"I'm not divorcing you." Mia's refusal was immediate and absolute.
Her two sons were still in the Stone family's hands. She needed the title Mrs. Reed to bring them back.
Once she was reunited with her children…Lucian Reed? He could go to hell for all she cared.
This nest of vipers called the Reed family was not a place she planned to stay a day longer than necessary.
Seeing Lucian's expression grow darker and darker, she added calmly, "I'll divorce you, but not now. I need time. Give me three months. We'll end it then."
Before he could respond, Mia closed her eyes.
Her nerves had been strung tight all day. With a warm little dumpling in her arms, sleep claimed her quickly.
The room was pitch-black and silent. In the quiet, every sense sharpened. Lucian could smell a faint, cool fragrance drifting toward him.
It was oddly familiar.
It should have been the scent of his own toiletries, yet it wasn't quite the same. On her, it mixed with Mia's own body scent, for some reason making him think of Vera.
Five years ago, when he'd been set up, it was Vera who had "sacrificed" herself to save him, and who had given birth to Emmett.
He had wanted to marry her, to "take responsibility," but his grandfather had refused.
Hurt and disappointed, Vera had moved overseas two years ago.
Strangely, in all the time after that first night, he'd never again felt the same spark for her.
The next morning.
Mia came downstairs holding Emmett's hand. Mrs. Reed's eyes reddened the moment she saw the pair.
She pressed a black-and-gold card into Mia's palm.
Even the lowest-tier of that type of card carried a limit in the tens of millions. Mia jolted and immediately tried to give it back.
"Mom, I can't take this."
"You call me Mom—how could you not?" Mrs. Reed said. "Mia, you may be my daughter-in-law, but in my heart you're no different from my own daughter, Pearl."
Mrs. Reed had one son and one daughter. Pearl Reed was her precious, pampered girl—the Reed family's princess.
"Take it," Mrs. Reed insisted.
Mia couldn't keep refusing.
"Thank you, Mom," she said.
Emmett tipped his little face up, grinning. "Thank you, Grandma!"
Mrs. Reed laughed. "And what are you thanking me for, silly boy?"
"Because Grandma's giving Mommy money," Emmett explained in all seriousness. "If Mommy has money, she can spend more time with me."
His milky voice softened even further.
"Grandma, you're so nice. Thank you, Grandma."
The cuteness hit Mrs. Reed right in the heart.
"You silly child," she said fondly.
Mindy, hovering nearby, chimed in, "Madam, you're wrong about one thing. Young Master Emmett isn't silly at all. He's very smart."
Mrs. Reed beamed. "Yes, my Emmett is the smartest."
At that moment, Lucian appeared, being pushed out of the elevator in a wheelchair by a servant.
Even seated, his presence was overwhelming. His back was straight, shoulders broad, like a king temporarily resting on a throne.
Mia's smile faltered.
Her fingers tightened subconsciously, the hard edge of the card digging into her palm.
Mrs. Reed went to her son at once, her hand rising to stroke his handsome face.
"Thank goodness," she whispered. "Lucian, you finally woke up."
Even someone as arrogant as Lucian softened a little in front of the woman who had given birth to him.
"Sorry, Mom," he said quietly. "For making you worry."
"What nonsense are you talking?" she scolded gently. "You're my son. If I don't worry about you, who would I worry about?"
A housekeeper, Aunt Qian, came over to announce that breakfast was ready.
Mrs. Reed glanced at Mia, who stood quietly to the side.
"Mia, help Lucian wash his hands," she said.
"Yes, Mom," Mia answered, stepping behind the wheelchair to push Lucian toward the washroom.
Emmett was afraid his father would bully his mother, so he followed behind them like a little tail.
Mrs. Reed watched the three figures disappear down the hall, and her eyes misted again.
Since Lucian had fallen ill, even in her dreams she hadn't dared imagine such a scene.
Aunt Qian, who had been by her side all these years, handed her a tissue.
"Madam, don't cry," she said softly. "Today is a good day for the main branch."
"It is," Mrs. Reed agreed, wiping at her eyes. "It's our family's good day. I'm just… happy. So happy."
