Chapter 658 Luna is Taylor's Child 2
Julian's expression did not change.
On the surface, he looked like a man carved from calm marble — warm, approachable, the kind of person who could put anyone at ease. But that was only the mask.
A man who had built his empire from nothing did not survive on charm alone. Beneath the polished exterior was something far darker, a ruthlessness that waited in the shadows.
Taylor's plan was solid. But Julian had no intention of letting Cressida walk away unscathed.
Years ago, he had spared her. Now she had returned, a threat to both Taylor and Luna. Old wounds and new offenses alike — he would not forgive.
He looked at Cressida and said evenly, "Whoever Luna's father is, she has nothing to do with you. And because she is not your child, you have no right to sue, no right to request a DNA test, no right to anything."
Kellan and Kennedy froze.
They had been there when Cressida gave birth to Luna. They had seen the child grow through countless photographs and videos, even if she had lived abroad with Julian. How could she suddenly be someone else's daughter?
Kellan recovered first. He was a man of intellect, and it took him only seconds to understand — this was Julian's strategy. He would not let Cressida take Luna. And Luna, in Kellan's heart, was still their granddaughter.
Cressida's composure cracked. Her flawless makeup could not hide the fury twisting her features.
She turned on Kellan and Kennedy, her voice rising to a shriek, "Dad, Mom, you have to stand up for me! Luna carries the Learmond name, she cannot be someone else's child! I carried her for nine months, I gave birth to her! Julian has no right to steal my child and strip me of being her mother!"
Kellan sighed.
Kennedy hesitated, then spoke softly, "Cressida, you gave up that right yourself. You left the Learmond family right after giving birth. Your father and I were unwell, so we entrusted everything to Julian. If Julian says Luna is not your child, then she is not your child. As for your own daughter... perhaps you should check the hospital records. Maybe some kind soul took her in."
Cressida stared in shock. Kennedy had been the most honest and gentle woman she knew — incapable of lying. And yet here she was, spinning a lie without blinking.
"You... you are all going too far!" Cressida's voice broke. "That is my child, and you think you can erase that with words?"
"Too far?" Julian's laugh was cold. "Cressida, do you even know who the real villain is? My brother — a man better than most could dream of being — was destroyed by you. What was his crime? What was ours? What was Luna's? You, with your narcissism, always believe the world is at fault, never you."
He stepped closer, his voice like ice. "A lost life means nothing to you, as long as you get what you want. A child growing up without a mother means nothing to you, as long as you can live happily. And when it suits you, you come back to take her away. You are not a mother. You are a predator in human skin."
Cressida's lips trembled. "Julian... is that truly what you think of me?"
"Worse," he said flatly.
He turned to the staff. "Show Ms. Lawson out. And the car she arrived in belongs to the Learmond family — she can walk from here."
Cressida's eyes darted to Kellan and Kennedy. "You will let him treat me like this?"
Kellan's voice was heavy. "Julian is right. If not for you, my eldest son would still be alive."
That wound had never healed. It never would.
But Cressida would not leave. She could not. Luna was her daughter, and Julian loved children. She was so close to getting what she wanted. This was all a trick — Luna could not possibly be someone else's child. In such a short time, where would Julian find actors to play along?
She began shouting in the driveway, drawing the staff's disapproval. Inside the small parlor, Taylor heard everything and stepped outside.
Taylor did not need to posture. Her family name and her natural elegance gave her a presence that turned heads. Even in simple loungewear, she looked every inch the woman of influence.
She stopped at the top of the steps. Snowmelt soaked into her shoes, but she did not care. Her gaze on Cressida was calm. "Luna is my daughter. Mine and my ex-husband Samuel's. From now on, Julian and I will raise her together. Ms. Lawson, if you insist on taking her, you will not only face Julian, but the entire Montague Group, and my uncle's Windsor family. You lived in Evergreen City once — you know your odds."
Kellan and Kennedy had never met Taylor before, only heard Julian describe her as exceptional. Seeing her now, watching her silence Cressida with a few words, they were quietly thrilled.
Cressida's face twisted again. "You say she is your daughter, and that makes it true? I gave birth to her!"
Taylor's tone was cool, her words cutting. "Did you ever feed her, even once? Did you buy her a dress? A toy? Did you sit with her through a fevered night? If not, then what makes you her mother? What gives you the right?"
"Well said," Kellan murmured.
Kennedy's eyes shone. This woman could stand up to Cressida and give both Julian and Luna a chance at happiness. Perhaps Julian's brother was watching over them after all.
Cressida staggered back, humiliated in a way she had never been before. Her pride lay in pieces at her feet. In desperation, she called out toward the house.
"Luna! I am your mother! I came to take you home! I bought you dresses, toys... Come with me!"
From the doorway, a small figure appeared — Luna.
She was dressed in white, clutching a pink stuffed rabbit, her wide eyes fixed on Cressida with nothing but polite confusion.
Cressida's voice trembled with hope. "Luna, you miss your mother, don't you?"
But Luna moved closer to Taylor, slipping her tiny hand around Taylor's finger. She looked at Cressida and said softly, yet firmly, "I already have a mom. I don't know you."
Cressida froze.
Her own daughter did not recognize her.