They say the man who runs Aethelgard's most prestigious family is cold as ice and totally not into women, but here he is, cleaning up at home.
Vera Warner could hardly believe her eyes; she hurriedly rubbed them hard.
This Victor Morgan doesn't look like Victor Morgan, but the two little troublemakers next to him are definitely the real deal.
Especially Chloe Warner, who flashed her two neat rows of pearly teeth and chirped brightly, "Mommy, look how hardworking Dad is! I found you a diligent husband, are you moved?"
Vera nearly rushed forward to twist her ear, snapping back angrily, "Don't call him that! I have zero marriage karma with a guy like him, as if someone like him would ever fancy a scheming woman like me."
The two of them had just exchanged some nasty words a couple days ago, so in a way, they're still enemies.
Of course, what pissed Vera off even more was the pile of trash, broken glass, and the flowers she bought earlier—all now scattered across the floor.
Vera took a deep breath, hands on her hips, forcing herself to calm down, lest she impulsively kick every last one of them out.
Knowing her mom all too well, Chloe Warner hurriedly called out, "Mom, calm down, calm down! Think about how wonderful life is! Your daughter is uniquely adorable—number one in the world! You'd never hurt me, right?"
The tense atmosphere made Zola Morgan nervous too, so he chimed in, "Mom, please don't be mad. We really wanted to help you clean up."
Vera did the only thing she could—pointed at the door and shouted, "Out! Don't let me see you father and son again. My tiny place can't fit you two!"
As she spoke, Vera already started physically pushing them out, not giving a damn about Victor's face turning thundercloud-dark.
The women of Aethelgard—who isn't desperately siccing themselves on him? That Luna Warner woman's been trying to climb into his bed for five years, and he's never even glanced her way.
But this woman—ha! She's got nothing but complaints about him.
"Woman, if you're trying to get my attention acting like this, then let me tell you, you succeeded."
Vera wasn't interested in bantering; she snorted, "Succeed my ass! I'm warning you, don't show up in my sight again—take your little young master and go."
Maybe her tone was a bit harsh, and mentioning Zola Morgan didn't help—so the poor kid suddenly burst into loud sobs.
"Wah~ Mom doesn't want me, Mom abandoned me for five years, and now she doesn't want me again! Zola is just so pitiful, about to be a motherless child again!"
Victor couldn't help but add from the side, "You have a real mom!"
"No, no! That's the bad lady—not my real mom. My real mom is her!"
Zola Morgan acted like he knew leaving this time meant no coming back, so he cried his heart out.
Vera's anger switched to something like having her heart shredded, with an inexplicable urge to hug this kid.
Chloe Warner didn't miss a beat and rubbed salt in the wound, sighing, "I didn't expect Mom would actually abandon her husband and kid. I always thought you were loyal and affectionate. How can you be like this?"
"..."
Abandon husband and child?
This time Vera really lost it—she marched forward, reached out, and yanked Chloe Warner's ear, raging, "You little brat! Still dare to lecture me?"
Chloe Warner just kept smiling at the totally baffled Zola Morgan and explained her mom's more fiery behavior as, "Zola, this is what we call 'hitting is love, scolding is affection.' You'll get used to it soon."
Vera felt like her daughter was about to drive her nuts—doesn't get scared by beatings, ignores scoldings, and Vera was at her wits' end.
Now both kids were crying together right at the doorway, quickly attracting the neighbors—even someone from next door popped out.
"Hey, can't you family sort things out inside? All this crying and shouting at the door is bothering innocent folks like us!"
Vera was speechless to the extreme—the two she'd pushed out were suddenly pulled back in, like puppets danced by her own hand.
Zola Morgan, who used to never let outsiders get close, now seemed possessed, stubbornly refusing to leave.
And the kid, who never begged, actually walked over pathetically, carefully tugging Vera's sleeve, "Mom, don't throw me out… If you don't like Dad, just let him leave. I'm still just a kid!"
Victor looked at him as if seeing him in a whole new light, almost feeling his five years of parenting had gone to waste—this kid would ditch his dad over something like this?
It also amazed Victor—his son's transformation.
This always gloomy, aloof boy was now entirely different thanks to this strange woman's appearance.
He'd even show smiles Victor had never seen before—did this woman really have healing powers like that?
Vera pressed her hand to her forehead, calmed herself, and said, "Listen up. My life's been scrambled because of you all, so now I'm going back to normal. Wherever you came from, go back there."
Chloe Warner shook her head behind her, calling her mom ruthless.
Vera just didn't want to develop any odd feelings toward Zola Morgan, so she wanted to cut things off.
Besides, she loathed this bunch, especially anything connected to Luna Warner.
Zola Morgan understood he was about to be kicked out, shot Victor a pleading look—and maybe something tugged at his heartstrings, or seeing his son change around this woman made him act.
So Victor made a bold decision—he hardened his heart and pushed Zola Morgan forward.
"Starting today, I'll leave Zola in your care for a while. And to thank you for your kindness, I'll arrange for Chloe Warner to attend The Morgan Group's kindergarten. That's how this is settled."
Like he wasn't giving Vera a chance to refuse, Victor finished speaking and turned around, opening the door and leaving.
Seriously… This guy is way too self-absorbed—everything's his decision? And who the hell just hands their son to someone else? Vera had every reason to believe he had ulterior motives.
When Vera chased out after him, the hallway was empty. Did he rocket himself away?
Unable to find him, Vera stormed back inside, determined not to let herself be bossed around like this—no way would she go along with their plan. She just wanted to return this hot potato.
But when she stomped back inside, there was little Zola Morgan, crouched down, carefully cleaning the floor.