From Father’s Betrayal to Mother’s Vengeance

###Chapter 1

The kindergarten bus carrying my daughter was attacked by criminals and the teacher started a live broadcast.

“It was so dangerous! Luckily, Nathan’s mom sent bodyguards and they safely rescued the children. Many thanks to Nathan’s mom!”

On the live stream, a boy named Nathan was escorted out by several bodyguards, completely unharmed.

Where was my daughter, Yuna? Frantically searching, I finally saw her climbing out of the bus.

But then I noticed a criminal lying on the ground, raising a knife toward the back of my daughter’s vest. Unfortunately, the police arrived just in time, knocked away the knife and subdued two of the attackers.

My daughter was cradled in a female police officer’s arms, crying loudly, “Daddy! Mommy!”

Blood kept streaming down her forehead and my heart shattered at the sight.

I ordered my assistant to cut short the business trip and booked the fastest return flight.

My eyes flicked back to the live stream.

Didn’t those men in black suits surrounding Nathan look exactly like the bodyguards I had sent to rescue my daughter?

And that expensive little backpack he had looked just like the highend designer one I brought back from overseas for my daughter.

Suspicion gnawed at me, so I called my husband, Zack. He answered impatiently. “Don’t all bodyguards look the same? Stop overthinking. I’m going to pick up Yuna.”

He hung up abruptly, but unease lingered heavily in my heart.

Later, when I secretly checked the surveillance footage from the bus and our home, my heart sank even deeper.

It turned out that the backpack and other items that often went missing at home had been stolen by our daughter’s nanny.

Even my husband was hiding secrets.

As more truths came to light, I clenched my fists. If that was how it was going to be… then I gave them all a big surprise.

At the time, I was on a business trip abroad.

The moment I saw the harrowing live broadcast, I immediately called my husband to tell him about the bodyguards and the backpack.

Zack replied, “These kids at elite kindergartens all come from welloff families. Anyone can afford bodyguards and designer backpacks. Don’t overthink it, Honey.”

“Our daughter went through something like this and must be terrified. I need to get to the hospital to be with her. You focus on your work; I’ve got things covered at home.”

I was just about to tell him I was already on my way to the airport when all I heard was the busy signal in my ear.

Forget it, I would deal with it after I got home.

But on the plane, the more I thought about it, the more something felt wrong.

That backpack was designed by me personally. Just the diamonds forming the fox Nick and the rabbit Judy were worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. How could there possibly be an identical one?

Furrowing my brow, I opened the teacher's social media again, hoping to identify the bodyguards and the backpack, but the recorded livestream had already been deleted.

Why did she delete such crucial evidence of a crime?

I immediately called the teacher and politely said I wanted the livestream replay. “Miss Wilson, I have a friend who’s a private investigator. They can help look into this.”

Miss Wilson sighed and said, “It was Nathan’s mom who asked me to delete it. She didn’t want her son to be targeted for revenge, especially since one of the attackers got away. I was in a rush and forgot to back it up. Sorry, Mrs. Clawn.”

Her words only deepened my suspicions. If Nathan’s mom truly cared about her son, wouldn’t it make more sense to preserve the evidence, cooperate with the investigation and help catch the criminals as soon as possible?

I had no time to dwell on it. Right now, getting home to care for my daughter was the priority.

As soon as the plane landed, I anxiously rushed to the Wallace Hospital. My daughter would receive the best care here, so I wasn’t overly worried.

But when I hurriedly rushed into the hospital, the scene before me nearly made me clench my fists until they hurt.

My daughter was lying all alone on a makeshift bed in the hallway.

Her pale little face was streaked with blood, tears still clinging to her eyes. She curled up in the corner of the bed like a small, abandoned animal.

Holding back my own tears, I rushed over and lifted her into my arms. “Yuna! I’m so sorry, I’m late! Mommy let you down and let you get hurt.”

After checking her head, I saw it was only a superficial injury and I finally felt a bit of relief.

Not only was my husband nowhere to be seen, but there wasn’t even a nurse nearby to care for her. And where was the nanny who was supposed to be with her?

