Chapter 1

I'm a foster daughter of the Johnson family. During the time when Gideon was temporarily blind due to a car accident, we had an unplanned night together. I ended up having a child with him, but following his family's arrangements, I left the baby with the Johnsons and moved abroad. Gideon became a single father without even knowing who his child's mother was.

Five years later, I returned to the country and married him. People say I must be open-minded to take on the role of a stepmother at such a young age. But what they don't know, not even Gideon, is that I am the biological mother of his son, Finn.

At noon in the Johnson Corporation's Legal Department break room, I stand to the side, making coffee. I overhear some colleagues discussing our top boss, the young CEO of the Johnson Corporation.

"Mr. Johnson put on a wedding ring two months ago."

"Did our CEO suddenly get married and settle down?"

"Why should a wealthy family's marriage and children be announced to you?"

"Just curious. It wasn't publicly announced. What kind of woman could win over the cold Mr. Johnson?"

"Maybe it's a marriage alliance."

"But on the other hand, Mr. Johnson's new wife became a stepmother right away."

Their current CEO, Gideon, is a decisive leader, only twenty-seven, very young and promising. Yet everyone knows he already has a son about five years old. The little boy was once brought to the company by Mrs. Johnson herself to see his dad. His delicate features are almost identical to Mr. Johnson's, clearly showing their blood relation.

Looking at Gideon's timeline, he graduated from the country's top university. His son, Finn, was born the same year he finished school. At a very young age, just after graduation, Gideon became a father. The little boy has always been raised solely by Gideon. The existence and identity of the child's mother have always been a mystery.

I heard someone among those people say: "More than being curious about Mr. Johnson's new wife, I'm more curious about what kind of person the mother of the young master was. To make Mr. Johnson a father at just twenty-something."

Just as I left the break room, the department manager called me: "Nora, come with me to the meeting."