Chapter 275 Twenty Years of Deceit

Chapter 275 Twenty Years of Deceit

Jeremy's lips were trembling. He gripped his cane tightly, as if it were the only thing keeping him upright.

He looked down at the three papers on the floor, his eyes jumping from the paternity test to the transfer records, then to the second test, going back and forth three times. With each look, more color drained from his face.

"Hannah." His voice came out strangled, like something was caught in his throat. "Tell me the truth."

Hannah leaned against the wall, her fingers twisting the fabric of her dress until her knuckles went white. She didn't answer.

"Tell me the truth!" Jeremy's voice suddenly rose. He raised his hand and slammed the cane hard on the ground. "You've been lying to me for over twenty years?"

Hannah's body shook slightly, but she didn't cry or protest her innocence. She just stood there, lips pressed tight, eyes empty, like something inside her had broken.

Jason reached out and grabbed Hannah's arm, the force so strong it made her stumble forward a step.

"Mom! Say something! Tell him this is fake!"

He shook her hard. Her hair came half undone, and an earring slipped from her earlobe, hitting the stone floor with a small ping. She still didn't speak.

Jason felt like the ground had dropped out from under him—that sense of support vanished in an instant. He let go of Hannah's arm, stepped back twice, his legs gave out, and he collapsed to his knees.

"It's not real."

His voice changed, no longer the deliberately fake grievance from before, but clearly trembling.

"I'm part of the Gonzalez family... I always have been..."

No one responded.

The hallway was so quiet that only his breathing could be heard.

Jason pressed his hands on the ground, his nails scraping across the stone. He suddenly lifted his head, his voice tearing from low to a shriek.

"I don't believe it! You're all lying to me!"

His eyes were completely bloodshot, wild and desperate.

"Matthew! You did this! You just want to kick me out! You've looked down on me since we were kids!"

"Enough."

Abigail gently pushed aside Ethan's arm that was blocking her and took a step forward. Ethan frowned slightly but didn't stop her.

Abigail stood in front of Jason, looking down at the man kneeling on the ground.

Her expression was calm—not cold, not hateful, just calm.

"Jason." She called his name.

Jason looked up, his eyes so red they looked ready to burst.

"Do you know what those three years were like for me in the Gonzalez family?"

No one in the hallway made a sound.

"You bribed media to come to the hospital and photograph me. You paid people to make up stories online and smear my name."

Her pace wasn't fast, each sentence clear and crisp.

"You bought information on Summit Tech Group employees and sold my phone number like merchandise. You stole my design drafts, trying to drag my company down with copyright complaints."

She paused.

"When you did all this, who did you think you were stepping on? A divorced woman with no one to back her up?"

Jason's lips trembled, but he couldn't make a sound.

"You were wrong."

Abigail took half a step forward.

"I'm the daughter of the Hubbard family. This recognition banquet today was organized by my brother. Every single person here was invited."

She looked down at Jason kneeling on the ground.

"You didn't even have an invitation."

A low murmur of discussion came from behind the side door. More and more guests gathered there, some standing on tiptoe to look this way.

Jason's hands were still pressed on the ground, his whole body curled up. He wasn't acting anymore—he really couldn't hold it together.

Twenty-some years.

He had always believed he was the Gonzalez family's second son. He had walked into every occasion with that identity, signed every contract, shaken hands with everyone using the surname "Gonzalez."

Now someone was telling him his father wasn't Jeremy.

His real father was a man named Elmer, someone he had never even met.

"No..." His voice was so small it was almost inaudible. "I'm not... I can't be..."

No one went over to comfort him.

Abigail stepped back and turned around.

Ethan glanced at her, confirmed she was okay, then shifted his gaze to Craig. He didn't speak, just tilted his head slightly.

Craig understood the signal.

Two security guards approached from both sides of the hallway. One grabbed Jason's arm and hauled him up from the ground. The other walked toward Jeremy.

Jeremy was still gripping his cane. He looked like he'd suddenly aged ten years. His mouth opened, trying to say something, but the guard had already grabbed his shoulder.

"Let go of me!" Jeremy struggled violently. "I'm part of the Gonzalez family! You can't treat me like this!"

The guard didn't let go.

A third guard walked toward Hannah, helping her up from the ground while restraining her. She didn't resist. She kept her head down, her disheveled hair covering half her face. From beginning to end, she never said another word.

The three of them were escorted toward the hallway exit. Jason's feet dragged on the ground, his soles scraping the floor. He was still struggling, but the guard's grip on his arm was iron—he couldn't move.

As they passed the side door, it was already packed with people. Some held up phones taking photos, others whispered to each other.

"Isn't that someone from the Gonzalez family?"

"Not anymore. Didn't you hear? He's not a Gonzalez."

"My God, a twenty-year lie..."

Jason heard those voices. His body jerked violently, like he'd been struck. He opened his mouth to shout something, but the guard covered it and dragged him out of the hallway.

The hallway fell quiet again.

The three crumpled documents still lay scattered on the stone floor, next to Hannah's fallen earring.

Ethan bent down, picked up the three pages one by one, refolded them neatly, and put them back in the envelope.

He turned around and looked at Abigail.

"Abigail, let's go inside. There are still guests."

Abigail didn't move right away. She stood in the hallway, staring at the direction where the three had disappeared for two seconds, then turned her head and asked a question.

"Ethan, where's Sawyer?"

Ethan paused. He looked back toward the end of the hallway. Sawyer, who had been sitting in the chair earlier, was no longer there.

Ryder had helped Sawyer leave through another exit from the parking lot. He hadn't said goodbye to anyone or gone through the main hall. When the car pulled away, it disappeared into the night without a sound.

Craig was the first to notice. He stopped two reporters trying to follow and take photos outside the side door, then returned to Ethan and gave a brief report.

"Mr. Gonzalez left. Through the west exit of the underground garage."

Ethan didn't respond. He just nodded.

Abigail was standing nearby and heard. She looked down at her dress. She'd been standing in the hallway too long—the hem had picked up some dust. She raised her hand and lightly brushed it off.

"Let's go," Ethan said.