The Child They Called a Burden

Seven years after leaving the country, I returned home with my five-year-old son. The moment my stepsister saw me, her eyes filled with contempt. "I always wondered what you were doing overseas. Turns out you were out there sleeping your way around for money. And now you've come back with a kid in tow." I was about to fire back when my stepmother cut in, looking smug. "You came back because you heard Victoria is about to marry the CEO of Sinclair Group, didn't you? Hah! You used to throw yourself at Elliot. It's a good thing Elliot wasn't blind and knew to choose Victoria instead." She let out a cold snort. "Take your bastard child and get out of my sight. Otherwise, you'll be sorry if you're still here when the Sinclairs arrive." I glanced at the five-year-old boy holding my hand and smiled. Elliot? Please. The guy would be grovelling on his knees the second he met my son. Chapter 1 The Wrong Family to Offend When I didn't move, my stepmother, Evelyn Parker, suddenly shoved my son, Theo. Her face twisted with disgust. "What, are you deaf, just like your mother? Get out already." Theo stumbled from the force of the push. I immediately scooped him into my arms. "Is that it? Your own daughter is a bastard, so you assume everyone else's child is too?" Victoria Hart finally processed what I'd said. She pointed at me and shrieked. "Chloe! How dare you insult me! I'll teach you a lesson!" She lunged for my hair, but I sidestepped her and kicked her to the floor. "A maid who slept her way into the family has no right to talk. The child she has is the real bastard here." "You…" Evelyn's face turned red with rage. "You really are a piece of work. No wonder your mother couldn't teach you any manners. You're the one sleeping around. Yet, you're still here trying to play the victim." She yanked a stack of photos from her purse and threw them at my face. "I had someone keep an eye on you years ago. Weren't you selling your body overseas all this time? You probably don't even know who that bastard's father is." I glanced down at the photos. They showed me getting into cars with different men. What Evelyn didn't know was that those men were Julian Sinclair's bodyguards and assistants. And that Julian was the eldest grandson of the Sinclair family's main bloodline. For generations, the main branch of the Sinclair family had controlled the family's global business empire, while the collateral branches handled domestic operations. Evelyn and Victoria had no idea that the people they were so desperate to attach themselves to were nothing more than a minor branch of the family. Evelyn's smile widened when she saw me falling silent. "What do you think will happen when your father gets home and sees these? Think he'll beat a shameless disgrace like you to death?" I let out a cold laugh. "If you went through all that trouble investigating me, why didn't you find out who those men actually were?" I shoved past them. "I came back today for my mother's belongings. I couldn't care less for the scraps you're fighting over." "What belongings?" Evelyn stepped in front of me. "Your mother has been dead for years. Everything she left behind was thrown out long ago. Everything in the Hart family belongs to Victoria now." Victoria crossed her arms and glared at me. "Exactly. Don't think bringing a kid back with you means you get a share of the Hart family's fortune. Dad already decided that once I marry Elliot, everything in the Hart family will be mine. And you? You're nothing but abandoned trash." Nicholas? He'd only gotten where he was by marrying into the Hart family. What gave him the right to make a decision like that? Still, I wasn't interested in arguing with them. I had to retrieve my mother's belongings. There was something inside them that was far too important. When they saw me continuing toward the room, Victoria grabbed a fistful of my hair and yanked me backward. "How many times do I have to say it? This is the Hart family. You don't have the right to step foot in here anymore." Theo wasn't about to stand there and watch me being pushed around. So, he rushed forward and sank his teeth into her hand. "You can't bully my mommy!" Victoria cried out in pain. "You little bastard! How dare you bite me!" She immediately reached for Theo. I shoved her away and growled, "Victoria, listen carefully. Theo is a Sinclair. Even members of the Sinclair family have to show him respect. He's not someone you can afford to offend." Julian had been born when the head of the Sinclair family's main bloodline was already well into old age. As a result, Julian outranked him by three generations within the family even though they were about the same age. This also meant that Theo outranked Elliot by miles in terms of family hierarchy. Julian himself was hosting