Disowning My Reborn Son

My seven-year-old son dragged us to the orphanage, pointing past the little girl who looked exactly like me to choose a total stranger. Mom, Dad, I want her to be my sister!

As I hesitated, floating text suddenly materialized in the air:

[ Thank god, the brother has been reborn! Having his parents adopt the female lead early means our precious girl won't have to suffer this time around! ]

[ It just sucks for the little villainess. She was so close to being taken home by her bio mom. ]

[ The vicious villainess deserves zero pity. If she hadn't meddled in their past life, the male and female leads wouldn't have ended in tragedy. She deserves to be rejected by her own brother! ]

Donovan didn't even spare a glance at the pathetic little girl. He just indulgently ruffled our son's hair. "Of course, buddy. As long as you're happy, Dad will say yes to anything."

Chapter 1

I snapped back to reality and shut it down. "Absolutely not."

Donovan and Brooks turned to stare at me.

Brooks frowned. "Why not, Mom?"

I pointed at the "vicious villainess" mentioned in the floating text. "Because I want to adopt her."

"No, Mom!" Brooks dug his heels in. "I don't like her! I don't want her as a sister!"

I looked down at my son. "She looks just like me. Why don't you like her?"

Brooks shot me a look so cold it froze the air between us. "Why should I?"

I had been skeptical of the floating text. But meeting my son's eyeseyes devoid of childhood innocenceI believed the comments instantly.

My expression hardened to match his. "I told you beforehand. The only way we adopt a sister is if I approve of her first. Remember?"

No matter how "vicious" this girl was supposedly going to be, she was my daughter. Right now, she was just a clueless, innocent kid. As her mother, it was my absolute duty to raise her right.

Brooks threw a tantrum, fully exploiting his child-sized body. "I don't care! I don't want her!"

I stared him down and crossed my arms, delivering an undeniable ultimatum. "Listen closely. In this house, the person who pays the bills holds the veto power. And my decision doesn't require your approval."

[ Wow, the male lead's mom is so stubborn. Mother-in-laws and daughter-in-laws really are natural enemies ]

[ She hated the female lead in her past life too. If the villainess is obstacle number one, the mom is obstacle number two. ]

[ Can the vicious villainess and the evil old hag just die already? This is so frustrating to watch! ]

[ Right? If this toxic mother-daughter duo died, the male lead and his dad would treat the female lead like absolute royalty! ]

A laugh scraped up my throat. I considered myself a reasonable person. If I couldn't even stand the sight of their precious "female lead," then it just proved she was trash. As long as I drew breath, that girl was never stepping foot inside my house.

And as for this spoiled heir? Let him throw his little fit. My business empire didn't need an empty-headed puppet for a successor anyway.

Realizing he couldn't manipulate me, Brooks pivoted to Donovan. "Dad, I want her as my sister!"

Donovan patted Brooks's head and offered me a placating smile. "Honey, let's just listen to our son. If he likes her, the kids will get along much better in the future."

I locked eyes with Donovan. He wore that hypocritical, generous mask so easily. He seemed to have forgotten that every cent he spent, every square foot of the mansion he lived in, came directly from my family trust fund.

I tilted my head. "And if I say no?"

Brooks tugged at Donovan's sleeve, pulling a pathetic face. "Dad."

Donovan sighed, playing the peacekeeper. "Genevieve, how about this? We adopt them both. It's not like we can't afford it."

Chapter 2

Before I could even vocalize my refusal, Brooks beat me to it.

"No, Dad!" He jabbed a finger at the little girl who looked so much like me, his voice laced with venom. "Look at her, she's obviously bad news! I don't want her as my sister, and we are not adopting both!"

Facing my son's malicious assessment, the "little villainess" said nothing. She just silently lowered her head, staring at the scuffed floor.

Brooks marched over and grabbed the "female lead's" hand. He lifted his chin, glaring at me with defiance. "Mom, whether you agree or not, she is the only one I want!"

The little female leadKendalllooked up at me. She widened her eyes, filling them with manufactured longing and childish adoration. "Ma'am, I want to be your daughter. I promise I'll be so good and listen to everything you say."

