Chapter 3

I brought Mia back to the small apartment I bought with my savings from my past life.

It wasn't huge—just a cozy, one-bedroom apartment of about six hundred square feet.

But it was a million times better than the damp basement I lived in during our past life.

At least there were large windows, plenty of sunlight, and no moldy smell in the summer.

Mia stood at the doorway, hesitant to step inside.

"Come on in," I said.

She stepped inside cautiously, her eyes scanning the place.

"This is your room."

I pushed open the bedroom door.

The room wasn't massive, but I had decorated it in advance.

There were pink curtains, clean white sheets, and a small study desk.

Mia froze in her tracks.

"Is... is this for me?"

"Of course. Who else?" I asked.

Tears instantly welled up in her eyes.

"Mom..."

She called me Mom.

My heart softened for a brief second, but I quickly suppressed the emotion.

I couldn't afford to spoil her.

In our past life, Chloe had ruined Mia by spoiling her too much, which eventually led to both of them being destroyed by Mia’s biological parents.

In this life, I was going to raise her differently.

"Don't cry. Unpack your things, and we'll go out for dinner," I said.

Mia wiped her tears and nodded obediently.

I took her to a small diner nearby and ordered two bowls of noodles.

Mia ate ravenously, finishing every last bite in no time.

"Was it good?" I asked.

She nodded quickly.

"From now on, if you want to eat something, just tell me," I said.

"But remember, if you want something in life, you have to earn it yourself."

Mia blinked, looking slightly confused, but she nodded anyway.

After dinner, I took her to a shopping mall.

She stopped in front of a toy store, her eyes locked onto a beautiful doll.

"Mom, can I have..."

Before she could finish, I cut her off.

"If you want it, buy it yourself."

Mia was stunned.

"But... I don't have any money..."

"Then find a way to earn it," I replied.

"Starting today, you'll get an allowance for doing chores around the house."

"Once you save enough, you can buy the doll."

A flicker of resentment flashed through Mia's eyes.

But she quickly hid it and nodded obediently.

"Okay, Mom."

Watching her, a warning bell rang in my head.

This kid wasn't simple.

In our past life, Chloe was completely fooled by Mia's "good girl" act.

On the surface, she was submissive, but her mind was always calculating.

I couldn't let my guard down.

When we got home, I assigned her chores.

Sweeping, dusting, and washing dishes.

They were simple tasks, but she did them incredibly slowly.

I didn't rush her. I just sat on the couch, reading my book.

She peeked at me several times, and seeing that I didn't care, she had no choice but to keep working.

When she finished, I inspected her work.

"Not bad. Here is your allowance."

I handed her a ten-dollar bill.

Mia took the bill, disappointment written all over her face.

"Only ten dollars...?" she muttered under her breath.

"Too little?" I asked.

She immediately shook her head.

"No, it's fine. Thank you, Mom."

I smiled but said nothing.

I knew she was probably cursing me in her head.

But it didn't matter.

I had plenty of time to teach her.

That night, lying in bed, I mapped out my future plans.

I wanted to open a high-end dessert shop.

In my past life, I was an excellent pastry chef.

In this life, I would use those skills to build my own business empire.

At the same time, I had five years to raise Mia into a decent, honest person.

Five years from now, her biological parents would show up.

That inevitable "extortion attempt" was actually the most crucial part of my master plan.

I was going to show Chloe exactly what kind of "lucky charm" she had stolen from me.

I closed my eyes, and Lily’s fragile face drifted into my mind.