today's engagement ceremony. As for Victoria? I doubted she'd ever make it through the doors of the Sinclair family now. Chapter 2 The Missing Heirloom Evelyn burst out laughing upon hearing my words. "Oh, please. A Sinclair? You have a kid with some random man, and now you're claiming he's part of the Sinclair family? That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard." Victoria's face flushed red with anger. "Today's my engagement day with Elliot. You came back because you found out about it, didn't you? You're doing all of this just to ruin my big day. When Elliot and I have a child, they will be the real Sinclair heir." She immediately pulled out her phone and called Elliot, deliberately putting him on speaker. The moment he answered, she put on a sweet, pitiful voice. "Elliot, when are you getting here? Chloe's gone crazy. She brought some little bastard home and is claiming he's yours. I think she's completely delusional—" Before she could finish, I shouted into the phone, "My son's name is Theo Sinclair. He's a member of your family. If you've got a problem with that, you'd better come here and say it to my face. I'll be waiting." The line went silent for a few seconds before Elliot let out a mocking laugh. "A member of the Sinclair family? Chloe, it's been seven years, and you're still obsessed with me? What's this? You had a kid with some random man, and now you're trying to pass him off as mine? A shameless woman like you isn't someone I'd ever marry, so give it up." He was an idiot. Back then, he was like a gum under my shoe after he found out I was the eldest daughter of the Hart family. Then, Evelyn convinced him that Victoria would be the one inheriting the Hart family, and he immediately switched sides and started fawning over her instead. I had never been particularly interested in him to begin with. Yet, he and Victoria spread rumors everywhere, claiming I was trying to marry into the Sinclair family and steal the Hart family's fortune. In the end, I had been forced to leave the country for further studies and stayed away for seven years. I snapped back to the present and hissed coldly, "Marry me? You're not worthy." Still, I immediately took advantage of their momentary distraction to hurry Victoria and Evelyn with Theo in my arms. All I needed was the jade pendant my mother had left me. However, I froze the moment I entered my old room. Everything was gone. The room had been completely emptied and converted into Victoria's walk-in closet. Victoria finally came to her senses and stormed in after me. Then, she pointed at the security guards by the door and screeched, "What are you people doing? How did you let her get in here? Throw her and that brat out right now!" I looked around the room, trembling with rage. "Who permitted you to touch my things? Where's the safe that held my mother's belongings?" Evelyn curled her lip in disdain. "Why would we keep a room for someone who was kicked out of the family? Everything that was in here belonged in a landfill." The words hit me like a punch to the chest. That emerald pendant was the only thing my mother had left behind. I clutched Theo tightly as I shouted, "That's impossible. Dad promised me he'd keep it safe." "Dad?" Victoria sneered. "You really think you're important? You're old news. As far as he's concerned, I'm his only daughter now. Whatever I say goes." Then, she turned toward the guards again. "Are you deaf? I said throw them out." The guards immediately closed in. Theo wrapped his arms around my neck. "Mommy, can we go?" His eyes were filled with fear and uncertainty. He was only five years old. He shouldn't have had to endure this kind of malice. Just then, the roar of engines sounded outside. Several limited-edition Rolls-Royces pulled into the driveway. The moment Victoria saw them, her expression changed completely. She hurried downstairs, excitement written all over her face. "Dad's here! And Elliot too!" Chapter 3 Forced to Kneel Victoria hurriedly straightened her hair and smoothed out her dress before turning to glare at me viciously. "You actually brought your bastard here and expect us to believe he's a Sinclair? Just wait until Elliot gets here. I'm going to make you and that little bastard kneel and apologize." I didn't even flinch as I held Theo in my arms. Instead, I calmly stood on the second floor and looked down through the railing. Elliot, who was dressed in a custom-tailored suit, certainly looked like a successful businessman. Still, he was nothing compared to Julian. Downstairs, Elliot frowned. "Where is she?" "Up there!" Victoria pointed at us. "Elliot, look. That little bastard doesn't look anything like you. Chloe is a liar." Elliot looked up at me. For a brief moment, surprise flashed across his face. Then, it turned into contempt and disdain. "Chloe, you've