Chapter 1 Return After Six Years.

"The flight number 2024T03N01 has landed, passengers please check your belongings before leaving!"

At the onset of summer, as directed by the chairman of the Parks corporation, Clara Lawson returned to Harborview at his request, to help him sign a contract with the McDaniel corporation, and while at it: "help" him manage the Harborview branch, ending the favor with the provision of a powerful black card.

Honestly, she wasn't short on money, but when money comes knocking at your door, why not take it?

The silhouette of a woman in an extremely elegant outfit, beside her a boy about four or five years old, stepping out of the airport, Clara Lawson said:

"Six years, finally back home."

But the boy next to her looked at her, tilted his head and said:

"Mami, isn't it true that uncle Parks didn't allow mom to come back? Clearly, mom was avoiding debts, that's why mom didn't dare to return."

Clara was speechless, okay, she really didn't know what debt she owed this kid in a past life, but since he could speak, every word was a jab at her sore spots. Then when it came time to be scolded, he would play the victim, lamenting that his mom wasn't like other moms, always just scolding him.

But think about it, with a mouth like that, how could she not scold?

"Weston, do you believe mom would kick you back to Victor Parks?"

"Mami won't kick me out, because mom knows well that if I stay with uncle Parks, he would call to bother mom eighty times a day, disrupting the time mom searches for a dad for me."

"You! Consider your words sharp. Wait a bit, mom will kick you to aunt Kimberly's class, let's see how you'll survive there."

Kimberly Moore is her close friend, currently running a childcare and teaching class, it's because of her that Clara had the confidence to bring Weston Lawson into the world.

[...]

Recalling six years ago, she was just a bit too frivolous, looking for someone to confide in at a bar after a heartbreak, her senior crush married the girl she absolutely detested, drowning her sorrows in alcohol, who would have thought... That kind of confiding led to her getting pregnant a few months later!

Clara herself was an orphan, having to fight for food to grow up from a young age, she didn't want her child to live in poverty either, moreover, at that time Clara was only twenty years old, she wasn't ready to be a mother.

But Kimberly Moore held her hand tightly, saying:

"Clara, how about I take you to Ashwood? There's my cousin there, his name is Victor Parks, a director of the Parks corporation, though the company isn't big, it'll still provide for you. Moreover, Clara, you're smart, I'm sure you'll live well in Ashwood."

"But this child..."

"Clara, anyway, it's your child, just yours. Besides, I've heard men in Ashwood are very open-minded, might as well find a father for the baby..."

Pausing a bit, Kimberly then said:

"Let me tell you a secret, my cousin Victor is still single, and quite handsome too."

Just like that, Clara set off for Ashwood as planned, became acquainted with Kimberly, met and received help from Victor Parks, and eventually, her life became more comfortable. When the baby was born, they also had more conveniences.

However, to this day, Clara still doesn't know... who the man was that she had spent the night with, what he looked like, whether he was handsome or not. But seeing how handsome Weston is, she guessed the biological father couldn't be bad... Pausing a bit, she remembered a detail, it seemed there was a large tattoo of a dragon on the left side of that man's waist.

But she couldn't just naturally take someone's shirt off and check... Well, she decided to let it be, for now, she had to go find Kimberly first!

[...]

Arriving at Kimberly's house, she saw her sending off the last of her students to their parents. Thinking everyone had left, she ran up and hugged her, but unexpectedly, a little boy became frightened by her action and darted into a corner, trembling.

Kimberly looked at her with disdain, saying:

"Clara, do you know how hard it was for me to bring him out? Now because of you, he's gone back into his old hiding spot, you're really something!"

"What's wrong with the boy?"

"He's traumatized. His parents died in a car accident last month, he was in the car but luckily survived. Since then, he hasn't spoken a word, just scared and trembling like that."

"Is he from a wealthy family?"

Looking at how the boy was dressed, all in high-end clothing, with an eye for quality like hers, Clara dared to stake her reputation on it... The boy was definitely a rich kid!

Obviously, Kimberly also nodded and sighed, saying:

"He was originally a rich young master, but who would have thought after his parents passed away without leaving a will, the assets were split into many parts. In the end, the biological son only received a little. After that, the boy's uncle took him in, changing his surname from Payne to McDaniel. The boy's name is Stephen McDaniel."

Clara, seeing the trembling boy, also intended to step forward to show some concern, after all, it was because of her that he was so frightened. But unexpectedly, her clever son had already moved faster, went inside, and directly gave the boy a candy, saying:

"Do you want some candy? Don't be scared, my mom might seem fierce but actually... she's really nice, don't worry, with Weston here, my mom won't harm anyone!"

Kimberly had to suppress her laughter, while Clara twitched the corner of her mouth, looking at the son she had given birth to with such effort, describing his mother as if she was some kind of demon or monster causing chaos, and he was the exorcist to vanquish them.

Good son! Good son!

"Right, Kimberly, I'm entrusting Weston to you these days, I have to make a trip to the company, this return involves dealing with many pending matters of the company. So, I'll probably stay at the company for these days, Weston will be a bother to you."

"No worries, just leave Weston to me. Moreover, my mom likes Weston a lot, the kid will probably be spoiled rotten at home."