Jose sat at the dining table. His hand was squeezing Phoebe's soft breasts as he chuckled softly. "I'm jealous. Why has the baby been monopolizing this area for the past few days? You'll have to make it up to me tonight."

Phoebe giggled, but her laughter died the instant she saw me.

I carefully ladled the nourishing soup into her bowl, letting it cool thoughtfully.

At the same time, Jose smiled gently at me. "You should sit down and eat, too."

Phoebe also pulled out a chair for me and nodded softly. "Taking care of the child is tiring. You should rest."

I lowered my gaze and declined with a smile. "It's my honor to help Madam look after the baby. I'm not tired at all."

My answer made Jose's lips curve in satisfaction. His eyes now flashed with a contempt impossible to ignore.

I stood obediently by the dining table, remembering the last time Jose saw Phoebe holding my hand. He had deliberately claimed the soup was too salty that day.

That man eventually punished me by making me kneel in the courtyard under the scorching sun until deep into the night. My knees ended up scraped raw and my whole body was covered in peeling skin.

I knew he tried to warn me that Phoebe was not someone I could even dream of.

After the meal, Jose pushed the leftover scraps from the soup bowl towards me. I didn't understand his meaning, so I poured the scraps into the trash can as usual.

But Jose suddenly raised his voice, glancing meaningfully at Phoebe. "Hans, if you don't like it, you can tell me. I know you didn't get to eat well in the mental hospital, so I specially saved the mushroom from the soup for you. That's top-grade mushroom. How could you waste my good intentions like that?"

Phoebe, who was holding the baby, looked over, her brow slightly furrowed.

I immediately bent down in a panic, retrieved the soiled mushroom from the trash can and shoved it into my mouth without hesitation.

"Thank you for your generous reward, Sir," I said.

Phoebe hurried over, worry flooding her eyes. Completely ignoring the child in her arms, she reached a hand to my mouth. "Spit it out, quickly!"

Acid churned in my stomach. Fighting the overwhelming urge to vomit, I forced myself to swallow it down and smiled gratefully at Jose.

Phoebe's eyes widened, as if she couldn't believe what she was seeing.