Just then, a nurse happened to pass by. I swallowed my anger and stopped her. “Call your director, Mr. Lark and tell him I, Tessa Wallace, want to see him. Also, my daughter is injured! Send the best doctor immediately to treat her!”

The nurse looked at us with impatience, glancing at Yuna and me with utter contempt.

“You think you own this hospital? The director doesn’t drop everything just to see you. Moreover, a big client came today. Who has time to deal with this little girl? You’re just making a fuss over a tiny scratch. How ridiculous!”

With that, she walked off without looking back.

I was so furious that I laughed bitterly. Fine, let’s see exactly whose hospital this really was.

###Chapter 2

As the youngest chairperson of the Wallace Group, my career had gone smoothly over the years.

Yet in the process of building my business, I’d spent so much time away on trips that I knew I’d neglected my husband and daughter. I’d always felt guilty about it.

This time, with my daughter facing attackers, I couldn’t get to her immediately and the guilt was almost suffocating.

And now, seeing this scene at the hospital, my anger surged through me like wildfire.

With a cold, sharp expression, I dialed the director’s number.

My tone was icy. “Mr. Lark, I heard from your nurse that a big client came today, so there was no time to treat my daughter’s injuries. I want to know, what kind of important guest makes you throw my daughter into the hallway?”

Mr. Lark’s voice faltered, betraying a hint of panic. “Ms. Wallace, it’s all a misunderstanding! There’s no big client! There were just many children brought to the hospital today and it was my oversight. I’ll immediately arrange the best room for your daughter!”

He asked, “Which nurse dared to talk nonsense? I’ll fire her immediately!”

A few minutes after hanging up, my daughter was moved into a private room.

I called Mr. Lark outside and gave him a scolding. “What’s the matter? Don’t you want to be a director anymore?”

Wiping the sweat from his forehead, he lowered his head and explained, “Ms. Wallace, it was all Mr. Clawn’s idea. He asked us to give the VIP room to other children.”

Just then, my husband emerged from the adjacent, most luxurious VIP room.

“Honey, why did you come back so suddenly?” Zack’s eyes were filled with shock and a hint of guilt.

He forced a smile, walked over and took my hand. “I saw a child who was badly injured and I couldn’t bear it, so I asked the hospital to attend to him first. I was just about to ask Mr. Lark to assign the best doctor for Yuna.”

He was always careful about his appearance, yet several buttons of his white shirt were undone and the fabric was wrinkled.

“You’re really so caring, thinking to help someone else’s child first.” I stared at him with a mocking look.

Zack casually buttoned his shirt, pretending nothing was wrong. “Ever since we had a daughter, my sense of responsibility as a father has only grown stronger over the years.”

I was about to ask him whose child he had abandoned ours for, when suddenly the phone at his waist rang.

“Ah, it’s Mr. Sullivan from our partner company wanting to discuss something. I have to go. Thanks for taking care of Yuna, Honey.”

Mr. Sullivan? Wasn’t he supposed to be out of town inspecting sites these past few days?

Watching Zack’s retreating figure, my eyes darkened.

“Mommy… Mommy, where are you?”

My daughter’s pitiful sobs pulled me back to reality.

I hurried into the room and saw her wrapped in bandages, her face pale and thin. My heart ached.

Why did she look like she’s malnourished? But everything she ate and used should be the best…

“Yuna, recently you—”

“Mrs. Clawn, you’re back?”

The sound of small footsteps approached. I turned to see the nanny, Judith, holding a lunchbox at the doorway.

Ignoring her ingratiating smile, I snatched the lunchbox straight from her hands.

When I opened it, a surge of anger shot through me. The cold lunchbox contained only a few dry pieces of bread.

“You usually feed Yuna this? And now that she’s injured, how could you take care of her like this?”

A flicker of panic crossed Judith’s face and she quickly forced a smile. “Mrs. Clawn, Miss Yuna asked for this over the phone earlier. She said she wanted to try the taste of dry bread. Right, Miss Yuna?”

My daughter pressed against my back, clutching my clothes and timidly nodded, clearly intimidated by Judith.