I scoffed internally. If I hadn't caught the fleeting flash of smug calculation in her eyes, I might have actually bought the innocent act.

I took a half-step back, avoiding her hand as she tried to grasp the hem of my couture trench coat, and stared down at her from my vantage point. "What a pity. There is only one open spot on my family's inheritance roster. Good luck to you, little girl."

Kendall's expression instantly froze. A streak of pure resentment flashed through her eyes before she rapidly smoothed her features back into a pitiful mask. "I understand. Thank you, ma'am."

[ Wait, do I get the feeling the female lead has been reborn too? ]

[ It's not just you. She definitely reincarnated. A manipulative, scheming female lead is exactly the kind of satisfying content I need! ]

[ With both the male and female leads reborn, the villainess won't be able to act so arrogant this time around. Lol! ]

[ Forget the villainess. Even Genevieve, that evil monster-in-law, is going to get completely dominated and put in her place this time! ]

Put me in my place?

I didn't know if they were overestimating their precious female lead, or severely underestimating me.

I walked over to the "little villainess" and crouched down to her eye level. "Sweetheart," I asked, keeping my voice soft, "would you like to come home with Mom?"

The little girl's head snapped up. She stared at me in sheer disbelief. It took her a long moment before she gave a tiny, cautious nod. "I would."

Brooks tightened his grip on Kendall's hand and shot me an icy glare. "Mom. Do you absolutely have to choose her?"

His cold, resentful glare didn't make me back down; instead, it slapped me awake like a ringing backhand.

It hit me right thentrying to love a backstabbing ingrate with selfish genes running through his veins was simply the worst investment I had ever made in my life.

I squeezed my daughter's hand and gave a firm nod. "Absolutely."

Brooks gritted his teeth. "Fine. Do whatever you want. But I will never acknowledge her as my sister!"

[ Genevieve is destined to be the evil mother-in-law. The male lead literally gave her the chance to bond with the female lead, and she still chose the vicious villainess. She deserved to be alienated by her son and husband in her past life, and she'll probably face the exact same fate this time. ]

Donovan walked over, slapping a stern expression on his face to lecture Brooks. "Brooks, you can't speak to your mother like that."

Brooks pressed his lips into a thin line and stayed silent, but his defiant scowl said everything.

Donovan turned back to me, playing the diplomat. "Honey, there's no rush. Let's head home and discuss this properly, okay?"

I translated that perfectly: Donovan was refusing to co-sign the adoption papers for my daughter.

Not that I needed his signature anyway.

"Donovan," I said smoothly. "Do you remember our daughter?"

Donovan's smile faltered before he smoothly pivoted to comfort me. "Honey, that wasn't your fault."

I let out a sharp, cold laugh. "Of course it wasn't my fault."

Back when I was pregnant with my first daughter, my mother-in-law had insisted on having her "trusted associate" deliver the baby. I had passed out from the excruciating pain in the delivery room, only to wake up to her informing me that my daughter was stillborn.

I turned my head to look squarely at the orphanage staff. "I want a DNA test done with this little girl. Immediately."

Brooks's face drained of color. "No!"

Kendall's eyes widened, her carefully crafted pitiful expression slipping.

Donovan looked like he'd been hit by a truck.

The staff member blinked, caught off guard, before quickly nodding. "Right away, Ms. Genevieve."

[ Holy crap! The male lead's mom actually recognized the villainess as her biological daughter at first glance. Talk about a mother-daughter connection! ]

[ Looks like the male lead totally shot himself in the foot. He wanted his mom to bring the female lead home to build a relationship, but he ended up helping the villainess get recognized a whole decade early. ]

[ Don't panic. There's no way things are worse after reincarnation than before. There has to be a plot twist. ]

[ Waiting for the twist ]

A plot twist?

In their dreams.

Chapter 3

Accompanied by the orphanage staff, I took my daughter to get an expedited DNA test. The results would be ready in six hours.

After dropping Brooks off at home, Donovan rushed over to provide his sample. Just to be safe, I stayed at the hospital to wait for the results.

