Chapter 143 You do have a sharp tongue

Chapter 143 You do have a sharp tongue
She remembered how Pearl was eliminated. As much as she loved Declan, his family was a no for her.

“What nonsense, my child’s father is right here, and you want a DNA test on her?” She was looking at Jacob, hoping he would support her, but Roger’s piercing gaze made him feel uneasy.

“Declan told us that you two slept together before, and oh, I’m sorry for mentioning it in front of your husband…” Giovanni was saying when Gracie cut in, her voice cracking.

“My husband knows about my past with Declan, and yes, I took pills at that time because he didn’t seem ready. He was broke,” she said sarcastically. "I married my husband a month after our breakup and got pregnant a few months later. You can do the math.”

Declan was staring at her in a way that made her feel naked, shamed, and afraid. He was usually quiet, but when they dated, she realized how talkative he could be.

With him being quiet on the matter, she had no idea what was going through his mind.

“If you are sure she isn’t his, then you should not worry about a DNA test. That would prove it, and besides, there are over a hundred men here, and your daughter only calls Declan daddy,” Roger added, making Gracie's legs feel weak.

Roger was so much like his father, making simple things complex. “You seem nervous,” Declan pointed out, his voice cold and pained. He smiled at Deena with tears in his eyes.

“See this woman, she’s your grandma. She’ll give you a lot of sweets.”

Molly’s hand was extended, and hearing sweets, Deena loosened her grip on Declan and went to her. Gracie’s heart shattered. When she found out she was pregnant after breaking up with Declan, she was always filled with fear.

The fear of what if something happened to her and there was no one to take care of Deena? As such, she filled her apartment with Declan’s pictures.

Most of the time, she went to bed looking at his pictures, crying over them. Remembering the great times they had together. When Deena was born, she showed her Declan’s picture, constantly saying he was her daddy with the hope that one day if something happened to her, Deena would be able to find and recognize her father.

Little did she know the little girl had absorbed the image so quickly, with a fiery yearning for her father. When she saw Declan in person, she ran to him and refused to return to her.

What a waste. Now she believed what other mothers said about how baby girls bonded with their fathers. “Declan, just give me back my daughter, okay?”

Declan scoffed. “I see your husband. He hasn’t spoken a word. Doesn’t he care about his daughter? And why would she refuse her own father? Gracie, how does your daughter mistake me for her father?”

Gracie shivered. The atmosphere was filled with laughter, but this table was tense. Deena was happily munching on whatever Molly gave her, and the two bonded like best friends.

She was giggling at Molly’s songs to her, happier than Gracie had ever seen her. “Deena is a sweet girl, but I haven't been around most of the time…” Jacob was saying when Declan’s voice cut through.

“Fine. I’m gonna have a DNA test done. If Deena isn’t mine,” he paused, piecing a few things together. “Deena.” The name sounded familiar on his tongue before it clicked. “You were naming her after me, weren’t you? What’s her surname?”

His eyes reddened, his heart tightening the more he spoke. “You were pregnant before breaking up with me, weren’t you? You are lying about her age.”

Gracie couldn’t believe how quickly he figured everything out. The name selection and everything, was to link Deena to her father, for the sake of the future.

She had even given the little girl Declan’s fake surname, White. If she mentions the full name Deena White, then everything will be made bare.

Perhaps she should have listened to Jacob and begged him to rather stay with Deena at her apartment.

“I’m not lying about anything, Declan. You faked being broke, and that’s why I left you. Get it over with.” She paused as she saw the hurt in his eyes. Perhaps if she hurt him more, then she could divert everything, make him angry, and take her child.

“Look, even if you own the whole of the Dawson's wealth, you are still nowhere near my husband.”

“You do have a sharp tongue,” Roger intervened, his eyes blazing. “Pray, Gracie, that every word you say is true because if the DNA proves that Deena belongs to my brother, you will never set your eyes on her ever again.”

“No," Gracie exclaimed, going crazy and began yelling, her voice rising over the music and drawing the attention of the guests. "You think you can do this to me just because you're rich? I want my daughter! Somebody help me!"

"Be careful, Gracie. I can get you fired, and I can make your life a living hell," Declan threatened coldly. Jacob pulled Gracie to the side and embraced her to calm her down.

The sight of them in such intimate position caused something to die inside Declan. He thought he had gotten over her, but the sight caused his heart to shatter.

It irked him to see any man close to her, even if he was her husband. The fact that she was the mother of his daughter, keeping her away from him because she thought he was poor, was something he could not forgive.

But why did it hurt so much to see another man's arms wrapped around her? "Dad, can you round him up for questioning?" he asked. Roger answered on Giovanni's behalf. "That's my kind of thing. I'll take care of it."

Turning to Karen, he asked, "Can you help with a distraction?"

"I'm in," she smiled, feeling elated to be a badass for once. Picking up a glass of wine, she and Roger ambled to where Gracie and Jacob were embracing each other.

Pulling away at the sight of them, Roger intentionally shoved Karen, and the drink in her hand, spilled on Gracie.

Gasping, and disheartened about her ruined dress, Karen quickly apologized. "I'm so sorry. I'll help you clean up," she said and dragged Gracie away.

Jacob wanted to follow them, but Roger blocked his path. "We need to talk, man."