Chapter 3

The sound waves on the recording screen pulsed steadily throughout my conversation with Adrian.

I lowered my gaze to hide the hint of mockery flashing across my eyes. I replied softly, "Alright. I'll do as you say."

A satisfied smile spread across Adrian's face. Humming a tune, he turned and headed into the bathroom for a shower.

No sooner had he stepped inside than my phone screen lit up again. Elaine had just sent me a video without any accompanying message attached.

I tapped the video open. It was the security camera footage from the hallway of the postnatal retreat. In the footage, Adrian had Summer pinned against the wall as they kissed passionately.

Summer's arms were wrapped tightly around his neck. There wasn't even the slightest hint of the "man-hater" image she had always portrayed.

I let out a cold, humourless laugh as I stared at the disgusting pair on my screen. Then, I saved both the security footage and the recording I'd just made to an encrypted cloud drive before transferring 500 dollars to Elaine.

"I'll need to borrow your staff ID on the day of Noah's one-month celebration," I said.

She accepted the payment immediately and replied with a thumbs-up emoji.

The group chat blew up again at 10:00 pm that night. It turned out Summer had made a grand announcement there.

"Noah will be a month old next week, so I'll be hosting his one-month celebration at Stellavel Hotel to celebrate being a single mother by choice. The entire event will be livestreamed.

"Everyone's welcome to witness the strength of an independent woman. Hopefully, a certain toxic person will take this opportunity to reflect on herself," she declared.

…

Three days before Noah's one-month celebration, I'd just reached the cafe downstairs from my office to grab a cup of coffee when several people blocked my way.

Dressed head to toe in designer labels, Summer looked impeccably flawless with Noah in her arms. Beside her stood Adrian's mother, Denise Campbell, who also happened to be my future mother-in-law.

The moment Denise saw me, she grabbed my hand and adopted a patronizing tone. "Why haven't you been answering Adrian's calls these past few days? Poor Summer's been through so much.

"Adrian's only helping her out because he has a good heart. Don't be so petty over a house. You can always earn enough to buy another one in the future. Life's hard enough for a single mother like her as it is."

Without missing a beat, Summer pulled a document from her bag and held it out to me. It was a property transfer agreement disguised as a mortgage loan contract.

"As Noah's godmother, it's only right for you to sign this document so he can have a good life. Women should support one another.

"Don't worry, the house will be registered in Noah's name only. You can still live there." Summer lifted her chin slightly as she spoke, her voice laced with smugness.

I almost laughed in disbelief when I looked at the agreement. This was a five-million-dollar mansion we were talking about. Did she really think a flimsy line about "supporting one another" was enough to take it away from me?

Just then, Noah squirmed in Summer's arms and blew a raspberry. His clear little voice echoed in my ears again.

[Mommy paid Dr. Howell two thousand dollars to forge her IVF paperwork with a fake official seal. Then, she went around pretending she'd traveled overseas for IVF to maintain her persona as an 'independent woman'. She even misspelled some of the words. What an idiot.]

My eyes narrowed at his words. Did he just mention something about a fake seal and Dr. Howell?

This could be the critical breakthrough I needed to expose them.

I yanked my hand free from Denise's grip before staring at the two of them coldly. "You expect me to give away a five-million-dollar mansion?

"Why don't you donate one of Adrian's kidneys to Summer instead? Wouldn't that be a better show of his kindness?" I continued as a mocking smile tugged at the corners of my lips.

Denise's face instantly darkened. "That's no way to talk!"

"I won't agree to this, and I'm certainly not signing it." I wasn't about to waste another word on them. With that, I turned and walked away.

Adrian, who'd been hiding in a nearby car the whole time, finally lost his patience.

"Sylvia!" he shouted. Then, he stormed over and slammed his hand down on one of the cafe's outdoor tables.

"I knew it. You've completely lost your mind! Will you only be satisfied once you've driven Summer to her death?"

Adrian jabbed a finger in my face before threatening, "So you won't sign it? Fine.

"I'll make sure every one of our relatives and Summer's hundreds of thousands of followers see what a vicious woman you are at Noah's one-month celebration. We'll see if you can still hold your head up in public after that!"

I stopped in my tracks before turning around to take in the furious look on his face.

"Alright. I'll see you at the celebration. Let's just hope you're still smiling when it's over," I shot back.