Six hours later, the report for me and my daughter was handed over. Probability of biological maternity: 99.9%.

The moment I saw those numbers, a violent tremor tore through my chest.

I pulled my daughter into my arms, burying my face in her tiny shoulder as a choked sob ripped from my throat.

At first, the five-year-old girl just stood frozen, staring at me blankly, her small chest rising and falling rapidly. She observed me with extreme caution for a long time before parting her lips to whisper a tiny, tentative word.

"Mom."

That timid little "Mom" felt like a jagged piece of glass twisting directly into my chest.

That vicious, control-freak of an old hag!

Just to force me to produce a boy carrying their family's inferior genes, she had actually bribed a doctor to steal my daughter!

I pressed my lips against her hair, making a silent, unbreakable vow. Sweetheart, Mom is never letting anyone hurt you again.

Donovan's breath hitched, staring at the paper as if it might catch fire. He snatched the paternity report from my hands, reading it word for word. "How is this possible? Didn't they say she was still"

I shot him a glare sharp enough to draw blood.

Donovan instantly snapped his mouth shut. His eyes slowly turned red, and he stepped forward, wrapping his arms tightly around me and our daughter. "I'm so sorry. I failed to protect her."

I didn't say "it's okay". Because it wasn't. This was single-handedly orchestrated by his mother. If that old bat wasn't already dead, I would have beaten her within an inch of her life.

[ Wow, no plot twist here. It's actually kind of moving. ]

[ Because the villainess is still just a poor, pathetic kid right now, not a manipulative viper. ]

[ The ending will be exactly the same. Watch, even if she's taken back by her parents now, she's still destined to become the vicious villainess later. ]

[ Honestly, I just hope she can be a good person in this life. ]

[ Same. ]

[ Stop worrying about the rich little villainess and start worrying about our little female lead! What's going to happen to her? ]

[ Relax, the female lead still has the male lead. Brooks is the sole heir to the family. No matter how much his mom hates him, she'll still have to hand the entire empire over to him eventually. ]

The sole heir?

What a joke. Did they think my daughter was invisible?

Half an hour later, Donovan's paternity test results came out. Naturally, it was a perfect match too.

On the drive back to the estate, Donovan brought up the idea of giving our daughter his last name.

Donovan had only managed to marry up into our family by signing a draconian prenuptial agreement. As a condition of that exchange, our first heir had to bear my family namethe name that represented absolute power and wealth.

Back when the ultrasound for my second pregnancy revealed a girl, my mother-in-law had subtly tried to convince me to try for a third childa boy to carry Donovan's name. I had shut her down on the spot, and she never mentioned it again. I thought she had given up. I never imagined she would resort to something this twisted.

Thinking about his mother's unforgivable actions, I rejected him with zero hesitation.

"You could have had a daughter with your last name. What a pity she was thrown into an orphanage by your own mother the moment she was born. And just a few hours ago, you repeatedly tried to stop her from coming home."

The car fell into a suffocating silence.

A long moment later, Donovan's voice cracked. "I'm sorry."

Chapter 4

Donovan didn't bring up the last name issue again. I also dropped the subject of his mother abandoning our daughter at the orphanage. After all, that old hag was nothing but a pile of ash now.

"You pick her first name," I told him.

"Alright." Donovan named her Audrey.

The moment we stepped into the estate with our daughter, Brooks marched right over. He looked up at Donovan and me, his eyes brimming with crocodile tears. "Mom, Dad, now that you have a sister, are you going to throw me away?"

I knew he was putting on a pathetic act, but a fleeting pang of biological instinct still tightened my chest. He was, after all, the son I had carried for nine months. It was impossible to remain immune.

Donovan walked over and scooped him up. "How could we? You and your sister are both our precious babies." He smiled.

"By the way, Audrey is your biological sister. She was just accidentally lost for a while. You're the big brother, so you have to take good care of her from now on, okay?"

Brooks shot Audrey a glance and gave a sickeningly obedient nod. "Don't worry, Dad. I'll take excellent care of my sister."

