Chapter 2The Treasure-Hunting Fetus in My Womb

I packaged everything for shipping. Just in case, I took my son's advice and used a fake return address. I recorded the whole process to prove everything was authentic, telling the buyers they could have it all verified upon arrival.

Once that was done, I walked into a real store and bought the two-thousand-dollar laptop I'd been dreaming of for years. The moment the transaction went through, a wave of validation washed over me like never before. New money, baby!

I got home, clutched the laptop to my chest, and just sobbed.

"Oh, son, you have no idea how hard it's been all these years, boo-hoo-hoo… Why couldn't you have shown up sooner…"

I wailed for a good half hour until my son’s voice cut through my tears.

[Keep crying and the trash-picking business is closed.]

That was not an option! Dumpster diving was my life's calling now.

I wiped my tears and started searching for information on this mega-billionaire online. There was almost nothing. Barely any useful information at all. Made sense, I guess. The truly rich stay hidden.

"Son, do you know what your dad looks like? Is he hot?"

[No idea. Probably? I mean, you slept with him, don't you know?]

I scratched my head, blushing a little. "Well, I was drunk. I woke up naked with some guy next to me. I was so scared I bolted. I didn't exactly stick around to check out his face. He had a great body, though, hehe."

[Mom, you’re drooling.]

I quickly grabbed a tissue. My mind started to wander. "So, there’s really no chance…?" What if I could become Mrs. Billionaire? A great body usually comes with a handsome face. And I was carrying his kid! That had to give me an edge, right?

My son’s next words shattered my fantasy.

[Crush that little fantasy right now. Unless you have a death wish.]

"Fine," I sighed, letting go of my short-lived dream of marrying into wealth. I had a million dollars in the bank. Well, nine hundred and ninety-eight thousand after the laptop. It was a sum I couldn’t have even dreamed of before. I stroked my flat stomach, a smile on my face as I scrolled through Amazon.

If I saw something I liked, I bought it. Clearing out my shopping cart only cost ten grand. It felt amazing. Life was so good I was almost afraid to sleep, scared I'd wake up and find it was all a dream.

I spent the next week in a happy haze of eating and sleeping. Then, after nearly a week of silence, my son spoke up.

[Quick! It's Christmas Eve! Dad's making his move!]

I zipped over to the address he gave me on a shared e-bike, making a mental note to get my driver's license and buy a car ASAP. Otherwise, how was I supposed to haul my treasures back? The burlap sacks worked for now, but if I ran into someone I knew, it would be hard to explain. A car was safer.

I bought a bag of fries and crouched across the street, munching away as I staked out a fancy restaurant.

"Damn, a five-star hotel. Even the entrance looks expensive. Is that door made of gold? I kind of want to pry some off."

[Mom, focus.]

[Dad's in there.]

[When the girl comes out, follow her. The second she throws it away, you grab it.]

I thought for a moment. "Son, what if I just bring a sack and go through all the trash cans on this street? It’s Christmas Eve, there must be a ton of good stuff people are throwing out."

[None of that is worth anything. The gift from my dad is a piece of jewelry worth millions. You could sell it secondhand for a fortune. All that other junk—broken phones, cheap gold—isn't worth a fraction of this one piece.]

It made sense, but something still felt… off.

A few minutes later, the girl came out. No man with her. Just like my son said, I followed her from a distance.