Raised Enemy’s Daughter for Twelve Long Years

My wife, Elena Shaw, brought home a baby girl and told me she was the orphaned daughter of a distant cousin. She asked me to raise her as my own. However, I knew the truth — the girl’s biological father was the man who killed my father. I wanted to throw her out. Then, Elena showed me a single photograph. The moment I saw it, I accepted the child without another word. For twelve years, I washed her clothes, cooked her meals and sent her to an elite private school. I never scolded her, even when she pointed at me and called me a pathetic coward. Our relatives all said that I had lost my mind. Then, on her thirteenth birthday, Elena asked me to sign over my shares of the company. My mother fell to her knees and begged me not to sign, but I simply smiled and took out that same photograph. She looked at it only once before pressing her thumbprint onto the document herself. The entire room erupted into chaos. Chapter 1 “Damian, I’ll release this photo if you refuse to accept this child.” Elena slammed the picture onto the table. The baby in her arms was crying so hard that her little face had turned bright red. I stared at the photograph for three seconds. Then, my knees gave out and I dropped to the floor. The room fell silent. My mother rushed over and grabbed me. “Damian, what are you doing? Your father has only been gone for six months and she brings home a child with an unknown background? And you’re actually willing to accept her?” I did not look up. “Mom, she’s my daughter from now on.” My mother was momentarily startled. Elena smiled. She held the baby, walked over to me, and lightly tapped my knee with the tip of her shoe. “Did you hear that? Your son made his choice.” My mother trembled with anger. “Elena, what exactly did you show him?” “Just a photo.” She flipped the picture over and casually held it out toward my mother. The moment my mother was about to see it, I reached out and blocked her. “Don’t look.” My mother stared at me in disbelief. “What are you afraid of?” My throat tightened. “I said don’t look.” Elena’s smile grew wider. “Damian, I didn’t know you were such a devoted son.” The baby in her arms stopped crying and opened her eyes to look at me. Those eyes looked exactly like someone else’s. Zachary Quinn. He was the last person caught on the surveillance footage arguing with my father on the night of his fatal car accident. Also, he was Elena’s ex-boyfriend from college. My mother had clearly thought of the same thing. She suddenly turned toward Elena. “Is this child Zachary’s?” Elena did not deny it. She simply placed the baby into my arms. “You have three days. Complete the adoption paperwork.” I held the child. She was as soft as a warm ball of water. My mother raised her hand and slapped me. “Your father’s body hasn’t even been laid to rest and yet you’re willing to become the father of your enemy’s child?” My cheek burned with pain as I had not avoided the blow. Elena sat down on the sofa and spoke calmly. “Mrs. Lane, please don’t make it sound so terrible. “Zachary only had an argument with your husband. The car accident wasn’t something he caused.” My mother pointed at her. “Then why did he leave the country the very next day? Why have you been covering for him this entire time?” “Where’s your evidence?” Elena raised an eyebrow. “Without evidence, that’s just slander.” My mother was so furious her vision blurred. She had to hold onto the table to keep herself standing. I lowered my head and gently comforted the baby. “Stop arguing.” My mother looked at me as though she could not believe what she had heard. “What did you say?” I repeated myself. “Stop arguing. You’ll frighten the child.” At that moment, my mother’s eyes looked completely empty. Elena stood up in satisfaction and gently patted my head. “That’s more like it.” My mother stepped backward with tears in her eyes. “Damian, what happened to you?” I looked at the child in my arms and spoke softly. “Mom, Elena is right. “The child is innocent.” Elena laughed. However, my mother suddenly stared at the photograph beside me and lunged forward, trying to grab it. Elena was faster. She shoved the photo into her bag. “Want to see it?” She tilted her head. “After you see it, you’ll become just as obedient as your son.” My mother stood frozen. Elena picked up the child and turned toward the bedroom. When she reached the doorway, she stopped and turned back to look at me. “Damian, remember this. “From now on, her name is Stella Lane.” Chapter 2 The day the adoption papers were finalized, my mother smashed the Lane family’s ancestral heirloom. She