All Chapters of One-Upping Bad Mommy: Chapter 1 - Chapter 8

8 Chapters

Chapter 1

When I got home from work, I saw my mom sitting on the sofa in my house with her stepson, Kaden McCartney. They were critiquing the place."We should knock out this living room window and replace it with floor-to-ceiling glass. That would look so much better.""That walk-in closet facing north—I'm turning that into a game room.""The whole decor in here is way too cheap. I want to switch it to European style."Hearing them talk, I got a bad feeling.My mom waved me over, all warm and friendly."Xavier, you're home from work. I made you dinner. Come try it."I looked at the table. It was packed with all my favorite dishes. I searched my memory.I couldn't remember the last time she'd cooked a meal just for me. Was I nine? Ten?It was definitely back when my father was still alive.I was born into an ordinary but happy family. But all that happiness came to a sudden stop when my dad died in an accident.Less than a year after his death, my mom remarried. Her new husband was Le

Chapter 2

Kaden looped his arm through my mom's and shot me a smug look. "Want to know the truth? Mom bought this house five years ago for me. She was just waiting for you to pay off the mortgage so she could transfer it to me. We're not here to ask. We're here to tell you."I looked at my mom in disbelief. "Is that true? Was this whole thing just you manipulating me from the start?"After she remarried, I became invisible in that house. My south-facing bedroom went to Kaden. I got moved to the storage room. I walked on eggshells for over a decade. That kind of life eats away at whatever bond a mother and son are supposed to have. Once I started working, I moved out and rented my own place.Then my mom tried to guilt me into handing over my paycheck every month. I said no. I figured she wouldn't let it go that easily.But then, one sunny afternoon, she took me to the property exchange and bought me a house. She said she knew I'd never felt secure, and that this house was the biggest gift she

Chapter 3

Back when Eleanor Kayson bought me the house with zero down but put the deed in her name, I already had my suspicions. So, to make it easier for myself when making the mortgage payments, I went behind her back, took the paperwork, and had the deed transferred into my name. This house has always been mine, and no one is taking it from me.To keep Eleanor and the others from just walking into my house again, I had a keypad lock installed on the door the very next morning.Three days passed quickly. I was at work when I got a call from Eleanor. She didn't even say hello—just started yelling at me."I told you to move out. Not only did you not move, you actually had the locks changed?""It's my house. I'm not moving out. And you can forget about getting your hands on it.""You brat. Get back here right now and open that door, or don't blame me for forgetting we're family."The truth is, whatever bond we had as mother and son was gone the year she remarried.I hung up and went abou

Chapter 4

Two uniformed police officers walked toward us. Eleanor and Kaden immediately let go of me. I struggled to get up off the floor."I'm the one who called the police," I said. "These two not only broke into my house, but they also assaulted me for no reason. Please arrest them right now."The officers looked sternly at Eleanor and Kaden. "You need to come with us to the station."Eleanor quickly tried to explain. "Officers, this is all a misunderstanding. He's my son. He wasn't listening, so I was just disciplining him."Kaden added, "And as for breaking and entering, he's lying. This house belongs to my mom."He turned to Eleanor. "Mom, just show them the deed."Eleanor fumbled through her bag and pulled out the property deed. "Look, officers. It says right here in black and white. This house is mine. My younger son is getting married, so I asked my elder son to move out. He refused. So we had no choice but to take firm action."The two officers took the deed from Eleanor. After

Chapter 5

The truth is, deep down, I'd always wanted to fix things with my mom. The way she used to be when I was young—gentle, caring, loving—I'd held onto that memory for years. I kept hoping she'd love me like that again.So when my company wanted to transfer me out of state, I said no. I was afraid that if I left, with thousands of miles between us, my mom and I would lose whatever connection we had left.The reason I worked so hard and pushed myself to buy this house was that I knew Kaden and his father couldn't be trusted. Someday, my mom would see their true colors. When that day came, she could move in with me.But now, I knew. That would never happen.Just like the toy in my hand—once it's broken, you can never fix it.I thought I might have trouble sleeping that night. But once I finally let go, I felt a strange sense of relief.The next morning, I got ready and went to work as usual.But I'd barely been at the office when the security guard downstairs called up to say someone w

Chapter 6

"Try me."I wanted to see exactly how Lesley planned to make me regret.I went back upstairs to work as if nothing had happened.My coworker, Jason Murphy, came over and asked, "What's going on? That guy downstairs is your dad? Family trouble?"I'd never liked talking about my family at work. A mother who played favorites, a stepfather who was always scheming, and a stepbrother who fought me for everything—none of it was worth mentioning.But now that Lesley had started this, I couldn't pretend anymore.So I told Jason the whole story. How my mom bought the house with zero down, then after I finished paying off the mortgage, she wanted me to give it to my stepbrother.Jason's eyes went wide. "What? There are mothers like that? She's helping her stepson screw over her own son? Is she out of her mind?"I said quietly, "Lesley was my mom's first love. After my dad died, they reconnected right away. In her mind, the three of them are the real family."Just then, noise started up a

Chapter 7

After more than a week apart, Eleanor looked completely worn down. Clearly, jail hadn't been easy on her.She walked up to me and started cursing me out. "You heartless brat. Let me tell you something—if I'm not doing well, neither are you. These past few nights have been a warning."I crossed my arms and looked at her coldly. "What do you want?"Eleanor went straight for the jugular. "Because you wouldn't give up the wedding house, Kaden's girlfriend is now asking for a hundred thousand for the wedding. You pay that, and we'll call it even."I refused immediately. "No. You're not getting a single cent from me."Eleanor started cursing me again. "You brat. I gave birth to you. I raised you. You owe me. That hundred thousand is what you owe me."I laughed bitterly. "I owe you? You've always thought I was unreliable. Kaden is your precious son. If anyone owes you, he does."Eleanor said proudly, "Kaden already told me. As long as I help him with this hundred thousand for the weddi

Chapter 8

That's when I noticed Jessica's stomach was slightly protruding. I pulled my hand back."If you care about her that much, you should keep her at home resting, not parading her around outside."Jessica, emboldened by the baby in her belly, pressed on. "I've been married to Kaden for a while now, but we've never had a meal together. No time like the present. How about today?"Nothing good ever comes from someone being this nice for no reason. I didn't feel like wasting my time on strangers.I stepped back to the security booth and told the guard that someone was harassing me. The guard immediately came out and chased the three of them off.I walked right past their angry glares and went upstairs.I thought that would be the end of it. They hadn't gotten what they wanted, so surely, they'd just leave me alone.But I underestimated how rotten they really were. In their eyes, I was nothing more than a high-earning single man—a juicy bone they would gnaw clean no matter what.When I

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