Book 1: She Becomes Glamorous After the Engagement Annulment

Chapter 17

Chapter 49: Acknowledging Each Other!

Sheena threw a ton of questions to the child’s face just to give her ‘country bumpkin’ niece an opening gambit.

Nora cast her eyes down with a slightly chilly look and kept quiet.

Melissa hurriedly played peacemaker and said, “Sheena, Cherry grew up abroad with Nora. Over there, they value quality education…”

Sheena leaned on the sofa. As though a person in power talking down to her subordinates, she said, “Quality education? It’s all a lie. That’s just so that they can better bridge the gap. Real aristocrats and the wealthy put their children through strict education from an early age!”

Her eyes were like blazing torches as she looked at Nora. She said, “So, your name is Nora? You’re all grown up, so you’ve already missed the best time and opportunity to study. But rest assured; since you’ve come to us, on account of my sister, I won’t let you roam the streets homeless. I heard that you got yourself pregnant before you were married, right? And that your ex-fiance broke off the engagement? Don’t worry, I’ll find you a good husband and ensure that you live worry-free for the rest of your life. As for your daughter…”

She looked at Pete and scanned the child up and down. Then, as though she was being charitable, she said, “Although five years old is a late start compared to others, there’s at least still hope for her.”

Nora had a very cold look in her eyes. She lowered her gaze and then, with a sardonic smile at the corner of her lips, she said, “You don’t need to bother. I’ll take care of my daughter’s education myself.”

Cherry’s studies were indeed a huge headache.

Her daughter had an extremely high IQ, but she was only interested in games and was sloppy in her studies. In particular, her history knowledge had become a huge mess thanks to her aunt abroad.

However, this didn’t mean that others could criticize her at will.

“You? Take care of her education matters?”

Sheena said coldly, “What are you going to teach her? Are you going to teach her how to become obsessed with her cell phone and how to play games every day? Are you going to have her be like you and engage in a chaotic private life, and become pregnant before marriage when she grows up?”

“Shut up!” Mrs. Anderson reprimanded Sheena, causing her to curl her lip.

Melissa even frowned and said reproachingly, “Sheena, I know you have her interests at heart, but can you speak in a less hurtful manner?”

Sheena sneered, “I just want her to have a clear idea of the situation she’s in! Does she really think it’s that easy to be a child of a wealthy family?”

She glanced at the ‘girl’ who was standing there stubbornly and said, “Not convinced, are you? Fine, I’ll show you Lena’s progress in her studies and give you a good sense of the gap between the two children! Go on, Lena, tell the big sister here what you’re capable of.”

Lena Xavier was Sheena’s daughter who was born at a later point in Sheena’s life. She gave birth to her at the age of forty, so Lena was only six that year.

The little girl wearing a dress was adorable and pretty. When she heard her, she raised her chin and declared proudly, “I know two foreign languages—Spanish and French—and can communicate fluently in them.”

Then, she said a couple of lines in the two foreign languages fluently, forming an animated and impressive sight.

After speaking, she looked at Pete triumphantly.

Sheena raised her chin proudly along with her. After Lena was done, she looked at Nora and asked, “I wonder what your daughter is capable of?”

Nora was about to speak when a sullen Pete’s lips suddenly parted and he prattled on in a language that no one understood.

Stunned, Lena asked, “What language is that?”

Pete calmly replied, “It’s Arabic. It’s very normal that you can’t understand it. Mommy has taught me eight different languages.”

“…”

Lena, who felt as if she had lost, refused to concede defeat and spoke again. She said, “I’ve also participated in many competitions and took second place in a children’s calligraphy competition, as well as second place in a robotics competition for juniors!”

A puzzled Pete frowned and said, “Second place? How sad.”

Lena was confused.

Furious, she went on and said, “I can recite 300 poems and spell 1,500 words. At the same time, I also learned programming and Mathematical Olympiad-level mathematics!”

Pete pursed his lips and sighed. “Are poems that hard to memorize and recite? Does programming even require effort to learn? Don’t people immediately get these things after just a look?”

“???”

A puzzled Pete took Nora’s hand and said, “Let’s go upstairs, Mommy. Aunt Sheena probably still has something to talk to Grandma and Aunt Melissa about, so let’s not disturb them anymore.”

The two of them left behind a group of dumbfounded people and went upstairs.

