I am Adelaide Carteret, matriarch and head of the powerful Carteret lineage. In an underground fight club abroad, I took notice of Benjamin Kensington, who was five years younger than me.   He was locked inside a steel cage, forced to fight a ferocious tiger. There was a ruthless, do‑or‑die fierceness in his eyes, as if he had nothing left to lose.   After he claimed victory, he knelt before me and pressed a kiss to my toe, begging me to get him out of there.   I was drawn to his unbroken spirit and his robust, youthful physique, so I decided he would be the one to father my child.   Seven years later, Benjamin had risen from being little more than a captive to become one of the most brilliant and sought‑after innovators in the tech industry.   I was very satisfied with the bloodline he had given me and believed this to be the wisest decision I had ever made. That was until one day, a woman arrived at my estate with a child, just to provoke me.   "Old hen, do you really think Benjamin ever truly loved you? All these years, everything he did was nothing but an act!   "Every time he touched you, he felt nothing but disgust! If you know what is good for you, step aside and make way now!"   I kicked hard into her stomach and pressed down firmly. Amid her sharp, agonized screams, I smiled coldly.   Benjamin had grown far too comfortable in his new position and started thinking himself my equal. He'd forgotten what he'd always been: a dog on my leash.