Judith’s smile widened as she said, “You stay with Miss Yuna, I’ll go to the supermarket to buy ingredients and cook at home!”

With that, she turned and left for the supermarket.

I watched my daughter grab the bread and shove it into her mouth as if she hadn’t eaten for days. My heart ached. I fed her a sip of water. “Eat slowly, baby. If you want more, Mommy will have the hotel bring it to you.”

Immediately, Yuna stopped chewing, afraid I’d be angry and quietly put the bread down. “I’m full… I don’t want any more, Mommy.”

Her timid, obedient manner made me pull her tightly into my arms.

But then Yuna cried out in pain and pulled her arm back.

I quickly rolled up her sleeve—and the sight of bruises across her arm pierced my eyes with shock.

“Yuna… who bullied you?”

###Chapter 3

Yuna dodged my touch. “Mommy, I accidentally fell at kindergarten. It’s my fault, Mommy…”

Her whole body trembled as she kept apologizing.

My heart ached. I pulled her onto my lap and kissed her forehead repeatedly. “You didn’t do anything wrong. Mommy didn’t take good care of you. I’ll stay with you from now on and never let you get hurt again.”

Being away from home so often, I hadn’t even noticed something was wrong with my daughter. Now I realized that my once lively and active little girl had become timid and sensitive.

Luckily, the wound on her head wasn’t serious. That evening, the doctor said she could be discharged and only needed to change the dressing later.

Back home with my daughter, dinner was already laid out.

Looking at it, every dish was something my daughter loved to eat.

Judith set the table while smiling sweetly. “Miss Yuna is always so obedient and sensible and she’s not picky about food. Such a good child!”

However, Yuna, sitting beside me, didn’t look happy at all despite the praise. In the presence of the seemingly gentle Judith, a flicker of fear shone in her eyes.

I quietly helped my daughter finish dinner, then took her back to our room and into the bathroom.

When I placed her in the bathtub, just as I feared, I found many fresh and old pinch marks all over her body, not just on her arms.

“I'm not hurt… I will be more careful next time,” she murmured, curling up as if afraid I’d scold her. My heart ached even more.

After her bath, I gave her the medication. It was then that my husband called.

“Honey, Mr. Sullivan insists I play cards with him. Looks like I’ll be up all night!”

“Mr. Lark said you’ve taken Yuna home? Is she okay? I can’t be with you tonight, but I’ll make up for it tomorrow.”

Staring out at the night, I replied calmly, “Mm, you focus on that first.”

After speaking, I hung up the phone.

The nanny was employed by Zack.

When Zack was young, both his parents had died. He said that Judith had paid for his education, which allowed him to become who he was today. So when he suggested bringing her into our home to care for our daughter, I didn’t object. In fact, I willingly offered Judith a salary far above the market rate as a gesture of gratitude for her past support of my husband.

But not long after, I realized Judith was not what I had imagined.

She secretly hid half of the king crabs and salmon I had airshipped for my daughter. When I found out, she muttered that a little girl like Yuna couldn’t possibly eat that much.

She complained about the designer dresses I had custommade for my daughter, saying that girls dressed so nicely and pampered like that wouldn’t have boys wanting them in the future.

She even said, “She’s going to get married anyway—why spend all that money?”

Although her words made me uneasy, I still kept her, out of gratitude for what she had done for Zack.

Now, I regretted it deeply.

After helping my daughter wash up, I leaned against the headboard and read her a fairy tale.

Once she fell asleep, my assistant quietly came in, carrying the day’s kindergarten bus surveillance footage.

When I looked at the footage on the tablet, I couldn’t believe my eyes.

A chill ran straight through my heart.

###Chapter 4

When Yuna’s teacher was livestreaming, I had only seen the latter half.

Now, watching the full surveillance footage, I realized that my husband had actually been at the scene when the bodyguards arrived to rescue the children.

Outside the bus, Zack was ordering the bodyguards, “Rescue Nathan first!”

The bodyguards hesitated, holding the photo in their hands. “But our task was to prioritize saving Yuna first.”

