The police officer stepped forward, explaining the law. “A paternity test requires both parties to agree. A one–sided test isn’t legally valid.”
Relieved, I finally allowed myself to relax.
In the end, Carissa took me to the police station to clarify my family situation and pressed charges against Hugo for causing a public disturbance.
Once everything was sorted out, Carissa comforted me, “Bianca, you’ve been through a lot. Whether or not that man is your dad, it won’t affect you anymore. If you ever run into any more problems, you can always reach out to me. I’ll do everything I can to help you.”
I hugged her tightly, tears welling up. “Thank you, Ms. Sanford. You’re the kindest person I know, aside from my aunt.
Back at the dorm, Sophie wasn’t there. Claire and Zoey had already heard about the chaos and expressed their displeasure at the injustice of the situation.
I shared my suspicions with them. “I think this whole thing was a setup by Sophie and the Lewis brothers. They must have dug into my background and then specifically hired this man to stir up trouble.
“Their plan was to put me in a difficult position, then use their power and privilege to ‘rescue me. They would offer me a little kindness and money to make me feel grateful and indebted. And by keeping someone like Hugo around, they’ve created an unpredictable bomb in my life.
up the That way, I’ll keep needing them–both their money and their influence–to clean mess they created.”
Claire cursed angrily. “Scum!”
Zoey sighed. “They’re so devious, and they have wealth and power beyond what we can even imagine. We’ll have to be extra careful from now on. Who knows what other traps are waiting for us?”
After the storm passed, the holiday arrived.
During the break, I filled up every available moment with tutoring jobs and managed to save up a decent sum for living expenses.
When the semester started again, Zoey invited Claire and me out for dinner, saying she had something important to discuss with us.
Before the food even arrived, Zoey had already polished off two bottles of beer and was clearly drunk. She had always been calm and composed, never letting her emotions show. So, seeing her like this was unusual.
2/3
Chapter h
475 BORA
Claire and I exchanged a glance, both of us sensing that something was off.
After a long silence, Zoey finally spoke up.
“I’m sure you both know I come from a single–parent family. My parents divorced when I was young, and my mom raised me on her own–it wasn’t easy for her.”
She paused, taking a deep breath. “She works at Lewis Group. During the company’s annual meeting, the chairman specifically mentioned that I’m in the same dorm as Sophie and that I’m also an alum of the same school as the Lewis brothers. The chairman even asked my mom to bring me along to the company event.”
Claire urgently asked, “Did Xavier bully you at the company event? Don’t worry, I still have that video of the brothers and Sophie in the greenhouse. If he did something to you, online and make sure we all go down together.”
I’ll
post it
Zoey shook her head, but her voice sounded even more defeated. “At the event, Xavier kept approaching me. He tried to get close and kept making moves. After the event, my mom’s colleagues started saying that she was going to get in good with the Lewis family by becoming their in–law. Then, out of nowhere, my mom got promoted. She’s been telling me to keep in touch with Xavier ever since.”
Claire immediately asked, “Did you tell your mom the truth about Xavier? He doesn’t like you –he just wants to use you as a shield and a tool to have children!”
Zoey looked lost, her eyes blank. “I did tell her, but she wouldn’t believe me. She even said that even if it’s true, I can win Xavier’s heart over time if I work hard enough. Plus, since Sophie can’t have children, the child I have will be the Lewis family’s heir. The Lewis family’s fortune is worth billions.”
I suddenly understood–it was too big a temptation. Zoey’s mother was swayed by the promise of profit and was willing to put her beloved daughter at risk.
It turned out that Sophie and the Lewis brothers had been using different tactics on us. They were pressuring me, but for Zoey, they were using temptation, dangling the promise of wealth and status in front of her.
Zoey completely broke down, her tears falling like rain. “The only thing I’m afraid of is breaking my mom’s heart. She’s done everything for me, and we’ve always been there for each other. How can I not listen to her?”
I understood her completely. If it were my aunt asking me to do the same, I wouldn’t be able to refuse. But by diving into this situation and making a deal with the devil–was there really any chance of winning?
We couldn’t make that decision for Zoey. All we could do was stay by her side and let her drink away the pain.
3/3
