"Get out of bed! We're heading home!"

With that, Jacinda pushed me aside. Ignoring Benson's wails, she yanked the IV needle from his hand and dragged him off the hospital bed.

I couldn't bear to watch him suffer any longer and quickly told the truth. "He's not Timmy. He's Benny, your precious son! If you discharge him now and his wounds get infected, he could die!"

Jaden looked at Benson with clear malice in his eyes. He let out a deliberate scoff and said, "Vincent, I know you feel sorry for the kid, but there's no need to lie. I had the sitter take Benny to the amusement park early this morning, so how could this possibly be him?

"Forget it, Jacie. Every parent looks out for their own child. I suppose he thinks that Benny deserved to be scared so badly that he cried all night. Anyway, we won't be attending the birthday banquet tonight."

Jacinda shot me a contemptuous look and, without a second thought, yanked hard on Benson's arm as she headed out.

"Vincent Fuller, I can't believe you're still targeting Jay and Benny even at a time like this. You're beyond saving! How did I just come to realize how vicious you truly are?

"Timmy must have picked up on your terrible behavior! This time, I'm going to teach him a proper lesson so he stops bullying Benny at every turn!

"Stand still!"

Already in pain from being dragged, Benson was about to burst into loud sobs, but Jacinda's glare scared him into silence.

"Daddy…" He shot Jaden a pleading look and reached out, wanting to hold his hand.

Jaden gently took Benson's hand, but the very next second, he frowned and flung it away. "Ouch!"

He grumbled in displeasure, "Timmy, I know you don't like me, but you can't hide a needle in your hand just to stab me!"

Benson froze, stunned by the accusation. The next moment, Jacinda kicked him square in the stomach. The sharp heel of her shoe sent him crashing into the wall. He collapsed onto the floor, clutching his stomach and rolling around in agony.

His eyes were filled with confusion, as if he couldn't understand why his parents, who used to dote on him, were acting like this.

Jacinda looked down coldly at him wailing, her face expressionless. "You're crying? You don't get to cry here! When we get home, you're going straight to the basement to think about what you've done. You're not allowed to come out until you understand what you did wrong!"

With that, she grabbed Benson by the collar and went to handle the discharge procedures.

Benson was so terrified that he didn't dare to move. Even as the collar tightened around his neck and his face turned blue, he could only gasp for air, not daring to make another sound.

On the drive home, perhaps because the anesthetic had worn off, Benson couldn't stop crying out in pain, writhing in the seat as tears soaked through the bandages wrapped around him.

Jaden sighed and said in a fake, concerned tone, "Jacie, maybe we should take him back to the hospital. Even if he's faking it, he looks really pitiful."

Jacinda let out a cold snort. As Benson reached out toward her, she stepped on his hand and said with disgust, "He's faking it. Taking him back would just be a waste of medical resources. If it really hurts, maybe he'll finally learn his lesson!"

As she spoke, she deliberately ground her heel into the back of Benson's hand. Already red and swollen from the IV being pulled out, it quickly turned a bruised mess of black and blue. He looked really pitiful.

"Ahh! Daddy, save me! You bitch, I don't want you to be my mommy!" Benson screamed.

Jacinda's expression darkened instantly. She hauled him up and pinched hard on his wounds, her face twisted with rage. "Tell me! Who taught you to say that? Was it Vincent?"

Jaden immediately smiled and put an arm around Jacinda to comfort her. "Jacie, the kid is innocent. He's still young and doesn't know right from wrong. Don't blame him. But if Vincent has been whispering things like that in front of him all the time… could he be seeing someone else?"

"Shut up!" I had just started to rebuke him when Jacinda immediately shielded Jaden, her face full of fury.

"You've got some nerve, Vincent Fuller! I actually felt guilty toward you and Timmy before, but it turns out you were the one who betrayed me first!"

"Tell me! Who's the bitch?" Jacinda demanded.

Seeing her face twisted with jealousy, I sneered coldly inside.

Betrayal? She actually had the nerve to question me about betrayal? Wasn't she the one who deceived me into marriage to begin with? If Jaden hadn't come knocking on our door, I would never have known she had another family abroad!

I hadn't even settled the score with her yet, and here she was accusing me of cheating?

The mockery in my eyes was so obvious that Jacinda instinctively looked away. That was when she noticed that she had been unconsciously choking Benson. His face had turned purple, and he was struggling, unable to utter a single word.

Jacinda jerked her hand back as if shocked, then glared at me, saying through gritted teeth, "I'll deal with you later! No one is going to stop Benny from being publicly acknowledged today!

"I'm warning you, Vincent, if you try any more tricks, don't blame me for showing the Fuller family no mercy!"

Hearing her blatant threat, I was so angry I let out a bitter laugh. How did she even have the audacity to say that?

All these years, if not for the Fuller family backing her and investing in her company from behind the scenes, how could she ever become the president of a company and be praised by all?

Now that the company was on the right track, she was throwing her weight around in front of me? How ridiculous!

If I could lift her to where she stood today, I could just as easily pull her back down!

…

When we arrived home, the household staff immediately came forward to greet us attentively.

Jaden's eyes were naked with greed as he took in the huge villa.

"Please try to hold still…" the maids attempting to handle Benson said.

But Benson cried out in pain at the slightest touch, so the maids didn't dare lay a hand on him.

Seeing how Benson kept reaching out toward Jaden and calling him "Daddy", Jacinda shot me a mocking look. "Vincent, you're a failure of a father! Even Timmy trusts Jay after meeting him just once and reaches out to him for help. I really wonder what kind of a father you are!"

