She Thought I Was Her Weak Nanny Until I Became Her King

After the engagement, my fiance arranged for a child to be sent to me from overseas.

The delivery came with an email, too:

Ben, I was so bored overseas, and oops, I made a baby with Noah Becker. Since youve been so eager to lick my boots for years, consider this your reward.

Im leaving the kid with you. You can get some practice in before I come home. Then you can be our live-in nanny.

I didn't argue. I simply handed the child over to the housekeeper.

Seven years later, all the foreign CEOs were recalled to the States for annual reports.

Blair Harrington rolled up to the gates of the Caldwell estate in a black Maybach, an intimidating entourage in tow. She was blocking my way out.

She pulled a cigarette from her mouth, tilted her head, and slid her sunglasses down her nose. "Miss me so bad you were waiting by the gate?"

"Just so you know," she continued, "Noah and I got married overseas for the kids passport. You two will be like brothers now. He gets what you get."

"The Caldwells and the Harrisons are family, Ben. You don't care about a piece of paper, right?"

She blew a stream of smoke straight into my face, and the acrid smoke made my eyes water.

Wiping my tears, I backed away quickly.

Jamie's mothermy wife, Quinn Caldwellis incredibly possessive. She had repeatedly warned me to maintain distance from all younger female relatives.

If she saw her niece harassing her husband, the Caldwell estate would turn into a war zone.

Blair watched me retreat, then burst into a condescending laugh.

"Alright, drop the act. I know youre practically crying with excitement," she sneered.

"Im back. Theres no need for these silly games. As long as you keep me and Noah happy, the position of 'little Mr. Harrison' is still yours. Don't worry, it's not going anywhere."

The sheer arrogance of her statement almost made me laugh myself.

I wiped away the last of the tears and offered a slow, cold rebuttal.

"Blair Harrington, what makes you think I'm still obsessed with you?"

She took another drag and then exhaled a plume of smoke, looking at me as if I were a particularly slow child.

"We were engaged since we were twenty. Youve been wearing the Caldwell tag for years, and youve raised my son for me. Who else are you going to go with, Ben? Who would even have you?"

Hearing her, I was only grateful. Grateful that I had dumped this trash and moved on to a real marriage.

The last time we parted at the airport, she was holding me, teary-eyed and swearing, "Wenjing, give me five months. Ill make a name for myself and come back to marry you early."

Tragically, just eight months later, her and Noah's baby was delivered. They had been sleeping together all along.

Everyone in the city knew, and I was the last to find out.

The thought still makes me want to slap her.

I raised my hand.

"Daddy!"

Jamie suddenly popped up, arms outstretched, waiting for me to pick him up.

His mother was busy in a board meeting today, so he had to stick with me.

As I bent down, Jamie was violently yanked away.

"Who are you calling Daddy?! I'm your father!"

Noah Becker leaped out from behind Blair, face flushed with anger, and delivered two quick slaps to Jamies arm.

My eyes twitched with rage. I spun around and shoved him.

Before he even hit the ground, he was clinging to Blairs sleeve, his eyes red and theatrical.

"Blair, I just wanted the boy to call me Dad. If he refuses, fine. But why did Ben have to get physical?"

His shout instantly drew Blair's entire security detail.

They surrounded Jamie and me. Blair stood back, watching with cold eyes.

I pulled Jamie behind me and gritted out a question.

"Are you blind? Youre circling me for a hired hand? Do you even know who I am?"

"Enough!"

Blair raised a perfectly sculpted eyebrow, crushed the cigarette under her heel, and pointed at me.

"Ben Harrison, who gave you the guts to talk about Noah like that?"

"He is my husband, the boy's biological father. Not only are you blocking them from reuniting, but youre insulting him in public?"

I scoffed and shoved her hand away.

"A servant wants to be my sons father? Does he really think hes worthy?"

If I hadn't been kind enough to let him stay at the Caldwell place years ago, he would have starved.

The thanks I got was him crawling into my fiance's bed.

Blair was even more enraged. She forcibly snatched Jamie from my arms and shoved him into Noahs.

The courtyard echoed with Jamie's frantic cries: "Youre bad people! Go away!"

Seeing Jamies face bright red with tears and distress felt like a physical tearing in my chest.

Then, Noah suddenly dropped to his knees at my feet. He stroked the boy's cheek and burst into tears.

"Ben, even if you hate me, you can't poison the child against me. Jamie is so small, and he keeps calling you 'Daddy.' How could you abuse him behind our backs?!"

With that, he lifted the boy's shirt, revealing patchy, red marks on his back.

Blair's eyes went wide. The look she gave me shifted completely.

"Ben Harrison! I kindly gave you my son for practice, I trusted youand you beat him with a whip?"

"Did not getting me turn you into such a monster?"

The boy's back was covered in stripes that ran from top to bottom, terrifying in their shape.

Blair couldn't imagine the suffering her son had endured over the years.

