Tempted Trapped and Too Late to Run
Chapter 76

The boy sprang up, snatching a nearby glass of water, and bolted over to Jade's table. His mom had assured him that once they duped this man, they'd become a family, and he would be the only child since they wouldn't want any more kids.

"Mom!" he yelled, dousing the man's head with water. "Mom, are you really going to ditch me after marrying this guy?"

Jade's makeup was impeccable, but panic flickered in her eyes. The drenched man stood up, furious. "Whose kid is this? Why's he calling you 'mom?""

The boy was used to causing a scene. He clung to Jade and wouldn't let go. "Mom, say something! Are you really going to abandon me?! I'll kill you both!"

Jade was distressed and pulled him away. "Let go! I'm not your mom!"

Just then, the man's phone beeped with a message. His face darkened as he read it, and he slapped Jade. “Jade, how dare you trick me?! Are you trying to make me the dad of your bastard? Dream on!"

Jade had been sweet-talking this guy for half a year. His family was worth millions, the best she could replace. "Let me explain," she pleaded.

The boy wouldn't stop calling her mom. Everyone in the restaurant was watching, and the man felt utterly humiliated. He was ready to leave.

Jade chased after him, "He's not my child, really."

"Mom, you are planning to leave me. Good thing I came prepared," the boy said, pulling out photos of them together.

Jade's face went pale, and she slapped him in anger. "Are you here to stir up trouble?!"

The chaotic mix of shouting and slapping drew attention, and people started recording with their phones. The little boy sat on the floor, wailing, while Jade's slaps landed repeatedly on his cheeks.

Jade was blinded by rage and couldn't believe her troublesome kid had shattered her wedding plans. She wished she should have gotten rid of him back then. Why did she ever sleep with that man? It was the biggest mistake of her life.

She hit him for a full ten minutes until his face was swollen and only calmed down when she heard the surrounding whispers. She dragged the boy up and, while leaving, spotted Clara in the distance.

There was no time to mock Clara's downfall. She shoved the boy into her car and drove away. However, she underestimated the fallout. By the next morning, a video of her hitting the boy had gone viral online.

In the video, she looked enraged, slapping her son while he sat on the floor, sobbing loudly. Many mothers in the comments were furious.

[How can anyone hit a child like that? This is so cruel. She's definitely a stepmother!]

[His face is swollen from the beating. Why didn't anyone step in to stop it?]

[When I was a kid, I got slapped like this by my dad, and now I'm deaf in one ear. People like this shouldn't have kids.]

[This is a police matter. It's child abuse.]

Someone recognized Jade, knowing she worked for Ferguson Corporation. People then flooded the company's official Twitter, demanding she be fired.

Jade sat in her office, restless, reading the comments. In today's world, once your face is out there, it's easy to dig up all your information.

Now that it reached Ferguson Corporation, she was in trouble no matter what. Even if she tried to explain that the kid had been diagnosed with hyperactivity disorder, it wouldn't help.

Jade's face was pale until someone from HR came to see her. "Jade, here's the company's compensation. Today, we got over two hundred calls, all complaints about you. We can't handle it anymore."

The bigger the company, the more they cared about their reputation.

Holding the termination letter, Jade felt her future was bleak, and then she heard Clara's soft laughter.

Realization hit her. Her son usually stayed quiet at a nearby table, so why had he acted up last night? Someone must have said something to him.

"Was it you?! Clara, you witch! You've ruined me! Do you know how hard I worked to get here? I won't let you get away with this!"