Who Is the Baby’s Mother

When Lilian, a company janitor, discovered an abandoned infant in the restroom, she took my daughter and me to court. In the courtroom, she had screamed in frustration and rage, “Gabrielle’s daughter is nothing but a cheap tramp! “She toyed with my son like a fallback guy. After that, she got pregnant, refused to take responsibility, and dumped that baby in a restroom like it was garbage. That was a living, breathing human being! “Those two women are cold, heartless monsters!” Lilian’s son, Raymond, looked like a pure-hearted lover who had been toyed with and said with teary eyes, “Trinity slept with anyone who gave her the time of day. I looked the other way while hoping she’d eventually be mature and settle down. “But who knew she’d be ruthless enough to kill her own baby?! She’s a monster!” The live broadcast of the trial immediately exploded with outrage. [These rich people are absolutely disgusting! How could they give birth and throw the baby in the trash like that?!] [That’s child abandonment! She belongs in prison!] There were plenty of harsh comments. However, everyone was completely stunned when I produced Trinity’s medical examination report. Chapter 1 I had just returned to work after the New Year holiday. Just as my car entered the basement garage, I received a call from my assistant, Brooke. “Ms. Hayes, the janitor, found an abandoned baby in the women’s restroom. It has passed away.” My heart sank. I hung up and rushed to the office. By the time I arrived at the scene, the police said, “The security cameras on this floor are all out of commission. It’ll be very difficult for us to find the culprit. “Our only option right now is to take the baby’s body back and run a DNA test.” I nodded and assured them that our company would fully cooperate with the investigation. Even so, I felt uneasy. I wondered inwardly, “Who in their right mind would give birth in a company bathroom?!” I had barely settled back into my office when Lilian, the janitor, pushed the door open without knocking. Her face was pale, but her gaze carried a creepy gleam. Assuming she was still in shock, I took the initiative and said, “I’m giving you two days off. Go home and decompress. You’ll still get paid.” She did not respond to that offer. Instead, she stared at me intently and said, “Ms. Hayes, I know whose baby it is.” I looked up and gestured for her to continue. She took a deep breath and deliberately said, “The baby was my grandson. He’s not even full-term yet...” Then, she added, “He was your grandchild, too.” I was stunned for a moment. A wave of absurdity rushed over me. “If you’ve been traumatized, the company can pay for you to go get therapy.” Instead of being upset, she approached me and whispered, “Don’t worry, I’m not trying to make a huge scene out of this. “But your daughter, Trinity, has been toying with my son like he’s just a fallback guy for two whole years. After that, she got pregnant, secretly gave birth, and just dumped that baby in a toilet to die.” Tears welled up in her eyes as she whispered more viciously, “My son gave her everything, but she treated our whole family like dirt. How could she end a life just like that?!” I stood there and listened to her slandering my daughter’s name. It was utterly ridiculous. When I remained silent, Lilian assumed I was feeling guilty. She took a moment, then said in a demanding tone, “I’ll be straight with you. Give me two million dollars, and I’ll consider it settled.” She stepped right up to me and almost spat in my face as she spoke. “If I make this public and let the entire internet see exactly how immoral wealthy folk such as yourself are, just imagine what netizens will say. “How much do you think your company’s stock will be worth after that? You’re a businesswoman. You know how to do the math.” It was so absurd that I almost wanted to laugh. I slowly stood up, walked to the door, and pulled it open. “If you want money, dream on. If you want to sue, go right ahead. “Now, get out of my office!” Lilian’s expression turned ashen. She gave me a fierce glare, shoved past me, and walked out. Chapter 2 I had anticipated that Lilian would stop at nothing for money, but I did not expect her to move so swiftly. That afternoon, she brought her son, Raymond, and stormed into the company, shouting, “You’re a ruthless boss! You let your daughter get away with murder! Give me back my grandson’s life! With tears in her eyes, she threw a tantrum in the office area and shouted dramatically. She wailed, “My poor son was such a fool! Trinity slept and toyed with him! “We bent over backward for her when she got pregnant, but we never thought that she would just give birth to the baby and dump him in the toilet!” Raymond stood beside her with his head hung low. He looked like a pitiful lover who had suffered grievance. I walked out upon hearing the commotion and caught snippets of my employees’ gossip. “So, that dead baby in the bathroom was actually Ms. Hayes’ daughter!” “She always seemed so proper and classy. How did she end up raising such a daughter?” When Lilian saw me, she pointed her finger and yelled, “Everyone look! The murderer’s mother has shown herself!” I could not be bothered to engage with her, so I said to the security guards who had arrived, “These two are disrupting office operations. Please escort them out.” The security guards stepped forward, forcibly hauled Lilian up from the floor, and shoved her out of the building. I thought the matter had finally died down, but Brooke called me again that evening. “Ms. Hayes, the video of Lilian and her son causing that scene at the office this afternoon got posted online! It’s gone viral!” I quickly logged onto social media to check it out. It had already taken the top spot on the trending list. The headline was glaring. [Summit Corporation Executive Accused of Covering Up