said the Lane family did not have a son like me. I did not argue. Elena placed Stella in the crib and spoke in a soft voice, “Mrs. Lane is getting older. She’s also become more temperamental. “Try not to provoke her.” I nodded. “Okay.” Then she added, “You’re quitting your job and staying home to take care of the child starting tomorrow.” I continued nodding. “Okay.” My mother rushed out, still holding the broken pieces of the heirloom in her hands. “He is the heir of the Lane Corporation! You’re telling him to quit and stay home to raise some illegitimate child?” Elena’s expression turned cold. “Mrs. Lane, watch your words.” My mother rushed in front of me. “Damian, say something!” I was preparing the milk formula. The water temperature was 113°F, and seven level scoops of formula were to be poured. Stella had a weak stomach. The doctor said we could not make any mistakes. I shook the bottle until it was mixed properly before speaking. “Mom, don’t say that about her.” My mother was momentarily stunned. “Who are you defending?” “Stella.” “She’s not your child!” I looked at her. “Now she is.” My mother tried to slap me, but this time Elena stopped her. She grabbed my mother’s wrist. Then, she smiled faintly. “Hit him again and I’ll show you the photo.” My mother’s hand trembled. “What exactly are you using to threaten him?” Elena leaned closer to her ear. “If you want to know, look for yourself.” My mother did not dare to look at it. She hated me, but she was even more afraid of what I had become. That night, she packed her things and moved out. Before she left, she stood at the door. Her voice was hoarse and broken. “Damian, if you ever wake up, come home.” I held Stella in my arms and did not see her off. Elena leaned against my shoulder. Her voice was as sweet as honey. “Your mother doesn’t want you anymore.” I replied, “I still have you and Stella.” Satisfied, she kissed my cheek. “Good boy.” For the next twelve years, I truly was a good boy. When Stella was three, she spilled hot water onto the back of my hand. Elena said, “She’s just a child. Don’t frighten her.” As such, I hid the blistered burn beneath my sleeve. When Stella was six, she asked me, “Daddy, why does Grandma say I’m not your biological daughter?” Elena sat beside her, watching me. I knelt down and tied her shoelaces. “Grandma is old and confused.” Stella smiled and stepped on my foot. “Then you’re not allowed to see her anymore.” I nodded. “Okay.” The year she turned ten, Zachary returned to the country. Elena brought him home for dinner. Somehow, my mother found out and rushed to the door to stop them. “Zachary, how dare you come back?” Zachary wore a gray suit. On his wrist was the watch my father loved most when he was alive. The moment my mother saw it, she completely lost control. “That’s my husband’s watch!” Zachary smiled. “Mrs. Lane, please don’t claim things that don’t belong to you.” My mother lunged forward to take it, but the bodyguards pushed her to the ground. I wanted to go help her. Elena only called my name. “Damian.” I stopped. My mother lay on the ground. Blood trickled down from her temple. She looked at me. Her lips trembled. “You’re abandoning your own mother?” Stella ran out of the house and hugged Zachary’s leg. “Uncle Zach!” The way she called him sounded so affectionate. It was much more affectionate than when she called me Dad. Zachary picked her up and pinched her nose. “Stella has grown taller.” My mother stared at them. Then suddenly, she laughed. The laughter slowly turned into crying. “Damian, you really are your father’s good son.” I stood by the doorway. My fingers dug into my palm. Elena wrapped her arm around mine. “Your mother says hurtful things. Don’t take them to heart.” I lowered my voice. “I won’t.” When Zachary entered the house, he deliberately bumped into my shoulder. “Mr. Lane. No, I suppose I should call you Damian now.” He looked at the oil stains on my apron. His eyes were filled with mockery. “I heard you haven’t even gone to the company all these years?” I answered, “The family needed someone to take care of the home.” Zachary laughed. “Good. A man who puts his family first is doing the right thing.” Stella rested on his shoulder and stuck her tongue out at me. “Useless dad.” Everyone in the room laughed… Everyone except my mother, who sat by the doorway looking as though she had suddenly aged ten years. Elena looked at me. “Prepare dinner now. Zachary likes steamed fish.” I turned around and walked into the kitchen. As the knife sliced open the fish’s belly, I heard Zachary ask from the living room. “Does that photo still work?” Elena replied, “Of