Chapter 332

Chapter 332

"Give it to me then," Alexander said immediately after hearing that Natalie hadn't seen the results yet.

She turned to look at him, her eyes narrowing sharply, as if trying to peer into her son's mind.

Victoria, usually not the brightest, suddenly seemed to have a moment of clarity.

"Alexander, you're not planning to see the DNA results and still claim the children are yours, are you?" she asked with a furrowed brow. "Mom, we can't let him see this. He's completely under Emily's spell. We need to handle this ourselves."

She clutched Natalie's arm tightly while shooting Emily a hateful glare, then pulled Sophie closer. "Only someone beautiful and gentle like Sophie would truly love my brother. Once they're married, they'll quickly have their own children."

Clearly, she was convinced the children weren't Alexander's, and she was determined to help Sophie.

Emily's brow remained furrowed, her gaze fixed on the DNA test results.

"Don't worry," Alexander said, seemingly sensing her concern. He gently patted her back. "I promised to protect you and the children. Nothing will change that, regardless of what those results say."

Emily nearly rolled her eyes.

She had always thought Alexander was intelligent, just blinded by Sophie.

But now she wondered if he and Victoria truly were siblings after all. 

His words made her sound like a liar, not someone to be trusted.

With that single statement, even without seeing the results, most people would doubt the children were his.

Her lips pressed together tightly as she stared at Sophie's smug face. Suddenly, she felt the urge to throw the truth in her face.

Emily took a deep breath and turned to Natalie.

"As a mother yourself, I'm sure you can understand my feelings to some extent. I don't want my children disturbed, and I certainly don't want them taken from me."

The words were soft and calm, yet they caused everyone around them to react differently.

Natalie, the most level-headed among them, clearly understood Emily's implication.

"Of course," she nodded. "Children naturally should grow up with their mother. That's best for them."

With this reassurance, Emily's expression visibly softened.

"What are you talking about?" Victoria scoffed coldly. "You brought in some random children to trick my brother, and you think they'll be better off with you? I think once this is over, they should be sent to a children's home..."

She suddenly smiled. "Didn't you say children's homes can raise good kids too? Let's see how good they turn out."

Emily's hand clenched into a fist.

While many heartwarming things happened in children's homes, no one knew better than her the hardships children faced there.

Sending Jasmine and Maurice to a children's home?

The very thought felt like a thorn piercing her heart.

"Victoria." Emily's voice suddenly turned icy. "If I were you, I'd shut up. Otherwise, having your cards frozen will be the least of your problems."

Victoria was genuinely startled.

She glanced nervously at Alexander, clearly worried about being reprimanded.

"Don't worry, Victoria. No matter what happens, you'll always be Alexander's sister. Once he sees the truth, he'll know what choice to make," Sophie said soothingly, calming Victoria's anxiety.

After all, she and Alexander were siblings—even if her cards were frozen, it wouldn't last long. 

Besides, she could always ask Natalie for help.

She snorted dismissively. "Don't try to scare me, Emily. You should be thinking about how to explain yourself when my brother discovers the truth. He hates being deceived more than anything..."

"How do you know I deceived him?" Emily suddenly laughed bitterly, cutting her off. "Weren't you just certain he knows the truth? Now I'm deceiving him? Do you think he is a fool?"

"How dare you talk about my brother that way?" Victoria sputtered, turning to Alexander. "Did you hear that? Alexander, you defend her, and she insults you! In this situation, why are you still covering for her? You should expose her true face and make her leave!"

Alexander ignored his sister and looked down at Emily instead. "What do you want to do?"

"Didn't you say you'd help me with whatever I decided? Having second thoughts? Or do you think things have gotten too complicated for you to handle?" she challenged.

"Never," he answered without hesitation, as if the thought hadn't even crossed his mind. "Whatever decision you make, I'll stand beside you."

"Then..." she paused, her gaze sweeping over Victoria and Sophie before her lips curved into a slight smile. "I think you should open the DNA results and read them yourself."

"No!" Sophie immediately jumped in to protest.

"On what grounds do you get to decide?" Emily gave her a cool look. "This is between me and the Foster family. You have no right to interfere. You should be quiet like everyone else, watching this drama unfold."

Now that Sophie and Alexander had broken their engagement, they had no relationship, so naturally, this matter didn't concern her.

But Sophie couldn't accept this.

"Are you afraid?" Sophie looked at Emily, deflecting the issue. "Whether we look at the results or not, it won't change the facts. And you know the truth better than anyone. Are you letting Alexander see the results because you think he'll cover for you?"

She blinked, tears falling.

"Alexander," she turned to the man whose eyes were fixed entirely on another woman, her heart aching. "I can step aside, and I truly want you to be happy. But I cannot accept someone gaining your love through deception."

"Because I know you despise being deceived more than anything."

"Once you discover someone has lied to you, you'll hate them to the core. I can't let you end up in that position."

Emily suddenly let out a soft laugh, drawing everyone's attention.

She gently rubbed her abdomen. "You really do care about him, don't you? I wonder what would happen if he discovered the truth about the things you've been hiding?"

"What are you doing?" Sophie was startled, her voice rising sharply.

"What's wrong, Sophie?" Victoria immediately steadied her, alarmed. "Emily, have you no shame? How dare you threaten her!"

"What did I say that counts as a threat? Unless Sophie really is hiding something from Alexander? Let me guess, what could it be?" Emily's voice was soft, but it terrified Sophie, draining the color from her face.

"Shut up! You're making things up! You're the liar here, claiming the children are Alexander's when they're not! You don't deserve to stand beside him!" Sophie shouted.

"Who says the children aren't his?" Emily replied softly. "The DNA results are right there. Open them and we'll know the truth. Just open them."