The Rolls Royce pulled over in front of a luxurious villa several minutes later. The boy jumped out of the car before the driver could get out and open the door for him. He stomped into the house, his face glum.
"Master Johnson, watch your steps," the driver cautioned as he pulled out the school bag and the cake box. "You may fall."
Johnson hurried in without bothering about his words. He saw his father’s fiancée, Amber, in the hall. His face turned even darker as he muttered in his mind, ‘Bad witch.’
"Hey, little wonder." Amber approached him, donning a sweet smile on her face. "You are back from school. Come and sit with me for a while." She stretched her arms wide.
Johnson gave her a sidelong gaze and walked up to his room.
"Oh…" Amber turned around and stared at his back, mouth agape. "What is the matter with him?"
She saw the driver coming in. "Why is he so upset?" she asked. "Does anything happen in the school? Do I need to contact his teacher?"
"I have no idea why his mood has suddenly changed." The driver shrugged. "When he got out of school, he was happy and wanted chocolate cake. So, I went to the bakery to get him a cake. He was fine until that point. When I returned with the cake, he was glum. I'm not sure what happened during that time."
"Hmm…" Amber nodded. "Maybe he is tired. Kelvin…"
The middle-aged butler of the house rushed over to her and said, "Yes, Madam."
"Take the cake and give Johnson a piece of it. Check with him if he needs anything." She strode out to the backyard after giving the order.
Kelvin took the cake box and walked into the kitchen while the driver went out after dropping the school bag on the sofa.
Johnson locked himself in his room and sank into the bed, his face gloomy. He couldn't get the image of that boy eating pastry with his mother out of his head. He had no idea what it was like to feel motherly love. He always craved his mother. His longing for his mother became stronger after witnessing that boy having fun with his mother.
His father had brought a witch and told him to consider her as his mother. But he didn’t like her.
Although she smiled and talked to him nicely in front of everyone, she showed her demonic appearance when no one was around.
Amber would often pinch him, pull his cheeks and hair, and twist his ear. She even threatened to throw him in front of a running car if he complained about her to his father.
Amber was nothing like a mother. She was a vile woman.
"I want Mommy," Johnson murmured. "A sweet Mommy like that boy has."
Knock-Knock…
"Master Johnson… Open the door please," Kelvin urged. "I have brought you some cake."
Johnson didn’t reply to him. He lay down and hid his face on the pillow.
"The cake looks so yummy," Kelvin continued. "Mm… My mouth is watering. I can’t wait to taste it. Come out quickly. Otherwise, I will finish it all."
"…"
Knock-Knock…
"Master… Are you okay?"
"…"
Kelvin panicked when he didn’t hear from him.
Bang-Bang-Bang…
He pounded on the door. "Johnson, my dear. Please open the door. You are scaring me."
"Go away," Johnson yelled at the top of his lungs. "I don’t want the cake. Throw it away."
"What?"
"Get… Out…"
"Okay, okay. I am leaving. Don’t get mad." Kelvin sighed in dismay as he walked away.
Later that day…
It was half-past eight in the afternoon. A tall man in a black suit walked into the villa, his dark green eyes were cold and indifferent.
"Sean, you are back." Amber grinned and walked up to him. She threw her arms around his neck. "I miss you."
Sean wrapped his arms around her and asked, "Where is Johnson?" His gaze wandered into the hall.
"He is in his room," Amber said dejectedly.
Her sullen expression made him frown. "Is he okay?" he asked, worried.
"He has been in a bad mood since he got home from school," Amber responded. "We tried so hard to talk to him, but he is not saying anything to us. He didn’t eat well either."
"Let me go check him out." Sean walked past her.
"Hold on…" Amber held his wrist and stopped.
"You should eat first. It is getting late. Besides, Johnson is sleeping. You can check on him later." She gave him a sweet smile.
After some thought, Sean agreed with her. "Wait for me." He went into his room to freshen up.
"Kelvin, serve the food," she ordered.
Sean came out wearing black loungewear. He found Amber waiting for him at the dining table. He sat in his chair.
They started eating. Amber told him about her activities for the day. However, Sean didn’t say a word. He occasionally nodded.
They finished their meal quickly. Sean went to check on Johnson while Amber headed to her room.
He found Johnson sleeping with a drawing book across his chest. He sat down beside him and slowly pulled the book out of his grip.
