Riches in Disguise

Riley's note read, "Mommy isn't my real mom. I'm an orphan, and she adopted me."

I was stunned by this, but it made sense. After all, Lynn was too young to have a six-year-old daughter. It seemed like Lynn was kind enough to adopt a child! Just then, Riley scribbled another line. "Mr. White, can you not hit Mommy?"

I froze and asked, "Why would I hit her? I would never do that!"

Riley wrote again. "But all the other misters hit Mommy. That's why she cries so much every night."

Since there were some words she couldn't write, she drew them instead. Even though her sentences were difficult to decipher, I could still make it out. However, I really wish I couldn't understand it.

Even though I already knew that Lynn's personal life was a bit of a mess, I was still taken aback. It seemed like Maximus wasn't simply slandering Lynn. I couldn't help but feel Lynn was way out of line. How could she bring those men back to her place and traumatize her daughter like that?

I honestly thought it wasn't a good idea for her to continue that behavior. After all, it could impact Riley's health and development.

I gently patted Riley's head, my voice soft with sympathy. "Don't worry. I'm not like those misters who come around. I'm a good mister. I'll just be friends with you and your mommy, so I won't do any of those things."

Since Riley was still so young, she quickly cheered up at my words. With a bright smile, she took my hand and led me to her toys and storybooks.

Even though she was mute, she was eager to share and communicate.

At the same time, I made sure to be patient with her. No matter what she showed me, I praised her and feigned amazement. My actions had her laughing nonstop.

When Lynn returned, Riley lay on my lap, listening to my story.

She was taken aback when she saw this. "This is the first time I've seen Riley so close to a stranger."

Hearing this, I hesitated over my words. I gently patted Riley's shoulder and said, "Riley, how about you read the book in your room for a bit? I need to have a chat with your mom. I'll finish the story later, okay?"

Riley nodded and headed off to her room with the book.

I couldn't help but feel a pang of tenderness for her as I watched her go. After all,

it was rare to see such a well-behaved six-year-old.noveldrama

Once Riley's door was closed, I turned to Lynn and said, "I know I'm not one to judge, but you really shouldn't be bringing men home like this."

At this, Lynn's face immediately went pale. She stammered nervously, "W-What did Riley say to you?"

I replied, "She said that every time you bring a man home, they hit you and make you cry. So, she told me not to hit you."

Lynn was taken aback. Then, she quickly covered her mouth with her hand.

It was clear that she hadn't realized that Riley had been picking up on everything about her bringing men home. On top of that, she had no idea that Riley had overhear@those awkward sounds, too.

I sighed and said, "If you're going to raise

the you need to act I Riley doesn't under keset

any

of this yet, so you can still fool

M'S

her. '

"But in a few years, she'll start to grasp it. If she happens to see something one day, it could really traumatize her. Did you ever think about that?"

Lynn's behavior wouldn't just be something Riley would remember. It could make her fear intimacy.

If it got worse, Riley could even develop serious psychological issues. By then, there would be no medicine capable of helping her.

Lynn stammered, "I-I really didn't

know anything about that. I swear I

didn't do it on purpose. Those men kept harassing and threatening me, so I had no choice but to bring them home!"

Upon hearing this, I asked, "So, you didn't do this willingly?"

Her face twisted with anger as she snapped, "Of course not! How could I have been willing?

"Actually, I used to be Elijah Davis' girlfriend. He was the leader of The Dragonshade Society. However, he was ruthless and hurt a lot of people.

"After he was killed, his enemy took over as the new leader. From that moment

on, the new leader let his men torture and enact their revenge on me!

"As for Riley, she's the daughter of Elijah and another woman!"