My one-month-old daughter accidentally peed on my wife’s first love, and Serena was so furious she wanted to throw our baby off the roof. I desperately tried to stop her. Serena, my wife, clung to her childhood sweetheart, Mark, sobbing hysterically. She pointed at me and screamed: “If it weren’t for this wretched child I had with you, I never would have broken up with Mark! I wouldn’t have been forced to settle for a pathetic driver like you!” “You ruined my love, and this cursed child is going to ruin my entire life!” I gave a bitter laugh. She didn’t know I was actually the son of a billionaire. And now, there was no need for her to know. I picked up my wailing daughter and jumped from the rooftop. Six years later, my daughter Kaia won first place at a ballet competition. Serena Linwood, one of the judges, almost lost control, grabbing Kaia’s hand. Kaia shook her hand off. “Ma’am, you’ve got the wrong person. I have a mom.” Serena’s face drained from pale to white, and she muttered in a daze. As if realizing something, she frantically looked down, flipping through the contestant information, her eyes wide as she stared at one page. “Your name is Kaia Hayes? Is your father Arthur Hayes?!” Kaia, holding her bouquet, smiled innocently. “That’s right!” Serena completely abandoned all pretense of decorum, scrambling off the judge’s panel. “Arthur Hayes is my husband!” “I can’t believe this wretched child is still alive!” “Ma’am, is something… wrong up here?” Kaia tapped her little head, her face full of sympathy. “My mommy is a world-renowned brain surgeon. She can perform brain surgery on you and drain out all the extra water!” The entire hall fell silent for a moment, then low chuckles began to spread. Serena seemed provoked by Kaia’s words. Her rationality completely crumbled, and she lunged forward, trying to grab Kaia. “Come with me!” But at that moment, I stepped out from the audience, reaching out to shield Kaia behind me. Serena’s movements froze. Her pupils sharply contracted, as if she’d seen a ghost. “Arthur? You’re not dead?” That single sentence immediately sent shockwaves through the entire hall. The murmuring ceased abruptly, and all eyes focused on me. The man who had supposedly jumped from a rooftop six years ago was standing here, alive and well. It was like something out of a myth. In the crowd, a figure squeezed his way forward. It was Mark Turner, Serena’s longtime friend. He scrutinized me from head to toe, a cruel sneer twisting his lips. “Well, well, if it isn’t the pathetic driver.” “You pulled a dramatic stunt six years ago, pretending to jump off a building, and now you’re back with a kid. Quite the performance you’re putting on.” He stood with his arms crossed, his gaze dismissively sweeping over Kaia and me. “I knew it. How could this child just happen to win first place in today’s competition and coincidentally run into Serena?” “So, this was all your doing, wasn’t it? You taught this kid to act all sweet in front of the judges, and then deliberately let Serena recognize her, all so you could use the child as an excuse to worm your way back into the Linwood family, hoping to get your hands on their money, right?” “And this kid, at such a young age, you’ve taught her to be so manipulative. You two, father and daughter, are truly master schemers.” As Mark finished speaking, the expressions of those around me immediately turned judgmental, and whispers erupted once more. Serena’s gaze towards me also turned completely cold. She sneered, her tone sharp. “I once thought you had some backbone, that after being humiliated by me like that, you’d rather jump than back down.” “Now it seems I overestimated you.” “Arthur, you’re so clever. For money, you’d even fake your own death. Have you no shame?” Serena’s words grew increasingly nasty. I looked at her face, twisted with anger, and found it both absurd and laughable. “Serena, you’ve got the wrong person.” I didn’t bother to argue further. I bent down and took Kaia’s hand. “Kaia, let’s go.” Kaia nodded obediently, her small hand tightly gripping mine. We had only taken two steps when several men emerged from the side, blocking our path. They were expressionless and tall, clearly Serena’s bodyguards.
