Chapter 2
Victor's phone rang five or six times in a row, but he didn't pick up a single call.
He dragged me straight to get another paternity test.
As soon as he saw the results, Victor blurted out a curse.
Victor gritted his teeth and stared at me, asking, "Who's your mother? Who sent you?"
Simon was wiping my face, but I shoved his hand aside and stuck my head out.
"What mother?" I asked.
Ever since I could remember, I belonged to my master.
He always said he was my parent, and he would never let me be alone.
But ten years ago, he told me he was going out to buy me something tasty.
But he never came back.
I heard people say he was gone for good.
They wanted to drag me off to the pound.
I couldn't believe my owner would ever abandon me.
I ran away from the pound and waited, year after year, refusing to give up.
At last, my chance finally came.
Mother? What was that supposed to mean?
Me? I never had a mom.
Under Simon's reproachful gaze, Victor said through gritted teeth, his voice strained, "You should know better than anyone if I've ever had a woman in my life."
Simon rubbed the towel nervously, guilt written all over his face.
The water instantly turned black.
He looked genuinely worried.
Simon asked, "Ms. Payne, how did your face get so dirty? Hasn't anyone been taking care of you these past few days?"
I flashed a grin.
A mix of mischief and pride danced across my face.
I said, "I've been chilling with my pack these days, eating my fill and sleeping like a log."
Just then, Victor's phone buzzed with a bunch of new messages.
The photos showed me digging through trash with stray dogs, hunting for scraps.
There were also shots of us crashing out together on park benches.
I leaned in for a peek, feeling pretty smug, and said, "Yep, those are my buddies."
The System burned up all its energy just turning me human and forging the paternity test.
Since I landed in this world, I had been sticking with my pack the whole time.
Those dogs even hooked me up with my dog bowl.
I gobbled everything down like it was gourmet.
Victor's knuckles turned white as he gripped his phone.
He swallowed hard, but couldn't get a single word out.
Simon's eyes were red, and he choked up.
He said, "Ms. Payne, you've had it so rough."
I couldn't figure out why he was crying.
But as a top dog, there was no way I would let anyone catch on that I was lost.
So I curved my lips into a confident grin.
"Looks like nobody can resist my charm," I said.
Suddenly, Victor jerked me up by the collar.
"Is there any way to treat a top dog like me?" I said.
I started howling and kicking up a fuss.
Victor covered my mouth with his hand.
His voice was cold, but there was a gentleness in it he didn't even notice.
"Let's go home," he said.
I froze.
The memory of my owner popped into my head.
I was messing around and got lost in the woods.
A huge dog, which was actually a wolf, came charging at me, ready to tear me apart. Right when it was about to bite through my neck, my owner grabbed me and let out a helpless sigh.
He said, "Silly Mia.
"Let's go home."
But Dad, without you, where could home even be?
Victor let out a tsk and clumsily wiped away my tears.
He said, "Why are you crying?
"I'll have someone find your birth mother. You're my flesh and blood, and I won't let anyone bully you."
I stubbornly blinked away the sting in my eyes, refusing to let the tears fall.
"A top dog like me doesn't cry," I said.
Victor couldn't help but chuckle as he looked at me.
He asked, "Alright, tough kid, no tears then. So, got a name?"
Victor saw I was still silent and squirming, so he just hauled me up and tucked me under his arm.
He said, "How about Mia?
"And from now on, quit calling yourself top dog all the time; you're starting to sound like some cringy, over-the-top protagonist."