Chapter 2 Threat: Exchanging Relics

"Listen up, Joanna. Your sister is going to marry into the wealthy family. We would certainly appreciate a little bit of cooperation from you. If you can't be bothered to help, don't blame me for being rude towards you. From this day forward, you will no longer come back to this house. Even if you do return, you will not see your father. That much I can guarantee you!"

Sera Wang threatened. There was nothing Joanna could do in the face of her stepmother. She gnashed her teeth as she glowered at her. 'I've just spent my entire salary to buy better looking clothes just so that this woman would stop looking down on me! I didn't expect I would be greeted by her like this!' she thought.

This was not the first time Sera Wang had treated Joanna this way. It was also not the first time she had given Joanna an ultimatum like this.

At first, Joanna didn't mind the compromises she had to make in order to live a peaceful life. But not this time. This time, Sera Wang had gone way too far!

A couple of years ago, Emily Gong, Joanna's stepsister, gave birth to an illegitimate son. Sera Wang had forced Joanna to take Emily Gong's son as her own. This was because Emily Gong was soon to be married into a rich and powerful family.

Emily Gong got acquainted with a wealthy guy a couple of month's back. Through some ploy Emily Gong and Sera Wang must have brewed, the man proposed to Emily.

There was only one problem Emily had to deal with however. And that was her bastard child. If the man found out that Emily was already a mother to a four-year-old boy, he would surely withdraw his proposal.

It was then that Sera took advantage of Joanna.

Sera had publicized that the boy was in fact Joanna's illegitimate child. Even her name was officially registered as the child's mother.

Meanwhile, Emily went through some medical procedures to make it appear as if she had not yet given birth so that she could marry without any further complications.

During all of this, no one had even considered Joanna's feelings. Joanna was still a single, young woman who had just graduated from university. How would she be able to get married in the future? If Emily couldn't marry with a child, what made them think that Joanna could!

Going back to what was happening now, Joanna shook her head firmly. She could not believe that her father would allow such injustice to happen to her.

"I want to see my father," Joanna said, raising her head. "I want to hear what he has to say about all of this."

"Oh, did you think this was my idea to kick you out? Don't be such a naive girl. It was your father who came up with this idea in the first place. If you don't believe me, you are free to call him if you want,"

Sera sneered. 'So many years have passed and yet this girl still remains as foolish as ever!'

Joanna was taken aback with Sera's words. She felt her throat get thick with emotion. Yes... Now that she thought about it, when did her father stand by her side? When did he speak up and uphold justice for her?

But Joanna was still determined. Pulling out her phone, she looked for her father's number and dialed.

The call was soon connected, and a familiar voice came from the other end of the phone.

"Joanna, why are you calling at this hour? Shouldn't you be at work? Take your life a little more seriously."

Tears welled up in her eyes as she heard her father's words. She had always longed for her father's love and acceptance. However, no matter how well she treated him, he always spoke to her in such a hateful way.

This particular instance was no different than the ones before that.

Grasping her clothes firmly, Joanna was worried that she would not be able to bear the blow after asking her question. She slightly glanced at Sera, and saw that she was sitting there leisurely and sipping at her coffee, as if she already knew what was going to happen.

Her hands were getting sweaty out of nervousness, slightly dampening her new dress. "Dad, are you really going to declare Jack as my own son?" she asked timidly.

"It's... Did your mother talk to you?"

"Yes. I'm with her right now."

Joanna glanced at Sera, whose eyes were twinkling with smugness.

Then, she heard her father's pleading voice come through the phone.

"Joanna, just... Just help your sister. It's just a simple little thing, a mere title. It can't be that hard for you, can it? It's not easy for your sister to find a good husband. Do you really have the heart to see your sister unable to marry because of Jack? Don't worry. People would just know that you are Jack's mother. We won't really let you raise him. We'll pay for all the expenses."

Hearing this, tears started to silently roll down Joanna's face.

'Do they really think this is about money? Do they think that I'm just worried about raising him on my own?

Why can't anyone see that I am also an unmarried woman?

If Emily can't afford having a reputation of being a single mother, neither can I!'

There were so many things that Joanna just could wrap her head around. She was also his daughter, wasn't she? Why was it so easy for him to push her around like this? Jack still wasn't in the household register yet. If Joanna agreed to it, she would still be named as his legal mother. It would be difficult to explain all of this to Jack in the future.

Sadness overwhelmed Joanna. All of a sudden, she was going to become a child's mother against her will. It was supposed to be a joy to become a mother.

"Why are you crying? It's not like you're going to die. Don't act as if we're treating you so unfairly. It's just a title, after all. How about this... If you agree to this, I will return the dowry your mother has left you. What do you think?"

Sera offered, beaming widely. It was as if the sight of Joanna's tears had lifted up her mood.

She sat up straight with confidence, as if she already knew what Joanna's reply was going to be. Sera had been around long enough to know what kind of Joanna was like. Joanna tried to keep a strong face, but she was actually very vulnerable. Her tears easily betrayed her. Once she cried, it meant that she had lost her last ounce of will power. When that happened, there was nothing else that could be expected from her but obedience.

'Such a predictable, silly girl, ' Sera sneered to herself. Hearing Sera's words, Joanna quickly raised her head.

"Are you willing to give it back to me?"

"Why not? My daughter is about to marry a rich man. I don't really care about all the cheap jewelry your mother left you,"

Sera smiled proudly.

Joanna bit her lips. Those pieces of jewelry were the only things she had to remember her mother by. Over the past years, she had never held onto any of her mother's things. Occasionally, she would see her stepmother wearing some of the necklaces, rings and earrings.

From an early age, she had sworn that she would take back her mother's belongings. Today, her stepmother had given her an offer that was difficult to refuse.

Joanna knew that if she didn't agree to be Jack's mother, Sera would throw away the jewelry before she would even consider giving it back to her.

"Okay," Joanna finally said through her teeth, "We have a deal."

"Excellent!" Sera beamed from ear to ear. 'I've kept the jewelry for so many years now. It's a good thing I still have them. Who would've thought that this is the biggest chip I could get from Joanna!' Everything was going the way Sera had wanted it to.

"When will you give it to me?"

Joanna asked worriedly, afraid that Sera might change her mind or deceive her.

"I will give you everything you want as long as you have registered Jack as your own and enrolled him at kindergarten," Sera said with an amused smile.

Then, she took her bag, stood up, and left.

Joanna was left sitting alone. She took the pendant hanging around her neck and clicked it open, revealing a small photo of her mother.

In a quiet corner not far away, a mysterious man was listening in and heard everything.