ログイン"No," I interrupted her, "That was your best friend's cousin, a professional scam artist. After I dug into his background, I anonymously sent you a warning email. Remember?"Willa's pupils contracted, and she suddenly recalled it.A month ago, she did receive an anonymous email, but she thought it was just a competitor's intimidation and deleted it without reading it."So you see," I continued softly, "I even gave you one last chance. It was you who destroyed everything with your own two hands."At this point, Connor had completely collapsed. He was on the floor, crying and laughing uncontrollably. "It's over. It's all over. My house is gone, my company's gone, and my money's gone."Suddenly, he crawled toward Winston, clinging to his legs. "Mr. Murphy! Mr. Murphy! For the sake of the years Janice and I spent together, please save me! Please—"Winston recoiled in disgust. "Get away from me."He turned to the security. "Throw these two out."This time, the security guards didn't
Willa's face turned ashen, but she still refused to give up. "S-So what if she's your daughter? Connor's company has already signed a letter of intent with Winston Group for a 50-million-dollar—""Letter of intent?" I interrupted her softly. "Are you sure that is still valid?"I pulled out a document from my handbag. It was that letter of intent Willa mentioned."This document clearly states on the third page in small print, 'The effectiveness of this contract is conditional on Party B's company representative, Connor Crawford, having a good personal credit record with no significant default history.'"I glanced at Connor and smiled faintly. "And just three days ago, due to the mortgage on that luxury apartment, you were added to the bank's blacklist for overdue payments. So, this contract is now null and void."Connor collapsed onto the ground.Willa screamed, "No way! The loan on that house was—""I took out that loan in Connor's name," I said with a smile. "Did you really thi
All eyes turned to me.I calmly asked, "I'm the host of this gala. Do I need an invitation?"Willa was caught off guard by my question and fell silent.Connor, recovering from the shock, sneered. "Janice, you think you can fool us with that story? The CEO of Winston Group has always been mysterious and never made a public appearance. Is that why you thought you could just claim the title?"Turning to the guests around us, he continued in a louder voice, "Everyone, this woman is my ex-wife. Ever since our divorce, she's been mentally unstable, often imagining herself as some big shot. And now, she's sneaked in here to cause a scene. I apologize for the disturbance."Willa quickly chimed in, "Security! Where's the security? Get this crazy woman and her son out of here!"A few security guards rushed over.Connor pointed at me and said, "This woman doesn't have an invitation. She's pretending to be the CEO of Winston Group and is disrupting the gala. Please take her away immediately
"That's great." I nodded.Willa finally grew bored and tucked the invitation away. "I just wanted to let you know how far apart our worlds are now. Stay in your little rat hole, and don't even think about pulling any stunts."She paused and smirked. "But then again, you don't have the ability to do anything like that anymore."She turned and walked away. Her high heels clicked sharply against the floor, echoing through the narrow hallway.Once the door shut, Zeke timidly stepped out from behind me. "Mom, I'm scared."I pulled him into a hug. "Don't worry. She won't be coming back anymore."Because her good days were about to end soon.…At Onaford International Hotel's banquet hall, Connor and Willa stood hand-in-hand amidst the crowd, basking in the compliments from around them."Mr. Crawford, you're truly impressive. Landing a deal with Winston Group grants you a bright future!""This must be Mrs. Crawford, right? You two are such a perfect match!"Willa feigned humility.
The picture showed the backs of their family embracing each other in a luxurious living room.I calmly scrolled past the post, set my phone down, and turned to look at Zeke, who was diligently writing at his desk.We lived in a two-bedroom, 600-square-foot unit in an old neighborhood in the southern part of Onaford. The walls were yellowed, and the furniture was sparse and worn.But it was clean, quiet, and most importantly, it was a real home with a true family."Mom, is my handwriting nice?" Zeke asked tentatively while holding up his workbook.I walked over and saw his crooked handwriting. My heart warmed. "It looks great. You've improved a lot since yesterday."Zeke's eyes lit up, but then quickly dimmed again. "It's all my fault that you have to squeeze into this small place with me."I crouched down and gently stroked his head. "It's not your fault. And it doesn't matter if the house is big or small. What matters is who you live with. As long as I'm here, this is our home.
Willa scoffed. "What kind of gift could you possibly produce now? Don't tell me it's the deed to that run-down property of yours."Connor chuckled as well. "Janice, stop pretending. You have nothing left. We all know that."Ignoring their mockery, I took a document from my handbag and placed it on the table."This is a notarized Memorandum of Understanding," I explained. "I voluntarily relinquish all claims to the house under Sean's name, and I promise not to pursue any legal action against you for switching the children all those years ago."Connor and Willa froze in shock.The guests fell silent and stared at me in disbelief."W-What did you say?" Connor picked up the document in disbelief.The black-and-white print confirmed what I'd said. Not only was my signature on it, but it also bore the official seal of the notary office.Willa leaned in to read the document. Joy flashed in her eyes, but it quickly shifted to suspicion. "Janice, why are you being so kind? Is there some







