Chapter 2

As the houses in the village grew smaller and smaller in the rearview mirror, my heart grew more uneasy.

My heart clenched, and a sudden sourness hit me, making my nose sting, and before I knew it, tears were rolling down my cheeks.

Suddenly, a thought hit me, and I slammed on the brakes.

Crap, how could I forget? If an egg appeared in the chicken coop, the owner was definitely going to cook it and eat it.

I quickly spun the car around and raced back, grabbed the egg, hugged it to my chest, and dropped it off at the orphanage gate.

I squatted in the grass nearby for ages, but it was the middle of the night. Nobody was coming out to pick up a baby.

Wait, it was an egg. Even if someone did come out, they wouldn't take it home and raise it.

I spent the whole night running around, hitting up place after place, but I just couldn't find the right spot to ditch the egg.

I let out a helpless sigh. I laid the egg myself, so even if it was just an egg, I had no choice but to accept it.

After slipping quietly back into the villa, I found a big box, lined it with soft blankets, placed the egg inside, and hid it in the closet.

Pointing at the egg, I gave it a stern warning. "Stay put in here, or I'll turn you into a braised egg and eat you."

But the next day, it popped up on Alex's bed again. I felt so helpless.

I stuffed it into a suitcase with a lock, zipped it up tight, and snapped the combination shut.

It thought it could outsmart me? Not a chance.

On the third day, as usual, it rolled right back onto the bed, proudly rubbing itself against Alex's pricey silk pajamas like it was showing off.

Annoyed, I grabbed the egg, gave it a few good whacks, and shoved it into the closet. "You'd better reflect on your behavior!"

But before I knew it, it rolled itself right back onto Alex's bed, pressing pitifully against his face like it was tattling on me.

"Get over here. Don't you dare go near Alex again!" I snapped.

It flipped itself over, acting all huffy and turning its back on me like a spoiled brat.

I planted my hands on my hips, my blood pressure skyrocketing. "If you don't come here right now, I'm really going to smack you!"

It darted under the covers and refused to come out, no matter what.

I gave up.

Fine. If it wanted to stay there, just let it.

Seeing I was powerless to control it, the egg got even more smug. It rolled around the house like a wild child, causing chaos every day.

It acted like a curious kid, pulling everything out of the drawers and leaving a mess all over the place.

It tossed the toys I bought for it all around the house.

It snuck into the kitchen to steal snacks, making the maids think a burglar had broken in.

Late at night, it would go nuts, bouncing on the squeaky toy like it was partying, freaking everyone in the villa out and making them think the place was haunted.

When the maid was cleaning, it would deliberately zip around.

The maid rubbed her eyes, her eyes full of horror. "Mrs. Ford, did you... did you see a white, round shadow zip past?"

I shook my head with a guilty look. "N-No, I didn't see anything."

As soon as the maid left, I'd put my hands on my hips and tear through the house after it. "Stop right there! Wait till I get my hands on you, you little rascal. I'll beat you up!"

Every day, it was me versus the egg, a wild chase through the villa.

Sometimes, after I'd fallen asleep, it would quietly roll into my arms and snuggle up to me, rubbing against me like it was trying to butter me up.

It would even sneak around, push the blanket back over me, and tuck me in bit by bit.

That went on until a few uninvited guests showed up at the villa.

When the butler came to tell me that Richard and Evelyn had brought Sharon over, my heart sank.

I snatched the egg off Alex's bed, locked it in the closet, and gave it a stern warning. "Stay put in here and don't come out. If those bad guys find you, we're done for, got it?"

It seemed to get it, obediently letting me lock the closet door.

As soon as I stepped into the living room, Sharon's eyes zeroed in on my expensive jewelry.

She couldn't help but get snarky. "Wow, Nydia, you really hit the jackpot, huh? I heard Mrs. Ford showered you with jewelry worth dozens of millions."

I snorted. "If you want this kind of jackpot, I'll let you have it."

As soon as I said that, a cup came hurtling right at my face.

When I dodged and the cup didn't smash against my forehead, Richard slammed his hand on the coffee table, making it bang loudly. "You rebellious brat! Get over here.

"You've been married into the Ford family for a year and still haven't gotten pregnant. If one man didn't get you pregnant, why don't you try more?

"What a useless loser.

"Don't forget, I still have your mother's ashes."