Chapteri My mother in law and I went to check out my husband's new upscale hotel and have afternoon tea. The desserts looked exquisite, but the chocolate mousse was so icy it cracked my mother in law's front tooth. I snapped a photo and demanded to see the manager. "Was this cake taken straight from the freezer and served?" The manager ripped the phone from my hand and flung it into a coffee cup, her face twisted with contempt. "Taking photos?!" she spat. "What are you two old hags doing - playing rich and making trouble?" "Haven't you had enough? Filthy! That's five hundred dollars for cleaning. Don't even think about leaving without paying!" I forced my anger down. "Is this how Victor Harrington runs his team? Bring him out here." She put her hands on her hips and laughed coldly. "So you came here just to test my staff, huh?" - - At that moment a little boy not even a meter tall grabbed an ice cube from the table and hurled it at us with everything he had. "Don't bully my mom!" he cried. I stopped, stunned. That little face looked impossibly like Victor's. So his "overtime" on holidays wasn't what he'd claimed: he'd been running a secret hotel and supporting a mistress and a child. Before I could react, the manager was already on the phone, shrieking. "Victor, come to the hotel now! Two fake rich women are harassing me and my child!" She jabbed a finger at the promotional board by the door and tossed her chin up in contempt. "Didn't you see the sign? 'No fake rich ladies or dogs'?" "I've never seen such shameless trash-ruining the standards of our place! Pay up and get out!" "Cat got your tongue? What, you two want to pay with your bodies? No one would touch you even in a shelter!" She sneered, pinched her nose, and went on. "I bet your stockings were bought in bulk online-shared by a dozen people. Gross." "Or maybe you're putting on a show to lure rich men?" "Everyone, look! These two old women are here to seduce men! Watch out for romance scams!" Her venom drew contemptuous looks from other patrons. I snapped. I slapped her hard. Chantert 10.00% "Who are you calling old women? Wim are your calling doge? Who do you think you are, about the in "uch a filthy mouth. Ever brush your teeth? Let me help you!" she sneered hardder Blood welled at the corner of her mouth, she clutched her face, eyes wild, but it was as if something, clamped her throat she couldn't speals. The little boy, furious, grabbed a knife and fork and jabbed them toward my thigh "Anyone who hurts my mom has to die!" Pain shot through me and I shoved him away reflexley. He stumbled and fell, howling. The room turned on me. "How could you lay hands on such a small child? That's crue!" "Fake rich women now they get to do whatever they wan I stood frozen, staring at the mother and son clinging to each other. My blood ran cold, Around the boy's neck hung a jewel pendant the very heirloom my mother had left me She'd pressed it into my palm and whispered, "This is for my future granddaughter. May she be safe year after year." No wonder I'd never found it; Victor's excuses had been covering this. The pendant was already on his secret child. I moved to snatch it back, but someone shoved me from behind. I hit the floor hard. A group of employees closed in, faces full of malice, "You're done for! You even laid hands on the boss's kid. Alpha Victor will never let this go." "If you know what's good for you, apologize to our boss's woman, pay up, and get out now-maybe she'll be merciful. When Alpha Victor gets here, you'll be worse off," Three years ago Victor had loudly announced his luxury hotel, He'd looked at me with such affection and said he'd done it so I wouldn't have to eat bad cream anywhere else. He promised that when we had children, we could bring them here without worry. He even used that line in the ads: "Clean ingredients -dad cares most," It turned out it was all for his mistress and their child. I let out a numb, bitter laugh. "Fine, I want to see what happens when the great Alpha Victor shows up- how bad will our fate be?" Chapter 1 10.00%