"I will not marry the man you have chosen!"

Elise's voice echoed in the magnificent dining room of the Van Der Holt family, a wealthy noble family whose name was renowned among the Dutch elite.

"Elise!" Mr. William snapped, his voice booming throughout the room. "You are the heir to this family. Do you think wealth, status, and a great name can fall into your hands just like that without an obligation?"

Elise, in a simple ivory-colored dress, raised her chin defiantly at her father.

"I don't want my life to be controlled just because of inheritance. If you want a grandchild, I will give you one. But not by marrying a foreign man I don't even love," Elise said.

"My dear, you know very well the conditions stated in the will. An heir must produce a legitimate offspring. Without a husband, without a marriage, there is no inheritance right for you. Do you really want to be dethroned? You will lose everything," replied her mother, Madame Cecile.

"I don't care about wealth, Mother!" Elise exclaimed, looking at both of her parents alternately. "All I need is a baby. That's enough for me."

A strange silence immediately gripped the dining room. The words that came out of Elise's lips sounded like madness to their ears, accustomed to rigid aristocratic rules.

"How will you give birth to a baby without a husband? Do you want to embarrass our family in front of all of Europe?" William said, laughing cynically.

"There are other ways, Father. The world has changed. There is technology. I can have a child without having to surrender myself to a man in a forced arranged marriage," Elise said, looking straight at the middle-aged man.

Mr. William froze in place. His jaw tightened, the veins in his neck tensed. Meanwhile, Madame Cecile looked at her daughter with an expression of shock and anger.

"Elise, don't talk nonsense. This is embarrassing. What will people say?" Cecile said.

"I will do it regardless of what people say. With or without your blessing." Elise hurried to her room, ignoring her parents.

That night, Elise hurriedly packed clothes into a large suitcase. Her heart was pounding, not out of fear, but because this step she was about to take was irreversible.

Elise glanced once more at the photo of her late grandmother who always advised her.

"Be yourself, Elise. Never be a puppet that is always controlled by others."

"Yes, Grandma. I will choose my own path. If giving birth to a child is the price I have to pay for my freedom, then I will do it," Elise whispered, looking at her reflection in the mirror.

Without saying goodbye, that night Elise secretly left the luxury and traditions that had bound her all this time.

"I will start my life, a life I choose with all its consequences."

Elise decided to go to Italy, a country famous for its leading fertilization laboratories and advanced medical technology.

*

*

Elise's footsteps echoed in the white corridor of a modern laboratory in Naples. The pungent smell of antiseptic also pierced her sense of smell.

"Signora Elise, the process is quite simple. We have many verified sperm donors. You only need to choose the type of characteristics you want. Height, eye color, educational background, and so on. We will ensure everything is safe and meets your expectations," Dr. Morelli explained in detail.

Elise nodded slowly, her hands felt cold and slightly sweaty. It was undeniable that Elise was really nervous right now.

"I just want a healthy, smart, and intelligent son," Elise said.

"Of course, I will grant your request." Dr. Morelli smiled kindly.

Elise was taken into a sterile room that looked like a futuristic capsule. She closed her eyes, trying to calm herself and dispel all the doubts that haunted her.

"This is my way of life. No arranged marriage, no forced husband. Just me and my future child," Elise thought, praying in her heart.

*

*

That night, the light from the crystal chandelier illuminated a magnificent meeting room filled with classical paintings and luxurious furniture.

In the main seat, sat Diego Frederick, a man known as the most feared mafia in all of Italy. His face was so hard and expressionless. His eyes were dark and intimidating.

Diego had just finished settling scores with a traitor who dared to mess with him.

"Clean it up!" Diego ordered.

"Yes, Sir!"

Soon, Diego's trusted assistant ran hurriedly and approached him with a pale face.

"Sir, there's a problem," reported the assistant in a trembling voice.

Diego turned and looked at him with a sharp gaze. "Problem?" he asked in a heavy voice that made the assistant's hair stand on end.

"Your biological seed, which was stored in the fertilization laboratory, has been lost," Jimmy said.

The atmosphere in the room suddenly became silent. All eyes were on Diego, waiting for the man's reaction.

"Lost, you say?" Diego swirled the glass of red wine he was holding.

Jimmy swallowed hard. He shouldn't have said this now. But, if it was hidden for too long, Diego would definitely find out too.

"More precisely, it has been misused, Sir. Your seed has been inserted into the womb of a woman who signed up for the in vitro fertilization program today," Jimmy said again.