But the more she spoke, the more her emotions slipped out of control.
Just the day before, when Emmett fell into the lake, she'd felt nothing but despair. She had been sure that once Lucian died, she and Emmett would follow him into the grave.
And as for her daughter Pearl—she hadn't dared imagine what the second branch of the family might do to her.
She had never expected Lucian to wake up like this. It was nothing less than a miracle.
After breakfast, Mrs. Reed turned to Mia.
"Today you should visit your family," she said. "I've had Aunt Qian prepare some gifts for you to bring."
Mia glanced at the packages—luxury health supplements, all carefully chosen. This was no casual gesture.
Mrs. Reed took her hand, speaking softly.
"Lucian just woke up. His body can't handle too much strain," she said. "So this time you'll have to go back by yourself. Please ask your parents not to mind."
"I'll go with Mommy," Emmett said at once, face full of hope.
"No," Lucian said, without the slightest hesitation.
"Daddy…" Emmett whined, eyes filling with tears.
Lucian didn't budge.
He might tolerate Emmett clinging to Mia inside the Reed house, but taking the boy outside with her was out of the question.
"If you keep making trouble, I'll send you overseas to live with your aunt," he said coldly. "And you won't be allowed to come back."
"I hate Daddy the most!" Emmett yelled, furious. He spun around and ran off.
Mia's heart pinched, but she didn't chase him.
This trip back to the Stones was for one purpose—to see her own children. Dragging Emmett along would only complicate things.
…
Mia had barely stepped over the threshold of the Stone family's mansion when a bucket of cold water crashed down on her head.
The icy torrent drenched her from head to toe. She gasped, caught off guard.
"Big Sis, I had them prepare a special lemon water just for you," Rachel Stone said smugly, dressed head to toe in designer brands. "It washes away bad luck. After all, you've been in prison. Can't have you bringing all that misfortune back into the house."
She covered her mouth and giggled at the sight of Mia standing there like a drowned rat.
Mia wiped the water from her face and looked at Rachel with flat, frigid eyes.
Rachel and Sean Stone were her half-siblings—one half a year younger than her, the other two years older. When Mia's frail mother had discovered that Henry Stone had fathered not one but two children outside, one of them older than her own daughter, the shock had driven her into depression. She had died when Mia was seven.
Before her mother's spirit tablet had even cooled, Henry had brought Rachel and Sean's biological mother into the house as the new Mrs. Stone.
From that day on, Mia had lost not only her mother, but her home.
"If the Stone family doesn't welcome me," she said lightly, "I'll leave."
She turned without hesitation.
"Don't go, Mia, don't go," Mrs. Stone hurried over, flashing Rachel a sharp look before pasting on a gentle smile for Mia. "Your sister is young and thoughtless. Don't hold it against her."
"Mm," Mia said blandly. "Three hundred months old is very young. I can be patient."
Her tone was mild; the sarcasm was not.
Rachel exploded instantly, but Mrs. Stone stopped her before she could lash out.
"Your father's been waiting for you all morning," Mrs. Stone said quickly, taking Mia's arm with forced warmth and steering her inside.
In the living room, Henry Stone sat on the sofa sipping his tea.
He beamed as Mia entered.
"Mia, you did very well," he said. "You'd barely married into the Reeds and the young master woke up. You really are a lucky star."
"We have you to thank for that, Mr. Stone," Mia replied, her voice smooth and polite, her words edged with a faint, cutting irony.
Henry's smile stiffened.
Before he could speak, Mrs. Stone jumped in.
"Mia, you know business has been difficult these last few years," she said. "The company is barely getting by. Now that you're Mrs. Reed, you should help us a little."
When Mia didn't answer, she pressed on, eyes gleaming.
"As long as Young Master Reed is willing to give the Azure Bay project to the Stones, we'll be able to rise straight into the first tier. Then you, as the Stone family's daughter, will have real status too, won't you?"
If the Azure Bay project came through, Stone Group would earn at least two billion in pure profit—and that would only be the beginning. After the whole development was complete, the benefits would easily reach into the tens of billions.
The Stones would become truly rich.
"It would be wonderful," Mia agreed calmly. "But I refuse."