Chapter 2

I sat in a corner after sending Layla to her assigned class. I didn't have to wait long before I spotted Maverick, Rosalia, and Jeremy.

Maverick had one arm wrapped around Rosalia's waist while he held Jeremy's hand with his free hand.

Irritation prickled within me when I saw the happy smile on his face.

"What? My son's spot was taken by someone else? What are you doing?" Maverick demanded furiously.

Before I could say a word, Layla suddenly ran into the room and hugged Maverick's leg ecstatically. "Daddy! Are you here to walk me to class? I'm so happy!"

Rosalia shot a confused look in Maverick's direction. "Who's this girl, honey?" she asked.

Maverick's expression twisted slightly before he kicked Layla aside like she was a piece of trash, causing her to stumble to the floor. "This girl must not have a father of her own, so she's just going around and calling any man she sees 'Daddy'."

Layla scraped her elbow when she fell to the ground, breaking the skin and drawing blood. She began sobbing quietly.

My heart felt like it was breaking as I swiftly helped her back to her feet.

I glared at Maverick furiously. My voice trembling, I shouted, "You're worse than a beast, Maverick! It's one thing for you to cheat on me, but how dare you not acknowledge Layla as your daughter?"

Drawn toward the sound of my raised voice, the other parents looked at us. Some of them knew who Maverick was and began whispering among themselves.

"Is Mrs. Gibson here to catch Mr. Gibson red-handed?"

Some of the parents looked at me with disdain in their eyes.

"The woman standing next to Mr. Gibson is the real Mrs. Gibson. She's the heiress of the Jones family, but she married Mr. Gibson out of love."

"The Jones family didn't approve of their marriage at first, but they finally acknowledged Mr. Gibson after he worked hard for many years. Apparently, the head of the Gibson family will be dropping by today to see his grandchild."

"Does that mean she's the mistress? I can't believe she even brought her illegitimate daughter with her to steal Mr. Gibson's son's spot."

"As expected, all mistresses are shameless to a fault. I can't believe she would do something so despicable."

"Look at her little bastard child. She looks so devious. I bet she's going to grow up to be a homewrecker too."

A bottle of water was thrown at my head.

The woman who threw the bottle shot a look of disdain at me before saying, "Mrs. Gibson is virtuous and capable. Everyone knows that she's been helping Mr. Gibson run the company for the past few years. You're nothing more than a lowly mistress. Do you really think that we'll be fooled by your lies?"

Layla's eyes were glistening with tears when she looked up at me and asked, "Why doesn't Daddy like me, Mommy? Am I really a bastard child?"

Fury and despair raged within me as I stared into Layla's terrified eyes.

It now made sense why Maverick had insisted that I become a housewife after I gave birth to Layla, using the excuse that my body was weak. I had been replaced by Rosalia a long time ago in his circle.

A chill spread through my limbs. I glared at Maverick with bloodshot eyes and said coldly, "I'm giving you one more chance, Maverick. Who's the real mistress?"

Maverick looked at the other parents apologetically and said, "She's actually my son's nanny. She's mentally unwell, so I hope you don't take her words to heart."

He then stared at me with a warning look in his eyes, saying, "Violet, if you continue to cause a commotion, I'll have no choice but to fire you!"

The tense expression on Rosalia's face softened a little when she heard Maverick's words. "So, this is the nanny that you've been talking about. How dare she steal Jeremy's spot for her own child? I'm guessing that this isn't her first time doing something so heinous. We should call the police to arrest her!"

The other parents voiced their agreement.

"We have to call the police. She'll only cause more trouble if we let her roam around freely."

"Just look at the skimpy way she's dressed today. I bet she wanted to seduce Mr. Gibson."

Maverick sighed loudly before saying, "I only hired her at the time because I pitied her for having to raise a child by herself. I didn't expect her to develop such lofty ambitions."