Chapter 1The Counterfeit Mom

My mom is the absolute definition of a pampered trophy wife.

Besides spending money and acting like a spoiled princess, she has never done a day of actual work in her life.

My dad spoils her rotten. Our entire family treats her like glass.

She is unapologetically high-maintenance, and because we fiercely protect her, she has never suffered a single ounce of humiliation or hardship.

The day I flew back to the States from living abroad, she got a sudden burst of inspiration and insisted on dragging me along to pick up my little brother from preschool.

When we arrived at the gates of the elite preschool, the teacher called out: "Leo Sterling’s parents? Is Leo’s mom here?"

My mom had just raised her hand and said, "That’s me—"

When a woman dripping in gaudy designer jewelry suddenly shoved her way through the crowd and viciously slapped my mom directly across the face.

"Where the hell does a cheap homewrecker like you get the nerve to pretend to be my son’s mother?!"

"It’s precisely this pathetic, whining little act you use to seduce my husband, isn't it?!"

A bright red, five-finger handprint instantly bloomed across my mom’s flawless, pale skin. She was completely stunned.

The woman wrapped her arms protectively around a little boy standing next to her, lifting her chin with arrogant, aggressive triumph.

"Listen to me very carefully! I am Mrs. Ethan Sterling! I am Leo’s actual, biological mother!"

I stared at her, a cold, venomous smile spreading across my face.

Since when did my little brother become her son?

My mom had never been humiliated like this in her entire life.

For the slap she took today, I am going to make this woman pay it back ten times over.

* * *

When Vanessa’s hand struck my mom’s face, the entire crowd outside the preschool went dead silent.

My mom, Chloe, covered her cheek. The corners of her eyes instantly flushed red.

She was in absolute shock.

After all, from the time she was a little girl until now, forget being slapped—if a maid in our house handed her a glass of water that was slightly too warm, my dad would immediately scold them.

She looked at me, hesitating, her voice trembling. "Mia... why did she hit me?"

I didn't answer.

I raised my hand and delivered a brutal, resounding slap directly back across Vanessa's face.

Smack.

The sound cracked like a whip across the quiet schoolyard.

Vanessa’s head whipped to the side from the force. A massive diamond earring ripped from her earlobe and clattered onto the pavement.

She stood frozen in sheer disbelief for three full seconds before shrieking: "You hit me?!"

I glared at her, my eyes like ice. "You hit my mother. Why the hell wouldn't I hit you?"

She was shaking with absolute rage. She pointed a trembling finger at my mom and screamed:

"A shameless, homewrecking whore raises a feral, classless daughter! Like mother, like daughter!"

"Do you have any idea who I am?!"

I laughed. "You'd better figure out who I am before you open your mouth again."

The little boy standing next to Vanessa burst into tears, terrified by the screaming.

She quickly pulled the child against her chest and yelled toward the teacher standing by the gates:

"Ms. Davis! What the hell is going on with the security at Oakmont Elite Academy?! Are you just letting any random street trash stand outside the gates?"

"They're trying to kidnap my son, and they physically assaulted me!"

A teacher in a sharp, tailored blazer rushed over immediately.

When she saw the bright red, swollen mark on Vanessa’s face, her own face dropped in panic.

"Mrs. Sterling, oh my god, are you okay?"

Mrs. Sterling.

Hearing those words, my mom’s eyelashes fluttered.

She spoke up, her voice small but firm. "I am Leo Sterling’s mother."

Ms. Davis frowned at her, her eyes instantly filling with blatant, unconcealed irritation.

"Ma'am, I am going to have to ask you to stop causing a disturbance on school property."

My mom was stunned. "I'm not causing a disturbance. I'm here to pick up my son."

Vanessa let out a harsh, mocking laugh. "Your son? Are you absolutely delusional?"

She aggressively pulled the crying little boy forward. "Leo, tell everyone right now. Who is your mommy?"

The little boy sniffled and looked up at her. "You're my mommy."

Vanessa shot a triumphant, vicious glare at my mom. "Did you hear that?"

My mom stared intently at the little boy's face. Suddenly, all the color drained from her cheeks.

She shrank back slightly behind me, pulling on my sleeve, whispering: "Mia... I don't think that's actually Leo."

It was true that my mom wasn't heavily involved in the logistics of raising him.

She knew my brother attended Oakmont Elite Academy, and she knew it was the most exclusive, impossible-to-get-into preschool funded entirely by the Sterling Corporation.

But she had never personally been here to pick him up.

Not even once.

If I hadn't flown back into the country today, and if she hadn't gotten a sudden, whimsical urge to "surprise" my little brother... she probably would have spent the entire afternoon at home trying on newly delivered haute couture dresses.

The other parents waiting for pickup began crowding around us.

People recognized Vanessa and started whispering loudly to each other:

"Isn't that Mrs. Sterling? The one who sat in the front row at the parent gala last month?"

"Yeah, I've seen her get dropped off in the Sterling family's Rolls-Royce."

"She's incredibly generous with the teachers. She buys them insanely expensive gifts. She's definitely legitimate."

"Then who the hell is the other woman? Is she actually a mistress?"

The validation from the crowd visibly inflated Vanessa’s ego.

She tilted her chin up arrogantly, sneering at my mom. "I always knew you trashy side pieces couldn't be trusted to stay in your lane!"

"You've been obsessively stalking Ethan for years, and I tolerated it. But now you're trying to target my son? I will destroy you!"

My mom was so furious her voice lost its usual softness. "Ethan Sterling is my husband."

The moment she said that, the disgust in the eyes of the surrounding parents intensified tenfold.

Ms. Davis's face turned completely cold. "Ma'am, if you continue this behavior, I will be forced to call campus security."

I stepped directly in front of my mom, shielding her entirely.

"Call them."

I stared directly at the name tag pinned to her blazer. "And while you're at it, call the Principal out here too."

Ms. Davis choked on her response, clearly intimidated by my tone.

Vanessa, however, let out a loud, contemptuous scoff. "Who the hell do you think you are? Putting on an act?"

"Oakmont Academy is owned by the Sterling Corporation. You’re demanding to see the Principal right in front of Mrs. Sterling? Are you actively trying to humiliate yourself?"

I nodded slowly. "Yes."

"I really want to see who the administration of a Sterling-owned school actually takes orders from."