New Year's Day—both Ethan Mason's birthday and mine.
Nora Simmons gave Ethan a high-end Patek Philippe, worth over six million.
"Thank you, Ms. Simmons," Ethan gushed. "I really love this birthday gift."
Nora's voice turned gentle. "Don't overwork yourself. Take care of your health. At the end of the month, I'm promoting you to vice president."
Then she turned to me, her expression going flat, and tossed a cheap gift box my way.
Inside was a pregnancy test.
"I'm pregnant," she said coldly. "You're going to be a dad. This birthday gift should make you very satisfied, right?"
"At the end of the month, you'll resign and hand the VP position to Ethan. From now on, you stay home and learn to be a full-time stay-at-home dad."
I let out a soft sigh.
Nora had probably been too busy to remember. Half a year ago, I'd been diagnosed with azoospermia. There was no way I could have gotten her pregnant.
——
I stared at that pregnancy test, grinding my teeth to dust.
Ethan kneaded Nora's shoulders, shooting me a provocative smirk. That look said it all: I'm the one who put this green hat on you, the Simmons family's live-in son-in-law. Even if you can't stand it, you'll swallow it anyway.
I took a deep breath, forcing down the urge to cut him into a thousand pieces.
"Is there something wrong with the test?" I asked Nora. "Are you really pregnant?"
"Can something like this be fake?" she said impatiently. "I'll go to the hospital later to confirm. Ethan will come with me. You—finish whatever work you have and prepare to resign."
Ethan turned to me with a fake smile. "VP Gilbert, I have a friend who's a stay-at-home dad. Lots of experience. Want me to introduce you? You could learn some baby care tips in advance."
As he spoke, he deliberately toyed with the Patek Philippe on his wrist. That thick, mocking smile stabbed at my nerves.
I clenched my fists. "Right now I'm still responsible for two key projects," I said, fighting to keep my voice steady. "All the preliminary work is done. If you pull me off now, the clients might have objections—"
Before I could finish, Nora slammed her palm on the desk. "Alex Gilbert, what's that supposed to mean? Are you reminding me the company can't function without you?"
Looking at her fury-twisted face, I sighed inwardly.
All these years, I'd worked like a dog at Simmons Corp—never complained, never slacked—all to protect Nora. After her parents died in that car accident, she'd trembled in my arms and sobbed that I was the only person she could rely on. From that moment, I'd put my life on the line for her.
Now Simmons Corp wasn't just surviving—it was thriving, and more than half of that was my doing. These two projects I was handling? They were critical, the key to the company's entire future transformation. I'd spent six months winning over the clients, breaking through every obstacle. Just as I was about to reap the rewards, Nora suddenly wanted Ethan to take over.
This was clearly swooping in to steal the fruit.
Ethan had joined the company six months ago. He'd been Nora's junior in college, so he became her assistant the moment he walked through the door. She treated him far too well—bringing him to banquets and events, claiming it was to broaden his horizons and connections so he could help the company make more money.
