The Mistress Who Stole My Family Lost Everything

I caught my cheating boyfriend, Ethan Reed, red-handed. At lunch, he dumped me and said, “My new girlfriend is about to buy me a luxury car. If you get on your knees and lick my shoes, I might keep you around as a backup.” Then he showed me a picture of his new girlfriend. I didn’t say a word. Because the woman in the red dress was my father’s mistress. She was also the woman who had been keeping my boyfriend. Six months later, at a family dinner, my stepmother walked onto the stage with my father and announced that she was pregnant. She looked at me smugly, already imagining herself crushing me beneath her feet. The next second, I threw out the evidence proving that the baby’s father was Ethan Reed. I stood there and watched the woman who had stolen my family lose everything. “Ava Hart, we’re breaking up. You’re nothing but a country bumpkin,” Ethan Reed said. He looked completely refreshed lately. His clothes and shoes were all designer brands, and money practically radiated from him. “My new girlfriend is way richer than you. If you kneel down and lick the soles of my shoes right now, I might consider keeping you.” With that, he pulled out a photo of himself and his new girlfriend. The woman in the picture wore a low-cut red dress. Ethan had his tongue stuck out, licking her heavily altered face. I nearly choked when I recognized her. Wasn’t that my stepmother—the woman who had always wanted to drive me out of the house? So Ethan’s affair was with Vanessa? “I don’t need you to keep me. I hope you and your sugar mama stay together forever.” Ethan was about to say something else when his phone rang. “Hey, baby~ Yeah, yeah, I’m in class~ Kisses, baby. I miss you too.” “What? You can buy me a car now? You’re the best, baby~” “You want me to spend the night at your place? Of course, of course. You want me to stay for one night or a dozen? I’m free whenever you want.” The two of them went back and forth, and I felt like throwing up. But judging from the voice and tone, the person on the other end was definitely Vanessa. My stepmother already had my father, but apparently that wasn’t enough. She had to find herself a college boy too. She really knew how to enjoy herself. I turned and walked away, but Ethan grabbed my hand and refused to let go. He kept glaring at me threateningly while sweet-talking Vanessa on the phone. He wanted to keep the woman in his arms while staring at the one on the table? Not a chance. I yanked my hand free and left. When I got home, I was going to disinfect that hand properly. It felt filthy. I had rented a place outside because I hated the atmosphere at home. But now, it looked like I needed to go back more often. The moment I entered the house, I saw Vanessa swaying her hips as she came down the stairs. “So you finally decided to come home? I thought you’d run off with some blond boy,” she said sarcastically. “This is my home. I can come back whenever I want. You’re the one who has no proper place here, yet you keep living in my house without any shame.” Vanessa’s entire face darkened. That was right. Vanessa and my father weren’t married. After my mother died, my father brought Vanessa home. She was a struggling actress who barely had any roles. My grandfather had always opposed their relationship. He even threatened to cut my father off from the family company, which was why my father still hadn’t married her. But on the day he brought her home, he ordered me to call her Mom. When I refused, he hit me. Every time that happened, Vanessa would pretend to defend me. That moved my father deeply. He kept saying she was kind and that he had treated her unfairly. I often wondered what expression he would wear if he learned that the supposedly gentle and kind Vanessa spent every night moaning beneath another man.“Hmph. Your father is away on a business trip. If you came here to see him, you should go back,” Vanessa said before leaving. It was already late. She had another date to keep. Vanessa didn’t come home that night. I had a part-time job the next day, so I hurried over after breakfast. The coffee shop was usually quiet in the morning, but today there were far too many “flies.” They were loud and annoying. “Order whatever you want. It’s on me.” Ethan brought a large group of friends with him. As he spoke, he kept shaking his car keys for everyone to see. Vanessa had only promised to buy him a car yesterday, and he already had the keys today. But why was his face even paler than it had been yesterday? Could he have overdone things? “Well, well. Isn’t this my country-bumpkin ex-girlfriend?” Ethan pretended to look surprised. “I’m spending so much today. Do you get a commission from it?” I rolled my eyes inwardly. He had known I worked here. He had brought all these people over on purpose. Seven people spent less than a hundred dollars, yet Ethan acted as if he were some generous millionaire. The manager was watching me from nearby, so I could only put on my professional smile. “Do you like my keys?” Ethan waved them in front of me. “I just got this car. If you call me Daddy, I might let you touch them.” Everyone burst out laughing. I ignored them and continued making drinks. The smiles on their faces froze. “She’s just jealous,” Ethan said, trying to explain my silence. “Too bad. Even if you want to get back together now, it’s impossible! You know the campus beauty? She’s my new girlfriend.” He said it loudly, and the boys beside him began praising him. My hands stopped moving for a moment. My ex-boyfriend was using my stepmother’s money to date the campus beauty? The rich really did live in a ridiculous world. Ethan noticed my reaction and looked pleased with himself. A while later, the campus beauty, Chloe Parker, arrived. She really was beautiful. The title suited her. The moment she entered, every guy in the shop stared at her. Ethan looked even more smug. He puffed out his chest, wrapped an arm around Chloe, and loudly showed her off. Then came a sharp crash. A glass shattered. “Hey! Server!” Ethan shouted at me. “The cup broke. Come clean it up!” I took a broom over. Chloe looked at it with disgust. “That broom looks so dirty. We’re eating here. What if dust gets into our food?” Her voice was sweet, but her expression was anything but. Ethan immediately joined in. “Exactly! Is this how you treat customers? Pick it up with your hands. Hurry up. Don’t wait until someone gets hurt.” I wanted to tell them the broom had been bought just yesterday and hadn’t even been used. But the manager was glaring at me from the side. I had no choice but to swallow my anger and crouch down to pick up the glass.