My husband slammed a thick stack of cash in front of them. “Look clearly! I’m the one paying! I say rescue Nathan first! If a single hair on him is harmed, you’ll bear the consequence!”

Judith urged from the side. “Yes, Nathan is sitting in the secondtolast row. Hurry and get my grandson out! Don’t bother with that moneylosing Yuna!”

Good grief, Zack. Just perfect!

I dug my nails into my palm until they bled, but I didn’t even notice. I was glued to the screen.

When Nathan was safely rescued, my husband practically beamed with delight.

Then, he suddenly noticed the livestream camera. As if afraid of being recognized, he quickly turned and slipped into the crowd.

At that moment, all my attention was on my daughter. I didn’t notice that he and the nanny had carried Nathan into his Cadillac and driven off.

He hadn’t cared about my daughter’s safety at all.

The video ended, the screen went dark and my stunned face was reflected back at me.

A cold shiver ran through me. I immediately grabbed my phone and pulled up the home surveillance footage.

We’d had cameras installed for years, but out of trust in my husband, I had never actively checked them.

“Oh my God…”

The assistant covered her mouth, whispering in shock and anger, her words drifting into my ears.

“How dare she bully Miss Yuna like this!”

On the screen, Judith was pinching my daughter’s delicate skin with her ironlike hands. Arms, ears, cheeks, thighs… My daughter cried in pain on the floor, begging for mercy. But Judith wouldn’t stop until she was satisfied.

The delicacies I had bought for my daughter went straight into Judith’s belly, or were stuffed into thermos containers—every last drop taken out the door. Meanwhile, my daughter had to crouch in a corner, eating cold porridge and gnawing on hard buns.

“You worthless brat! If you dare tell your mom, I’ll stab you with a needle, tie you to a tree and let you starve! Got it?”

“II got it… I won’t tell Mom…”

“All you know how to do is cry! Shut up! You wretched girl!”

Watching my daughter cower like a quail in the shadows, afraid to let out a sound, my chest felt like a furnace, each breath sparking with fire.

But that wasn’t all. Judith often stole my expensive clothes and cosmetics, my daughter’s toys, daily necessities and more.

Yet none of this hurt me as much as what was happening at home.

What pained me the most was my husband. There was one time when he clearly saw Judith hitting our daughter with a broom, yet he didn’t step in to protect her. He just furrowed his brows and scolded, “Go make dinner. What time do you think it is?”

Then he passed by my daughter’s tearful, pleading eyes and walked upstairs alone.

I met Zack in high school. He was a handsome, charming young man who always devoted himself entirely to me.

One year in college, we went on an autumn outing and the bus suddenly overturned, getting stuck against a tree on a cliff.

He risked falling off the cliff to save me, using his own body as support to push me out of the bus.

At the critical moment when the school bus was about to plummet off the cliff, the rescue team arrived just in time and pulled him out.

He was covered in blood, yet he held me tightly. “Tessa, although I have no money, I will love you with my life, until the day I die.”

His vow burned in my heart and still echoed in my ears.

I never imagined that people’s hearts could change. Perhaps he was no longer the same person who once loved me and our daughter with his life.

But then I thought, Judith was half of Zack’s family, so when her grandson was in danger, Zack was naturally anxious. That might be why he couldn’t properly scold her when she bullied our daughter.

I didn’t want to believe that my husband was truly that cruel.

“Ms. Wallace, I’m leaving first.”

After the assistant left, I remembered some documents were left in the car, so I walked into the garage.

I opened the car door and reached for the documents on the seat, but my eyes caught something under the front passenger seat. I froze and bent down, pulling out a sheer black stocking.

My blood ran cold.

Suppressing the surge of emotion, I shoved the stocking back in place and called Zack.

“Honey, our daughter has a high fever and misses you. Can you come home and be with her?”

Zack sounded troubled. "Honey, you know how important this client is. If I don’t take care of Mr. Sullivan properly, the company could lose tens of millions. Once I’m done, I’ll come home to her immediately. It’s late—try to get her to sleep for now.”

A faint moan suddenly drifted from the line and he hurriedly hung up. I nearly crushed my phone in my hand.

