Chapter 3

The sharp sound of the slap made the entire living room fall into silence.

Ryan clutched his cheek, his eyes wide with shock.

Jenny also froze for a moment before exploding into a fit of rage. She screamed at me, "Nathan! What the hell is wrong with you? What did Ryan do wrong? All he did was say a few words to you! What's the big deal? How could you hit a child so hard!"

There she was, making it sound so insignificant. What son would dare to talk to his father like that, huh?

I'd been too kind to them this whole time.

Ryan finally snapped out of his shock. He threw himself into Jenny's arms and started wailing. "Mommy! Daddy hit me! I don't want him as my daddy anymore. My face hurts!"

Staring at him, I spelled out clearly, "If I ever hear you say such things again, I don't mind finding you another father."

"How dare you!" Jenny completely lost it. She rushed over and slapped me hard across the face before shoving me with all her strength.

We had been standing at the top of the stairs. Since I'd been caught off guard, my body tilted backward, and I tumbled down the staircase.

The housekeepers at the villa were experts at reading the room and siding with whoever they could benefit from the most. As a result, no one stepped forward to help me.

The back of my head slammed against the sharp edge of a step. Something warm immediately began to flow. I reached up and touched my head. My hand came away bright red.

Ever since the system forcibly dragged me into this world, my body had only gotten worse by the day.

The blood loss made my vision go black. As my consciousness blurred, I heard Jenny's and Ryan's voices drifting down from the top of the stairs.

"Mommy, can Uncle Aaron be my new daddy now?"

"Not yet. Your deadbeat father still hasn't completely handed the company over to me."

…

When I woke up again, I was already in the hospital, the sharp smell of disinfectant stinging my face.

Hugo was sitting by the bed. When he saw that I was awake, he immediately asked, his expression furious, "Did that damn bitch hit you again?"

I nodded.

Meanwhile, the system realized it could no longer hide the truth from me, so it resorted to a pitiful ploy.

Using a whiny, high-pitched voice, it tearfully explained, "Host, your son is the male lead of the next installment, which I'm also in charge of… If you leave, he'll transform into a villain! I only told Jenny about it because I had no choice…"

I closed my eyes. I didn't even have the strength to argue with the system.

"So you sold me out?" I asked, my voice hoarse.

Afraid that I'd get too agitated, Hugo patted my hand and said, "There, there. Calm down. The person you planted is already in position, right? Jenny won't be able to keep this up much longer."

The moment he finished speaking, the hospital room door opened, and Jenny walked in. She'd changed into a new outfit.

Staring down at me, she said, "I've already discussed it with your system. You won't be able to leave. Who's going to look after Ryan if you do?"

My lips twitched, which made the wound on my face throb. "What do you mean? A CEO like you can't afford to hire a nanny? If that doesn't work, you can just marry Aaron and let him take care of your son. Problem solved."

"Nathan!" Jenny shrieked like a cat whose tail got stepped on. "Just what did I do that's so wrong, huh? All I want is for my son to have a complete family! Aaron and I are just friends!"

At that very moment, there was a knock on the door.

Eric Cassidy, Jenny's personal nutritionist, came in with a thermal lunchbox. "I've brought you your dinner, Ms. Green. You'll be having shrimp scampi today. Don't forget to take your daily vitamins after eating."

I looked up and met Eric's gaze. He gave me an almost imperceptible nod.

In my heart, I silently counted the days. It was happening soon.

After Jenny finished her dinner, the doctor happened to come in to change my dressing. She immediately took the tray from the doctor.

Acting like the most virtuous and dutiful wife, she said in a gentle voice, "Let me do it. How can we trouble the doctor with this sort of thing?"

What a brilliant actress she was. She should be winning awards for her acting.

Just as she held the cotton swab, pretending to tend to the wound on my forehead, her bodyguard suddenly shoved the door open, calling out urgently, "Ms. Green! Mr. Fuller says he's having severe chest pain!"