Raising Your Brat, Round Two

"Babe, Luca's still just a kid. I can't leave him alone. Let's bring him here."Eric Jablon's face was tear-streaked, eyes full of fake grief—and hope.For a second, I was lost. No blood, no pain, no mangled car. Just me, alive and home.Time had rewound.I squeezed out a few tears. "Of course. Your parents vanished so fast. We don't have kids, so we'll treat him like our own."Same old script—Gregory and Meredith's "late-in-life" miracle. They ditched town when Luca turned three, faked their deaths in a mudslide, and dumped the kid on us.I adopted Luca under my name, raised him like my own, turned him into a viral sensation. Then bam—Gregory, Meredith, and Tammy Page waltzed back. Tammy, Eric's first love and Luca's actual mom, wanted him back. And me gone.She made sure of it—ran me over with my own car.Not this time.I'd "pay" them all back—with interest.Eric lit up when I agreed, smile way too bright for a guy who just "lost" his parents. He ran to the door and brought

Eric's tone flipped fast. "Babe, what are you saying? We're married—what's mine is yours, what's yours is mine."I smirked. "That card was for your parents. They're gone, so I shut it down. Problem?"His eyes darted. "I... I was buying you a Valentine's gift. Picked the wrong card, that's all."I leaned in, all fake surprise. "Aww, that's so thoughtful! But I already have that bag. I like this new one instead—buy me that."He had no way out. Watching him wince as he paid? Priceless.I grabbed his phone and changed the delivery to my office. "One of my coworkers said her husband wouldn't splurge on this. I'm gonna unbox it at work—rub it in a little."His face? Darker than week-old gym socks.That one bag nearly wiped him out. I wondered how long Gregory and Meredith could survive now.Seeing me in a good mood, he tried to play sweet. "Hey, why not reopen the card for Luca? Think of it like he's inheriting my parents' money."Whose money?I rolled my eyes, then switched gears.

Tammy's smile cracked, her voice shooting up. "Luca's not even blood to you—how could he be your son?!"Meredith's eyes nearly popped. "You barren witch! Can't have your own, so you steal ours? Letting you into this family was the worst decision!"I spread my hands, smirking. "Hey, not on me. Eric's the one who pushed me to adopt Luca under my name for our family's benefits. Free son—why would I say no?"Eric, about to play the saint, shot up. "So that's why you agreed so fast?! I thought you actually cared about Luca, but you were scheming the whole time! And I trusted you!"I ruffled Luca's hair, smiling. "Scheming? He calls me Mom, doesn't he? I've raised him like my own. You think it didn't cost me money and resources to build him up?"Fine. Hand over the house and car, and we'll call it payback for what I poured into him. From then on, every cent Luca makes has nothing to do with me."My smile dropped ice-cold. "Eric, if I wasn't desperate to cut ties with you and your trash

Over the weekend at the law firm, I signed the papers again.As soon as I put the pen down, Tammy yanked Luca close and sneered, "Jealous of someone else's kid? All you've got is that house drowning in mortgage and a busted secondhand car."I just smiled and nodded. No point wasting breath.Because I knew what she didn't—by year's end, the city council would announce a new subway stop in our neighborhood, plus a fancy new high school. Property values were about to explode.By the time I died last life, prices had already shot up fivefold.Maybe they'd cash in on Luca, maybe not. Either way, I was already sitting on a million.After sending Luca off, I won't lie—I felt weirdly empty.Tammy was right. Someone else's kid was never gonna be mine.So I made a choice. I'd leave something behind for my own. IVF, sperm bank, top-tier donor.I took a week off and picked one: 6'1", PhD in finance, Ivy League.When I came back to work, guess who I ran into.Eric. Clueless as ever. No c

Parents who'd put their kids in those same competitions started speaking up for us:[If you wanted to be a real star, why not join official contests? These were just for fun and experience. Some people clearly had shady motives.][Their kid probably couldn't pass real auditions, so they tried shortcuts. It tanked, and now they're throwing a tantrum.]When the tide turned, Eric went live and came straight for me."Unwed woman knocks herself up—bet she doesn't even know who the dad is, acting all high and mighty. What kind of star kids could someone like her pick? Be a miracle if she didn't wreck them!"Classic. Nothing rattles a man more than a woman who doesn't need him—they always drag it straight into the gutter.I dropped the IVF documents online with one line:[A woman can be a mother on her own. Men, kindly step aside.]Then I plugged our new campaign: [Single Moms Save the World. Sign-ups open now!]Our official page blew up:[Dakota Dawson is a queen! Men are just sper