Even as a tiny baby, you could already vaguely see the beautiful features she would have when she grew up.
Ruby Grant hoped that it didn’t matter if life was a little hard, as long as she and Ceci were never separated.
But that was all contingent on one thing: that man must never find out about Ceci!
‘If he finds out about Ceci, he’ll definitely take her away from me!’
Ceci was her only reason for living now.
If Ceci were taken away…
The thought sent a chill down Ruby’s spine.
Startled by the shiver, the little baby in her arms puckered her lips and began to cry pitifully.
Seeing this, Ruby quickly put down the baby bottle, picked up Ceci, and paced back and forth in the cramped space, humming a gentle tune.
The little one’s eyes curved back into happy crescents.
Listening to her mother’s humming, she stopped crying.
She opened her mouth and babbled, “Agoo, agoo,” as if trying to sing along.
Ruby knew she was practicing her sounds.
In just a few more months, Ceci would be able to call her “Mama”!
“Ruby, you’re back?
Did you finish sweeping that section of the street?”
Her roommate, an older woman, had also returned, pushing her cleaning cart.
Seeing Ruby soothing the baby, she took off her fluorescent yellow work uniform, a rare smile appearing on her wrinkled face.
She washed her hands before walking over.
“Ceci is so well-behaved.”
“But are you sure it’s okay to take Ceci with you while you sweep the streets?
A baby that small—can she really handle being out in the elements?”
The woman’s last name was Pound, and everyone called her Ms.
Pound.
Ms.
Pound had a good personality and a kind heart.
Though they had known each other for less than a day, she had already been very helpful to Ruby and her daughter.
She was already retired and didn’t need to work as a street sweeper, but her husband complained she was “lazy at home.” Her son lived out of town and couldn’t help, and she didn’t want to put him in a difficult position, so she had decided to come out and earn some pocket money.
Ruby smiled at her words.
“Ms.
Pound, Ceci gets attached to people.
She likes being with me.”
Ms.
Pound gave a helpless smile.
“I know.
I offered to switch shifts, to watch the baby for you while you sweep, and then I’d go out after you came back.
But your little Ceci wouldn’t have it.
The moment she can’t see you, she cries her heart out.”
Ruby hugged the little baby in her arms tighter, her nose stinging slightly.
“Ceci has been with me since she was born.
We’ve never been apart.”
‘How pitiful,’ Ms.
Pound thought to herself.
“What about your husband?
He doesn’t give you a single cent of child support, leaving you two all alone like this?”
Ruby froze.
That question.
“The baby’s father…
does he have someone else on the side?”
Ms.
Pound asked tentatively.
Seeing Ruby stammer, she slapped her thigh as if she’d figured it all out.
“Dear, it’s not easy for you, raising a baby on your own.
Here,”
Ms.
Pound handed her a rattle drum she had found while sweeping the streets.
She didn’t know who had dropped the rattle drum, but it was still in its unopened packaging.
Ms.
Pound saw that it was new and thought Ceci could use it, so she had secretly picked it up.
“Later, I’ll find some baby clothes from home.
They were my son’s when he was little.
They’re a bit old, but they’re all clean.
For your Ceci to wear.
Don’t you look down on them, dear.”
The kindness of a stranger was the most precious thing.
Ruby couldn’t help but say gratefully, “Wearing hand-me-downs is a good thing.
On behalf of Ceci, I can’t thank you enough.”
“That’s the spirit!
It’s said that wearing clothes from many families keeps away sickness and misfortune!”
Ms.
Pound looked down at Ceci and teased her with the rattle drum.
The sound of the rattle was crisp with a slightly deep tone.
Ceci babbled and reached out to grab it.
Watching her, Ms.
Pound couldn’t help but praise, “Ceci is such a good girl.
Such a sweet baby, but her father is a real piece of work.
Oh, Ceci, when you grow up, you have to take good care of your mommy, you hear?”
Then a thought occurred to her, and she looked up at Ruby.
