Chapter 3

Mikael's parents, Nathan Jardine and Lisa Potter, watched his outrageous behavior from the sidelines like they were watching a show. It was obvious that just like him, they looked down on Mom and me from the bottom of their hearts.

When they saw that I really was about to leave, Nathan finally stood up with an annoyed expression.

He said, "Harmony, don't say I never gave you a chance. If you dare walk out that door today, I'll never let you become a member of our family ever again, even if you come begging later."

Tori chuckled beside him and said sarcastically, "Harmony, you better calm down. This is your only chance to get into a different social class.

"Your mom's already humiliated herself just to help you marry Mikael. How can you be so unsensible?"

I did my best to stop myself from losing my cool as I left the hall without looking back.

Outside, Mom was sitting near the entrance. She was wiping her tears as the cold wind bit through her thin clothes. She wasn't crying because she felt wronged but because she thought she had embarrassed me in front of all those people.

That thought made my nose sting, and my own tears began to spill over. I helped her to her feet. "Mom, let's go home."

Once we got back, I tore down every ribbon and balloon in the house. Then, I stood under the cold shower until my restless, furious heart finally calmed down.

When I checked my phone, there were over 20 missed calls, all from Mikael. As he called again, I declined it and blocked his number.

It was always hard for two people to come together, but the breaking up part was easy. With that, we were done, and it was over. But I never expected things to spiral out of control so quickly.

The next day at noon, I suddenly got a call from one of Mom's coworkers. "Where are you, Harmony? You need to come to Jardine Group right now!

"Your mom's being accused of stealing something. They're about to take her to the police station!"

My blood froze. My mind went blank as I sprinted out the door. As soon as I entered the Jardine Group lobby, I saw Tori and Mom surrounded by a crowd.

Mom was gripping a broom tightly, her face streaked with tears. There was a fresh, red handprint on her cheek.

The sight riled me up with rage. I shoved through the crowd and lunged at Tori. I only managed to slap her once before the security guards grabbed me and pulled me back.

Tori clutched her chest, glaring at me with exaggerated indignation. "Your mom stole Mikael's watch, and now you're hitting me? What are you, a family of bandits?

"Mikael's the heir of the Jardine Group, and your mom's just a cleaner here. Her poverty must have driven her to theft!"

Mom hid behind me and spoke up uneasily. "I didn't steal it… I don't know how Mikael's watch ended up in my bag…"

Lisa stood nearby and scrutinized Mom with an unfriendly, piercing gaze that was full of disdain. She chimed in, "Yeah, right. Could the watch have walked into your bag on its own?

"How disgusting. Not only are you poor, but you're also cowards. You can't even admit what you've done."

I was about to argue when my phone buzzed with a message notification. The man I had saved as "Deadbeat" in my phone sent me a text.

He wrote, "My dear daughter, I really miss you and your mom. Please give me a chance to make things right, okay?"

I quickly typed out a single line in reply, "Can you protect Mom?"

The reply came almost instantly. "Of course I can."