Part 2The Billionaire's Heir and the Forgotten Girl

I simply stayed in the guardhouse.

I had almost finished all my homework by the time the storm stopped.

The security guard, Mr. Lee, even shared his dinner with me—a basket of delicious steamed buns.

After thanking him, I walked back to the apartment I rented with my mom.

I did a quick mop of the floor and read "The Magic School Bus" before my mom finally came home.

The bedroom door was pushed open, and my mom peeked half her body in with a beaming smile: "Baby, why aren't you asleep yet?"

My eyes immediately zeroed in on her other arm, which she was hiding behind the door.

"Mom! You hurt your left hand?"

She scratched her head: "You've got sharp eyes, kid. 20/20 vision, I see."

I asked her what happened.

"Something fell on it at work," she sighed. "It's fine now, but I can't use my left hand for a couple of weeks."

"Can you rest at home for these two weeks?" I asked tentatively.

"What kind of capitalist has that kind of heart? Give you a few weeks off, do you still want to keep your job?"

I lowered my eyes, feeling a bit upset.

"Ta-da! Look what I have here!" My mom suddenly raised her voice and quickly brought out a roast duck and a can of beer she had been hiding behind her back to distract me. "This is a gift from my stingy boss."

"Were you planning to eat it all by yourself?" I asked quietly.

She scratched her cheek: "Am I that kind of person?"

I had to help her recall the times after I fell asleep when she hid in the living room drinking boba, eating BBQ, and watching TV shows...

Under the dim light, we shared the roast duck.

I suddenly remembered seeing Leo's dad today, so I asked softly, "Mom, what kind of person was my dad?"

I knew my mom didn't like talking about my dad.

But after a moment of silence, she actually started telling me:

He had a bad temper, spent all his time working, and only knew how to solve problems by throwing a black Amex card at them...

"What did he look like? Were his hands big?"

"Pretty big, and he was quite tall." My mom burst out laughing. "Why are you asking this?"

I wanted to hear more, but my mom's voice went flat: "Kid, knowing this won't do you any good. He's already dead."

I could only look at her eagerly and ask one last question: "Did my dad love me when he was alive?"

She stroked my head and said softly, "Go to sleep, baby."

I don't know why, but I felt like she looked sad even while smiling.

The next day, I got to school early and started writing the essay I hadn't finished the day before.

When I handed it in, Mr. Davis actually used mine as a model essay and read it out loud in front of the whole class.

My Father

My father often keeps a straight face, always looking unhappy.

My father is always very busy and has no time to take care of me, but I know he is always by my side.

My father is the best father in the world. Whenever it rains, he drops all his work to come pick me up from school.

His hands are so big, just like his big black umbrella, able to shield my mom and me from all the storms in the world...

After school, Leo found me, his face burning with anger:

"You thief! You clearly wrote about my dad."

He reached out to push me. I quickly ran back, but he caught up instantly, pinning me against the wall at the back of the classroom, yelling fiercely: "Thief!"

I suddenly got angry and shoved him hard.

Actually, I was already taller and stronger than him. He fell to the ground, his face instantly turning black, and started cursing at me.

I had never heard such vicious words before!

Old grudges and new resentments piled up. Not only did I not let him go, but I sat on him, throwing a punch for every curse word he spat.

By the time I snapped out of it, Ms. Evans had already rushed into the classroom.

She screamed, pulled me off Leo, and held him close, comforting him for a long time.

Leo pretended to cry for a bit, then said dramatically: "Ms. Evans, my dad entrusted me to you. I've always thought of you as a mom. I only have you, boo hoo hoo."

Ms. Evans turned her head and glared at me fiercely: "Audrey! Right now, immediately, call your mother to come to the school!"