Zack… I had given you a chance.

Gritting my teeth, I dialed another number. “You wanted the Harlington project, didn’t you? Starting next week, you’ll be its top executive.”

###Chapter 5

“Eh?” Charles’s teasing voice rang through the phone, laced with delight. “And what about your husband? How could you snatch this prized catch from him and hand it over to an outsider like me?”

I suppressed my exhaustion and hatred, speaking coldly, “That’s none of your concern. Just handle the project well. You won’t lose out.”

He clicked his tongue. “Alright, I’ll accept your generosity, Ms. Wallace.”

Charles had been my righthand man since my parents passed away. With his talent, he could easily have become the secondincommand of the company. But my husband didn’t like him, so I never entrusted him with the most important projects.

Now, I realized how foolish I had been.

Charles smiled. “Ms. Wallace, you treat me so well. Naturally, I should return the favor with a gift.”

Gift? Before I could ask, he had already said, “Byebye,” and hung up.

The next morning, Judith suddenly announced that she had an urgent illness and needed a few days off. I didn’t bother to see her wandering around, so I let her take the leave.

I took my daughter to see a psychologist and afterward, we went shopping together.

When my daughter stared longingly at a small cake in a shop window, I told the attendant, “I want all the small cakes you have here.”

But when the cakes were placed in front of her, she shook her head repeatedly. “Mom, the cakes are too expensive. I don’t want to eat…”

I gently lifted a small cake to her lips. “Everything Mom earns is for you, my little treasure. From now on, whatever you want, you can have it—because you are Mom’s little princess.”

Only then did my daughter timidly take a bite of the cake, her eyes lighting up immediately. “Mom, the cake is so sweet!”

Seeing her smile so happily, I couldn’t help but smile in return.

I bought my daughter a pile of cute princess dresses and toys. Just as I had arranged for everything to be delivered home, my assistant called.

“Ms. Wallace, there’s definitely a problem with the big project your husband is handling… I’ve uncovered a major financial loophole!”

The assistant sent me the documents. As I read through them, my palms went numb.

When Zack took on this project, he swore on his life he would handle it properly so I could focus on expanding our business abroad.

But what did he do in return?

Over two years, he embezzled at least three million dollars!

And what was all that money used for?

At that moment, my phone flashed a trending news alert.

“A mysterious billionaire rents an entire cruise ship, spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on a birthday party for his son.”

The photo showed a tall man holding Nathan, while his other arm wrapped around a curvaceous woman.

Even just from the back, that familiar figure pierced my heart like a thousand needles.

My daughter had just been attacked by a criminal and suffered both physically and emotionally, yet Zack was using my money to throw a birthday party for another woman’s son.

And with my daughter’s birthday approaching, he hadn’t shown any sign of care at all.

Every year, when I wanted to host a birthday party for her, Zack would mutter, “We shouldn’t spoil the child. If we splurge just for a birthday, what will people think of us?”

And I foolishly believed him.

My eyes swept past Judith, who was grinning from ear to ear and I suddenly smiled coldly.

I pulled out my phone and dialed the police.

###Chapter 6

Not only had she stolen our valuable possessions, but she even dared to abuse Yuna. I would make sure she rotted in prison.

Then I instructed my assistant, “Prepare the most luxurious cruise birthday party. For Yuna’s sixth birthday, I want her to be the most beautiful little princess!”

Once everything was arranged, I drove Yuna to Ocean World to see the sharks and dolphin show.

Sitting in the stands, I watched my daughter’s face slowly light up with pure, innocent joy and I couldn’t help but smile too.

My little treasure, no one who ever hurt you would get away with it. Mommy would make them pay twice over!

The next day, I prepared to take Yuna to kindergarten myself. But the moment she heard the words “kindergarten,” her whole body trembled. She shrank into the corner of the bed, curling up into a ball.

“Mom, I don’t want to go to kindergarten… “

Seeing her resist so fiercely, my heart tightened. I crouched down and gently stroked her little head. “Yuna, tell Mommy… did something happen at kindergarten?”