really lost all sense of shame. To think you'd make up a lie like this just to get my attention. I don't mind you becoming my mistress, but that kid has to go. I don't need people talking." Victoria's expression immediately darkened. "Elliot, what is that supposed to mean?" Elliot pulled her into his arms with a smarmy grin on his lips. "Relax, Vicky. I'm joking. I just want her to give up. The only person who deserves to be my wife is you." I sneered inwardly as I watched them parade away. One was the daughter of a man who had married into the Hart family. The other belonged to a minor Sinclair branch. Somehow, they both acted like they owned the place. They truly deserved each other. Evelyn looked at me mockingly. "See that? The Sinclair family is way out of your league." I ignored her as I lowered my head and called the police. "I'd like to report a theft. Someone stole my family heirloom. It's an emerald pendant worth 100 million." No one had expected me to call the police. Every head turned toward me. Nicholas recovered first. He slapped the phone from my hand and roared, "So, you've decided to extort us for money when you couldn't fool us?" I had thought that he still cared about me a little, at least for my mother's sake. I had been wrong. He really had chosen the scheming maid and her daughter over me. I stared straight at him and enunciated clearly, "Hand over the emerald pendant my mother left me." Nicholas immediately started stammering, "W-What jade pendant? Your mother never left you anything. Everything the Hart family owns has nothing to do with you anymore. "You're the one who's been out there doing disgraceful things and dragging the Hart family name through the mud." The more he spoke, the more agitated he became. "It's good that you came back today. Sign the disownment agreement right now." With that, he slapped the document across my face. Theo jumped in fright and burst into tears. Nicholas looked at him with disgust. "Shut him up. He's driving me crazy." That was the last straw. He wanted to sever our relationship? Fine with me. I didn't even hesitate to scrawl my signature over the damned papers. "Nicholas, remember. You chose this." Victoria practically bounced with excitement. "Hmph! Let's see what right you have now to compete with me for shares in Hart Group. I'm the only heiress to the company now." I laughed coldly to myself. So, that was her real goal. Just then, my eyes landed on an exquisite box sitting on the engagement gift table in the hall. I rushed over and threw it open. Sure enough, my mother's emerald pendant was staring right back at me. Victoria immediately snatched it away. "This is part of the Hart family's engagement gift to me. If it belongs to the Hart family, then that means it belongs to me." Using my mother's keepsake as an engagement gift? How dare they? I pointed at the pendant. "My mother's name is engraved on it." Victoria couldn't have cared less. "So what? Your mother married into the Hart family. That makes it ours. And now it's mine." My whole body trembled with anger. Just as I stepped forward to take it back, Elliot shoved me to the floor. He clicked his tongue and let out a cold snort. "What, you still think you're the Hart family's heiress? You've been gone so long that everyone assumed you were dead in a ditch somewhere. Be smart and get on your knees." Victoria glanced down at me smugly. "Elliot, I want both her and her bastard on their knees. I want that little bastard to remember for the rest of his life exactly how lowly he is." A chill ran through me. I immediately shouted, "Even Edward Sinclair would greet Theo with respect. What makes you think you can—" Before I could finish, Elliot slapped me across the face. "And who gave you permission to say my father's name?" I opened my mouth to argue, but another slap crashed into my cheek. "How dare you talk back at me!" Theo promptly burst into tears. He ran at Elliot, pounding his tiny fists against him. "My daddy won't let you get away with this!" Elliot showed no mercy as he sent Theo flying a few feet across the floor with just a kick. "You think you can pretend to be my son? Look at yourself." When I saw Theo crying in pain, I immediately scrambled over and wrapped him tightly in my arms. Victoria waved a hand. Several bodyguards immediately surrounded us, pinning down our shoulders and forcing us onto our knees as they pulled our heads up by our hair. A vicious smile spread across her face. "I want them on their knees and begging for my forgiveness. What are you waiting for? Make them grovel before me!" Just then, Julian's furious roar thundered in from outside. "You've got some nerve. Who gave you the right to force them to their knees?" Behind him stood several members of the Sinclair family, their faces pale with terror.