Chapter 1

"Olivia Blake, show some compassion. Arthur White's a poor kid. What's the problem with keeping him warm? How can your daughter survive in the real world if she can't brave the coldness now?" Alfred White shouted.

He stoutly pointed at our daughter, Eden White, and argued with me, Olivia, soon after I questioned him about the down jacket.

That down jacket Arthur was wearing was the one I had bought for Eden last week. It had disappeared from our closet soon after my purchase.

Eden huddled herself up in a corner, and there were bruises on her arms. With tears, she called, "Mom, I feel cold..."

Alfred pushed Eden aside and lovingly held Arthur in his arms.

He said, "It's an act. She hid the good snacks when Arthur wanted some. Selfish kids like her should be punished with hunger."

Hearing this, I burst out laughing. I didn't make a scene. I just pulled out my phone, called my bank, and froze the supplementary card with unlimited credit.

*****

"Mom..." Speaking, Eden tried to stand up, but she soon fell to the floor for a kick at her butt from Alfred.

"Who let you leave that corner? Have you shined the shoes? If they aren't ready for Arthur before school time tomorrow, you go sleep on the balcony tonight," Alfred said.

His voice was so stern, as if he were condemning a criminal, not a five-year-old child.

I took off my wet coat and made a banging sound by slamming it onto the cabinet nearby.

Alfred was shocked. He looked back at me and said, "What's wrong with you? Softly. Can't you see that Arthur is eating? You might scare him."

In Alfred's arms, Arthur was wearing the dinosaur pajamas made of pure cotton. When I had brought those pajamas back for Eden, Alfred had complained of their high prices and talked about a refund.

"Olivia, you scared me." Arthur exaggeratedly patted his chest and scoffed, "Alfred says that you're a shrew. It seems he is right."

"Don't take it to heart. Arthur is blunt. All the kids are blunt." Alfred protectively covered Arthur's ears, quickly turned his head, and glared at me.

"What are you waiting for? Go make dinner. Arthur and I have eaten lobsters, but we are not quite full yet. By the way, I want some fried eggs," he ordered.

I looked at the table and saw lobster shells, king crab legs, and an open bottle of red wine that cost four thousand dollars.

I had let my assistant send the lobsters, king crabs, and red wine to my place for my 7th wedding anniversary with Alfred.

Now, all the good stuff was already in the stomachs of Alfred and Arthur.

As for my daughter, Eden, she huddled herself up in the corner with the stale bread in her hand.

She hungrily gazed at the leftovers on the table and slightly swallowed.

I strode over, pushed aside Alfred who tried to stop me, bent down, and picked Eden up in my arms.

It shocked me that Eden was so light.

Five years old, she weighed just thirty pounds.

She instinctively shivered, and her body was as stiff as a rock.

In a broken and low voice, she said, "Mom, I am not hungry. I don't want lobsters. Let Arthur have all the lobsters... I am fine with bread. Mom, don't be mad..."

Hearing this, I burst into tears.

Was this all I got in return? I had hidden my identity as the daughter of the richest man and led a simple life with Alfred for seven years, just to preserve his fragile self-esteem.

"Olivia, what are you doing?" Alfred staggered for my push. He flared up after he regained his balance.

Pointing at my nose, he said, "Indulgence will ruin kids. Eden is gluttonous and lazy. She would end up as trash if we weren't strict with her now. I did for her own good."

"For her own good?" I sneered. My voice was hoarse. "For her own good, you made her shine Arthur's shoes. For her own good, you let her eat the stale bread while Arthur and you ate lobsters.

"Alfred, how did you explain those seafoods to Arthur? Did you tell him that they had just fallen to the table from the sky?"

Alfred's eyes flickered with evasion. Soon, he puffed out his chest and brazenly said, "A perk from my university. The reward for my help to the underprivileged kids and my selflessness.

"With your meager wages, can you afford this kind of lobster? Without me, you would never know what the lobster shell looks like."

A perk from his university? His selflessness? What a joke!

As a lecturer at the university, he got paid 2000 dollars per month. Every month, he donated the rest of his wages to the Foundation for Underprivileged Students after he bought himself some cigarettes and wine.

I paid the home loans, the car loans, and the utility bills. Meanwhile, I bought him underpants and provided for Eden.