[ Haha! When the male lead said he'd take care of his sister, his eyes were literally venomous. Looks like the villainess is in for a world of pain. ]

[ Can't be helped. The only way his parents will realize the female lead's true goodness and accept her is if the biological daughter turns into a vicious, toxic brat. ]

[ The male lead is really going above and beyond for his girl. ]

[ RIP to the villainess for exactly one second ]

I narrowed my eyes at my son and instantly caught the lingering, toxic resentment he hadn't managed to hide in time. Whatever fleeting guilt or maternal instinct I had just felt evaporated into thin air.

I could already see the inevitable alienation between us on the horizon, but for now, I would still fulfill my basic duties as a mother.

To keep the peace, I put our daughter to bed while Donovan went to "tuck in" Brooks. Around eleven o'clock, we both returned to the master bedroom.

After some brief intimacy, Donovan pulled me into his arms. "Honey, Brooks really likes that little girl, Kendall. Why don't we just adopt her too? It's just adding an extra plate to the dinner table."

I immediately rolled over, shoving his arm off me. "Donovan," I said, my tone dead serious. "I despise that little girl. I expect you to drop this subject and never bring it up again."

Initially, I wouldn't have cared about this so-called "female lead." But the floating text constantly tearing down my daughter to elevate her, my son weaponizing his hatred against his own biological sister for her sake, and that little girl's blatant, calculated ambition to usurp Audrey's rightful placeevery single detail made my stomach turn with visceral disgust.

As long as I had breath in my lungs, that girl would never get the chance to step foot inside my house.

Donovan hesitated. "She's just a five-year-old kid."

I turned my back to him, pulling the silk duvet up. "I know. Just consider it a severe clash of personalities."

Donovan opened his mouth to argue, but ultimately swallowed his words in silence.

Chapter 5

I thought that after I refused to adopt the female lead, Brooks would throw a tantrum or openly make things difficult for Audrey. To my surprise, he didn't do either. Instead, he put on a flawless show of accepting her.

I suspected he was faking it, so I had the staff follow Audrey like shadows to prevent him from trying anything malicious. But two months passed, and not only did he refrain from hurting Audrey, he actually played the role of the perfect big brother flawlessly.

Audrey genuinely adored her patient and gentle older brother, trailing behind him every day and constantly calling out to him.

I started to wonder if I had judged my son too harshly. In the supposed past life, by the time Audrey was brought back, she had already been twisted into a bad person, so it made sense for Brooks to hate her. But the Audrey standing here now was just a sweet, soft little girl. It wasn't entirely impossible for him to genuinely accept her.

If our family of four could live happily together, that was obviously the best-case scenario. Slowly, I let my guard down.

Before I knew it, the holidays rolled around. On New Year's Eve, Audrey and I were directing the staff on how to decorate the mansion while Donovan took Brooks out for an errand.

Before leaving, Donovan had mysteriously told Audrey that he was going to bring her a huge surprise. As Audrey waited by the door with eager anticipation, Donovan walked into the mansion, chatting and laughing. In one hand, he held Brooks's hand.

In the other, he held the female lead, Kendall's.

[ I knew the male lead wouldn't betray his girl! He never disappoints! ]

[ Who would've thought the female lead is actually the daughter of the dad's first love? Once the male lead told his dad who her mom was, the dad immediately pulled strings to get someone to adopt her in secret. ]

[ The female lead's mom is still alive, right? I wonder if she and the dad will rekindle their old flame I'm kind of looking forward to it ]

[ Definitely possible. Looks like the male lead's mom might be checking out early. ]

[ It's what she deserves for hating our precious female lead. The sooner she dies, the better! ]

The faint smile on my face vanished instantly.

Audrey tensed, her little hands gripping my arm tightly. "Mom."

Seeing the coldness in my eyes, Donovan quickly dropped Brooks and Kendall's hands. He stepped toward me, already launching into an explanation. "Honey, Brooks was worried Kendall would get bullied at the orphanage, so I asked a friend of mine to adopt her."