Johnson sketched a woman and wrote the word ‘Mommy’ beside it.
Sean let out a heavy sigh, looking at the sketch. His eyes dimmed with sorrow. A pang of guilt struck his heart. To fulfill his wish for a mother, he took Amber home. But Johnson never called her mother. His rejection prevented him from marrying Amber.
"Huh…" He let out another deep sigh as he set the book aside.
"Mommy…"
In the meantime, he heard Johnson murmur in his sleep. His heart dropped to his stomach.
"Sweetheart." He leaned towards him and kissed his brow. "I am right here with you." He ran his fingers through his soft black hair. "Daddy will always be with you. Sleep."
Sean came out after making sure Johnson was in a deep sleep. As he proceeded to his room, he found Amber standing at the threshold with her hand against the door frame, putting on a flimsy beige nightdress.
The dress was so thin that it didn’t seem like she had put on anything. Her red bra and panties were visible. The hem fell to her upper thighs, revealing her long, slender legs.
Amber looked like a sex goddess in that dress. Her seductive smile added to her allure. Any man would go insane seeing her like this. But Sean was not in the mood for sex with her.
As he stared at her, two vertical lines formed between his eyebrows. "Go to sleep. I still have work to do."
He walked past the room and towards the study.
"Sean… Don’t be so rude." Amber held his hand, her smile disappearing.
"Be good. Go and sleep. We will talk tomorrow." He pulled his hand back and went into the study.
Amber’s mouth twisted in annoyance. "You can’t humiliate me in this way," she muttered fiercely, her hands curling into fists. "I will do everything in my power to get you under my control."
"When I was young like you, mamma and papa used to take me to Shihai," Natasha said as she walked to the bus stop, holding Jack’s hand. "It is a lovely town in a valley, surrounded by pine trees and away from the city's pollution. I enjoyed visiting there. Uhh…" She sighed deeply. "I haven't been there in years. I am thinking of…"She stopped talking abruptly when she saw Jack staring at something. She followed his gaze and saw nothing but running cars."Are you okay?" she asked, a frown on her face.Jack shifted his attention to her frantically as if he had just come out of his trance. It made Natasha frown even harder."What are you looking at?" she asked.Jack blinked as if puzzled. He then smiled and asked back a question, "Do you like to ride in a car? A luxurious car?"Natasha couldn’t help but laugh. She put her hand under his chin and said, "Of course, I’d like to ride in a car. We will get a car when you grow up and get a good job.""Hmm…" Jack nodded and turned aside.Natash
Jack had been in a sour mood since they returned home. He had not been talking much. He kept himself locked in his room.Natasha wanted to make him happy. She prepared Jack’s favorite chicken noodle soup with a lot of scallions for supper."Yummy soup is ready," she said as she put the bowl of soup on the table. "Come and have it before it gets cold.""…"She cast a sidelong glance at his room and called him, "Jack… I am waiting.""…""Jack…" She turned to his room. "Are you coming?"She walked over there and raised her hand to knock on the door. Her hand froze in the air as she heard him talking. It sounded like he was conversing with someone else. Her eyebrows knitted as she leaned forward and put her ear to the door."Yes… I want specifically that one," she heard him say."Jack…" She knocked on the door."…""What are you doing? Open the door." Natasha pounded on the door harder this time."Coming, mommy."Creak…Jack opened the door after some time. "Yes, mommy." He smiled at her.
