Chapter 12 All Are Mother's Pride
"Yeah, a little," Harry mumbled, handing over the shopping bag.
"Harry, what's this..." Galatea took the bag, feeling its weight. When she opened it, she was stunned.
Inside was a boy's jacket and a girl's pajama set. From the style and quality, she could tell they weren't cheap.
She looked at Caspian in surprise. "Where'd you get the money for this?"
Elisa's eyes widened as she peeked into the bag, exclaiming, "Wow! New clothes! Harry, where'd you get the money? You didn't steal it, did you?"
She couldn't believe Harry had that much pocket money.
"Don't be ridiculous!" Galatea scolded Elisa with a glare, then turned back to Caspian, her eyes questioning.
"I won a prize in the Global Children's Math Competition," Caspian said, scratching his head with a mix of pride and shyness.
"A prize?" Galatea's mouth dropped open in disbelief. She knew Harry was smart and quick with his schoolwork, but she never imagined he would enter a global math competition and win! "Really?"
"Of course it's true!" Caspian puffed out his chest. "Why would I lie?"
Elisa was still skeptical, pouting. "Are you just making this up?"
"Mom, wait a second, I'll show you." Caspian pulled out his phone, unlocked it, and opened the Global Children's Math Competition website.
He scrolled to the winners' list and pointed to a name on the screen for Galatea and Elisa to see. He was careful to hide his real name, only showing them the publicly available photo.
Galatea stared at the photo on the screen, her eyes welling up with tears, her nose tingling.
Her son was truly exceptional and considerate. She was immensely proud.
"Harry, you are my pride!" Galatea hugged her son tightly, her voice choked with emotion, filled with pride and relief.
Elisa was now fully convinced, jumping up and down with excitement. "Wow! Harry, you're amazing! A global competition! The prize money must be a lot, right? Can I have half of it?"
Elisa's little money-grubbing nature was on full display.
"Of course, all my money is for you and Elisa to share. You can use it however you want," Caspian said without hesitation.
Anyway, the money was originally intended by him for his mother and sister.
Elisa's eyes sparkled as she started planning. "I want to use the money to buy a month's worth of snacks to fill my room! I also want to buy a lot of toys!"
Caspian affectionately tapped her nose, smiling. "No problem, whatever you want!"
Seeing Elisa so happy warmed his heart. Making his mom and Elisa happy made him feel great.
As night fell, the Knight Mansion was cloaked in a cold, luxurious aura.
Orion walked into Harry's room, holding a glass of water and a few pills, her face expressionless.
She knocked on the door but didn't wait for a response before entering.
"Take your medicine," Orion said coldly, as if issuing an order.
Harry looked up, his eyes wary. "What kind of medicine is this?" he asked, his voice trembling but trying to stay calm.
"That's none of your business," Orion snapped, her brow furrowing. "It's a rule in the Knight family. You have to take it."
"I'm not taking it!" Harry's stance was firm, his small body tense.
She clearly had bad intentions. Who knew what she was trying to make him take? He wouldn't take it!
"You don't have a choice!" Orion's face darkened as she grabbed Harry's wrist with surprising strength, trying to force the pills into his mouth.
Harry struggled fiercely, his small arms and legs flailing as he shouted, "Let go of me! I'm not taking it! I'm not taking the medicine!" He twisted his body, trying to break free from Orion's grip.
In the chaos, the pills scattered across the floor.
Orion's face turned livid, her already stern expression now as dark as a stormy sky.
She glared at Harry as if she wanted to tear a piece of flesh from him.
"You little brat, how dare you defy me!" she snarled, her voice filled with rage.
"Why wouldn't I?" Harry glared back, his small body radiating an impressive aura, his eyes cold and determined. "You're not my mom! You're just a bad woman trying to manipulate me!"
He had seen through her long ago. She wasn't genuinely good to him; she had some hidden agenda.
Orion was taken aback by Harry's words, her face unpleasant as if she had been slapped.
She hadn't expected this usually obedient child to be so difficult and confrontational.
"What did you say? I am your mom!" she shrieked, her voice changing pitch like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. "I've worked so hard to raise you, and this is how you repay me? You ungrateful little thing!"
She tried to use her supposed maternal role to suppress Harry and gain sympathy.
"Worked so hard?" Harry sneered, his tone dripping with sarcasm. "You dare say you've worked hard? All you do is dress up to show off. What else do you do? Do you care about me? Do you know what I like or dislike? Do you even know my birthday? You're not my mom! You're a fraud!"
He let out a torrent of grievances, venting all his pent-up frustrations.
Orion was left speechless, trembling with anger, pointing at Harry's nose and screaming, "Just you wait, I won't let you get away with this! I'll teach you a lesson!"
She was so furious she had lost all reason, only wanting to punish Harry.
With that, she stormed out, slamming the door so hard it seemed to shake the entire room.
Almost simultaneously, the sound of a car engine approached, stopping at the mansion's entrance.
Alaric was back.
Harry quickly composed himself, taking a deep breath to calm his racing heart.
He bent down to pick up the scattered pills, tossing them into the trash, then grabbed a book from the table, pretending to read as if nothing had happened.
He needed to stay calm and composed, not letting his dad suspect anything.