Chapter 8

"Aren't you good at pretending? Why aren't you fainting now?"

I sneered and threw another handful of dirt.

In an instant, Isis was covered in dust.

Ricky, though starting to realize what was happening, still shielded her and even tried to get physical with me.

I threw a handful of sand at him too.

"What do you think you're doing?!"

His remaining eye was extremely sensitive, and now it was full of sand, making it impossible for him to even open it.

"What am I doing? Don't you already know? Even if this is your house, so what?"

"If I tell Old Mr. Swanson that you're bullying me for Isis again, do you think he'll still keep you around?"

Hearing this, Ricky had no choice but to lead Isis away, tails between their legs.

I didn't miss the chance to taunt them as they left.

"Next time you see me, keep your distance! Stop coming around just to cause trouble!"

Though Isis was reluctant, after what happened last time, she didn't dare confront me openly anymore.

Not long after, a woman appeared.

She introduced herself as Ewan, saying she grew up in an orphanage and had no memories beyond that.

I explained the situation to her and told her that Alex could possibly be her biological father.

She was shocked at first, but quickly made the decision to come with me to meet Alex.

Looking at her face, which was a striking ninety percent resemblance to Alex, I grew more and more certain.

"But… we should tell my husband first," she said.

I nodded, and together we went to see the Swanson family's eldest son and Old Mr. Swanson.

We walked into Old Mr. Swanson's study. Ewan followed closely behind me, clearly nervous.

Old Mr. Swanson sat behind a large desk, his sharp eyes sweeping over each of us.

The eldest Swanson son stood beside him, his expression serious.

"Danica, you said you had something important to tell us. What is it?"

Old Mr. Swanson's voice was low and commanding.

I took a deep breath and began, "Grandfather, someone wants you dead! They plan to take control of the Swanson family while you're unwell in order to achieve their goal."

Old Mr. Swanson exchanged a glance with the eldest son, clearly skeptical.

"How do you know this?" the eldest Swanson son asked.

"I overheard their conversation by accident. Surely you can see that something isn't right here," I explained.

Old Mr. Swanson thought for a moment before responding. "Danica, you're taking a big risk in telling us this, and we're grateful. What do you want us to do?"

I shook my head. "I only hope that the Mann and Swanson families can coexist peacefully and that no one gets hurt because of my brother and Isis's ambitions."

Old Mr. Swanson nodded, showing he understood.

At that moment, Ewan spoke up. "I… I think I know who Alex is."

Old Mr. Swanson and the eldest son looked at her in surprise. I encouraged her to continue.

Ewan took a deep breath and began to tell her story-how she grew up in an orphanage and only recently began to suspect her true origins.

Old Mr. Swanson's eyes flickered with a complicated emotion as he listened.

He turned to his eldest son and whispered something. After some discussion, we all agreed to keep this matter confidential for the time being.

After leaving Old Mr. Swanson's study, I still felt uneasy.

I knew Harvey and Isis wouldn't give up on their plans easily, and we would have to stay vigilant.

As night fell, I walked alone through the hallway, trying to clear my thoughts.

Suddenly, I heard hurried footsteps and panicked shouts.

"Help! Something's happened!"

I quickly ran toward the sound, which was coming from the kitchen.

When I arrived, I saw the Swanson family's chef and several servants gathered around the stove, looking flustered.

"What's going on?"

"The dinner… there's something wrong with the dinner!" the chef stammered.

Immediately, I realized this could be part of Ricky and Isis's plot.

I checked the food on the stove and discovered that some of the ingredients had been poisoned.

"Stop using these ingredients immediately! Notify Old Mr. Swanson!" I ordered.

The Swanson family servants sprang into action, while I started piecing things together.

I remembered that earlier in the afternoon, I had seen Isis lingering near the kitchen.

At the time, I hadn't thought much of it, but now it was clear she had been looking for an opportunity to poison the food.

Old Mr. Swanson and the eldest son arrived soon after.

When they heard what I had uncovered, their faces grew grim.

"Danica, you've saved us again."

I shook my head. "Now's not the time for that. We need to figure out who's behind this."

Old Mr. Swanson nodded and ordered a thorough inspection of the kitchen and tightened security throughout the Swanson household.

"From now on, no one is allowed in or out of the kitchen without permission," the eldest Swanson son commanded.

Watching the family members and staff spring into action, I knew this battle was far from over.

Soon after, Ricky and Isis were brought in.

The moment they saw me, they realized their scheme had been exposed.

"It was all me! Isis had nothing to do with it!" Ricky shouted, trying to protect her.