"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!"