Chapter 9

The Boss Behind the Mask Was My Father Chapter 09

4 min read

The Boss Behind the Mask Was My Father Chapter 09

Days flew by quickly when I got to stay with Mom.

She ran a lovely flower shop here. Every morning, she would wake me up with a hearty homemade breakfast and send me off to school without fail.

All my classmates envied me for having such a gentle, beautiful mother.

Little by little, I grew used to this ordinary, happy life—waking up early for breakfast, slinging my schoolbag over my shoulder and heading to class each day.

On weekends, Mom took me to amusement parks and all sorts of places I’d never gotten to visit before. I was happier than I’d ever been.

One evening, half a year later, I was dozing off in Mom’s arms when the air rippled strangely. In the blink of an eye, we were back inside the Payson mansion.

[System Notification: Target character Teddy Payson’s emotional breakdown value has reached the critical threshold. Soul Observation Mode activated.]

[Enable cross-world real-time viewing?]

Mom tensed up the second the words appeared before them. “No. I don’t want to see it.”

The system did not disappear, and we remained trapped in this space.

But I wanted to watch. It was not out of longing or forgiveness. I needed to witness them pay for everything they had done. Only then could I finally let go of the pain that had lingered in my heart for five long years.

I told Mom what I wanted.

She fell silent for a long while, then brushed my hair back with tearful eyes. “Alright. I’ll watch with you.”

Mom took my hand, and we stepped forward into the scene. We stood inside the old Payson mansion.

Night had fallen, and every light in the house was turned off except for a single desk lamp. Beneath its glow sat a gaunt man with an unkempt beard and crumpled clothes, slumping motionlessly in a chair.

The desk was covered with photographs—all of Mom and me.

The powerful businessman who had built his empire from scratch and commanded respect across the business world was now nothing more than a broken man. He stroked one photograph over and over again: the old picture of Mom holding newborn me.

I had carried that photo in my pocket every day back then. Now it was all that remained of us.

Next to him sat a bowl of cold soup, untouched, alongside an empty wine bottle lying on its side.

“Mabel… Nadia…”

“I’m sorry.”

“I’m so sorry…”

He repeated the same words endlessly into the empty air, with no one to answer him. The huge house was hollow and silent.

I glanced over at Mom. She stared at Teddy, completely still. Her hands no longer shook. She simply watched quietly, her lips pressed into a firm line.

The scene shifted suddenly to a prison.

Ivy stood behind iron bars, handcuffs glinting under the lights. Several doctors held her down firmly and injected her with sedative after sedative.

She huddled on the cold floor, her delicate, innocent facade long gone. Her hair was a mess, her makeup smudged, and she curled up in the corner like a frightened animal.

The view changed once more to a hospital intensive care unit. Riley lay in the bed, the ventilator beeping constantly.

The elderly couple had withered away, their hair now completely white.

Riley’s eyes opened. She gazed in our direction for a final moment, then closed them forever.

I gasped and blinked hard. We were back in our familiar room. Bright sunlight streamed through the windows.

Mom pulled me into a warm embrace, holding me in silence for a long moment.

“It’s over now.”

“Yeah.”

“Do you want to see any more?”

“No.”

Mom rested her chin on my shoulder. “Then let’s get back to our lives.”

I nodded.

She stood up, grabbed her bag and car keys. “Remember? We’re going to the zoo today.”