At her words, the uncertainty on Jaden's face instantly softened into tenderness.

He quickly helped Benson up and said with a smile, "It's nothing. I've just always been naturally good with kids! Vincent is a busy president, after all. It's understandable that he isn't close with Timmy. He's just occupied with work!"

"Hah! What could he possibly be busy with? It's just a tiny, worthless company—"

"Ow! That hurts! Let go of me!"

Before she could finish, Benson shrieked and pulled away from Jaden's grip before collapsing to the ground, crying in pain.

Jaden put on a wounded expression. "I-I didn't do anything! Where did Timmy learn to frame others at such a young age? It'd be disastrous if he grows up to be so vindictive!"

From where I stood, I had seen everything clearly. Jaden had deliberately pressed down on Benson's wound when he helped him up.

But Jacinda, oblivious to it all, suddenly turned and slapped me hard across the face. "Vincent! Is this how you've been raising him? As expected from a small, lowly family—you can't rise above your station!"

My cheek burned with pain. I looked at Jacinda indifferently, feeling as if something inside me had completely shattered.

Had Benson not decided to come over to play on a whim, I might never have seen her true colors.

Jacinda looked down at Benson and ordered the maids, "Take him and lock him up in the basement! No one is to bring him any food or water. He stays there until he learns what he did wrong."

One of the maids cautiously stepped forward to persuade her otherwise. "Mrs. Fuller, he's covered in wounds. The basement hasn't been used in ages, so it's full of dust. If his wounds get infected…"

Jacinda frowned and impatiently said, "He's faking it! Ignore him and do as I say!"

"Yes, ma'am."

The maids said nothing more and, ignoring Benson's struggles, tossed him into the basement.

"Ow! That hurts! Let me out!" Benson yelled, coughing.

I looked at the two smug faces in front of me and suddenly let out a snigger.

"What are you laughing at?" Jacinda looked at me, puzzled.

"Have you ever considered that he really is your precious son, Benson?"

Jacinda hesitated for a moment, but still refused to back down.

"That's impossible." Jacinda insisted.

Very well. I wanted to see for myself what their reaction would be when Timothy appeared at the birthday banquet completely unharmed. I wanted to see their faces when they realized the boy they had been tormenting so brutally was actually their precious son.

But hearing Benson's voice growing weaker, I thought of the filthy conditions in the basement and decided to give them one last chance.

"The basement is full of junk and trash. Are you really willing to let your son die?"

Jaden noticed the flicker of hesitation in Jacinda's eyes and put on a show, pretending to be reasonable.

"What Vincent said makes some sense. But if we don't teach Timmy a harsh enough lesson, he'll grow up completely ruined in the future! Honestly, all he has to do is admit his mistake. It's not like Jacie is some wicked stepmother. Of course she wouldn't truly want to harm him!"

Jacinda looked at him gratefully. She beckoned a maid over and said, "Here's what we'll do. Tell Timmy to write a three-page apology letter, admit his mistakes, and promise to get along with Benny from now on. Then we'll let it go."

Hearing such an outrageous demand, I laughed in disbelief. "A three-page apology letter? He barely knows a handful of words! You might as well just lock him in there until the end of time!"

A flash of embarrassment crossed Jacinda's face. She clicked her tongue impatiently and said, "Fine. If he's willing to properly ask Benny for forgiveness and transfer all the shares of Redmont Corporation under his name to Benny, he won't have to write the letter! I'm already being more than generous!"

Jaden's eyes lit up with excitement at these terms, and he looked at me with undisguised provocation.

I was stunned by Jacinda's shamelessness. Those shares had been given to Timothy at birth by her parents. It was partly to reassure me, and partly to strengthen the ties between Fuller Corporation and Redmont Corporation.

And now, she wanted to take them away with just a word? The audacity!

However… it wasn't entirely out of the question.

Remembering the message I had sent to my assistant earlier, I nodded and agreed to Jacinda's demand.

"Really? I'll call the lawyer right now!"

Watching Jacinda kiss Jaden excitedly, I felt no bitterness or pain. Those feelings had long been worn away by her repeated abuse of Benson.

I signed the contract without hesitation, and Jacinda immediately ordered the maids to release Benson from the basement.

When she saw his bandages were soaked through with blood and caked with dirt, she covered her nose in disgust and instructed the maids to force him to get on all fours.

Noticing my frown, she said self-righteously, "I'm just having him practice in advance so he knows how to properly ask for forgiveness later! He is to grovel to Benny like this at the banquet tonight!

"Anyway, I need to go and get ready now."

With that, she pocketed the phone she'd been recording with and turned away, not sparing another glance at Benson, who was sprawled out weakly on the floor.

Jaden looked at me triumphantly. "Thanks for the shares, Vincent. You'd better clean the kid up quickly. If anything really happens to him, it'll be too late! See you later!"

I laughed. "Jaden, has it ever crossed your mind that this boy keeps calling for you because he really is Benson?"

Jaden scoffed. "Don't be ridiculous. You think I wouldn't recognize my own son? Just you wait and see how you'll be utterly humiliated tonight!"

With that, he put his arm around Jacinda and they strode off.

…

After the banquet began, Jaden said anxiously to Jacinda, "Oh no, Jacie! I can't reach Benny! What if something's happened to him?"

At that moment, I walked onto the stage holding Timothy's hand and announced happily, "Everyone, welcome to Timothy's birthday celebration!"