Chapter 6 I’m Not Your Dad
1/10
He just couldn’t wrap his head around the idea that Sabrina was actually Theodore’s daughter. “Bullshit. Your daughter? No fucking way!”
He’d raised her. And over all these years, he’d never managed to dig up a single thing about her biological parents.
Theodore gave him a look that could freeze the devil’s balls.
“I’ll send you the DNA results. Believe it or not, that’s your call.”
“Check them receipts and stay the fuck away from my kid from
now on.”
“Or watch me tank your business deals.”
After dropping that bombshell, he turned to Sabrina, voice going soft. “Let’s go home.”
Sabrina trailed after him, her mind in a total whirlwind.
This protection felt weird as hell; she wasn’t trying to owe him anything.
On the way back, Sabrina’s mood hit rock bottom.
It was late as all get–out, and she was dead on her feet. Staying awake was an uphill battle, and before long, she nodded off.
Chapter 6 I’m Not Your Dad
When they pulled up at the villa, Theodore woke her up all gentle–like.
2/10
Meanwhile, Matthew’s phone buzzed–Theodore’s guy sent that
DNA test.
Results were clear as day. Sabrina was his blood, no cap.
Matthew just sat there, shell–shocked, gawking at the paper for what seemed like an eternity.
He knew Theodore wasn’t about to fake a DNA test. The Fridman name was too big for that bullshit.
Sabrina was now Theodore’s kid.
It hit Matthew hard, like a punch to the gut.
Suddenly, memories of little Sabrina rushed back to him.
Back when he was broke and his startup was falling apart, drowning in debt and bad luck, Sabrina appeared in his life.
He remembered that day so clearly–he’d had too much to drink and, on his way home, he ran into little Sabrina.
She was barely three, dressed in rags, looking like a little beggar, but she looked up and called him, “Daddy!”
Her eyes sparkled like stars.
Chapter 6 I’m Not Your Dad
Matthew had never dealt with a kid that young before.
3/10
He stopped, surprised and a bit serious, saying, “Kiddo, I’m not your dad.”
Sabrina looked at him with eyes way too wise for her age.
“Can you be my daddy?” she asked.
Seeing his doubt, she added, “Daddy says I’m a burden, that he hates me. I want a new daddy. Can you be mine?”
At her words, Matthew felt his own problems lighten a bit.
“Looks like you’re stuck with me now, huh?” he chuckled, though he didn’t really believe it at the time.
It was only when he got close to his place that he realized she had followed him all the way home.
“You’ve been following me?” he asked, turning around.
She gave a nod.
“Do you have any idea how dangerous that is? Where do you live? I’ll send you back,” he said seriously.
Sensing his annoyance, she mumbled an address.
After a while, they found themselves in an alley.
It was a real dump, trash everywhere and the stench of sewage
Chapter 6 I’m Not Your Dad hanging in the air.
Her place was tucked away in a rundown building inside.
“This is my home,” she said, rapping on the door.
A moment later, the door flew open.
Before Matthew could even blink, a guy kicked Sabrina out, shouting, “You little deadweight, where’s my cash?”
4/10
Sabrina, used to it, quickly got back on her feet and fished out a few crumpled bills from her pocket.
“Is that all?” the guy sneered, lunging for a stool to chuck at her.
Matthew sprang forward to block the flying stool and landed a solid punch right in the guy’s face.
“What the hell is wrong with you? That’s your daughter!” he roared, with his anger through the roof.
“Daughter? She’s just a good–for–nothing kid!” The man hissed.
In the end, neither of them got into the house.
Matthew couldn’t just leave Sabrina with that guy. Later, he found out through the police that she’d been kidnapped.
Reluctantly, he took her back to his place.
But he was broke and up to his neck in debt. Taking care of a kid.
Chapter 6 I’m Not Your Dad
was the last thing he needed.
5/10
“Do you want to have new parents, Rina?” Matthew asked softly, pulling her close.
Sabrina hesitated, her silence seeming like agreement.
The next day, he searched for adoptive families.
But while he was out making arrangements, Sabrina disappeared.
Matthew rushed back home in a panic, only to find it empty. He started tearing the place apart looking for her.
Finally, he spotted her on the street, dragging a huge plastic bag. stuffed with bottles and scraps.