Nora closed the door. Then, she turned around, picked up Pete, and put him down on the sofa while observing him. Cherry hated language studies. Since when did she even speak Arabic?

Something was definitely wrong!

She was about to ask Pete when her cell phone suddenly rang and interrupted her thoughts.

Nora picked up the call.

The moment she did, she heard Henry’s voice from the other end. “Nora! You’ve gotten gutsy, haven’t you?! How dare you arrange for the company dividends to be sent to your bank account! Give me back the money right now! Otherwise, what am I supposed to live on?”

Nora replied coolly, “What does your survival have anything to do with me?”

“You—!” Henry was furious.

But in the end, he said viciously, “I see. Now that you’ve gone to the Andersons, you don’t intend to acknowledge a poor man like me as your father anymore? Thinking of cutting off your relations with me? No way! But if you give me

you give me $8,000,000, I’ll cut off relations with you from now on. How about it?”

Nora’s eyes darkened.

Asking for $8,000,000 right away?

He sure had a pretty big appetite.

When he heard her silence, Henry smiled triumphantly and said, “I know you don’t have any money. However, the Andersons do! I’m sure the Andersons won’t want me to show up in New York and embarrass them, right?”

“…”

What a shameless man.

However, the corners of Nora’s lips suddenly curled upward the next moment and she said, “Fine, I’ll transfer the money to you right away, but you must tell me where you abandoned my son back then.”

After a short pause, Henry finally agreed and said, “Fine! I’ll tell you immediately after I receive the money!”

After hanging up, Nora tapped casually on her cell phone, wrote a Trojan horse malware program, and sent it to Henry.

The program would show fake funds transfer information when it reached him. However, once he opened the message, his cell phone would immediately be invaded by Nora, thereby allowing her to eavesdrop on him!

Money? Heh, dream on.

After she finished all this, she used her cell phone to monitor the conversation on the other side.

She heard Wendy’s voice first: “Has the money arrived? Has the money arrived?”

“Yes, it has!”

“You’ve never mentioned her son’s whereabouts all these years, Henry. Where exactly did you abandon her son?”

Henry let out a sinister laugh and replied, “Her son? He died a long time ago! I watched him breathe his last back then. After that, I buried him in the suburbs! So, she wants her son back? No problem, I can tell her where he is. I reckon he’s probably a pile of bones by now?”

“…”

Nora felt as if a bomb had suddenly gone off in her mind.

Her grip on her cell phone loosened and it fell onto the ground.

He’s dead

No wonder Henry had so vehemently refused to reveal any information all this time! No wonder all the private investigators couldn’t find any news of her son!

Everything in front of her turned blurry, and large teardrops slid down her cheeks…

Her son was dead… He had died a long time ago!

It was her fault! It was her fault for not protecting her son!

She clenched her fists tightly. Her fingernails were embedded in her palms, yet she didn’t feel any pain.

She felt as if someone had ruthlessly drawn a blunt blade across her heart. It hurt so much that she suddenly couldn’t breathe anymore. She bent down, seemingly unable to hear anything at all…

It was at this moment that a small pair of hands held her.

Nora raised her head and immediately saw a small face stained with tears from shock and fright. Pete’s lips parted and closed as he repeated something over and over.

She tried hard to hear what he was saying. At last, she finally heard him.

He said, “Mommy! Don’t cry! I’m still alive!”

Chapter 50: Mommy, I’m Sorry!

Nora was as pale as a sheet.

She thought back to the day five years ago when she went into early labor.

She could remember very clearly that she was in a private clinic at that time. The white walls were peeling and it was very dim in the delivery room. There were only a doctor and a nurse, and they looked very unprofessional.

She laid on the cold delivery bed without even a shred of dignity.

She didn’t remember the pain of labor anymore. All she remembered was the restless little hand that peeked out of the blanket wrapped around her son when her father took him away.

It was so small… as though just the size of her finger.

She had wanted to get up and take her child back, but her belly started to act up again.

The amniotic fluid in her water bag was almost gone. If she halted the labor process, then the child who was still in her belly would suffocate to death…

Nora felt as if all the air in her chest had been sucked away and she couldn’t breathe.

She had chosen her daughter over her son!

Over the years, she had made countless phone calls to Henry and pleaded with him many times.

However, he had never relented and told her anything. To be honest, she had vaguely already guessed as much deep down in her heart that.

