand and announced, "This is my house."
As soon as those words were spoken, the surrounding people’s looks toward Faye changed, their eyes now carrying a hint of disdain. The group hastily distanced themselves from him, throwing relentless accusations.
"What! And here I thought you were actually a rich guy."
"Exactly. You always put on such an act. If you don’t have money in your pockets, don’t pretend to be a big shot. It’s just pathetic!"
Faced with the barrage of accusations from his supposed friends, Faye grew anxious. His mind went blank, completely clueless about the situation. "This is clearly my house!"
Zoe noticed that the clothes Faye wore were quite expensive, so she didn’t dare to jump to conclusions. "How about this? Words are cheap. You say this house is yours, so please bring out the property deed to prove it."
Zoe wasn’t entirely confident herself, so she could only play mind games with him.
Faye was stumped by her demand. He stammered, "The... the deed isn’t in my hands right now, but this house is definitely under my name."
He watched as the people around him cast scrutinizing glances, half-doubting his claims. Gritting his teeth, Faye knew he couldn’t explain his way out of this. "Wait a minute. I’m going to make a call."
With that, he ignored the crowd and ran to the side to make his call.
The person on the other end answered quickly. Faye practically roared, asking, "Mom, didn’t you say the house in Beiting was already transferred to my name? Why did the owner just show up?"
Elaine Carter was currently in a fit of anger and snapped back, "You idiot, look at the time! Why aren’t you home yet?"
Caught off guard by her scolding, his voice instantly weakened. "Mom, didn’t I tell you I was going to party for a few days?"
Elaine’s expression darkened over the phone as she issued an ultimatum. "If you don’t come back right now, I’ll have your brother go find you!"
Elaine didn’t like Cyrus and even wanted to kick him out of the Ford family. But she had no choice. Faye was too obsessed with playing around all day and only listened to Cyrus.
Sure enough, the moment Faye heard that Cyrus would be sent after him, he grew terrified and immediately chickened out. "...Mom, let’s not bother my brother with such a trivial matter."
The crowd had thought he would produce some proof, but instead, he was just being nagged to go home. Faye’s group of fair-weather friends instantly dispersed. Before leaving, some even spat in his direction.
"What bad luck!"
Faye was both angry and anxious. He glared resentfully at the main culprit, Zoe, and cursed, "Shrew!"
Hearing this, Jonathan was instantly enraged. He marched up and landed two solid punches—THUD THUD—on Faye’s leg. "Is that how you talk to my mommy? You’re the one squatting in a house that isn’t yours!"