Chapter 2: Chapter Two: When Enemies Meet

"Little Master, I've already informed your family. Whether they come or not is none of my concern. I've done all I can, so I'll be on my way now." Phoebe Conrad stood up, ready to leave, when her hand was suddenly grabbed.

"Mom, don't go," Samuel Vaughan mumbled, his eyes barely open, his voice weak from having just vomited.

"Hey... Little Master, are you so hungry that you're confused? You can eat whatever, but you can't just call anyone 'Mom'!" Phoebe Conrad quickly pulled her hand away, jokingly. She would never acknowledge Gloria Vaughan's child as her own.

"Mom—Mom—Mom—" Samuel Vaughan's hoarse voice, tinged with a nasal tone, seemed to find solace in the repetition. His pitiful look tugged at one's heartstrings, and the repeated "Mom" made Phoebe Conrad feel a bit uneasy.

"No, we're not close, so don't try to get too familiar." If it were any other child, Phoebe Conrad might have softened, but this was Gloria Vaughan's child. She had already shown great mercy by bringing him to the hospital.

Phoebe Conrad didn't want to linger, and just as she was about to leave, Lambert Vaughan arrived, followed closely by Gloria Vaughan.

The moment Gloria Vaughan saw Phoebe Conrad, she froze in shock. She had thought Phoebe Conrad was long dead, but here she was, alive and back in A City.

Seeing Gloria Vaughan, Samuel Vaughan tensed up, his entire body in a defensive posture. "Get out! Get out!"

"Anzhi, are you confused or having another episode? I'm your mom!" Gloria Vaughan gritted her teeth. This child had never called her "Mom" and had always been cold towards her. If not for the title of Mrs. Vaughan, she would have gotten rid of him long ago. Clearly, he was an ungrateful wolf.

She had thought that after marrying Samuel Vaughan off to Lambert Vaughan, and then having her own child with Lambert Vaughan, her position as Mrs. Vaughan would be secure, and she could deal with Samuel Vaughan as she pleased. But in reality, Lambert Vaughan had never touched her, and he had warned her that if anything happened to Samuel Vaughan, she would be kicked out of the Ji family. He needed a son to carry on the family line, not a wife.

"Dad!!!"

"Make her go, get out!" As Gloria Vaughan approached, Samuel Vaughan lost control, pushing her away with a heart-wrenching scream. Though he was just a child, he could sense that Gloria Vaughan's gaze was not that of a loving mother. He loved his dad, but he couldn't accept her.

"How do you speak to her?" Lambert Vaughan scolded Samuel Vaughan, his face stern.

Phoebe Conrad could see the tension between Samuel Vaughan and Gloria Vaughan, but she didn't want to get involved. She also feared Lambert Vaughan might recognize her and was about to slip away when Samuel Vaughan suddenly pointed at her and said, "Her, to be Mom."

Gloria Vaughan glared at Phoebe Conrad, seething with anger. She had been the one who raised Samuel Vaughan for five years, not Phoebe Conrad.

Lambert Vaughan also looked at Phoebe Conrad, deep in thought.

Phoebe Conrad was annoyed by Gloria Vaughan's glare. She lazily ran a hand through her hair. "Mrs. Vaughan, it seems your relationship with your son isn't very good. But I'm curious, as a mother, your first reaction to seeing your sick son isn't to comfort him, but to question if he's ill or stupid? No wonder your relationship with him is so poor. Don't you think so, Mr. Vaughan?"

Phoebe Conrad deliberately directed the conversation to Lambert Vaughan. Gloria Vaughan realized her mistake and hurriedly explained to Lambert Vaughan, "No, it's not like that. Anzhi, you know Mom cares about you."

Samuel Vaughan, seeing Gloria Vaughan's insincere expression, threw something from the nearby table to the ground. "Get out, far away!"

Phoebe Conrad was surprised by Samuel Vaughan's behavior. A five-year-old shouldn't act like this, at least not speaking so harshly. Before she could think further, chaos erupted in the room.

Seizing the opportunity, Phoebe Conrad slipped out of the ward.

Once the situation calmed down, Samuel Vaughan noticed that Phoebe Conrad had left, and he vented his anger on Gloria Vaughan. With Lambert Vaughan present, Gloria Vaughan couldn't lash out and had to endure, gritting her teeth.

"Shut up, or I'll send you abroad!" Samuel Vaughan was thought to have a form of autism that affected his speech. At five years old, he still spoke like this. As his father, Lambert Vaughan doted on him, but he was becoming increasingly disrespectful. Lambert Vaughan pressed his forehead. "My assistant will take you home. If you keep this up, I'll make sure you stay abroad forever."

Samuel Vaughan pouted, feeling wronged, but he quieted down.

In the taxi, Phoebe Conrad looked at the photo of her two children and herself on her phone, her thoughts drifting back six years.

"Sister, Grandma is seriously ill, and the Vaughan Company is facing financial troubles. Can you help save Grandma, please?" Gloria Vaughan was her uncle's daughter. After her mother's death, Phoebe Conrad had lived with her grandmother, but recently, her grandmother had developed kidney failure, requiring a large sum for treatment. At seventeen, Phoebe Conrad couldn't afford it and had been kicked out by her uncle's family. Now, Gloria Vaughan was calling again.

"Wait for me, I'll be right there!"

"No, don't come!"

"The company's President said that if you sleep with a man, he will help the Vaughan Company and give us a lot of money. We can use it to treat Grandma!"

Gloria Vaughan had offended a powerful man who demanded that she sleep with him for a night. If she satisfied him, he would not only forgive her but also give her a large sum of money. Gloria Vaughan knew that the man preferred virgins, and she had already lost her virginity. She hadn't expected Phoebe Conrad to offer herself to save their grandmother.

"Can you guarantee that you will keep your word?" Phoebe Conrad clenched her fists, her nails digging into her palms without her noticing.

"Of course. But you must promise to leave here after it's over. We will pay for Grandma's treatment," Gloria Vaughan said smugly.

"Alright, I agree, but you must ensure Grandma gets the treatment she needs." Her grandmother was her only family, and she couldn't abandon her.

A few days later, Gloria Vaughan gave Phoebe Conrad a key to a presidential suite. Once inside, Phoebe Conrad was pinned against the wall by a man reeking of alcohol, who kissed her...

Phoebe Conrad woke up in excruciating pain, not daring to look at the man beside her. She forced herself to dress and leave the room. Outside, she found Gloria Vaughan waiting.

"How did it go?"

"Gloria Vaughan, I hope you keep your word," Phoebe Conrad said, her face pale.

"Don't talk nonsense. Hurry downstairs; the driver is waiting. From today, never return to A City." Gloria Vaughan gave Phoebe Conrad a disdainful look, used the key to enter the room, and left.

Phoebe Conrad was sent to a third-tier city, where she discovered she was pregnant. She considered terminating the pregnancy but was told she was carrying triplets, and it would be difficult to conceive again. She decided to keep the children.

But shortly after birth, the eldest child died.