Chapter 3 He Is Not My Child

"Mason! Abner is out of control!" Amanda shrieked.

Her complaint made Mason's face darken.

Deep down, Mason understood why his son disliked Amanda so much. Abner was a smart kid, and he must have sensed her true feelings toward him just from the way she spoke.

The fact that she called him crazy only proved one thing-she never cared about him.

Six years was enough time for Mason to see her real personality.

If it weren't for Abner, Mason would have kicked her out a long time ago.

"Abner, stop it and go to bed," Mason finally said.

But instead of obeying, Abner turned to him and frowned. "Only if she stays," he said firmly.

However, when Mason and Abner looked around, Nora was already gone.

Did she run away?

Abner glared at his father and huffed, "You're useless. You couldn't even keep an eye on her."

Mason was speechless.

Amanda took this opportunity to pull Abner into her arms, holding him tightly even as he tried to break free. "Abner, that woman is my older sister, your aunt. She got pregnant without getting married, and Granddad kicked her out of the family. You should stay away from her. She's a bad influence."

"You don't have to tell him that," Mason scolded.

Abner scoffed and shot Amanda a look of pure disgust. "You're a terrible person. You finally showed your true colors. I knew from the start that you weren't my real mom. Other moms look at their kids with love, but you? You only look at me with greed. One day, I'll find my real mom and expose you."

Meanwhile, at a fancy apartment in Bradley Condominium, Nora was fuming as she stared at the mess in her living room.

"Asher! Get over here right now!" she yelled.

Woof! "Why is she yelling like that, is she pain that she's single"

A dog ran in from the right room, a pair of underwear stuck on its head. It wagged its tail happily at Nora.

She was not amused. She kicked the dog aside, and it let out a dramatic whimper.

Asher walked in just in time to see the scene unfold. His eyes widened.

"Are you okay, Polly?! I told you not to mess up Nora's house. It's worth millions! You got what you deserved for making it dirty. Oh no, did she really kick you? Your fur is practically falling off!" he said dramatically, kneeling beside the dog.

Polly lay there, whining, as if telling him he was a hypocrite.

Nora saw right through Asher's act. She folded her arms and raised an eyebrow. "You have one hour. If this place isn't spotless when I come back, I'm throwing you out the window."

Asher gasped. "Hey! Is this how you treat your savior? If it weren't for me, that devil from the Murphy family would have caught you. And now you come home and threaten me?"

She smirked. "Have you forgotten the three billion I stole is in your name? If anyone comes after us, they'll go for you first."

Meanwhile, at the Murphy estate, things were not looking good.

Mason sat on the couch, his jaw clenched in frustration.

Across from him, Amanda sat stiffly, nervously watching his expression.

Ever since they got back from the hospital, Abner had been throwing a fit. And Amanda? She was stuck in the middle of the mess.

Every time she looked at Abner, she felt like strangling him.

How could she not? The boy was a constant reminder of Nora.

If she didn't need Abner to stay in Mason's life, she would have gotten rid of him a long time ago.

For years, people had praised her, saying she was so lucky to have Mason's child and live a luxurious life as the wife of the richest man in Hallsbay.

But to Amanda, Abner was nothing but a humiliating stain on her life.

And because of that boy, Mason had never touched her-not even once.

Every time she tried to get close to him, he would push her away.

He even told her that as long as he had a child, he didn't need a woman in his life.

Amanda had spent years suffering in silence, boiling with hatred.

She had raised Nora's son and played the role of his mother, and yet, she had gained nothing.

And now, with Nora back in town, she knew her carefully built life was in danger.

No. She couldn't let that happen.

She had to get rid of Nora, for good.

Crash!

The sound of something shattering upstairs made Mason lose his patience. He stood up abruptly and stormed toward the staircase.

Amanda smirked. Good. Keep going, kid. The more you misbehave, the easier it'll be for me to replace you with my own child.

Upstairs, Mason pushed open the bedroom door-only to have something fly straight at his face.

He raised his arm to block it, but a bowl of oatmeal splattered all over his sleeve.

His face darkened.

The whole room suddenly felt colder.

Taking long, angry strides, he marched up to Abner and grabbed him by the shoulders.

"Abner Murphy! That's enough!" Mason snapped.

The boy looked up at him, his eyes red with frustration. His lips trembled as he stammered, "I... I want her..."

Even though he didn't know Nora's name, he wanted her to stay.

If it weren't for that fake woman downstairs, she wouldn't have run away.

Mason knew exactly who Abner was talking about. But there was no way he was going to give in.

He was firm in his beliefs, a son should respect his mother, even if he didn't like her.

"Amanda is your mother. You have to respect her, whether you want to or not. And stop thinking about other women."

"Hmph! If you don't bring her back, I won't eat!" Abner shouted, crossing his arms.

Mason narrowed his eyes before shoving the boy back onto the bed. "Fine. Then you can stay here and starve."

"I will! I'd rather starve than listen to you!" Abner shot back.

Since when did this little brat get such a sharp tongue?

That night, Asher sat in Nora's study, typing away at his laptop.

He was editing some photos when something dawned on him.

He blinked at the screen in disbelief.

"Well, would you look at that... I actually look a lot like that villain from the Murphy family."

His eyes widened.

Wait a minute... that couldn't be right... could it?