It was right in the heat of June.
In the fields of Lemzilville, Marley Hughes bent over and focused on transplanting rice seedlings.
She had casually rolled up the hems of her pants, and her slender, fair ankles were immersed in the water.
When the bright sunlight shone on the paddy field, it made the field shimmer, but it also accentuated the fairness of Marley's face. The seed-like mole under her left eye added a touch of seductiveness to her.
At noon, the working villagers started packing and heading home for lunch. Marley was preparing to do the same after she took a sip of water.
Suddenly, a soft and sweet voice that was full of excitement rang out.
"Mummy!"
A small distance from Marley, a seemingly five-year-old boy looked at her with sparkling eyes. The boy was dressed in a hoodie and black jeans.
The boy's voice was pretty loud, causing some villagers to stop and look at them.
Marley froze in her movement and looked up.
Was this kid calling her his mummy?
Before she could figure it out, the boy had already rushed toward Marley with tears in his eyes. The next moment, he hugged her legs with his chubby arms, unwilling to let go.
"Golly, you have suffered so much, Mummy! Reggie has finally found you!"
He sounded like he had experienced many grievances.
Marley had not even swallowed her sip of water and nearly choked on it.
Huh?
It took a while for Marley to react.
She pulled him away from her and looked down at the sobbing boy.
He had delicate features.
His huge, round eyes were filled with tears, and he was seemingly upset because she pulled him away.
He also had a mole under his left eye, like hers. Indeed, he looked like her.
Marley put down the bottle and raised an eyebrow questioningly.
If she had not been single for the past twenty-one years, she would have believed that he was her son.
The onlooking villagers were also shocked and looked back and forth between Marley and the boy. Did the smartest woman in their village, Miss Hughes, have a child?
And it was a pretty child.
The village chief rushed over to Marley and praised the delightful child enthusiastically.
"Miss Hughes, is this child yours? No wonder he is so lovely!"
Marley glanced at the adorable boy before denying it nonchalantly.
"No, I don't know him."
The boy seemed devasted, and his tears were at the brim of overflowing. He then said even more pitifully, "Do you not want me anymore, Mummy?"
As the boy had an adorable face, everyone's hearts melted at the sight of his pitiful look.
Seeing the crying boy, the villagers could not help but advise Marley, "Gosh, Miss Hughes, I think the child does resemble you."
This little sly fox!
As the villagers acted like he was truly her son, Marley arched her brow and chuckled helplessly. Grabbing the boy, she had no choice but to say, "Fine, then. Come home with me, kiddo."
As soon as she started walking toward her house, the boy quickly followed with a glimmer in his eyes.
Meanwhile...
In the mansion of Radinian City's richest man, the Hayes Estate.
The coffee scent filled the study, and the atmosphere was cooling and comfortable.
A charming yet aloof man was seated on a leather chair as he flipped through documents absent-mindedly.
His secretary stood silently on one side, waiting for instructions from the CEO.
Suddenly, an anxious voice broke the silence.
"Mr. Hayes, bad news! Reginald ran away from home!"
The butler burst in without knocking and hurried toward the man with a crumpled note.
The CEO, Osvaldo Hayes, turned grim, and anger surged in his eyes like the storm before a tornado. Squinting his eyes, he asked furiously, "Be clear. What's going on?"
The butler handed the note to the man and said as he bowed slightly.
"After you returned, Reginald was playing Lego in his room all this time. When the servants went to get him for lunch, they realized he was gone. Only this note was left on his bed."
Osvaldo sternly frowned as he took the note from the butler's hand and opened it. On it, there was a row of scribbly words.
"To the biggest jerk, Osvaldo Hayes, I'm going to look for Mummy and make her happy. Farewell!"
A cute pig head was drawn at the end of the note, with the words Osvaldo Hayes written next to it.
This brat!
"Check the surveillance and bring him back!" Osvaldo was livid and almost crushed the note in his hand.
The butler swallowed anxiously after seeing how furious the CEO was and said gingerly, "T-The surveillance...was hacked."
What the heck!
Who else could hack into the Hayes family's surveillance system other than that low-profile genius from the Hayes family? He had already started learning code when he was three, and by the time he could hold a mouse, he had made a name for himself.
A cold gleam flashed across Osvaldo's eyes when he thought of what that brat had done. Without wasting any time, he instructed his secretary standing aside, "Go! Put a command to Cosmic Oculus to bring Reginald back to me!"
The secretary inhaled sharply and hesitantly asked, "Sir, don't we...need to call the police instead of using the Cosmic Oculus? What if Reginald was kidnapped... Then..."
Hah!
Like any abductor could get the best of him. It would be good enough if he didn't go around tricking people.
Osvaldo's icy face showed no concern at all. Instead, he said indifferently with his gloomy face, "No need for the police. Just use the Cosmic Oculus. When you find him, bring him back immediately. Don't listen to his explanation!"
Things did not look good.
The secretary took a glance at the CEO's expression before he immediately went to pass orders.
Before he could walk out the door, Osvaldo stopped him with an irate voice.
"Forget it. Report his whereabouts to me after the Cosmic Oculus found him. I'll go bring him back myself."
This time, he would not feel satisfied unless he locked that troublesome kid up for a long period.
At this moment, the said troublesome kid was blissfully unaware of the trouble he had caused. He was seated on the stone bench in Marley's yard, heaping praises on her.
Grapevines wound their way, providing patches of cool shade. Under the vine frame, a small stone table was set with a chess game seemingly at a dead end. A pebble-covered path was laid before the stone table, with many rare plants growing on both sides, making the yard breathtakingly picturesque.
"Mummy, did you plant all these? They are the most beautiful flowers in the world! Wow, you're amazing! You're the best Mummy in the whole wide world!"
Marley smiled as she watched the boy look at her with such admiration and excitement.
His acting was mediocre.
But he sure was a smooth talker.
Enzo Ford, who had come to send Marley some materials while hoping for a free meal, was stunned by the scene. With his mouth agape, he watched as a kid hugged his boss and called her Mummy. There was only one thought that filled his mind at that moment.
Marley was the woman he had admired for many years, whom he saw as his idol and motivation!
But when did she have a child??
"Boss... Is he your child?"
Pointing at the kid, Enzo looked at Marley in disbelief.
After the rosy-cheeked boy felt questioned by Enzo, he puffed his cheeks and glared at Enzo. With a fierce tone, he said.
"I spent a lot of time looking for Mummy. There's no way I could be wrong!"
Plus, the Mummy he found was just as amazing as he imagined!
Reginald happily tugged at Marley's clothes, utterly delighted.
Hearing his words, Marley surprisingly raised her head and looked at him. Then, she responded unhurriedly.
"Oh? Is that so? How did you figure out I'm your mother, kiddo?"
"Haha, I hacked into the World Genome Database through the Hayes family's cloud, of course..." As soon as he said this, Reginald realized that he had exposed himself and immediately covered his mouth in shock. "Not fair, Mummy!"
He had walked right into her trap!
As Marley set down the materials in her hand, there was a gentleness in her usually cold eyes. She then looked at Enzo, who was dumbfounded by all this, and said softly, "You heard that, right? Contact the Hayes family and send the boy home."
This kid was a child from the Hayes family?