The wine glass in Diego's hand instantly shattered into pieces. His eyes narrowed sharply like a newly sharpened sword.

"Find that woman. I don't care who she is. No one in this world has the right to touch what belongs to me!" Diego ordered with an angry face.

Seven years had passed since Elise left her family's mansion.

From a noblewoman swimming in wealth, Elise was now just an ordinary woman working as a cleaner in a company in Italy.

Elise chose to erase her last name. All for one reason, Alexander, her son.

Alexander, the six-year-old boy, grew into a handsome child, with sharp facial features and a gaze that often made adults feel as if their minds were being stripped bare.

Despite his young age, Alex possessed extraordinary intelligence.

Elise knew, it wasn't solely the result of ordinary upbringing, but rather a hereditary trait. The blood of the mysterious man whose seed had been planted in her womb six years ago.

*

*

That morning, Elise's tranquility was disturbed when her cheap cellphone vibrated.

A call from Alex's school.

"Mrs. Elise? Please come to the school immediately. There's a problem with your son."

Without thinking twice, Elise took off her rubber gloves. Then entrusted the mop bucket to her colleague and hurried towards the nearest bus stop.

Arriving at the elite school, the atmosphere seemed chaotic. Several children were gathered, teachers looked busy calming them down.

Elise pushed her way through until she reached the teachers' room. There, Alexander sat with a calm face.

There was no crying, no remorse whatsoever on his face.

While in front of him, a boy of the same age was sobbing, blood flowing from his nose. His face was also bruised.

"You impolite brat! How dare he punch my son until he bleeds. A country bumpkin like this doesn't deserve to be in this school!" scolded a middle-aged woman who was dressed lavishly. She stood pointing at Alex's face.

"Alex, tell Mama. Did you do this?" Elise asked gently, trying to find an explanation.

Alex was silent. His gaze remained cold, straight ahead, as if challenging anyone who dared to underestimate him.

Frustrated, Elise patted Alex's shoulder hard enough. "Answer, Alexander!"

The boy raised his face. His eyes were red, not from crying, but from holding back emotional turmoil.

"If they call me a bastard, I don't care. But they called Mama a whore. I won't stand idly by!" Alex asserted.

Elise was stunned. She wanted to be angry, wanted to scold her son. But on the other hand, there was a mix of emotion and pain competing in her chest.

"Look at that! This child is completely unethical!" The middle-aged woman screamed again, "No wonder he doesn't have a father, his mother must be—"

Before she could finish her sentence, Elise stood up. Her eyes flashed sharply. Without hesitation, she grabbed the woman's hair.

"If you dare open your mouth again, I'll make sure you leave this room with a ruined face!" Elise hissed.

Everyone was stunned. The teachers tried to intervene, while the woman screamed hysterically for help.

Alex could only widen his eyes. He didn't expect his mother, who always pressured him to be well-behaved, could commit such brutal acts at school and in front of his friends.

"Turns out Mama is crazier than me," Alex muttered.

After things calmed down, Elise pulled Alex out of the room with her face still flushed and her breath ragged.

"Mrs. Elise!" a teacher tried to stop her, "we will report this act of yours—"

"Just report it. I don't care," Elise cut in quickly, then dragged her son away.

They didn't know who Elise really was. If they knew, they wouldn't dare speak badly and insult her like this.

*

*

Arriving at the parking area, Elise crouched down in front of Alex.

"You can't act like that again, Alex. Mama doesn't want you to become a thug," Elise said, putting on a sad face.

Alex looked at his mother, a cold gaze that was very similar to someone Elise didn't even dare to imagine.

"What kind of idiot would stay silent and let others trample on his mother's dignity? If I have to be called a wild child for that, so be it," Alex replied.

Elise was silent. She wanted to argue, but her tongue felt tied.

"And Mama, if you really don't like me acting violently, why did Mama grab that woman's hair? How ironic!" Alex mocked.

Elise was startled. She was unable to give an answer to her son's scathing insinuation.

Alex crossed his arms, returning to his prematurely mature, blank expression.

"Next time, Mama shouldn't blame me. Because we're the same. Both thugs." Alex gave a faint smile, then got into the car.

Those words hit Elise harder than anyone's scolding.

"Whose seed was actually planted in my womb six years ago?" Elise thought with a shudder.

Years had passed, but the trail of the woman who carried his seed remained a mystery that suffocated Diego's chest. Every time the memory surfaced, his anger burned uncontrollably.

