
Mistakenly Regarded As A Love Rival By Stepmother
Chapter 1
Just because I called my dad "baby", my future stepmother Mariyah Bowen saw me as her rival, labeling me a whore.
She and her group of friends started a live stream titled "Rich Housewives Expose the Whores", creating chaos on the anniversary of my mom's death.
"You think you can seduce men to take shortcuts? I'll break your legs!
"Think you can go from being a maid to a secretary just by sleeping with a man? Our group of wives won't stand for that!"
Ignoring my attempts to stop her, Mariyah smashed the jewelry and piano my mom had cherished.
To vent her rage, she stripped me and let vicious dogs attack me.
Through the excruciating pain, I forced a smirk and called my dad, mocking him, "Dad, you're just a fool to be interested in such a woman!"
***
On the anniversary of my mom's death, as usual, I was in charge of the arrangements.
While waiting for the cake, I filmed a video in memory of my mother, only to accidentally come across a live stream titled "Rich Housewives Expose the Whores".
In the live stream, a few gaudily dressed, supposedly elegant ladies were sitting in a luxurious hotel, passionately ranting.
"Nowadays, these whores will stop at nothing for money. They'll even throw away their dignity to seduce rich old men for a shortcut.
"We, their legitimate wives, absolutely won't allow this to happen!
"As rich wives, we must stand united. Today, we're going to deal with the whores! We'll show them that not just anyone can break into our circle!"
I couldn't help but chuckle, wondering how many wealthy wives actually behave like that.
My mom definitely wouldn't.
The live stream's comment section was flooded with agreement.
[Young girls nowadays have no shame! My husband's just a small business owner, and he still can't resist them throwing themselves at him.]
[Everyone, keep sending gifts to help these rich wives take down the whores! We need to defend the dignity of wives!]
I couldn't stop myself from rolling my eyes.
The internet these days was full of this kind of toxic behavior. These women would go to extreme lengths to maintain their image as wealthy wives.
Judging by the decor, I knew they were broadcasting from the hotel right below me, the most expensive one in the city.
Once the cake for my mom was ready, I put on an apron and was about to turn off my phone when I saw my dad's girlfriend, Mariyah, appear in the livestream.
I'd never met Mariyah before, but I had seen pictures of her.
My dad was serious this time.
He said that before they could marry, he needed my approval, so he introduced Mariyah to me.
To ease my concerns, he even transferred all of his assets into my name ahead of time.
My dad was very satisfied with Mariyah. He said she had depth, was elegant and gentle, and at first, she didn't even know he was the richest man in town. She had a pure heart.
Seeing how well she took care of him, I agreed to let my dad marry her.
But who would've thought, here Mariyah was, on camera, speaking tearfully.
"Ladies, I must admit that I've experienced something like this recently.
"My wedding to Mr. Sparks is already being planned, but I never expected that the maid in our house would take advantage of the situation and sleep with him.
"She's even faking a pregnancy, threatening Mr. Sparks for a huge breakup fee. If we don't pay, she'll cause a scene at my wedding. I had no other choice but to ask you for help..."
Tears welled up in Mariyah's eyes as she spoke, her voice trembling with emotion.
A whore was even more despicable than a mistress.
They didn't care about love but money.
The livestream viewers were immediately filled with sympathy for her, aligning themselves with her, eager to defend her.
I was just as surprised by what was happening to my future stepmother.
Could my dad really have done something like that?
I thought carefully about the maids in our house. They had all worked with us for many years and didn't seem like the type to pull such a stunt.
Just as I was puzzling over the situation, my dad called.
"Sweetheart, I'll be a bit late. The flowers from the villa aren't looking good, so I'm heading to the east side of town to get some better ones for your mom."
My mom loved peonies, so my dad had bought a plot of land on the mountain to grow them himself. Every year, on the anniversary of her death, he would personally pick them for the occasion.
I replied and then got straight to the point, "Dad, have you been messing around behind your fiancee's back?"
My dad's voice grew agitated, "How could I? I even gave her access to my secondary credit card! Do you think I have that much free time?"
I was skeptical. "It better be like that. Otherwise, I'll be the first one to stick up for my future stepmom. After all, we're both women. Women support women, you know?"
My dad gave me a string of reassurances before hanging up.
Just then, I heard a commotion outside. I quickly grabbed the cake and rushed out.
As soon as I stepped out, a force shoved me headfirst into the cake.
"Ladies, this is the maid who's after money!"
"A lowly maid, throwing such a big party like this? Don't go anywhere! Today, you're all going to see how we deal with a whore!"
I struggled to lift my head out of the cake, only to see several women from the livestream standing right in front of me.
What was going on?
I wiped my face, holding back my anger, and tried to explain, "You must have the wrong person. This is my mom's..."
Before I could finish, a heavy slap landed across my face.
It was Mariyah who hit me.
She spat venomously, "Shameless whore! Do you still dare to deny it? Who else but you would wear a maid's uniform and flaunt yourself like this? Filthy woman! I recognized you at once!"