I paused, my brows slowly furrowing. Turning around, I looked at Serena, my voice colder now. “What do you want?” Serena walked forward slowly, her chin held high, her gaze arrogant and icy, as if she were looking at an object she already owned. “What do I want? Arthur, what happened all those years ago hasn’t been clarified yet. You think you can just leave? Not so fast.” “The incident where I was in danger and accidentally had a child with you—that still needs to be investigated.” “You showing up here today with the child, what exactly are your intentions? You need to explain yourself.” “And this child, she’s mine. The Linwood family’s blood runs in her veins. You won’t be taking her anywhere.” Serena’s gaze landed on Kaia, filled with an almost obsessive possessiveness. Looking at her like this, I felt a chill spread through my heart. The events of the past replayed in my mind like a film. It seemed six years hadn’t diminished her selfishness and obstinacy one bit. I tightened my grip on Kaia’s hand, my eyes darkening. “Kaia is my daughter. From the moment you forced us to jump, she had nothing to do with you.” “Are you trying to block our way and strong-arm someone else’s child, relying on the Linwood family’s influence?” Serena’s face darkened, her eyes fierce. “Arthur, don’t try to twist the truth here.” “This wretched child should never have existed!” Mark, seeing the situation, immediately stepped forward to back her up. “Arthur, you deliberately set up Serena back then, which is why she accidentally got pregnant with your child!” “Did you think that by doing so, you could use it as an opportunity to control Serena and seize the Linwood family’s assets? Dream on!” As Mark spoke, he shot a meaningful look at the men blocking our way. They immediately stepped forward, looking ready to act. The surrounding crowd’s gaze toward me grew even more contemptuous. Mark’s eyes flashed with a cold glint as he walked toward my daughter, reaching out to pull her away. “Take your filthy hands off her!” I kicked him squarely, then looked coldly at Serena. “As for the truth of what happened back then, with your resources, it shouldn’t be hard to find out.” Seeing my attitude, Serena’s brows furrowed even deeper. “Is what Mark said untrue?” She scoffed. “However, since you brought it up, I’ll let you die knowing! Bring me all the old files from back then, immediately!” At these words, Mark’s face instantly became ugly. He frowned, whispering to Serena: “Didn’t I explain everything about what happened back then? What’s the need for more investigation?” “In my opinion, this guy is just trying to stall for time, so they can keep showing off in front of the cameras!” But I merely sneered. “Mark, you seem very worried about Serena retrieving those files, don’t you? Could it be that you’re afraid of what happened back then?” Mark’s face stiffened. He angrily retorted: “Nonsense! Why would I be afraid?” This time, Serena also frowned. “Mark, this is my business. Stay out of it.” “I’m going to make this jerk lose, fair and square, today!”
Mark tried to persuade her further, but seeing Serena’s determined attitude, he could only withdraw his hand awkwardly. However, he secretly pulled out his phone and quickly sent a message to a confidant, instructing them to destroy some crucial evidence. He thought he had done it perfectly. But he didn’t know that if I dared to appear here today, I came fully prepared. My people acted almost simultaneously with his. At this point, Serena’s gaze returned to Kaia, her eyes filled with obsessive resentment. “Arthur, you think you can pretend not to know me and trick me with this child?” Her voice trembled. It wasn’t the frenzy of madness, but more like six years of suppressed grievance and hatred. “I’ll tell you one thing: as long as she has my blood, she must stay with the Linwood family, under my control!” Serena slammed her hand on the table, warning me. It was clear she was very confident about the files. Kaia, scared by her fierce gaze, shrank back behind me. Her small hand gripped my shirt tightly, her voice laced with a sob: “Daddy…” I gently patted her back, my eyes suddenly turning cold as I looked at Serena. “She is my daughter, and she answers only to me!” “As for what happened back then…” “Do you really think I was the one who initiated it?” I scoffed. “What did you say?” Serena’s face instantly flushed red, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. “Arthur, a pathetic driver like you dares to twist the truth? Back then, it was clearly you who…” “It was Mark who told you I drugged and assaulted you, right?” I cut her off, my gaze directly piercing Mark. Mark’s lips twitched. His eyes seemed to hold a hint of panic. “Cut the crap!” Mark’s face was grim as he reiterated: “You’re the one who set up Serena back then, making her pregnant with your child! You ruined her life!” “And now you’re back, bothering her with the child, simply trying to use the child as leverage to extort money from the Linwood family!” The murmuring grew louder and louder. The eyes fixed on me were filled with disdain and contempt. “So it really was a setup? This guy is disgusting.” “Coming back with a child to extort money, even using his own daughter—he has no bottom line.” “Poor Ms. Linwood, to be entangled with someone like this.” To them, Serena and Mark’s words were clearly more trustworthy. After all, in their eyes, I was just a driver. My humble origins were my biggest sin. Kaia didn’t understand the adults’ contempt, but she sensed the hostility around her, and her crying intensified. “Daddy, they’re so mean. Can we go home?” I held her tightly, my palm gently stroking her back to comfort her, my eyes as cold as a deep pool. I didn’t even glance at Serena or Mark. “Whether it was my setup or not, we’ll know once the files arrive.” “But by then, Serena, I hope you manage to stay calm. And you better not regret it!”
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