Chapter 3

Jennifer slapped Lydia in the face. "Look at yourself. How dare you touch something I bought?

"You were born a nobody. You're nothing compared to Isabelle."

Lydia, being frail, almost got knocked down.

I frowned and said, "Jennifer, if you need to teach your daughter a lesson, take it home. This isn't the place."

Doing this in front of us made it look like we were bullying them.

Jennifer, who acted so arrogantly in front of Lydia, forced a smile at us.

She said, "I'm so sorry. We didn't mean to disrupt Isabelle's birthday. Mr. Carter, we're leaving now."

She carefully picked up the music box, holding it out to Isabelle with both hands.

Pleadingly, she said, "Isabelle, I really wanted to give this to you. Don't listen to Lydia."

This was a gift she had chosen for her daughter, spending a whole month's wages on it.

Lydia, who had just been slapped, stayed silent.

I couldn't help but feel a twinge of sympathy. "Isabelle doesn't need any of this, Jennifer. Just take your daughter and leave."

Isabelle didn't do anything wrong, and neither did Lydia. The only one who made a mistake was Jennifer.

Without a second thought, Isabelle grabbed a piece of cake from the table and handed it to Lydia.

She smiled and said, "Hey, happy birthday."

Margaret's friends brought over a bunch of gifts and cakes for the party.

Lydia's face flushed red as she met Isabelle's innocent eyes. Her heart sank even deeper.

"I don't want your cake," Lydia shouted.

She didn't want to make herself a beggar.

Jennifer gave Lydia another hard smack on the back, then snatched the cake Isabelle had just handed over. She grinned like she had just won the lottery.

"Thank you, Isabelle," she said.

Turning on Lydia, she barked, "How did I raise such an ungrateful little brat? Aren't you going to thank Isabelle?"

I spoke up, trying to remind her, "Jennifer, no matter what, Lydia is still your daughter. You should treat her better."

Jennifer waved me off, completely unconcerned.

She shrugged. "Yeah, I know."

What Jennifer was thinking was that since Lydia and Isabelle were both Brian's daughters, she wasn't satisfied with her daughter living an ordinary life.

I didn't bother arguing any further. With a quick gesture, I had security get them out.

Isabelle's birthday party could not be ruined.

As they left, I caught a glimpse of Lydia's eyes, full of hatred, staring straight at me.

It was her mother who had been treating her terribly. Why was I the one she resented?

Right before Isabelle's SAT, I rushed back from overseas.

My mom pulled me aside and gave me a lecture.

She said, "Isabelle's been getting home really late these days. Go keep an eye on her tonight and make sure she's not getting herself into any trouble."

It had been a while since I last saw Isabelle. I couldn't help but wonder if she ever missed me.

"Matthew, are you even listening?" my mom snapped.

I rubbed my ear and nodded.

I said, "I heard you. You want me to keep an eye out and make sure Isabelle isn't getting bullied at school, right?

"Anything else? Just tell me, I'll write it down."

My mom was still as fiery-tempered as ever.

I shot my dad a look, hoping he would step in, but he just pretended not to notice—same old routine. As long as my mom got her way, he would be good.

I sighed and said, "Mom, what exactly are you trying to say?"

My mom leaned in, all mysterious. "You know, Isabelle is in the teenage rebellion phase. Mrs. Stone and I don't dare ask directly. I want you to find out if she's started dating anyone.

"Sure, we always joke about you two being married in the future, but Margaret and I aren't those stubborn parents. If you two aren't together yet, that's fine. We won't force it."

I was just speechless.

I said, "Well, you both know it's a tough task. Why put that on me?"

And honestly, I had always dreamed about marrying Isabelle.

She answered confidently, "We want Isabelle to see us as the most understanding parents in the world. We can't be the villains who make her upset.

"Otherwise, she'll start hiding things from us."

Just the thought of Isabelle crushing on some random guy at school honestly ticked me off.

I said, "Mom, seriously, I'm better than any of the boys around Isabelle. She won't fall for anyone else. She's going to be my fiancée.

"Alright, I'll go change my clothes and pick Isabelle up after school."

My mom looked at my somewhat clumsy steps, then turned to my dad with a confused expression. "Didn't he just change his clothes?"

Fifteen minutes later, my mom stared at me in brand new outfits and sneezed from the sharp scent of my cologne.

She exclaimed, "Matthew, are you trying to kill me with that smell? How much cologne did you use? Jeez, you're insane."

I tugged at my tie awkwardly, stubbornly replying, "Since I'm gonna show up in Isabelle's school, I can't embarrass her. I have to look decent."

Afraid my mom would keep questioning me, I grabbed my car keys and headed out.

Before leaving, I said, "We're having dinner out tonight."

I thought my mom and Margaret were overthinking it until I saw Isabelle walking in the opposite direction from home after school.

Suddenly, panic hit me. I quickly threw on my sunglasses and hurried after her.

Isabelle went to a café. I squinted, taking in the middle-aged man sitting across from her.

Oh crap, he was Margaret's ex-husband, Brian.

He said, "So, Isabelle, did you talk to your mom? Is she willing to meet with me?"

Brian's eyes were burning with urgency when he looked at Isabelle.

Back when he left everything to Isabelle, who was about to be born, things had gone downhill for him.

He had regretted it, but Margaret refused to meet him.

Isabelle looked at Brian with a blank face.

She said, "My mom won't meet you, and I won't ever recognize you as my dad.

"If you come looking for me again, I'll have my mom's law team deal with you."