“Dear, are you still in contact with your husband?”
Ruby froze for a moment, then shook her head.
“No.”
Ms.
Pound’s eyes widened.
“So you’re…
wanting a divorce?”
Divorce?
Ruby felt as if she had been struck by something invisible.
‘Yes, a divorce!’
She was Mrs.
Lawford in name only.
As long as her marriage to Caleb Lawford wasn’t dissolved, she was still Mrs.
Lawford, a position that made her feel restless and uneasy every single day.
This status was no longer the happiness she had once dreamed of, but a shackle!
But to get a divorce, she needed the divorce papers.
An idea suddenly surfaced in her mind.
“Dear, marriage is no small matter.
Why don’t you talk to your husband again?
Ceci is still so young.
Don’t let her grow up without a father,” Ms.
Pound tried to persuade her.
But Ruby had already made up her mind.
“Ms.
Pound, the Kincaid Civil Affairs Bureau is nearby, right?” she asked.
Ms.
Pound was taken aback for a second, then pointed.
“It’s right over there, very close.
But dear, are you really sure about this?”
“Maybe you should discuss it with your husband first?”
Ruby pressed her lips together.
“What, is it that he doesn’t want to divorce you?
Then there’s still a chance to work things out…”
Ruby shook her head.
‘Actually, I don’t want him to know about this at all.’
“He doesn’t know.
But this time, I don’t want to ask for his consent anymore…”
‘Caleb Lawford, you’re the one who sent me to prison.
Now, all I want is to take my child and get a divorce.’
‘Come to think of it, he probably wanted to get out of this sham marriage a long time ago.
He’d want to be single again so he could make things official with Yana Grant.’
“Your husband doesn’t even know?
Then how can you get a divorce?” Ms.
Pound asked in surprise.
Ruby lowered her gaze, her lashes casting a bleak shadow over her face.
“I drafted the divorce agreement a long time ago.
He should have signed it back then.”
But he had been drunk at the time.
She had coaxed him, slipping it into a stack of company documents that needed his signature, hoping he would sign it.
For some reason, he had stopped halfway through his signature and grabbed her wrist.
He was incredibly drunk that night, and his grip was strong.
She couldn’t break free as he pulled her into his arms.
The documents scattered all over the floor.
His breath was hot against her ear.
He had said, “Ruby Grant, don’t you want to tie me to you for the rest of your life?
I’ll grant your wish right now!”
She realized what was about to happen.
She struggled desperately to escape, but his large frame easily pinned her down.
With a few swift movements of his large hands, he unfastened her flimsy dress.
She cried and begged him from beneath him, her voice broken.
“Caleb Lawford, I don’t want this…”
That night, in the name of no love, he had done all the things that lovers do.
‘He had probably never even considered sharing a bed with me before then.’
‘But why did it have to happen right when I wanted to leave?’
She often wondered if he was punishing her that night, or if he was truly just drunk.
But none of that mattered anymore.
A few days ago, when she had gone back to get her things, she had taken more than just her ID.
She had also retrieved the divorce agreement that he had half-signed all that time ago.
She had always been in the habit of storing her documents neatly, and she had happened to put the papers away just before she was taken away that day.
A year and a half had passed, and the document hadn’t been touched.
‘He probably couldn’t even be bothered to look through my old things.’
That’s why she had been able to retrieve it so easily.
‘But I’ll still have to get him to sign the agreement one more time…’
Ms.
Pound didn’t understand the complicated backstory.
Seeing Ruby fall silent whenever the topic came up, she decided to drop it.
She just sighed regretfully, “It’s a pity for little Ceci, growing up without a father.”
Ceci snuggled in her mother’s arms, reaching for the rattle drum.
She looked at the rattle, then turned her head to look at her mother.
Ruby cooed softly, “Yes, Mama’s here, Ceci.”
Meanwhile, in a luxurious office on the top floor of a skyscraper in Kincaid’s bustling downtown.
Caleb Lawford signed one document after another.
