Chapter 3
The Young Miss cried herself to exhaustion and fell asleep in my arms.
Even as sleep took her, her fingers clung desperately to my collar.
“Don’t send me back.”
“They hit me when I run away.”
She spoke in a soft, childish voice. At some point, Madam had appeared upstairs. She stood there sobbing uncontrollably.
“Fu Huangcheng told me Lingling was doing well.”
“He said he had arranged everything.”
“He said that once I gave him another child—a son—he would let Lingling live with me again.”
Huddled beside her bedroom door, Madam reached a trembling hand toward her sleeping daughter. Before she could touch her, she pulled back and slapped herself hard across the face.
“How can there be such a useless mother in this world?”
“How could I have been stupid enough to believe he would treat my child well?”
“I couldn’t even protect my own daughter…”
Her voice broke.
I carried the Young Miss into the bedroom and tucked her beneath the covers, then led Madam inside by the hand.
“Madam.”
“When a woman is left powerless, it is often because a man has deceived her.”
“Men who are too incompetent to shoulder their duties as husbands and fathers invent lies to control women.”
“A mother’s love is the greatest love. Motherhood is glorious. A mother should sacrifice everything for her child.”
“But Lingling is not your child alone.”
“As the head of this household, Mr. Fu cannot possibly be unaware of the abuse his own daughter has suffered.”
“He chose to hurt both of you. He watched you compromise and beg, again and again, until even your right to be a mother became something he could grant or withhold.”
Madam stopped crying and stared at me.
I took her hand gently.
“Madam, swallowing every grievance, pleasing him, and yielding at every turn will only make a man crueler. When you have power of your own, men like him become much more obedient.”
Tears shimmered in Madam’s beautiful eyes. She tightened her fingers around mine and looked at the Young Miss, who slept with steady, peaceful breaths. Resolve slowly entered her gaze.
“What should I do?”
“Eat.”
“Build your strength back up.”
“You are the sole mistress of the richest household in the capital. There are more resources at your disposal than you can count.”
Madam held the Young Miss in her arms all night.
The next morning, she carried her rosy-cheeked daughter downstairs and called to me.
“Mrs. Wang, I want soup dumplings.”
I answered cheerfully and hurried into the kitchen.
“Uncle Zhang, find a pediatrician to examine Lingling.”
“Where is Butler Li?”
“Why is the courtyard such a mess? Where are the cleaning staff?”
Uncle Zhang stood frozen in the doorway, his face flushing to the roots of his hair. He had no idea what had happened overnight.
How had the delicate woman who used to look as if a breeze might blow her away suddenly begun managing the household staff?
Hadn’t the CEO said that Madam despised her own daughter? Why was she fussing over the child now?
The servants had long grown used to collecting their pay while hiding somewhere to loaf.
Under the pressure of Madam’s stare, sweat beaded across Uncle Zhang’s forehead.
“Butler Li… Butler Li seems to have taken the day off.”
“And the cleaning staff… I think they took leave too…”
“Leave? Who approved it?”
Uncle Zhang pressed his lips together nervously. “I’ll find out. I’ll ask around.”
I carried out a basket of soup dumplings and secretly gave Madam a thumbs-up.
The Young Miss copied me.
“Mommy.”
“Amazing.”
Madam kissed her daughter’s cheek. The girl’s face turned even redder.
“Mommy hates me.”
Madam’s eyes reddened. She hugged her daughter tighter.
“Mommy loves Lingling more than anything in the world.”
At last, the girl smiled shyly. “I love Mommy too.”
Then she turned to me and pointed with one tiny finger.
“I love Mrs. Wang too.”
My old face grew hot, and I kneaded the dough with twice as much vigor.