CHAPTER THREE

Chapter Three

Mrs. Shawn had never, in her wildest dreams, thought that the child she had raised with love and devotion wasn't hers.

That Scarlett the daughter she had held in her arms, the baby she had cherished, the girl she had watched grow into a young woman belonged to someone else.

A wealthy family, no less.

The revelation had hit her like a tidal wave, leaving her drowning in emotions she couldn't name. Disbelief. Betrayal. Grief.

For days, she had fought with her husband, refusing to accept the truth. How could she? How could she simply let go of the child who had been her world for over twenty years?

Scarlett was their baby, the youngest in a family of five, doted on by everyone. Every smile, every laugh, every moment of joy had revolved around her.

And now, they were being told to give her up.

Forced to accept that Scarlett wasn't truly theirs.

But before she could truly move forward, before she could erase every lingering thought of Scarlett from her heart, she needed to see her biological daughter.

She needed to face the truth.

"So, you're saying Jade is a primary school teacher?"

Mrs. Shawn's voice was sharp with disbelief as she sat across from Mrs. Thomas. Her fingers fidgeted anxiously with the hem of her sleeve, a habit she had never quite broken.

She couldn't help but feel out of place in this grand mansion, surrounded by wealth and luxury she had never known.

Mrs. Thomas took a slow sip of tea, her expression unreadable. "Yes, Jade is a teacher."

The slight furrow in Mrs. Shawn's brows didn't go unnoticed.

"And you let her?"

Mrs. Shawn's tone had an edge now, irritation flickering in her eyes. It was as though she couldn't fathom how any wealthy family would allow their child to settle for such a modest career.

"Everyone knows teachers are at the bottom of the food chain in this country. They earn the lowest salaries, and no one respects them."

A quiet scoff broke the tension.

Reuben, who had been silently watching the exchange, finally spoke.

"Aren't you a teacher yourself?" His voice was low, edged with quiet disgust. "So, what exactly is wrong with being a teacher?"

Mrs. Shawn stiffened.

She hadn't expected to be called out.

It was true. She and her husband had worked in the education sector for years, but they had long left the classrooms behind. Her husband had climbed the ranks to become the principal of the public school they worked at, and she had taken the role of vice-principal.

Teaching had never been her passion. It was something she had simply fallen into, a job she had accepted out of necessity, not choice.

"You think I'm proud of my job?" Her voice trembled with frustration.

She let out a bitter laugh.

"Please. Who the hell is happy spending their life taking care of a bunch of dumb teenagers while earning a meager salary? It's not like we had a choice. What wealthy family would let their child end up as a teacher? Even illegitimate children are given better opportunities."

Her voice rang through the lavish living room.

And just then, Jade walked in.

Her sharp gaze locked onto Mrs. Shawn, her eyes narrowing as the weight of the conversation hit her.

There was disdain in this woman's voice. Disrespect.

And Jade wasn't the kind of person to just stand there and take it. Well, maybe she was in the past, but now she wasn't.

"Well, I'm actually glad to be a teacher," she said, her voice firm and unwavering.

The room fell silent.

"If you think it's such a shitty profession," she continued, crossing her arms, "then maybe you should change yours. Perhaps selling fish at the general market would suit you better."

A stunned silence followed.

Jade smirked. "Teaching is a noble profession, and you should learn to respect its nobility."

Mrs. Shawn's face turned scarlet with humiliation.

"You..!"

"Calm down, Lovett," her husband said, trying to pacify her. "Don't get yourself worked up."

He, too, had his own opinions about Jade's attitude, but he wasn't about to jump into a fight without first understanding the full picture.

But Mrs. Shawn wasn't having it.

"Calm down? Calm down?!" She turned to her husband, her voice rising. "Just listen to what she said! She told me to be a fishmonger!"

"Yes, and I stand by it," Jade said cheerfully, leaning against the doorframe. "Your attitude right now is perfectly suited for the marketplace."

Her grin widened. Making people mad is so fun.

Mrs. Thomas, who had been watching the exchange with mild amusement, finally spoke up.

"Jade is right," she said, her tone calm but her gaze sharp. "The market is just right for her."

She picked up her glass of juice and took a slow sip.

"After all, what normal mother questions another family's parenting methods?"

Jade let out a quiet laugh, side-eyeing her former mother.

Back in the day, they used to trash-talk other families together. It was their thing.

Until it wasn't.

Jade smirked. "She might actually be right to question your parenting, though. After all, aren't I talking back to my elders right now, and you're not stopping me?"

The room fell dead silent.

The Thomas family exchanged uncertain glances.

This wasn't like Jade.

She was lazy. She never wasted energy talking to people unless absolutely necessary.

Even when she had chosen to become a teacher, everyone had been shocked. She had done what they wanted but it had still came as a shock when she didn't even try to convince them so she could do something else.

"Why are you so active today?" the eldest son of the house finally spoke. He had been sitting in silence, casually observing the chaos. "Who riled you up?"

Jade shrugged, her eyes glinting mischievously.

"What? I'm leaving today anyway," she said with a smirk. "Might as well misbehave while I still have the chance."

She stretched lazily. "Now… where are my poor parents?"

The stunned expressions around the room only fueled her amusement.

"Enough," Mr. Thomas's deep voice cut through the tension, silencing everyone.

His sharp gaze landed on Jade. "You need to stop this nonsense. These are your parents. Show them the respect they deserve."

Jade rolled her eyes. Years ago, she had feared this man.

Now?

Not so much.

She crossed her arms and heard him say,

"I heard you agreed to sell the company to Reuben."

"Yes, I did," Jade replied, her voice laced with boredom. "Running a company is troublesome anyway. Might as well get rid of it."

Mr. Thomas nodded approvingly. "You made a wise choice."

Jade snickered. Of course, he thought so.

That company had almost killed her years ago.

And they had handed it to her knowing full well she would fail.

Mrs. Shawn, who had been silent for a moment, suddenly spoke up.

"From what I can see," she said, voice calculated, "you people don't seem to care much about Jade at all."

She narrowed her eyes. "And you seem to have known about the switch for a long time."

The atmosphere shifted.

Jade's breath caught.

Mrs. Shawn continued, voice sharp with realization.

"You used her as a shield, didn't you? You kept her here while protecting your real daughter."

Silence.

Then—

Jade's face paled.

The puzzle pieces started falling into place.

"Turns out I was right all along," she thought grimly.

"For years, I kept getting kidnapped so often, I started wondering if the president was my real father."

She swallowed hard.

And for the first time in a long time,

She felt truly sick.