Her face was all smudged, and she looked like a raggedy calico
cat.
When Sabrina saw him, a big smile lit up her face, and she came. running at him full–tilt.
“Daddy, look! I’m making money! I’m not a burden!”
She proudly handed him several crumpled tens, her eyes lighting up, filled with admiration.
The bills felt hot in his hand, silencing his reproach.
Then, he realized she was clever and perceptive, sensing his
Chapter 6 I’m Not Your Dad plans to send her away.
At that moment, he decided to adopt her.
Two lost souls came together, seeking warmth in each other.
6/10
That year marked the lowest point in Matthew’s life, but with Sabrina’s presence, he found solace.
Though it had been over a decade ago, he remembered it all vividly, as if it had happened just yesterday.
The little girl who once clung to his leg, begging to be held, was now distancing herself, insisting on cutting lies.
And she even had found her biological father, Theodore.
Learning Theodore was her real dad hit Matthew with an unexpected sense of loss.
He lay awake all night, wrestling with his thoughts.
Meanwhile, Theodore, upon returning home, began investigating Sabrina’s past abroad.
He’d noticed how her demeanor changed whenever her overscas journey came up.
The night brought insomnia to Theodore as well, a rare occurrence for him.
For Sabrina, however, the night was peaceful; she slept soundly,
Chapter 6 I’m Not Your Dad
dreamless.
It had been a long time since she’d had a good night’s sleep, especially in the Sterling Villa.
Surprisingly, she found comfort at the Fridman Villa.
It seemed the Sterling family truly was a burden to her.
7/10
The next morning, as Sabrina headed downstairs for breakfast, she learned that Theodore had left for the office early.
Sabrina didn’t dwell on it; after finishing her meal, she went to school.
The moment she entered her classroom, Sabrina spotted Jane with her head buried on the desk, looking utterly defeated.
“What’s up?” Sabrina asked, rarely having seen her friend so dispirited.
“Rina, we have a monthly exam next week,” Jane confessed, lifting her head with a look that seemed drained of all energy.
Sabrina noticed the dark circles under her eyes. “You didn’t sleep at all last night, did you?”
Jane nodded.
I spent all night studying, but the material just isn’t sticking.
“Rina, if I flunk out with the lowest score again, I’m going to get
Chapter 6 I’m Not Your Dad
the boot.” Jane sniveled, her nerves all over the place.
8/10
Harvard–Westlake School was no joke when it came to rules.
Any student who landed in the bottom five for three straight monthly exams got the ax and had to find a new school.
But there was a silver lining–students from other schools could take the entrance exam for Harvard–Westlake School. Pass it, and one was in like Flynn.
The trouble was, the exam was a real bear.
Sabrina got how stressed Jane was.
She rummaged through her desk for a bit and then handed Jane a notebook.
“Don’t worry. You’re not going to get kicked,” she said.
Jane looked at Sabrina with doubt and a glimmer of hope. Sabrina’s rock–solid confidence eased her worry.
“What’s this?” Jane asked, eyeing the notebook like it was some strange object.
“These are my class notes. Go through them, you’ll ace the exam,” Sabrina said.
But these weren’t just run–of–the–mill notes. Sabrina had put her own spin on them, breaking down each topic into easy–peasy ways to understand.
Chapter 6 I’m Not Your Dad
Jane hesitated at first, but Sabrina’s certain voice wore her down, and she took the offer.
Even if the notebook was just a mess of scribbles, she was thankful for Sabrina’s vote of confidence.
Just then, a sneering voice cut through the air.
9/10
There stood a girl, not drop–dead gorgeous but dressed to the nines in high–end clothes, her arms folded across her chest and a look of pure contempt on her face.
“The sixth to last trying to teach the fifth to last how to study? That’s a real knee–slapper,” she jeered.
Jane’s resolve wavered for a split second, but then she thought of Sabrina’s kindness and steeled herself.
“So what? Rina’s monthly exam scores are consistently solid. That’s her jam,” Jane retorted, her confidence growing despite a nagging sense of unease.
Olivia Morgan let out a scornful scoff and rolled her eyes in pure disdain. “All hot air. Let’s wait and see if you’re still grinning from ear to ear after the exam.”
As Sabrina stared at Olivia, a flood of bad memories came rushing into her head like a tidal wave.