He was exhausted.
After finishing the paperwork, he kneaded the bridge of his nose, his face etched with fatigue.
Ben Linden stood beside him.
After confirming the documents were all in order, he stacked them aside and handed them to a junior assistant to process the contracts.
He then looked up at the president, who was resting with his eyes closed.
“President Lawford, your orders to donate supplies to the street sweepers in that neighborhood have been carried out.”
“The supplies should have reached the sweepers by now.”
“As per your instructions, a special subsidy of one thousand a month has been arranged for the female sweeper with the baby.
It will be paid from your personal account, with no time limit.
That has also been taken care of.”
“Also, we have begun investigating your wife’s whereabouts since her release from prison.
I expect we’ll have news soon.”
“Do you have any other instructions?”
Caleb Lawford didn’t speak, merely waving a hand dismissively.
He picked up another document, his gaze seemingly never leaving the page.
Seeing this, Ben Linden nodded and left.
Unbeknownst to them, just as Ben Linden left, a beautifully featured, exquisitely dressed woman emerged from behind the office’s outer door.
Yana Grant had arrived at the perfect moment to overhear the last part of the conversation.
She crossed her arms elegantly, unable to stop a cold snort.
‘Just for getting splashed with a little water, that street sweeper gets money from Caleb’s personal account.’
‘A thousand a month?
Does she even deserve it?
I bet she was waiting there on purpose, playing the victim to scam him!’
‘How dare a mere street sweeper get something that even I don’t have?’
Yana grew pensive.
A moment later, she took out her phone, walked to the side, and made a call.
The call connected quickly, a cold light shimmering in Yana’s eyes.
“Mr.
Walker, do something for me.”
“There’s a female street sweeper who tried to scam Caleb’s car this morning.
Yes, Caleb couldn’t be bothered with her, so he had someone give her a handout.”
“You know how it is.
Caleb is a man above men; he doesn’t like to stoop to the level of petty crooks.
But I can’t stand it, so I’ll just have to teach her a little lesson for him.
But don’t let Caleb know.
A trivial matter like this isn’t worthy of disturbing his peace.”
“How to teach her a lesson?
She has a kid with her.
Dock her pay, let her go hungry for a few days.
That should teach her.”
“If there’s a next time, make her lose her job.
Let her and that little bastard freeze to death on the streets.”
After hanging up, the cold expression on Yana Grant’s beautiful face vanished instantly.
She flicked her hair back with a seductive smile and turned toward Caleb Lawford’s office.
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK.
She reached out and knocked on the door.
“Caleb~”
“Enter.”
The man’s elegant, cool voice came from inside.
Yana pushed the door open with a sweet laugh.
Seeing the dazzling figure within, she curled her lips into a faint smile, a flash of triumphant pride in her eyes.
‘Whether it’s Ruby Grant or that street sweeper, no woman will ever get anything from Caleb.’
‘Caleb is mine.
No one is allowed to get his attention.’
…
「The clouds dispersed, and sunlight spilled across the land.」
In the afternoon, Supervisor Shaw gathered all the street sweepers for a meeting.
Outside, several trucks pulled up one after another.
A few workers were bustling back and forth, unloading them.
In no time, the small, dilapidated courtyard was piled high with goods.
Among the crowd of sweepers lined up in rows, a few of the older women were whispering to each other.
“I just overheard Supervisor Shaw say that some rich man drove past the street we were cleaning this morning and had a sudden burst of charity.
He’s donated all this stuff to us.”
“The weather’s been cold lately, and he’s donated a lot of quilts and thick down jackets.
This is all good stuff.”
“What a great philanthropist!
My grandson needs a down jacket for school!”
“Looks like this is brand-name stuff, too.
I bet I could sell it secondhand for a decent amount of money.”
“But what’s this great philanthropist’s name?
Donating for no reason…
You don’t think he has a guilty conscience about something, do you?”
“I heard the supervisor mention it…
His last name is something like Lawford?”