Jonathan averted his face, trying to resist his mommy’s psychological attack. "Ahem, no, Mommy, I can’t leave yet."
"Are you itching for a spanking? You dare rebel against me?"
Zoe Shaw felt a headache coming on. Her two children had completely opposite personalities. Rory Shaw was a gentle, quiet angel baby, while Jonathan Shaw was like a little devil. He refused to listen to anyone but Zoe, born with a head full of wild ideas that he loved to put into practice.
"No, Mommy. I just... I just want to torment that scumbag dad and vent some frustration for you!"
"Children are not allowed to interfere in adult matters!" Zoe furrowed her brows. Slightly disappointed, she asked coldly, "Tell me the truth. Are you staying behind for revenge, or do you want to acknowledge Cyrus Ford as your dad?"
As soon as she said this, the air around them seemed to freeze. Meeting Zoe’s all-seeing gaze, Jonathan felt inexplicably guilty and couldn’t answer. After racking his brain, panic set in, and he could only choose to evade the question. He covered his eyes and pretended to cry.
"WAAAH! Mommy, I didn’t. That’s not what I meant. Please don’t be angry..."
Jonathan wanted to soften Zoe’s heart, but she never fell for this trick.
Time was running out, so Zoe decisively picked him up and walked outside.
Jonathan couldn’t struggle free, so he kept pleading for mercy, but Zoe remained unmoved. He couldn’t let all his efforts go to waste, so he burst into loud wails. Zoe suddenly shot him a glare, and he immediately quieted down, but it was too late.
A figure hurried over.
Claire Lockwood blocked Zoe’s path, her expression slightly fierce. "Zoe Shaw, you’re not trying to abduct a child, are you?"
Hearing Claire badmouth his mommy, Jonathan’s protective nature naturally wouldn’t let it slide, and he immediately snapped back.
"If you don’t need your eyes, you can donate them! Can’t you see that Mom—Miss Shaw is playing with me!" Jonathan received a light smack from Zoe and forced the word "Mommy" back down his throat. He realized, "Mommy is already very angry. I have to play along with her!"
Choked by Jonathan’s retort, Claire’s face turned ugly. Feeling stifled, she scolded, "You ungrateful little brat, I’m trying to help you!"
"You’re a triple-zero contestant! No brains, no looks, and no emotional intelligence! I couldn’t be bothered to play with you!"
Jonathan really managed to provoke Claire.
"Zoe Shaw, put him down! I simply must teach this little brat a lesson today!"
Mrs. Ford, Elaine Carter, arrived tardily. She frowned as she looked around, her eyes flashing with disgust at Claire’s pathetic display. Then, Elaine’s gaze locked onto Zoe and the child in her arms. For a split second, a ruthless glint flashed in her eyes!
"What is the meaning of this child!"
Elaine wasn’t surprised by Zoe’s presence. However, she had to carefully weigh what this child’s identity might be!
Claire gritted her teeth and answered reluctantly, "Mrs. Ford, this child is Cyrus’s illegitimate son from the outside."
These words exploded like thunder in Elaine’s mind. Her face instantly turned deathly pale, and she couldn’t help but stumble.
To think that Cyrus Ford actually kept it a secret from everyone that he had a son?! How could this be? Didn’t that mean her son, Faye Ford, wouldn’t be able to touch a single cent of the Ford Family’s assets!
Elaine’s pupils contracted. For a moment, her thoughts surged like a tide, and her mind was in total chaos. Years of careful plotting were ruined just like that. How could she possibly accept this?
Quickly suppressing her thoughts, she regained her composure. "Little boy, come here to Grandma, okay?"
Still in Zoe’s arms, Jonathan caught sight of Elaine’s malicious gaze. He slid down to the ground in a flash and hid behind Zoe.
Elaine’s face darkened so much it looked ready to drip ink. She warned, "The Ford Family’s child naturally has people to look after him. We don’t need an assistant doctor like you to worry about him."
Elaine minced her words, implying that Zoe shouldn’t overstep her boundaries and meddle in other people’s business.
Zoe’s brows furrowed slightly, but her expression remained unruffled. Standing as tall and straight as a bamboo, she gave no response. There wasn’t a single person in the Ford Family she could trust.
Jonathan hugged Zoe’s legs tightly, quietly lifting his eyelids to peek at Elaine. His intuition told him this old woman was up to no good, so he wasn’t stupid enough to deliver himself to her doorstep.
"If you ask me, some people are delusionally dreaming of marrying above their station. They really think they’re a big shot!" Claire flapped her lips, her words dripping with sarcasm. Elaine was even more aggressive, making it clear she intended to take Jonathan away.
"It is my honor that the young master is willing to interact with me, and you have no right to interfere with his actions, do you?" Zoe still stood calmly with her hands at her sides, completely disregarding Elaine’s threats. New chapters come out on g.com first.
As soon as she said this, the atmosphere suddenly grew tense, and the two sides reached a stalemate.
"Madam! The matriarch is awake and is throwing a fuss, demanding to see her savior." The sudden appearance of the butler broke the deadlock.
Hearing this, Claire revealed a bright smile and took a seemingly reserved step back. "I’ll go see Madam Ford right now." She moved as if her shoes were greased, seemingly terrified that Zoe would beat her to it.
Elaine watched Claire’s useless behavior, feeling immensely frustrated by her incompetence. She thought, "This little brat can’t keep her composure at all! But that’s fine too. As long as I shove an idiot like her to Cyrus’s side, why worry about him not making mistakes!"
Elaine curled her lips imperceptibly. Since Matriarch Ford had spoken, she could only set the child’s matter aside for now.
The butler nodded at Zoe and then led the way. The group went to Matriarch Ford’s residence together.
Jonathan couldn’t wait and ran forward, but Zoe scooped him up in a single stride. He blinked his big, innocent eyes, puzzled by his mommy’s actions.
Gentle ripples surfaced in Zoe’s cold eyes. "Pack up your things and wait for me in my room. I’ll be back as soon as I can."
"All right."
Jonathan’s face fell, and he couldn’t help but pout. It looked like there was still no way to shake his mommy’s resolve to leave. Whenever he thought about his miserable fate once she actually took him away, he couldn’t help but sigh!
After getting Jonathan settled, Zoe concealed the gloom in her eyes and breathed a sigh of relief.
Previously, Matriarch Ford had always treated Zoe very well, even viewing her as a granddaughter-in-law and always thinking of her first whenever there was anything good. Madam Ford had always hoped that Zoe and Cyrus would marry soon and have a chubby baby. Now that she actually had a child, she didn’t dare let Madam Ford know. This was because she would take the child away one day, and she didn’t want Madam Ford to endure unnecessary pain.
Watching the crowd walk further away, the gentleness on Zoe’s face solidified deep in her eyes as she walked briskly to Madam Ford’s room.
Although Madam Ford was awake, her expression remained dazed and sluggish. No matter how the people around her asked questions, she stayed in a confused state, offering no response.
Claire caught a glimpse of the matriarch’s muddled state, and the curve of her lips widened. She even deliberately pulled Dr. Zane along, wanting to fraudulently claim the credit.
"Madam Ford, it’s so wonderful that you’re okay. I searched for famous doctors everywhere before I managed to invite Dr. Zane over. Thanks to our Dr. Zane’s miraculous healing skills, he stayed by your side the whole time and managed to save you just in time..."
Standing by the bed, Claire endlessly praised Dr. Zane and a group of experts, tossing Penney’s name to the back of her mind.
Matriarch Ford’s gaze gradually came into focus. She looked at Dr. Zane and spoke sluggishly, "You saved me? I distinctly remember that it was a young lady!"