“Oops. You were too slow. My foot was getting sore, so I accidentally stepped on you. Sorry about that.” Ethan’s foot suddenly came down on my phone. A piece of broken glass dug into my flesh, and blood began to flow. “Can that hand still make drinks?” Chloe asked. “Wait, don’t tell me she made the drinks we’ve been drinking. That’s disgusting. I’m not drinking anymore.” If my academic advisor hadn’t suddenly required a signed internship form, if I hadn’t been planning to quit after today, and if I hadn’t refused to rely on my family, I would have slapped her across the face. The manager hurried over and apologized to them, even offering to waive their entire bill. Then he turned around and hissed that the money would be deducted from my wages. Only then were they satisfied enough to continue drinking. My hand was injured, so I couldn’t keep working. The manager paid me what remained after the deduction, signed my paperwork, and let me leave. When I came outside, Ethan and the others had just finished their drinks. “I’m really sorry I cost you your job,” Ethan said smugly. I clenched my fists. Then I noticed someone nearby. Vanessa was shopping with one of her friends. Judging from where they were walking, they would reach this spot in a few minutes. Ethan had his back to them. He hadn’t noticed them yet. “If I had tried harder to keep you, would I still be the one in your arms right now?” I looked at him pitifully. The corner of Ethan’s mouth twitched. “If you really want to get back together with me, you need to show me some sincerity.” His eyes roamed over me. Chloe’s face instantly turned ugly. “Would this be enough?” I pulled down one side of my collar, exposing my shoulder. Ethan swallowed. “Ethan!” Chloe called his name one syllable at a time, dragging him back to reality. “Chloe, I’m sorry! I was only teasing her. I didn’t mean anything by it. You’re the only one in my heart.” “Hmph. I knew you wouldn’t dare,” Chloe said. Then she glanced toward the street. “Hey, that person looks familiar. Is she a celebrity?” Vanessa had come close enough for Chloe to point at her. The moment Ethan recognized her, his eyes widened. He hurriedly shoved Chloe into the car. I quickly put on my mask and hid around the corner. Chloe wasn’t prepared. Her head struck the car door. Ethan kept one hand pressed against her head, refusing to let her out, while watching Vanessa approach. Vanessa noticed the car and walked over in her high heels. Ethan immediately stepped out. “Baby, I can’t believe I ran into you here! I’m so happy!” He opened his arms and tried to rush toward her. “Stop. We’re outside. Watch yourself,” Vanessa said quickly, blocking him. She glanced at her confused friend. “This is the new car I bought for you. Don’t act so flashy.” Then she looked toward the car. Ethan hurriedly moved in front of it, preventing her from seeing Chloe inside. I couldn’t stop myself from laughing at his panicked expression. A moment ago, he had been acting arrogant. Now he was as timid as a dog, wagging his tail desperately at Chloe while trying not to get caught by Vanessa.Vanessa told Ethan when and where they would meet next, along with the amount she would pay him, and then left. Ethan kept looking around. Only after Vanessa had gone far away did he let Chloe out of the car. The moment Chloe emerged, she slapped him without saying a word and walked away. “Chloe, I’m sorry! Listen to me! She’s a relative!” Ethan shouted as he chased after her. I thought they would break up. But somehow, Ethan managed to sweet-talk Chloe into staying with him. Over the next few days, the campus message boards were filled with photos of Ethan and Chloe being affectionate in the woods. Everyone envied him for winning the campus beauty’s heart. Later, people even photographed Ethan buying Chloe luxury goods. Chloe really knew how to choose. Any single item probably cost Ethan several nights with Vanessa. Ethan had suddenly become rich, and people around him began to suspect something. He claimed that his family business had recently become profitable and that he had only pretended to be poor before. Some people actually believed him. If I hadn’t occasionally helped him out, he would have been eating scraps half the time. My father still hadn’t noticed anything strange, so Vanessa must have been using her own money to pay Ethan. I was becoming more and more curious to see everyone’s expressions when the truth came out. My father returned from his business trip, and I moved back home to watch the show. “Oh, you came back? Even at your age, you already know how to run off with some blond boy.” I didn’t know whether my father had learned that line from Vanessa or Vanessa had learned it from him. Every time I came home, they said the same thing. The “blond boy” they were talking about was Ethan. Three years ago, the day after my mother died, my father brought Vanessa home. I stared at them in disbelief. Hadn’t my father loved my mother? Why had he found someone else so quickly? “So you must be Ava. Your father has told me about you. You really are adorable.” Vanessa had been smiling when she first entered. She gently stroked my head. “This child is too dependent on her mother. She’s been crying since yesterday,” my father said. “She’s old enough to know better. How embarrassing.” Vanessa looked at me sympathetically. “Losing your mother must be terribly painful. You must be suffering so much. From now on, I’ll be your new mother. I’ll love you just as much as she did.” “Come on, sweetheart. Call me Mommy.” She was smiling, but I found her terrifying. It felt as if she might swallow me whole. I turned away and refused to call her that. Vanessa gave an awkward smile. “Don’t you want your mother? I found you a new one. Call her now!” My father shouted at me. “Stop making that funeral face. You look just like your dead mother. Disgusting!” Vanessa wrapped her arm around my father’s. “It’s okay. She’s just a child. Maybe she can’t accept me yet. Give her time.” “That’s why I love you. You’re so kind to her.” My father looked at Vanessa fondly, then turned toward me with disgust. When I continued refusing, he reached for a stick to force me to obey. Fortunately, his phone rang. After answering it, he briefly explained something to Vanessa before rushing out. The moment he left, Vanessa dropped her gentle act.