Chapter 4

Looking at the boy, who bore a striking resemblance to Jasmine, I had a pretty clear idea of who he was.

Most likely Julian and Jasmine's secret love child.

They sure kept him well hidden for over twenty years.

It seemed this circus was turning out even more entertaining than I expected.

My mother-in-law, Eleanor, sat at the head of the table. Without raising her voice, she commanded the room: "Julian, what is the meaning of this?"

The air in the living room went rigid once again.

The boy's eyes welled with tears, looking as if he were on the verge of breaking down.

"Chloe, my name is Greg. I... I've always known you existed."

He stammered slightly, his voice quiet and trembling.

He sneaked a nervous glance at me, then quickly ducked his head as if terrified of my wrath.

"My... my mom talks about you all the time. She always says how brilliant and beautiful you are..."

Jasmine chimed in right on cue, lifting a delicate lace handkerchief to dab at her eyes, her shoulders quivering.

"Chloe, my precious baby girl, your mother has missed you so much all these years..."

She looked up with tear-soaked eyes, the very picture of a wronged martyr.

"Greg... Greg missed you constantly, too. We used to sneak around just to catch glimpses of you..."

Greg nodded frantically, chiming in with desperate eagerness:

"It's true! Chloe, I enrolled at the same university as you just to... just to be closer to you..."

He pulled a thick stack of photos from his coat pocket and offered them timidly to Chloe.

"These are all of you. I... I took them secretly..."

Chloe took the stack and flipped through them. There she was in her cap and gown, laughing brightly; exhausted after a grueling contemporary dance practice; passionately engaged in a collegiate debate competition...

A wave of sheer disgust washed over her, goosebumps erupting on her skin. She had lived for years with a creepy stalker in her shadow, taking candid photos of her life without her knowledge.

Julian seized the moment. He walked over to Eleanor, gesturing dramatically toward Greg, his tone heavy with reverence.

"Mother, this is a true Vance heir! With all our elders here to bear witness, please... you must formally welcome him into the family!"

Julian wasn't entirely brainless. He knew that ever since his father passed away, Eleanor held the true moral authority in the dynasty.

Dragging the extended family along was nothing more than an ambush to pressure her into accepting this illegitimate kid.

He was convinced that if Eleanor welcomed Greg into the family fold, my hands would be tied.

After all, he had watched me show nothing but absolute loyalty and respect to Eleanor for a quarter of a century.

Greg picked up on the cue immediately, pivoting toward the matriarch and bowing with rehearsed politeness. "Grandmother!"

Eleanor looked at Greg, then shifted her gaze to me, her eyes filled with conflicting emotions. She made no move to acknowledge him.

I knew Eleanor cared about me deeply.

Refusing to let her bear the burden of this mess, I broke the silence.

"Julian, bringing this side piece's kid into the lineage to claim the Vance estate was your real agenda all along, wasn't it? Why drag Chloe into your pathetic schemes?"