All Chapters of System Unbound: The Scum Mom's Bitter Regret: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

Grandpa read a financial magazine, and Grandma brewed tea. A neatly cut fruit platter sat on the coffee table. Every piece was Sean’s favorite strawberries.Sean handed the baby to the nanny and sat beside Grandma, looping his arm through hers.“Mom, Talon’s back.”Grandma slammed her teacup onto the table when she saw my father. Her face turned cold.“You caused such a scene three years ago. Now that you are back, behave yourself. Sean is still being called 'the other man' online because of you. You disgraced the Jones family.”Grandpa did not look up. He turned a page of his magazine.“If you were half as sensible as Sean, you would not have ended up like this.”I stood beside my father with my fists clenched. I wanted to say he had been locked inside that ancient city for three years, and his legs were broken. Why was no one comforting him?However, I did not dare. The last time I spoke up for him, Grandma slapped me across the face and said I had no manners, and that my fat

He reached out and pulled me into his arms.His body felt thin. His bones pressed against me, but he was still warm.“Be good, Jayden.”His hand gently patted my back, the same way he always did.…A few days later, my father was discharged from the hospital.Sean and the others stayed wary of him, as if he truly had a mental illness.Most of the time, my father stayed in the room with me. He held me and read picture books.However, I still felt uneasy.My father kept his head down at the dinner table, eating slowly, one bite at a time.My mother put down her chopsticks and cleared her throat.“The company’s tenth anniversary is coming up. Sean will attend with me. There will be many reporters. We need to consider the company’s image.”A flash of pride crossed Sean’s face before he hid it.He lowered his head. His voice sounded soft on purpose.“Miley, would it be inappropriate if Talon does not go?”“You can arrange it however you want,” my father replied.My mother lo

He tightened his grip on my hand.“Do not be afraid.”That night, Uncle Dylan came with news.The people who kidnapped my father had been caught. It was Sean’s doing.Sean feared my father would stay in the house and threaten his position. He feared my mother might soften toward him. He decided to get rid of my father altogether.He planned to send him to Southeast Asia, never to return.As for me, the original plan was to put me on a flight abroad, but the destination was not a school. It was a boarding institution that did not even have a name.Did my mother know?I had no idea. Perhaps she did not, or maybe she knew and allowed it.…Uncle Dylan said the evidence was ready, but he asked my father whether he wanted to call the police.My father stayed silent for a long time.“Not yet.”His tone was calm. It was so calm that it sent a chill through me.The next morning, my mother came to the hospital.She came alone, still in yesterday’s gown, makeup not removed, with d

I lived in that house like an optional piece of furniture.No one asked whether I had eaten, whether I had finished my homework, or whether I was happy.I did not care.I knew my father was watching me from another world. I could not let him down.Uncle Dylan came to see me once a month. He took me out for good food and talked with me. He managed the trust fund according to my father’s will.The money kept growing like a seed taking root in the soil.The year I turned eleven, Uncle Dylan helped me process my study‑abroad documents.When my mother signed them, she did not look up.“Where to?”“England.”“Okay.”She signed and went back to staring at my dad’s photo.The day I left, no one came to see me off.Sean was busy with a board meeting. Grandma played mahjong, and Grandpa stayed in his study. My mother stayed in her room and never came out.I stood at the entrance of the villa with my suitcase and looked back.The house was big and beautiful, but it was never my hom

“What you are saying is fake.” Sean shot to his feet so fast that his chair toppled backward. “You forged all of it.”“Whether it is fake or not, the police will verify it.” I pressed a button on my phone and dialed a number. “Hello, you may come in now.”The doors of the conference room opened, and officers from the economic crimes division walked in.“Sean Jones, you are suspected of embezzlement, abuse of power, bribery, and multiple other charges. Please come with us and cooperate with the investigation.”When Sean was taken away, he turned back to look at me.That look carried hatred, fear, and confusion.He still did not understand how an eight‑year‑old child had endured until today.I did not look at him.My gaze drifted to the person sitting in the corner of the room.My mother.I did not know when she arrived. She sat in the last row wearing a gray coat. Most of her hair was streaked with white.Ten years apart, she had aged more than a decade.She watched as Sean