But Yuna just shook her head frantically, her big eyes swimming with terrified tears. “No… no…”

My eyes froze, yet my voice remained gentle. “All right, Mommy will take you out of there.”

At the kindergarten, I had Yuna sit on a hallway bench eating a small cake while I strode straight into the principal’s office.

Facing me, a benefactor who had donated millions, the principal grew anxious when he heard I wanted to withdraw my daughter.

“Ms. Wallace, please calm down! I’ll call Miss Wilson right away to clarify. There must be some misunderstanding!”

Suddenly, a sharp, piercing commotion erupted from the playground. “This dress is so expensive. How can a worthless brat wear it?”

“You wretched girl! Why didn’t the thug finish you off last time?”

“Dare to get cake on my shoes? Do you know how expensive these are? Get on your knees and lick them clean!”

Immediately after came my daughter’s heartwrenching scream.

Blood surged to my head in an instant.

I rushed outside and saw several children pinning Yuna to the ground. Nathan, fat as a piglet, was pressing his creamcovered shoe against my daughter’s mouth, his tiny eyes filled with malice.

“Lick it, you wretched girl!”

“Haha, she’s like a little dog!”

The other kids cheered, some even yanking Yuna’s hair and forcing her head onto the dirty shoe.

Her cries were drowned out by their wicked laughter.

I couldn’t believe children so young could be so cruel.

“Get away!”

I charged forward and slapped Nathan hard across the face, sending him tumbling like a ragdoll. He froze in shock, clutching his cheek, the clear imprint of my hand marking his face, tears welling in his eyes.

At that moment, a stylish, seductive young woman stormed into the crowd, flanked by bodyguards.

She looked somewhat familiar.

But what was even more familiar were the custom diamond necklace around her neck and the limitededition Cartier watch on her wrist. These were things I had brought back on my last business trip.

She scooped up Nathan from the ground with apparent concern, glaring at me. “How dare you hit my son? Do you even know who my husband is?”

The principal, gasping for breath, hurried up. “It’s a misunderstanding… it’s all a misunderstanding…”

“Shut up! Do you even have the right to speak?”

The woman scolded the principal with disdain. He paled and tried to respond, but a single look from me silenced him instantly and he stepped back.

“Is these just kids fooling around? And you, an adult, laying hands on a child like that. Have you no shame?” she said, pointing at my nose, her tone arrogant. “Now my son is hurt! He’s the only heir in our family for three generations. Can you even afford to pay for this?”

She clearly had no idea who I was. Otherwise, even with ten times her courage, she wouldn’t dare act so arrogantly in front of me.

I smiled coldly. Once her little performance was over, I turned to the principal and spat out three words. “Call the police.”

She seemed to think I’d just made the funniest joke in the world. She rolled her eyes in contempt. “Call the police? My husband is the head of the Wallace Group. Even the police chief has to give him face. You’re the one who’s going to jail!”

Several kindergarten teachers had also gathered around, chattering to support her.

“We all saw it. This woman started hitting Nathan first! How dare she call the police?”

“Nathan is the heir to the Wallace Group. This kindergarten exists because of his family’s donations. Who do you and your daughter think you are?”

It seemed I had truly neglected my daughter’s life so much that even the kindergarten teachers thought they could trample over me.

Amid the clamor, I fixed a halfsmile on Nathan in front of me. “Heir to the Wallace Group? Funny… I don’t recall having a ‘son’ like you.”

Nathan’s mother’s heart skipped a beat. “What did you just say?”

Immediately, shame turned to fury. She barked sharply at the bodyguards behind her, “Teach this wretched mother and daughter a lesson! Beat them until they’re dead. My husband will cover it!”

Just as she was baring her claws, her phone vibrated. Seeing the ID name “My husband” on the screen, she arrogantly shot me a glance, then answered, her voice suddenly sweet and aggrieved.

“Honey, come to the kindergarten quickly! Some shrew is bullying our son…”

The next moment, her face drained of color, pale as paper, her eyes bulging as if they might pop out. “What? The police… took my mom away?”

At the same time, my phone rang.