Daughter’s Toilet Baby Dump!] Overnight, Trinity and I became the entire internet’s number one public enemy. Abandoning an infant was already a crime. Leaving the baby to die in the restroom instantly sparked massive public outrage. Because of the immense public attention, the case was quickly filed for prosecution. The court decided to hold a public trial and broadcast the entire proceeding live. When I walked into the courtroom, the number of viewers in the livestream shot up rapidly. Netizens who watched it left many comments. [How could anyone be so heartless? She carried that baby for nine months and just threw it in a toilet!] [She could’ve at least surrendered the baby at a fire station or a hospital! Dumping a newborn in a restroom is pure evil! Just let her rot in prison!] The judge struck the gavel, and the trial commenced. The plaintiff’s attorney, David Roberts, stood up first. “Your Honor, I’d like my client to testify as to the events.” Lilian looked absolutely devastated and furious as she said, “With her mother’s money, Trinity treated my son like her personal doormat. She played with his feelings and slept with him. When she got bored, she tried to toss him aside like yesterday’s trash! “When we found out she was pregnant, I thought she might settle down and do the right thing. But who could’ve expected her to be so vile and ruthless?! She abandoned that baby in a toilet and just let it die!” At that point, she was crying uncontrollably. “That’s my own grandson! He’s a living person!” The comments hurling insults at Trinity increased tremendously. [Are you kidding me?! Is she even human?! Trinity belongs in hell for this!] [Even wild animals wouldn’t eat their own babies! Trinity is worse than an animal!] [Her mother is no better. You know, the apple doesn’t fall far from the rotten tree.] Upon seeing that, Raymond began to sob, too. “I’ve always loved Trinity wholeheartedly. I put up with her when she flirted and slept with other men. “She could do whatever she wanted to me, but how could she kill our baby?” He stared into the camera with his teary, aggrieved eyes. “She could treat me like dirt all she wanted, but that baby was innocent!” I stood at the defense table, dumbfounded. I watched the mother-and-son duo play off each other as they dragged Trinity’s name through the mud. It was both absurd and cruel. It was outright slander. “This is straight-up slander! “My daughter would never do something like that.” David saw my firm stance and smiled dismissively. “Your Honor, we’d like to introduce our first piece of evidence.” Chapter 3 After receiving permission, David projected a surveillance video onto the large screen. The footage showed Lilian and a young woman inside an elevator on the morning when the abandoned infant was discovered at the company. In the frame, Lilian looked at the woman and said worriedly, “Trinity, why didn’t you give me a heads-up before coming to the office today?” The woman, who was visibly pregnant, said arrogantly, “Do I really need to check in with a janitor just to visit my own mother’s company?” Lilian laughed awkwardly and said, “That’s not what I meant. You’re so far along now. If you’d just let me know, I could’ve had Raymond come keep you company, you know?” The woman did not bother to respond and simply got off the elevator first on her own. The video ended there. The barrage of comments instantly knew what was going on, and the harsh comments grew even more intense. [The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. Look at that attitude! Is that how you talk to an elder?!] [All that fancy dressing, but she behaves like absolute garbage!] [That’s the smoking gun right here. Look at these two venomous witches still trying to weasel their way out of it!] Lilian seized the moment and said, “That day, I thought she was just stopping by for a visit. After we got off the elevator, I went about my own business. “If I’d known she was there to abandon my grandchild, I would’ve followed her every step of the way, no matter what!” Faced with the flood of harsh comments in the livestream, I clenched my fists. “On what grounds are you all so certain that the woman in that video is my daughter? That clip hasn’t even been verified as real or fake yet!” David seemed to have been waiting for that moment. “Oh, that’s not all we’ve got! “After our forensic analysts ran a facial comparison, the woman in that footage has an eighty percent facial match with Trinity!” The comparison images were displayed on the screen. At first glance, that face did indeed look very much like Trinity. However, I knew my own daughter too well. “No way! That person is not my daughter at all! “On top of that, she could never have gotten pregnant with Raymond’s child!” David frowned and said, “Looks like you won’t give up until you’re staring down the barrel of the truth.” He then turned to the judge and stated, “Your Honor, we’d like to submit our second exhibit.” On the large screen, a PowerPoint presentation slid through, page after page. The slides showed videos and photos of Raymond accompanying a young woman to prenatal checkups over the past eight or nine months. On the examination reports, the patient’s name was clearly written: Trinity Zachary. By the time the PowerPoint reached its end, Lilian was already in tears. “Look at all of this, everyone! Trinity went to every single prenatal checkup, and my son was right there with her. He attended to her every need even more devotedly than he had ever cared for me! “What did she do in return? She gave birth and abandoned that baby in a toilet!” She said to me furiously, “Gabrielle here is just stonewalling and refusing to admit it! This old hag is ruthless, and the daughter she raised is even more vile!” Raymond wiped his tears and chimed in, “Ms. Hayes, I know you look down on me. You think I’m broke and worthless. “But