Perhaps her son was already dead.

Otherwise, why would he still refuse to reveal the boy’s whereabouts after the Gray's had agreed to annul the engagement?

This was also the reason why she hadn’t immediately used a listening device on Henry when she returned to the States.

She was afraid of hearing a result that she didn’t want to hear.

She had ultimately still held a glimmer of hope.

She also knew very well that the reason why Cherry, a vain and pretentious little princess, had suddenly bought a lot of boy's clothing and sometimes pretended to be a boy was actually to cheer her up and take away a bit of her pain when she missed her son.

She looked at her tearful daughter in front of her. When she heard what Pete said, she forced a smile and choked up as she said, “You don’t have to comfort me, Cherry…”

Pete was badly frightened.

The boy, who had been quiet and calm since he was a baby, was crying so badly that his face was covered in tears.

Mommy was as pale as a sheet, and her usually calm eyes were filled with despair and emptiness. Tears were rolling down her cheeks uncontrollably and her smile looked so tragic. She seemed as if she was going to collapse and pass out the next moment…

He panicked, utterly so.

He grabbed Nora’s hand and shouted, “Mommy, I’m not lying! I’m Pete! I’m Peter Hunt, not Cherry! I’m not Cheryl Smith!”

“Mommy, I’m sorry! I shouldn’t have kept it a secret from you!”

“Mommy, look at me! I’m Pete!”

“I was wrong. I won’t do it anymore… Sob…”

His shouts made Nora’s eyes gradually regain focus and her rationality gradually returned to her. She looked at Pete. “What… did you say?”

She found his claims incredulous, yet Cherry’s various eccentricities during the recent period of time started to surface in her mind.

For example, Cherry had suddenly stopped playing games and started to read.

For example, Cherry would occasionally speak a lot less and become a lot quieter.

And, for example, when Cherry spoke fluent Arabic downstairs just now.

Everything in front of her became vague and surreal, and for a moment, Nora couldn’t tell whether this was a dream or reality.

With her eyes filled with confusion, she asked, “Really?”

“Mommy, it’s true.” Pete put his arms around her waist. With his little face raised, he said, “My younger sister and I look exactly the same, but I grew up in New York. My name is Peter Hunt and my father is Justin Hunt!”

Nora stared at him. “Where’s Cherry, then?”

Seeing that she didn’t seem to believe him, Pete, who was afraid that his mother would return to that state earlier, gritted his teeth and said, “Mommy, come with me!”

He held Nora’s hand with his own little hand and the two of them went downstairs.

Downstairs, Sheena was still ranting, “She may be a child, but she sure talks big! Eight languages? She probably just learned a phrase so that she could brag to others, right? And, how dare she look down on Lena’s second-place victory? Hah, why doesn’t

she try showing us a third-place victory, then?!”

“…That’s enough!” The elderly Mrs. Anderson slammed the white cane she was holding against the floor. “She’s your sister’s one and only daughter! She’s already quite the poor thing—”

At once, Sheena suddenly screamed, “Uh-huh, she’s quite the poor thing, and so is my sister. But what about me?! If she hadn’t run away from home and ended up being rumored to have eloped, would the Andersons’ reputation have been this terrible?!

Neither would my ex-fiancé have broken off our engagement! How much ridicule did we endure because of her back then?!”

Melissa heaved a deep sigh. To be honest, everyone loved Nora’s mother deeply; that was why they were so upset with her. Sheena had been so proud of her sister back then.

She was about to console Sheena when she heard someone coming down the stairs.

She turned to see Nora and Cherry coming down.

She asked, “It’s late, Nora. Where are the two of you going?”

Pete was very anxious, so he didn’t answer.

Nora was as though a soulless puppet at the moment, so she didn’t answer, either.

The two left the living room.

A look of confusion came over Melissa’s countenance. Mrs. Anderson, who couldn’t see, asked anxiously, “What’s the matter? Did Nora leave? Was it because of Sheena? Sheena, get Nora back here! If she leaves, then you can forget about ever coming back here to see me!”

Sheena was also dumbfounded.

Her sharp and fierce expression cracked, but she nevertheless curled her lip and scoffed, “She can leave if she wants to. I’d instead show more admiration for her if she doesn’t rely on the Andersons!”

Melissa panicked. She said, “Sheena, Nora has never once said that she intends to rely on us. She’s a doctor! She can support herself! If you don’t like her, then you can come back less often in the future!”

