Timothy''s face darkened instantly.


    Earlier, when Mario''s mom had asked Timothy the question, Henry hadn''t denied it. With She standing right beside him, he couldn''t very well contradict her and embarrass her in public.


    But now, Henry had just called She "Mom"-right to her face!


    He was getting bolder by the day. No wonder Jessica was so determined to get a divorce—maybe she''d overheard something like this.


    Marquis never would have imagined that the youngest Lawson boy was already calling She "Mom." It was irond evidence, handed over on a silver tter.


    And all because the opposing party was Timothy. Plenty ofwyers were too intimidated to take the case, but if it had been any other client, even a rookie straight out ofw school could have won thiswsuit.


    The guilty party was unting the affair without the slightest attempt to hide it, parading around in public and openly acting like husband and wife.


    Marquis made a mental note to get in touch with Mario''s momter. If she agreed to testify, her statement in court would be invaluable.


    Inside the crowded room, Timothy had to keep up appearances for She''s sake -he didn''t want to give anyone more fuel for gossip.


    He turned to Henry, his voice low and stern. "Come with me. Now."


    She frowned, "Timothy, don''t be so harsh. You''ll scare Henry."


    Henry was confused. The ns for the paper-cutting contest had been discussed in advance-why was his father suddenly so upset?


    Timothy''s tone was cool and steady. "Go find a seat, She. I need to have a word with Henry in private."


    Without waiting for a response, Timothy took Henry by the arm and led him out.


    She didn''t follow. There was no need-if she did, she''d only make Timothy angrier.


    Besides, Henry was plenty annoyed with Jessica these days; he''d sort things out with his dad himself.


    In the deserted hallway, Timothy finally stopped and fixed Henry with a piercing look. His voice was cold. "I heard you tried to jump from the roof a few days ago. Is that true?"


    Henry puffed out his cheeks, defiant. "She told on me?"


    "She? Who are you talking about?" Timothy''s tone was sharp, icy. Whenever Timothy scolded him, Henry always felt a little afraid—he lowered his head and muttered, "Mom."


    "Oh, so now you remember you have a mom?"


    Henry''s frustration boiled over. "She''s the one who neveres home, never cooks for me, doesn''t care about me, ignores me! And you-you''ve been fighting with Grandpa and Aunt Liz because of her. I just wanted to call her home, that''s all. Our family is a mess right now!"


    Hearing this, Timothy couldn''t help but feel a surge of resentment toward Jessica. Henry wasn''t wrong-Jessica''s constant drama had turned their once warm home into utter chaos. He''d put aside work time and time again to cate her, but she only pushed him further away.


    Still, Timothy scolded Henry, "That''s no excuse to call She your mother. She''s your great-aunt. Sure, she''s young, and maybe ''great-aunt'' feels odd. If you want to call her ''Aunt She,'' I can let it slide. But calling her ''Mom''? What would people think? Don''t you have a mother already?"


    "I..."


    A slow p sounded from the end of the hall.


    Timothy turned. It was Vince.


    Henry greeted him, "Hello, Mr. Zimmerman."


    This kid he could be so polite to everyone else, so why couldn''t he show his mother the same courtesy?


    Vince nced at Henry, then fixed his gaze on Timothy. "I almost thought you''d given up on disciplining your son. But you know, correcting bad habits works best the moment they start. Now that it''s gone this far, I''m not sure you''ll ever really be able to fix it."


    Timothy''s face was stormy, lips pressed into a tight, thin line. For a few seconds, it looked like he might explode.