course.” Zachary asked again, “He still hasn’t suspected anything?” Elena laughed. “Do you really think he looks like someone with a brain?” The knife fell onto the cutting board. Thud. Elena walked to the kitchen doorway. “Damian, what did you just hear?” I turned around. “You said Mr. Quinn likes steamed fish.” She stared at me for a long moment, then she finally smiled. “Good boy.” Chapter 3 On Stella’s thirteenth birthday, Elena booked the most expensive hotel in the city. My mother came too. She refused to see me all these years. More than half of her hair had turned white. The moment she saw me kneeling on the floor, fixing Stella’s dress, her eyes instantly turned red. Stella kicked my hand away in disgust. “Don’t touch me. You’re dirty.” I pulled my hand back. “Okay.” The relatives nearby whispered among themselves. “Damian is completely ruined.” “His wife is raising her ex-boyfriend’s child, and yet he treats her like royalty.” “I heard it was all because of a single photo back then.” “What kind of photo could be that powerful? I’d like to see it too.” Elena heard them and raised her glass with a smile. “You’d like to see it?” The entire room went quiet. Slowly, she took the photograph out of her bag. Everyone took half a step back. No one dared to take it. My mother rushed in front of me and lowered her voice as she said, “Damian, don’t embarrass yourself again today. Come home with me.” I replied, “Mom, it’s Stella’s birthday today.” She grabbed my hand tightly. “Your father died under suspicious circumstances. Zachary is sitting at the main table, and yet you’re throwing a birthday party for his daughter?” Zachary was sitting in the seat of honor. Stella leaned against him, calling him Daddy. The moment my mother heard that, her body swayed. Elena walked over with a glass of wine. “Mrs. Lane, please don’t get so worked up.” She placed a document on the table. “Since you’re already here, it’ll save me a trip.” I saw the words on the cover. [Lane Corporation’s Share Transfer Agreement.] My mother saw it too. She suddenly looked up. “Have you lost your mind?” Elena pointed at me. “Let Damian transfer the shares under his name to Stella.” Zachary added, “She’s grown up. She needs some security for her future.” My mother grabbed the document and tried to tear it apart, but two bodyguards grabbed her shoulders and held her back. I stepped forward. “Don’t touch my mother.” Elena raised an eyebrow. “You care about her now?” She placed the photograph in front of me. “Then sign.” I picked up the pen. My mother struggled desperately. “Damian, if you sign this, your father’s entire life’s work will be destroyed!” Stella rolled her eyes. “Grandma, stop yelling. “You’ll have to rely on me to support you in the future anyway.” My mother was too furious to speak. Zachary smiled and patted Stella’s head. “Stella is such a good girl.” I lowered my head. The tip of the pen touched the paper. Just then, my mother broke free from the bodyguards and rushed over. She fell to her knees in front of me. She wrapped her arms around my legs. “Damian, Mom is begging you. “If you want to raise her, I’ll accept it. “If you want to stay with Elena, I’ll accept that too. “But you cannot give away the shares. Your father traded his life for them.” I looked at her. Her hands were ice cold. Elena spoke impatiently, “Mrs. Lane, why don’t you take a look at the photo too?” My mother looked up. “Let me see it.” My fingers froze. Elena smiled. “Are you sure?” My mother wiped away her tears and stared at her. “I want to see exactly what you did that turned my son into this.” Elena handed her the photograph. However, I grabbed it first. Everyone watched me. I flipped the photo over and handed it to my mother. She only glanced at it once. Her expression changed. It was not fear, but shock. Then, with trembling hands, she picked up the agreement and pressed her thumbprint onto the final page. The entire room erupted. My uncle was the first to rush over. “Sophia, have you gone crazy too?” My mother ignored him. She only looked at me. Her eyes were bloodshot. Elena frowned. “What did you show her?” I slipped the photo back into my pocket. “It’s the same photo you gave me all those years ago.” Elena stared at me. Zachary stood up as well. The smile disappeared from his face. Stella impatiently slapped the table. “Just sign already! I want to open my presents.” I picked up the pen and signed my name on the agreement. The guests erupted into chaos. My uncle grabbed me by the collar. “Damian, what exactly did you show your mother?” I looked at him and smiled. “Would you like to take a look at it?”