Alle Kapitel von Mocked as a Freeloader—I'm the CEO's Mom: Kapitel 1 – Kapitel 7

"So, you're the distant relative Brandon mentioned?"Janice Swanson looked me up and down, her eyes brimming with undisguised disgust.I glanced down at my clothes. To avoid burdening my son with the high-pressure stereotype of a billionaire heir, I had deliberately chosen my least conspicuous beige linen set.Woven entirely by hand without a logo, this ensemble cost twice as much as the current-season haute couture Janice was sporting.In my hands, I carried a thermos of chicken soup that my husband had woken up at dawn to simmer for three hours."I'm here to see Brandon," I said casually, waving a hand.Janice sneered, then turned toward the camera setup that was already recording, instantly flashing a sweet, adorable smile."Hey, guys! Let me introduce you. This is a distant 'relative' of Brandon's family. He told me she's been living out in the countryside, but money's been a little tight lately, so she came to town to stay with us."The stream's live chat went wild with co

The entire room fell silent.Even the live chat, which had been scrolling nonstop only moments earlier, suddenly went still.Janice remained on the floor with tears streaking her face, staring at Brandon as though he'd just told her the world was ending."B-Brandon... what did you just call her?" she stammered, her voice shaking with disbelief.Brandon didn't dare meet her eyes.He kept his head bowed as he spoke in a strained whisper. "Mom, why didn't you tell me you were coming? I would have picked you up from the airport."I gave a cold laugh and ignored him, walking over to the leather sofa and sitting down."If I hadn't shown up unannounced, how would I have known that your girlfriend thinks I'm some washed-up mistress your father discarded?"Cold sweat trickled down the back of Brandon's neck."Mom, it's a misunderstanding," he muttered, taking a cautious step toward me. "Janice didn't know who you were. She just thought...""That I was some poor relative looking for a

Janice had been dragged out of the room, but the fallout was only beginning.The livestream had been cut off the moment the bodyguards barged in, yet the controversy was already spreading across social media like wildfire.Within hours, hashtags such as #TheRealMrsCastillo, #JaniceSwansonBlacklisted, #BillionaireMistressExposed, and #BrandonCastilloDisowned were dominating the trending lists.Once people started digging, they uncovered one scandal after another from Janice's past—her diva behavior, her habit of bullying newcomers, and rumors that she'd slept her way to the top.The moment she fell from grace, the same fans who had once worshiped her were among the first to turn on her and trample her into the dirt.Richard and I rode home in the back of the car, while Brandon had been sent ahead in a separate vehicle with only a driver to escort him.Richard held my hand throughout the drive, his palm warm and slightly clammy."I'm so sorry you had to deal with that, sweetheart,

Once the storm had passed, life gradually settled back into its usual rhythm.Brandon changed more than I ever expected. He cut off his silver-dyed hair and returned it to its natural blond, stopped hanging around with people who were only interested in chasing fame and attention, and lost whatever fascination he'd once had with the superficial world of celebrity.Instead, he started going to work with Richard every day, beginning at the bottom as a junior project coordinator at the Castillo Group.He still made mistakes, of course, and Richard occasionally tore into him for them, but Brandon never complained. He took every criticism in stride and worked twice as hard to make up for his mistakes.One evening, the three of us finally sat down to a quiet family dinner. In the middle of the table sat a steaming pot of chicken soup that I'd spent hours preparing.Brandon ladled some into a bowl and carefully carried it over to me with both hands. "Mom, have some soup."I accepted the