When Natasha looked down at herself, she found her black skirt was soiled. There was dirt on her knees as well. Her elbows hurt.She checked her elbows, only to see several scratches. The skin turned red.‘Jack will worry if he sees these.’She brushed the dirt off her skirt and slowly walked ahead to find a public toilet. After looking for a while, she finally found a lavatory and went in.She opened the faucet of the sink and cleaned her elbows first."Hiss…" She winced when the cold water touched her sore skin. After cleaning, she dried her hands with her handkerchief. Then she took two waterproof bandages from her bag and placed one on each of her injured elbows.Bang…She flinched at the loud noise of the door opening and closing. She turned to the entrance frantically and saw a man rushing in. Before she could figure out anything, the man dragged her into a cubicle and closed the door."Shh…" He sealed her mouth with his large palm.Natasha remained affixed to the wall as if she
Daisy came almost an hour later and handed Jack a remote-control monster truck.Jack’s eyes were shining bright as he checked the car. "Thank you, Daisy.""Give me a kiss." Daisy squatted in front of him and pointed at her right cheek.Jack placed a wet kiss on her cheek and hurried to his room.Daisy laughed as she stood up."You always bring such an expensive toy for him every time you come," Natasha grumbled as she came out of the kitchen with a bowl of noodles. "Don’t do it.""I am his mother, too. I have every right to spoil my son." She walked up to the dining table and took her seat on a chair. She sniffed the soup, a smile slipping across her lips. "Mm, smells good." She stuffed some noodles into her mouth with chopsticks. "Hmm… It’s delicious.""Glad to know that you like it." Natasha sat down across from her."I always like whatever you cook."Daisy finished the noodles quickly and burped loudly."Picmotion Production House is looking for a fresh face for their upcoming dram
Amber sat on the bed without moving, staring at the name 'Aurora Home' and thinking about the past.Aurora Home was a home for many orphans. Amber used to be one of them. Sean had often visited the orphanage with his grandmother and had brought lots of toys, clothes, and sweets.She had liked to play with him. There had been someone else who had also accompanied them… A little girl of her age, Erin.Flashback…Sean, Amber, and Erin played hide and seek in the backyard. After playing for a while, they were tired and plopped on the ground, panting, sweat dripping from their cheeks."Do you enjoy locking up inside this boundary?" Sean asked, looking at the tall greyish walls that had once been white around the property. "You have no idea what is outside this.""Mother Marian takes us out once in a while," said Amber."How about we go out and have some ice cream?" Sean asked, sounding excited."Ice cream?" Amber exclaimed, licking her lips, eyes dazzling."No, no…" shouted the five-year-o
The next day…Natasha went to ‘Pixy Media’, a studio of ‘Picmotion Production House’, for an audition for a figurant.The studio seemed luxurious, all carved glasses and steel. Natasha walked in, pushing the heavy glass door. The solid steel handhold of the door was cold enough to numb her fingers. A white sandstone lobby welcomed her. The cold air from the air conditioning made her shudder. She felt the need to hug herself.A young woman behind the solid sandstone desk smiled at her. In her white blouse and black skirt, the woman looked pristine.Natasha, dressed in a brown, long skirt and a plain white top that she had worn several times, was self-conscious before her. She regretted not borrowing a dress from Daisy. She approached her with a smile."Hi, I am here for the audition… for a figurant." She was able to form a sentence without fumbling. She submitted the form.The woman checked the form and said, "Go straight, then turn right and then left, and on the right-side wing you w
When Natasha entered the green room, she was surprised to see Nia. It reminded her of the hooligans who had vandalized Zion Consultant. That caused her to lose her job.Her stomach churned with rage. She clutched the script in her hand, her expression darkening. She wished she could chastise her. Then she thought it was useless to argue with her. She finally got a chance to start her acting career after a long time. She should focus on the audition.Nia was equally astonished to see her. "Natasha… What are you doing here?" She asked, coming over to her.The disdainful look on her face made Natasha extremely annoyed. "I am here to do the same thing you are here to do," she sneered."Audition and you?" Nia scoffed arrogantly. "Well, I hope you will get a side role at the very least. Good luck." She walked away to the other side.Natasha pulled her eyes down to the script in her hands, not bothering about her."Hey... did you hear that the producer is here?" Someone said in a hushed tone
When Natasha arrived at the house, she found her son doing something in the kitchen."Mommy…" Jack rushed over to her. "You are back.""Yes…" She squatted in front of him, holding his arms. "I am sorry. I am late. You must be hungry. I will go cook something delicious.""I have already made sandwiches," Jack said with a grin."What?" Natasha burst into laughter in amazement. "Let me check what you made." She walked over to the kitchen.She opened the lid and looked at the sandwiches, which were not perfect. Green lettuce and cheese were drooping out. The tomato sauce was smeared all over the plate.Natasha couldn’t help but smile, looking at his delightful eyes. She put her fingers under his chin and said, "Thank you.""You like it!""Of course… I can’t wait to taste it." Her smile gradually faded as she took his hands in hers and said, "The director thinks that I have the potential to be the heroine of the drama series. But I am not sure whether I will be selected or not. If I get se