Chapter 2

"Stop!"

I lunged forward, but Sophia's heel had already come down.

Lucas screamed, his entire hand trembling beneath her shoe. I knocked her aside with my shoulder and pulled my son tightly into my arms.

"Mom, my hand hurts."

The back of his hand swelled quickly. Blood seeped from several red cuts.

I looked up at Sophia. "The lobby has cameras, and everyone here is a witness. You assaulted a child. You will pay for this."

"Are you trying to scare me?"

After regaining her balance, Sophia slapped me across the face.

"A poor woman who brought her bastard here to steal dares to threaten me?"

My ears rang.

Lucas rushed at her in tears. "Don't hit my mom!"

Sophia stepped on the blue gift box. Something inside cracked sharply.

Lucas went still.

It was a small glass sailboat he had bought after saving his allowance for three months. He said his father's hotel was beside the sea and the sailboat would look beautiful in his office.

Sophia ground her heel down twice. Clear shards slipped from the torn box.

"Kneel and admit you stole the bracelet," she said. "Then call me the lady of the hotel, and I may tell security to release you."

"I didn't steal it." Lucas shook his head through his tears. "You're not the lady of the hotel. My mom is Dad's wife."

The lobby fell silent.

Sophia's face darkened.

"Drag them away."

Four security guards surrounded us. I held Lucas behind me and shouted, "Before any of you touch us, state your names. I will get the security footage, the duty roster, and the witness list. I won't leave out a single one of you."

They slowed.

Sophia snapped, "I'll take responsibility. Confiscate her phone!"

Someone twisted my arms behind my back while someone else took my phone. They dragged Lucas and me through the staff corridor and threw us into a storage room.

Lucas held his injured hand against his chest. Broken glass clicked beneath his shoes. I looked at the cameras along the corridor and deliberately called out the time and Sophia's name. The manager followed us to the door and tried to make her stop, but one sentence from her—"Adam will protect me"—silenced him.

The door slammed behind us.

I pounded on it. "Lucas needs medical attention. Call the police now!"

Sophia laughed outside. "You can come out when you're willing to kneel."

The door opened again.

Sophia entered with two guards. "I almost forgot. Scammers rarely steal only one thing. Search them."

They took my wallet and room key, then searched Lucas.

He quietly pulled his left hand into his sleeve. I saw the children's smartwatch hidden there and said nothing.

Then a guard found a yellow epinephrine injector in his right pocket.

Sophia held out her hand. "What's this?"

"Give it back."

"It must be important."

She rolled it between her fingers.

I forced myself to stay calm. "Lucas has a severe tree-nut allergy. That's epinephrine. If he has a reaction, it can save his life."

Sophia watched my face, and her eyes brightened.

"It can save his life?"

"Yes. You can hate me, but this child has done nothing to you."

"But I like seeing you scared."

She gripped both ends of the injector and slowly applied pressure.

"No!"

Plastic snapped.

The yellow injector broke in two, and the medication dripped onto her red stiletto.