Brooks stepped in front of Kendall, shielding her as he glared at me defensively. "Mom, I'm the one who asked Dad to find someone to adopt Kendall. If you're going to be mad, be mad at me!"

Kendall peeked out from behind Brooks's back, shooting me a look that was equal parts wary and blatantly provocative.

I shifted my gaze away from the children and locked eyes with Donovan. "I don't care who adopts her. Just keep her out of my sight."

That smug, calculated look Kendall just gave me made it impossible to treat her like a normal five-year-old child.

The placating smile on Donovan's face vanished, the muscles in his jaw ticking as his expression darkened. It was as if he had finally hit his breaking point.

"Genevieve!" he shouted. "You are a grown woman in your thirties! Do you really have to be so petty with a five-year-old child?!"

The sheer volume of his outburst caught me off guard.

From the time we started dating until now, we had been together for twelve full years. We had argued and bickered, sure, but he had never yelled at me like this. And now, just because I didn't want to look at his first love's kid, he was losing his damn mind.

Donovan met my suffocating, oppressive glare and instantly deflated like a punctured tire. He guiltily avoided my eyes, stammering his excuses.

"Listen to me, Honey. I just think she's too pitiful. You can't be so cold-blooded, right?"

I stared at Donovan with absolute ice in my veins. "There was more than one five-year-old girl in the same orphanage as Audrey."

Donovan choked on his words for a second before firing back, "But she's the only one our son likes! I'll just keep her out of your sight from now on, is that enough for you?"

I just looked at him, refusing to offer a single syllable in response.

Chapter 6

Seeing my absolute lack of reaction, Donovan forced down his temper, a muscle jumping in his jaw. "Brooks and I won't see her anymore either. Are you happy now?"

"Uncle!" Kendall cried out, perfectly pitching her voice to sound utterly heartbroken.

Donovan instinctively glanced back at her, then quickly snapped his gaze away, grinding his teeth. "I'll take her away right now."

I didn't make a sound.

Brooks glared at me with pure venom, looking at me not like a mother, but like a sworn enemy.

"Mom, since you won't accept Kendall, don't blame me when I stop acknowledging you as my mother!"

Donovan spun around and barked, "Brooks! Who taught you to speak to your mother like that?!"

Brooks seemed to realize he had crossed a line, but his pride wouldn't let him apologize. He just clamped his mouth shut in a stubborn, defiant line.

I knew the truth. Donovan's harsh reprimand and Brooks's sudden silence weren't born out of fear of breaking my heart. They were terrified I would actually kick them to the curb, severing their access to the family empire and the inheritance they felt so entitled to. A hollow, freezing draft swept through my chest.

[ The male lead's mom is such a fool. Offending the female lead is one thing, but burning bridges with the male lead? Even if she doesn't die, she's destined to die old and alone. ]

[ I hope both the mom and the villainess die early so the dad and the female lead's mom can get back together. ]

[ Honestly, I'm kind of looking forward to the two older leads having their second spring, haha! ]

[ Actually, putting myself in the mom's shoes it's kind of depressing. Both her husband and son prefer another woman's kid. ]

[ Who told her daughter to be the vicious villainess? ]

[ The villainess is only five right now, and she's super cute. She's not even annoying yet! ]

[ Can't be helped. That's her character setting. No matter how cute the villainess is, I just can't bring myself to like her. ]

Heh. My daughter only needed my love. That was more than enough.

Perhaps terrified of pushing me any further, Donovan turned on his heel, scooped Kendall up, and headed straight for the door. Kendall rested her chin on Donovan's shoulder.

As he carried her away, she fixed me with an indescribably dark, reptilian stare.

Brooks shot me one last look and moved to follow them.

I pointed at the front door, pulling out my phone and dialing my private wealth manager right in front of him. I delivered the cold announcement: "Brooks, the second you step foot outside that door for that girl today, every single one of your limitless black cards and your entire trust fund allowance will be permanently terminated."

Audrey ran over and grabbed Brooks's hand. "Don't go, Brooks," she said sweetly. "Let's spend New Year's together