But she didn't know.

Those were cupping marksa deep tissue massage done to relieve the fever.

A few days ago, Jamie had a high fever of 104 degrees because hed gotten cold. He has a sensitive constitution and cant be given strong medication. The doctor recommended only physical therapy.

Because of this fever, every nanny, housekeeper, and even the nutritional team who oversaw his care was given a formal warning by his mother and temporarily dismissed from the main house.

If Quinn knew the humiliation and suffering Jamie and I were enduring today a hundred Blairs wouldn't be enough to satisfy her rage.

Seeing my own security team start to close in from outside the gate, I gave up the pretense of negotiation. I pointed at the two sickening people.

"Take them! And give them a lesson on Caldwell house rules!"

Blairs face turned bright red with fury. While wrestling with the bodyguards, she didn't forget to yell at me.

"Ben Harrison, you maniac! Keep this up, and I swear I'll never take you back! Ill have you thrown out of the Caldwell estate this minute!"

I gave a cold laugh. "Try it."

These bodyguards were hand-picked by Jamie's mother. With them here, Jamie and I wouldn't be harmed.

Realizing they were losing ground and that the bodyguards were wary of the child in his arms, Noahs eyes darted around. He suddenly grabbed Jamie and threatened.

"Stop right now! Or I'll strangle him!"

Jamie struggled desperately in his grasp. His breathing grew shallow, and his face started to turn blue. Even his cries were fading.

I immediately pulled the pocket knife from my coat and plunged it toward Noahs arm.

Noah shrieked and instantly released his hold.

I lunged forward, quickly trying to restore the air to Jamie's lungs.

"Jamie, Jamie?"

"Don't be afraid. Daddy's here!"

Seeing the child convulsing and gasping for breath, I quickly pulled out his asthma rescue inhaler. Just as I was about to administer it, I was violently seized by the wounded Noah.

He went crazy, hitting and punching me.

"You dog! It's not enough that you abused my son, now you're trying to murder him in public!"

Blairs face was deathly pale. She screamed, "Ben Harrison! Don't you dare!"

But it was too late. The medication was already in Jamie's mouth.

Almost immediately, the childs convulsions and wheezing began to subside.

The two of them shut up, stunned.

But the child was over-stimulated and had passed out. He needed immediate IV fluids.

I ordered my bodyguards to restrain Blair and Noah, slung Jamie onto my back, and ran.

Blairs frantic, furious shouts exploded behind me:

"Ben Harrison, you've caused enough chaos! If you walk away now, you'll never be my man again!"

"No ones begging you!"

The woman let out a loud snicker. "You're all talk! If I don't want you, who would take a piece of rotten goods like you?"

Ignoring the mad dog, I gave my command to my men.

"To the main estate!"

I calculated the time.

Jamie's mother should be leading the Caldwell family in the ancestral rites right now.

As soon as the car stopped, I sent someone to notify her, then rushed the child into the on-site clinic.

Jamie had woken up at some point. His small hand was tightly clutching my coat, and he was trying to comfort me.

"I don't hurt, Daddy. Don't cry"

The more composed he was, the deeper the guilt and self-reproach cut into me.

If I hadn't brought him back to the Caldwell compound today, we would never have run into those two lunatics.

"Mr. Harrison, please don't worry. The young master he's under a lucky star!"

The doctor, terrified by Jamie's weak breathing, was stammering as he spoke.

Just as Jamie was being placed in a medical hyperbaric chamber, the clinic door was kicked open again.

Blair, supporting Noah, stormed in with her bodyguards.

Seeing me, a look of triumphant realization flashed across her face.

She looked at me with disdain. "Didn't you say you weren't begging for me? Yet you ran straight back to the main estate? How pathetic!"

Noah leaned on her shoulder, his eyes full of venom.

"Ben Harrison, you stole my child, stabbed me, and now you dare to cause trouble here at the main estate? Aren't you afraid of offending the Head of the Caldwells?"

"Everyone in the city knows that if you cross the Caldwell Matriarch, you won't even know how you died!"

After he spoke, Blair put him down, shooed the doctor out, and dragged me into a corner, her tone impatient.

"Ben Harrison, I'll spare you this one last time, purely out of charity for your past devotion to me. Now, get lost!"

Seeing her bully me, Jamie picked up a nearby water pitcher and hurled it at her.

Clang

Blair touched the blood on her forehead, her face dangerously dark. She lifted the child with one hand.

"Are you looking for a death wish?! Attacking your own mother!"

Seeing Jamies face turning purple again, I fought free, turned, and slapped her.

"Let go of my son!"

Noah's expression changed. He snatched the sterile cotton from the table and tried to gag me.

"Why are you screaming?! If you want to die, don't take us with you! Disrupting the ancestral ritesten of you wouldn't be enough to pay for it!"

His sudden surge of crazy strength knocked me to the floor.

