Ignoring the stunned look on Christopher's face, Kylee snatched her phone back and went straight upstairs.
The next morning, when Kylee came downstairs, she found Tessa at the kitchen island, already preparing breakfast.
Christopher sat nearby, reading the morning business news while Liam circled him playfully. They looked like a picture-perfect family of three.
Of course, the lovely scene shattered the moment Kylee appeared.
"Oh, you're awake, Kylee?"A slight, saccharine smile played on Tessa's lips. "Don't mind me saying so, but what wife sleeps in until eight in the morning?"
She continued, "You should be getting up earlier to make breakfast for Christopher and Liam. It's a good thing I was here today, otherwise they would have gone hungry."
Kylee pulled out a chair and grabbed a slice of bread. "You're right. It is a good thing you're here, Tessa. With Christopher and me both so busy with work, we can't manage breakfast without a housekeeper."
Tessa's smile froze. What was wrong with this woman? Had she lost her mind? Why was she suddenly snapping back at every little thing?
"You're a mean woman! Why are you bullying Aunt Tessa? You don't deserve the breakfast she made!"
Sensing Tessa's distress, Liam rushed over, snatched the bread from Kylee's hand, and threw it on the floor. "I'll stomp on it!" he shrieked, grinding his shoe into the bread.
"I'll stomp it flat and throw it away so a mean woman like you can't eat it!"
Tessa gasped dramatically. "Liam, that's not polite! What did I teach you about wasting food?"
Liam retorted, "Our family has money! Who cares if we waste it? I can't let this mean woman bully you! Dad says a man has to protect the girls he cares about!"
"Oh, you are so sweet!" Tessa cooed, her smile full of doting affection.
Just then, Christopher folded his newspaper. "Are you full, Liam? If you're done, I will take you to kindergarten."
Throughout the entire exchange, he had remained silent, his inaction a clear endorsement of the insults Liam had hurled at Kylee.
"Wait," Kylee said, her voice devoid of emotion.
Christopher paused and turned to her.
A sharp crack echoed through the room.
Kylee had slapped him hard across the face.
"Christopher, I am so disappointed in you," she said, her voice trembling with rage. "Liam insulted me like that, and you didn't say a single word. Have you ever once given a damn about how he's being raised?"
"I—" Christopher's eyes widened. Kylee had actually dared to hit him.
Kylee held up a hand, cutting him off.
"A father who neglects his child's upbringing has no right to interfere. You've never cared about his education, so from now on, you will stay out of it. I will be handling Liam's education from now on. If you try to interfere, or let any outsiders stick their noses in," she shot a look at Tessa, "I won't hesitate to send Liam to a strict boarding school abroad for one-on-one tutoring with the best educators money can buy. Don't look at me like you want to kill me, Christopher. Don't forget, Liam has only one legal guardian. Me. Until he turns eighteen, I have the right to decide everything for him."
Back when they had first "adopted" the child, Christopher had insisted on registering Liam solely under her name.
The legal paperwork showed only two names: Kylee and Liam.
She had even asked him why his name wasn't on the documents.
Christopher had told her his family situation was complicated, and it wasn't good for him to have his own separate records at the time.
The family elders wouldn't allow him to adopt a child with no blood ties, so he had no choice but to place Liam under her name for the time being.
Fate, it seemed, had a soft spot for fools. She hadn't suspected a thing.
And now, by a twist of irony, that very deception had given her all the leverage she needed over both Christopher and Tessa.
She wondered if he regretted it now.
He had personally placed his and his mistress's son into the hands of his "enemy" as a hostage. The thought was almost laughable. If she were in his shoes, she'd be sick to her stomach.
"Kylee, you can't do this!" Tessa cried, shaking her head in disbelief. "Liam is only five years old! Sending him abroad... that's like sending him to his doom! Was all the kindness you showed him these past five years just an act?" Another sharp slap.
Kylee couldn't take it anymore.
She struck Tessa across the face. The rotten, manipulative hypocrite had been asking for it.
Before Tessa could even register the insult, tears were already streaming down Kylee's face.
"How can you say that, Tessa?" she sobbed. "Everyone in this house knows I've loved Liam like he was my own flesh and blood. If I can't educate him properly here, then sending him abroad for top-tier private tutoring is an opportunity most people would kill for. And in your eyes, that makes me a fraud?"
Tessa clutched her cheek. "You... you dared to hit me?"
A third slap, just as hard as the last.
"You constantly meddle in my family's affairs, Tessa. Don't you think you've earned it?" Kylee's voice was cold. "I don't have time to argue with you right now. I'm leaving. But when I get back, I expect all outsiders to be gone from my house."
With that, Kylee shook out her stinging hand, grabbed her purse, and strode away without a backward glance.
She didn't waste another look on the cheating pair. She had an appointment with her lawyer, Sean Carter, to finalize her inheritance transfer at the bank.
The moment the door closed, Tessa's fury erupted.
"Christopher, why did you just stand there? Our Liam is so young! You can't let that bitch send him abroad!"
Christopher stroked her hair, his voice a low promise. "Don't worry. I won't let her send Liam away. As long as I'm here, Kylee won't be able to bully you or our son."
Tessa pulled away, her eyes flashing. "She slapped me right in front of you! If she does it once, she'll do it again. Why didn't you stand up for me?"Christopher's expression hardened.
"Fine. Let's say I defended you and openly defied her. Then what? What about the company's accounts? The IPO? If I burn that bridge, are you prepared to fix our books? Are you going to be the one ringing the bell at the stock exchange?"
Hearing this, Tessa's face went pale. She didn't have that kind of power. She couldn't replace Kylee as the CFO of the Roberts Group.
Christopher placed his hands on her shoulders, his voice low and comforting. "Trust me. Kylee is still under my control. Just be patient a little longer."