She went after Nora after saying that.

Unfortunately, the moment she went out, Nora had already started the car and disappeared from the porch in the blink of an eye.

In the car.

Little Pete sat in the passenger seat. With his seat belt buckled, he pointed the way with the help of his cell phone. “Turn right… Turn left at the third intersection.”

He knew Mommy was scared and needed to see that there were two children before she could feel at ease.

He couldn’t continue to hide it anymore.

Nora stayed silent and drove seriously.

Half an hour later, the car arrived at a villa complex.

Security at the gates was brisk and they refused to let them in, but the moment the guard saw Pete, he immediately greeted him respectfully. “Welcome back, Mr. Hunt.”

‘Mr. Hunt’

Nora, who had a stern look on her face, stared intently ahead of her.

She had already calmed down on the way here. She also believed most of what Pete said, but the fear and panic of losing her son led to her having to see both children in front of her with her own two eyes before she could feel at ease.

The guards gave them clearance and she drove into the villa complex.

“Mommy, go to Villa No. 8.”

Nora obediently stopped the car at Villa No. 8’s entrance. She staggered out of the car and knocked on the door.

Ding-dong!

The doorbell rang. A few seconds later, someone opened the door. Cherry’s adorable little head popped out and she asked cutely, “Who… Mommy?!”

Justin’s voice followed closely after. “Who’s at the door, Pete?”

Chapter 51: He Really Was Hers, Though

As Pete was still being suspected of pushing his great-grandmother down the stairs, Justin didn’t take him back to the Hunt's residence.

Instead, they were staying at a villa in the suburbs.

It was already dark, and he was playing a jigsaw puzzle with Cherry.

When the doorbell rang, Cherry was the one who opened the door first. He followed after her, feeling a little impatient.

Who would come over at such late hours?

Didn’t he already leave instructions that he wasn’t having visitors or dealing with work matters from 6 pm to 9 pm because he wanted to spend some time with his son in peace?

But when Justin walked over with a cold look on his face only to see the stunning visage at the door, the chilly aura around him subconsciously dissipated.

His deep-set eyes narrowed slightly and he raised an eyebrow. “Miss Smith?”

He had asked her out to the hospital this afternoon, but she rejected his invitation.

Yet she came straight to his home in the evening?

In addition, the look in her eyes had become as fervent as the one she had that night in the hospital.

Her scorching gaze was as if it could burn.

He had seen that look in many women’s eyes before, and it often annoyed him.

But when she looked at him like that… No, why did it seem like she wasn’t looking at him?

Justin followed her gaze. He slowly lowered his head to see his son looking up at the woman in astonishment with his big round eyes.

Cherry swallowed hard. “M-mommy”

It’s all over!

Why didn’t Pete say anything in advance? The cat’s out of the bag!

Justin’s expression stiffened—he was a little unhappy. He subtly stepped forward and stood in front of his son. Then, his lips slowly parted and he said, “You—”

But before he could say whatever he wanted to say, the woman in front of him suddenly spoke. Her voice was husky and shaking as she asked, “Is this your son?”

Justin was bewildered.

You’ve already hugged and kissed him, and even coaxed him to call you Mommy again and again. Yet you’re asking something like that now?

But when he saw that she didn’t seem to be acting, he frowned, suppressed his displeasure, and answered, “Yes.”

“Your biological son?”

“Of course.” Justin’s expression darkened. The woman’s questions were simply ridiculous. He coldly retorted, “In any case, he can’t possibly be yours anyway.”

He really was her's, though.

The corners of Nora’s lips twitched, but she didn’t say it.

Not only was the current situation unclear, but the person she was dealing with was Justin Hunt. Should he really be the father of her children… Looking at things from his perspective, if he were to know that he also had a daughter, he would definitely fight with her for custody of their daughter!

Nora held her forehead.

After she calmed down, she felt a bit of a headache coming on.

Before returning to the States, she had imagined various scenarios. If someone had adopted her son, then she would offer them a lot of monetary compensation. No matter what, she must have her son back.

But if that person was Justin Hunt, given his power in the States, she really might not be able to beat him.

Nora coughed and asked, “Mr. Hunt, do you know who the boy’s mother is?”