Caught off guard, my mouth was stuffed full of cotton.

I couldnt worry about anything else. I immediately started fighting with Noah.

In the midst of the muffled grunts and shoves.

Blair watched me with wide, bewildered eyes.

"Ben Harrison, I only allowed you to look after my child because of the old family engagementyou were educated and presentable. But look at you now!"

"You're acting like a lunatic! The boy will go crazy if he stays with you. From today on, Noah and I will personally raise Jamie!"

The moment the words left her mouth, she let out a sharp cry of pain.

Jamie, seeing me being brutalized, was frantic. He mustered all his strength and sank his teeth deep into Blairs wrist.

He grew up by my side because of his asthma. He is closer to me than to his biological mother.

When he was four, he would swing his tiny fists to chase away stray cats and stand in front of me, his voice piping up:

"I'm here! Don't you dare bully my Daddy!"

Seeing Jamie shaking, yet still refusing to let go of her wrist, a raw, sharp pain tore through my heart.

I finally delivered a last kick that sent Noah sprawling. Just as I was about to grab the child back, Blair grabbed my hair and kicked me away.

"Ben Harrison! Youve trained my son into a little beast who doesn't recognize his own mother and father!"

"Don't hit my Daddy!"

Seeing me thrown to the ground, my forehead bleeding, Jamie screamed desperately. He prepared to bite her again.

Blair saw through him. She grabbed his jaw, looked toward Noah in the corner, and tightened her grip.

"You little animal! Open your eyes and look! Your real father is right there!"

"He is not my Daddy! You are bad people!"

Jamie strained his neck, his mouth torn and bloody, still trying to bite and tear at her.

Blair completely lost her patience. She slammed him onto the floor, the sharp heel of her shoe coming down hard on his chest. She laughed coldly.

"This boy has been totally ruined by Ben Harrison. He doesn't even recognize his own parents!"

"Fine! Fine! I'll teach you a lesson today on how to apologize to your mother and father!"

She applied pressure to her heel, grinding and pressing into the child's chest.

Jamies muffled cries of agony echoed in the room.

"Let go of him! You monster! You dont deserve to touch my son!"

I screamed hoarsely, scrambling desperately toward Jamie, my voice ragged with blood and tears.

"He's having an asthma attack! Can't you see he's fading?!"

"If anything happens to him, Blair Harrington, your entire family will pay!"

The woman laughed as if Id told a joke. She turned her head, glanced at me, then at the bloody and pathetic Noah.

A cold ferocity washed over her face.

"Asthma? Can't breathe?"

"He doesn't recognize me, so why should I care if he lives or dies? Even if I accidentally kill him today, its all your fault for raising him wrong!"

With that, she grabbed Jamies hair and forced him to kneel.

Poor Jamie could no longer even hold himself up on his knees. He couldnt even cry out for help.

I lunged toward Blair like a madman, wanting to tear her apart.

She kicked me hard, knocking me back down, then shoved my head toward Noah.

"Its your fault the child is ruined! Now, kowtow three times to Noah and apologize!"

I was held down, my head slammed violently against the floor.

Blood ran down my face, mixing with my tears. I stared at her, stubborn and silent.

My silence completely enraged Blair.

She pulled a steak knife from the fruit basket, flashed it in front of my eyes, and smiled with dark meaning.

"You stabbed Noah. By all rights, you should repay him! If you're smart, just apologize and beg..."

She leaned close to my face, her voice soft and tempting.

"I'll forget all the past incidents. Otherwise"

Before she could finish the sentence.

I opened my mouth and spat a mouthful of bloody foam right into her face.

Blair closed her eyes, then opened them again, her gaze completely overtaken by towering rage.

She slowly wiped her face, violently yanked my hair, and condescendingly patted my cheek.

"Don't blame me for being cruel. I gave you a chance, and you threw it away!"

She then looked down and kicked Jamie.

"Watch, this is the first lesson Mother is teaching you!"

"When a person is foolish, when they make mistakes, they have to pay the price!"

Jamie was startled awake by the pain.

His eyes snapped open and he saw the knife plunging toward my heart. His pupils constricted instantly.

"Daddy!"

I don't know where he found the strength. He struggled free from Blair's feet and darted, throwing himself in front of me.

"No!"

Thwack!

Hot blood sprayed like scattered petals, covering my face.

I stared blankly at Jamie.

My vision was filled with crimson. Tears mixed with blood poured down my cheeks. My heart was completely shredded.

Jamie trembled, his hand reaching slowly, haltingly, toward me. His voice was broken.

"J-Jamie doesn't hurt Daddy, don't cry"

The bloody little hand fell limply before it could touch my face.

Blairs eyes were bloodshot. She pulled out the knife and aimed for my heart again.

"You really did it! You let my son die for you!"

When the tip of the knife had pierced an inch into my chest.

A sudden gunshot erupted behind us.

"The Matriarch has arrived!"