Adopting a Firecracker

The aloof CEO and his childhood sweetheart bring the tragic novel's female lead to an orphanage to adopt a child.

All the children pounce on the childhood sweetheart, saying, "Mommy, pick me! Pick me!"

The viewers' comments come flooding in.

"She can't birth her own child, and now even the orphans don't want her. The tragic female lead is truly pitiful, humiliated by both her husband and his childhood sweetheart!"

"The childhood sweetheart keeps winning—spoiled by the CEO, and the orphans scramble to call her 'Mom.' The female lead is nothing but a piece of decor."

"It's not tragic enough! Make her even more miserable! It's even better if she cries on the spot so that later, when the CEO recalls this scene, he'll have to work double time to win his wife back!"

I glare at the comments, feeling so mad that my short legs push me forward, landing me right in front of the ignored female lead.

I tug at her sleeve. "Missy, can you make stew?"

The female lead freezes up. "I… I can."

My eyes light up with joy. "That's it then! That's exactly what I love. I'll go with you!"

Jessica Dawson, the female lead of this tragic show, suddenly froze in place, her eyes filled with confusion and bewilderment.

"You want… To eat the stew I made?" she asked me. When I thought of the fragrant stew, my eyes lit up like lightbulbs had been switched on in them, shining brightly!

"Yeah! Missy, be my mom! I've taken a shine to you," I said. She hadn't even replied to me yet when a barrage of comments flooded before my vision, becoming even more frenzied.

"Holy shit, holy shit! I'm dying of laughter! This kid is at most five or six years old, yet she's talking in a full-on Southern accent, calling the female lead 'Missy' like that! She's way too extroverted!"

"This scene was supposed to be the childhood sweetheart humiliating the tragic female lead for failing to adopt a child, and the male lead would rub salt in her wounds in a heart-wrenching move. But now, a Southern brat appears wanting to go with her! How will the story even continue?"

"Exactly! What kind of dumb plot twist is this? Weren't we promised heartbreak and suffering?"

Jessica's pale pink lips moved slightly, and she spoke with a soft voice that trembled with uncertainty. "What did you just call me?"

I thought for a second, then shouted with sincerity, "Mom!"

As soon as the word fell, her dull gaze suddenly lit up with a brilliant glimmer. Her tears spilled down her cheeks, splattering onto the cement ground. She seemed to want to crouch down, but her body was weak and swayed unsteadily.

I panicked at once. I let go and lunged forward, my gangly arms wrapping around her leg and becoming her crutch.

"Why're you crying? Did I pull too hard and hurt you?" I asked, concerned.

My calloused hands were red from the cold and cracked with cuts, and in my excitement earlier, I hadn't controlled my strength.

Jessica shook her head vigorously, and her tears streamed down her face even more fiercely.

Just then, Serena Decker, who was wearing a red dress, suddenly screeched sharply.

"Xander, look! Some wild child came out of nowhere and started rudely screaming at Jessica!" She sashayed as she walked up to Xander McNeil's side, and her manicured finger nearly jabbed at the tip of my nose.

"Mr. West, how do you even raise the kids here? This child just grabs and touches people with no sense of propriety at all!

"Jessica is weak—how can she withstand all this pulling? What if she gets frightened?" she questioned.

Georgia West, the director of the orphanage, immediately donned a grim expression. She quickly stepped forward, reaching out to pry my arms off Jessica's waist.

She scolded me with false severity, "Kiddo! Let go! Hurry and let go! You're being far too unruly, disturbing an honored guest! You hear me? Hurry and apologize to Ms. Dawson!"

Georgia's grip wasn't a weak one. My stubbornness instantly flared up, and instead of letting go, I clung even tighter.

"I won't let go! I didn't scare her! I only asked about the stew. She said she can make it, so I'm going with her!" I shouted so loudly that my spit nearly sprayed right onto Georgia's face.

Georgia was nearly shaking with fury. "You!"

Jessica's trembling hand carefully touched my reddened cheek.

"You… Are you willing to come with me?" she asked.

"Yep!"