At her question, the look in Justin’s eyes suddenly turned dark and baleful. As though he had thought of something unpleasant, he replied coldly, “I don’t know. I’m not interested in her.”

Yet Nora didn’t seem afraid at all. She asked, “Then how did you have children with her?”

Five years ago, she had either been sleeping or staying at home the whole time. How exactly did she become pregnant?

Justin pressed his lips tightly together. He was already on the verge of losing his temper. The look in his eyes was icy and piercing, and even the beauty mark at the corner of his eye exuded a deep chill. He replied, “You’re asking too many questions, Miss Smith.”

Pete, who was hiding in the car nearby the whole time, became nervous when he saw the tyrant’s expression.

Oh no, the tyrant is about to lose his temper!

But right after, he heard his mom simply say, “Oh, I just wanted to know a bit more.”Pete held his head. He was in such a panic that he wanted to get out of the car and defend his mother.

The next moment, however, he saw his father—who was on the brink of flying into a rage—suddenly becoming stunned. Then, all his

anger disappeared as though someone had pricked a hole in a balloon.

Pete was perplexed.

Justin froze.

She just wanted to know a bit more about him… She sure was direct about things. But when he thought about it, it certainly matched her style of doing things.

The corners of his tightly pursed lips slowly relaxed and he asked, “You came all the way here at night just to talk about this?”

She had come to verify the existence of her other child, of course.

Nora obviously couldn’t say that, though. She pondered for a moment before she replied, “I came to let you know a few things. Your grandma will regain consciousness this weekend, but due to her prolonged coma, her body is weak,so intense nourishment is not recommended. She’ll need to eat light in the earlier stages.”

At the sight of her spinning so many stories, the smile on Justin’s lips widened. “I believe the doctors at Hospital Finest are more professional than you when it comes to nursing care.”

Nora was taken aback for a moment. His words sounded a little familiar.

However, she didn’t think much about it. She said, “You’re right. This was indeed an unnecessary move.”

Then, she looked at the stupefied Cherry again. The corners of her lips curled up slightly and her cat-like eyes gleamed with a dark light. “You must be Pete, right? You look… so adorable.”

Cherry was at a loss for words.

She shrank back. Her mom felt terribly scary at the moment. Generally, the angrier she was, the brighter she would smile.

Cherry gave her an ingratiating smile and replied, “Hehe, it’s all thanks to my parents, yeah! My Mommy is even cuter than me!”

Nora, who seemed as if she was gnashing her teeth, said, “I wonder what the little Mr. Hunt is going to do tomorrow?”

Cherry blinked and replied, “Cherr… Cherry Pit has already become Mr. Quinn’s disciple. I’m going to the Quinn School of Martial Arts to learn martial arts tomorrow!”

The Quinn School of Martial Arts… So, that old man knew about this a long time ago, too!

Hah.

Nora nodded and touched her little head. “Okay, got it.”

If one read between the lines, what she was saying was: ‘See you at the Quinn School of Martial Arts tomorrow.’

Cherry was speechless.

After seeing Mommy turn and leave, Cherry’s tiny form trembled a little as she looked at Justin and asked, “Daddy, can I skip martial arts practice tomorrow?”

Sob! Mommy’s so scary!

On the way home, Nora was in a fantastic mood.

Although things were a bit tricky because Justin was the father to her children, her son was still alive. For her, this was the best outcome possible.

She turned and saw a small face that was identical to Cherry’s but also as staid and unsmiling as Justin’s. It made him look like a little old man.

Nora’s voice was husky as she said teasingly, “You should have just taken off your pants to prove that you’re a boy, Pete.”

Pete was astounded.

He immediately blushed and turned to look out the window. “Mommy, you’re terrible.”

The next day.

Nora took Pete to the Quinn School of Martial Arts early in the morning.

Quinn, who had woken up at five o’clock, had already practiced a set of boxing moves. He had just taken a bath and changed into dry clothes.

After he walked out, he looked at Pete affectionately and called out, “Cherry!”

Pete gave him a look. “Hi, Grandpa Quinn.”

Quinn, who thought he had understood what he meant, returned him a look of his own: “Don’t worry, I understand. I’ll cover for you!”

He looked at Nora and said, “Little Nora, I’ll take care of your kid for you. You can go!”

A half-amused Nora looked at him. “Old man, are you now trying to trick my daughter after you’ve already tricked my son?”

Quinn was bewildered.