In his cold-toned office, Diego stood frozen before a giant glass window, watching the rain pouring down on the city of Milan. His fingers clenched tightly, his jaw hardened, reflecting the unbearable inner turmoil.

"Six years," he muttered. "My seed has been missing for six years, and no one has been able to uncover its whereabouts?"

Alana, his cousin who now worked as a renowned doctor, could only look at Diego with a resigned expression from the chair across the desk.

"Diego, I've told you repeatedly. The old data in that laboratory has been deleted. You can't keep blaming the world for one system error," Alana said gently.

"System error?" Diego turned around with a gaze as sharp as an eagle's. "This isn't just a system error, Alana. This is a crime. Someone has stolen my seed, and if that woman managed to give birth... that child is now six years old."

Diego's cold gaze made Alana sigh deeply.

"So, what do you want to do?" Alana asked, giving in to her cousin's stubbornness. "You've mobilized everyone to look for her. You even intimidated the director of the laboratory to the point of almost killing him. But the result is nil."

Diego paced restlessly, then stopped in front of his desk.

"I won't give up. I want you to retrace the data from six years ago. Whoever had access to the storage room at that time, I want to know their identity," Diego ordered in an undeniable tone.

Alana massaged her temples, trying to relieve the throbbing that was starting to set in. "You know, it would be easier if you released a new seed and stored it again. At least, there's a guarantee for your future."

"Do you think I'm the same as any other man?!" Diego exclaimed.

Alana looked at Diego with deep concern. She knew very well that her cousin harbored a deeply rooted trauma.

At the age of thirty, Diego was unable to touch any woman. The emotional wounds of his past were too deep, causing him to avoid all forms of physical intimacy.

"I won't do it again," Diego said flatly. "Once is enough. That seed is the only one that belongs to me. And I will find it. Unless I find a woman I can touch and enjoy to my heart's content."

"Alright. But don't let this obsession destroy you, Diego." Alana raised both hands, a sign that she was giving up.

The man didn't answer. He just looked back out the window with his eyes narrowed sharply.

*

*

Meanwhile, in a simple rented house on the outskirts of the city, there was a slight commotion. Of course, it was their daily morning routine.

"Alex! Please, don't use Mama's pot to boil water again!" Elise shouted from the living room.

The sound of clinking spoons and the aroma of fried onions wafted from the narrow kitchen. The six-year-old boy stood on a small chair, stirring rice in a wok with a serious expression like a professional chef.

"If Mama could cook, I wouldn't have to do this," Alex replied without turning around.

Elise snorted. "Mama is busy working. Besides, instant noodles are food, right?"

Alex stopped what he was doing, then looked at his mother standing in the kitchen doorway with her arms crossed.

"Fast food doesn't contain nutrients, Mama. You know that. You haven't even eaten vegetables for the last three days. That's why Mama's skin looks pale," Alex said with concern.

Elise rolled her eyes. "Are you a doctor? So fussy!"

"The child of someone who seems very intelligent," Alex replied casually, making Elise silent for a moment.

Her heart trembled, mixed with pride and fear. Sometimes, Alex's words were too sharp for a child his age.

"Okay, Mama just sit down. I'm almost done," Alex said then, busily turning on the small flame again.

A few minutes later, the appetizing aroma of fried rice filled the entire kitchen. Elise looked at it in amazement.

"Where did you learn to cook like this?"

"From the internet. I used the simplest recipe, but I modified it a bit to make it taste more complex."

Elise snorted softly. "Listen to that... complex. A six-year-old boy talking like a chef."

Alex looked at his mother expressionlessly. "I don't want Mama to keep eating carelessly. If Mama gets sick, who will take care of me?"

Elise fell silent. That simple sentence pierced the depths of her heart. She looked at her son who was now placing a plate on the dining table, his face cold but his eyes held deep affection.

"Alex..." Elise called softly.

The boy glanced at her, then smiled faintly, a rare smile that only Elise knew the meaning of.

"Eat before it gets cold, Mama. It doesn't taste as bad as instant noodles, I promise."

Elise smiled, trying to hold back the tears that suddenly choked her chest.

"Don't cry. Mama is ugly when she cries," Alex said while wiping his mother's tears.

"Who's crying! Mama got something in her eye, you know!" Elise evaded, making Alex roll his eyes lazily.

"Tsk tsk tsk! Look, women are indeed good at lying," the boy cursed inwardly.