that baby was innocent! How could you be so heartless...” The netizens bombarded the livestream with another round of comments. [Are these two even human?! Trinity should rot in hell!] [Even wild animals don’t eat their own babies. This woman is ten times worse than an animal! Just arrest her already!] [Gabrielle, how could you have the nerve to stand there? You raised a killer! You should be on trial right alongside her!] The comments were harsh. I stood at the defense table. My ears buzzed from being overwhelmed, and I felt a heavy, burning tightness in my chest. Ever since childhood, Trinity had always been kind. She would crouch down to feed every stray cat she saw. That same kind girl was being criticized by millions of netizens online. “You all keep saying my daughter toyed with Raymond’s feelings and abandoned a baby. So, let me ask you this, have any of you actually met my daughter in person? “Because if you had ever really seen her, you would never say any of that!” Lilian stubbornly retorted, “She was carrying my son’s child! Of course, we’ve seen her! How could we not?!” The comment section unleashed another wave of attacks. [What, is her daughter actually a man or something? Because that’s the only way ‘seeing her’ would change anyone’s mind. What nonsense!] [The mother is just as bad as the daughter because she raised her!] I clenched my fists until my knuckles turned white. "I told you already! My daughter could never abandon a baby!" Lilian raised her voice and responded, "Fine! Since you still won’t admit it, I’m bringing out the third piece of evidence! "Let’s see how long you can keep up this stubborn act!" Chapter 4 David immediately presented the third piece of evidence. “Your Honor, this is the forensic DNA analysis performed on the infant, Trinity Zachery, and Raymond Wilson.” David declared loudly, “The findings confirm a biological parent-child match between the infant and each of the two named individuals.” The report left everyone stunned. The comment section went completely berserk. [The DNA test already confirms it! Let’s see how she keeps up the act now!] Lilian looked at me with teary eyes and asked, “Gabrielle, what do you have to say for yourself now?! “The evidence is right here! There’s no way you can weasel your way out of this now.” I took a deep breath and spoke in a voice so calm that even I was surprised. “I’m not accepting this DNA report either. “My daughter and that dead baby are absolutely not related by blood.” The netizens became even more furious. [Is this woman out of her mind? Is she serious about denying DNA evidence?!] [She’s still grasping at straws. This is just pathetic and disgusting!] [What a touching mother-daughter bond. Let them rot in prison together for life!] Lilian screamed and lunged forward, but she was stopped by the bailiffs. “You lying snake! This is scientific proof in black and white, and you still have the nerve to deny it?! “Raymond pulled that hair from your daughter’s head with his bare hands!” Raymond nodded. “That’s right! Trinity was carrying my child! I tolerated her sleeping around with other men outside while hoping that the pregnancy would make her settle down. “But who knew she would be that cold-blooded? She gave birth and abandoned the baby in the toilet like garbage! I swear she’s going to pay for this! “As for that test report? We did it with the police right there supervising us. There’s no way anything could be wrong with it!” The comments came in fresh waves. [Did she damage her brain or something? The evidence is right there, and she’s still sticking to her act. They are beyond saving!] [That old hag won’t admit defeat until she’s staring down the barrel. Just convict her for aiding and abetting and throw her in prison with her daughter already!] The comments were overwhelmingly biased. Lilian looked at me with teary eyes, but her gaze betrayed a trace of smugness. She probably believed that victory was already within her grasp. So, she simply let David continue speaking. David cleared his throat and said, “Your Honor, the defendants’ actions on child abandonment and obstruction of justice are clearly established facts. They must be held accountable under the law. “In addition, my clients are seeking two million dollars in compensatory damages for the severe emotional distress they have suffered.” The netizens agreed as well. [Lilian and Raymond are way too nice. They are only asking for two million dollars. If it were me, I’d go for everything she’s got.] [Here’s my take: a life for a life. That’s the only justice that makes sense.] I could catch a glimpse of a smile on Lilian’s face as she looked at me and said, “See that, Gabrielle? The people have spoken. They see right through you. You and your daughter are finally going to get what you deserve.” I did not respond to her. Instead, I looked at the judge and stated, “Your Honor, I categorically deny every single accusation the plaintiffs have made against my daughter and me. “My daughter was never involved with Raymond. She absolutely could not have gotten pregnant and abandoned a baby.” The entire courtroom erupted in uproar. Lilian was so furious that she charged toward my side. After she was stopped, she screamed at the top of her lungs. “The evidence is right there in your face! Your daughter was carrying my son’s child! “How much longer are you two going to keep lying through your teeth?!” I ignored her. I just shot a look at my attorney, who had just hurried over. He nodded in response before pulling out a document from his folder and handing it to me. I turned to the judge and said, “Your Honor, may I submit my daughter’s medical records as evidence for the public to see?” The judge nodded in approval. I held the examination report up to the camera. The moment the entire internet saw the results of that report, everyone gasped in shock.