Chapter 66: The Illegitimate Child

Isabella's POV

"Our family is truly complete today!" Nora smiled warmly as she looked around the room at everyone. "Isn't it wonderful to have everyone together?"

This cozy atmosphere didn't even last five seconds before Olivia started in.

"Isabella, didn't you say you were never coming back to New York?" Her tone was sharp enough to pierce skin. "Why did you come running back?"

"There are better career opportunities in New York," I answered in the soft voice I habitually used, "I thought I should give it another try."

"Right, of course," Olivia sneered, "You're definitely not hoping to get your hands on the Black family fortune, are you?"

In truth, I'd heard this kind of talk many times before. I'd developed some immunity to it, but not enough.

Before I could retort, Nora stepped in: "Olivia! Mind your language!"

The room instantly fell silent.

"Olivia, is this how you usually treat Isabella?" Julian's tone carried obvious disapproval.

"You too, Julian? Now everyone's taking her side?" She clenched her fists, her voice filled with anger. "Is the whole family against me now?"

"Enough!" Jasper's voice immediately overpowered everyone else's. "This is a family, not a battlefield."

Olivia fell silent, but the hatred in her eyes made me shudder inside. She had always been the family princess, raised with her three brothers doting on her. Being criticized like this now, she wouldn't easily let me off the hook.

Jasper cleared his throat, and everyone looked toward him. "Since everyone is here today, I have something important to announce."

The way he said "important" made my heart sink. The atmosphere changed instantly, with everyone unconsciously sitting up straighter, as if sensing something significant was about to happen.

Jasper took my mother's hand, and they exchanged a glance that made me even more uneasy. The whole thing looked rehearsed, as if they had planned it together.

"Aria and I," he began, his voice steady, "had a son six years ago. He's six years old now, and I want to bring him home to the Black family and officially acknowledge him."

His words hit me like a punch to the chest. Six years ago? My mind raced. Jasper only got divorced two years ago, but my mother had a six-year-old son with him?

I felt a rush of blood to my face. How could I ever face anyone again? My own mother had been lying to me all along. I actually had a half-brother I knew nothing about.

Across from me, Olivia's face crumpled as she also processed this revelation.

"Dad, how long were you betraying Mom?" Her voice choked up, tears streaming down her face. "Cheating was disgusting enough, but you had a child outside your marriage?"

She angrily wiped away her tears. "You already have three sons and a daughter. Wasn't that enough? Why did you need another child?"

Her words came faster, more desperate. "Your illegitimate child is already six years old, and we've all been living like fools, completely in the dark. You've done a great job keeping secrets. All those business trips—were you actually visiting your illegitimate son?"

I looked around at everyone in the room. Beneath Ethan's seemingly calm expression lurked turmoil; his deliberate restraint only made people more anxious. The usually cheerful Julian was now silent, his smile long gone. Even Owen, who was most skilled at maintaining facades, couldn't hide the shock on his face.

"I hope you can accept him," Jasper said, his gaze moving across his sons' faces before nervously settling on Ethan. "After all, he is your brother."

The air in the room solidified as everyone waited for their reactions. Jasper's face was filled with anxiety and calculation—of all his children, he feared Ethan's reaction the most.

Owen was the first to speak, forcing an artificial smile. "Dad, I accept him. Your son is my brother—blood is thicker than water. We can't let him suffer outside the family. Bring him home."

My mother's eyes immediately glistened with grateful tears. "Thank you, Owen."

I watched this scene with mixed emotions. Owen was always the most opportunistic person. He knew that pleasing my mother was the shortcut to pleasing Jasper, especially when it came to company succession.

Julian heaved a heavy sigh, sinking back into the sofa. "What else can we do at this point? We can't let Dad's son be called an illegitimate child out there."

Nora nodded in agreement. "Jasper, bring my grandson home quickly. How could you bear to leave him unacknowledged for six years?"

Without realizing it, I found my fists clenched so tightly that my nails were digging into my palms. Suddenly discovering I had a half-brother I'd never met—it would be a lie to say I wasn't hurt.

The room grew quieter as all eyes turned to Ethan. My mother and Jasper exchanged nervous glances, clearly dreading his reaction. Bringing the child home would be easy, but ensuring his safety around Ethan was another matter entirely.

Ethan's handsome face was like ice, his entire being radiating danger. He kept his head down, staring at the coffee table, but I could almost see the fury churning inside him.

Nora leaned closer to him, lowering her voice. "Ethan, your father did wrong, but dwelling on past mistakes won't help anyone now."

"Look," she continued softly, "you've gradually come to accept Isabella. This is your biological brother; surely you can accept him, right? Let him come home. What do you think?"

I held my breath along with everyone else. The entire room seemed frozen in time, waiting for his answer.

Ethan finally spoke, his voice cold as ice, each word sharp and decisive as a knife: "A DNA test must be done first. Then a legally binding will must be established immediately. If he truly is your son, you can give him money and property, but the Black Group's shares—not even a single one—are off-limits."

My mother's face instantly went deathly pale as she looked frantically at Jasper.

"My company, my shares," Jasper trembled with rage, his voice breaking, "since when do you get to dictate what I do? My possessions—I'll give them to whoever I want!"

Ethan rose abruptly to his feet, his tall figure carrying an unchallenged authority, his eyes breathtakingly cold. He looked down at Jasper with contempt: "Don't forget, your company would have gone bankrupt if not for Grandfather's intervention. Everything you have now, you owe to Horizon Innovations."

"Your shares—give them to any of us four, it doesn't matter—I don't care if I don't get a single one," his voice was deep and dangerous. "But outsiders, especially that bastard, will never touch the Black family assets."

Looking at Ethan, I understood this was no longer just about money and shares. This was the deepest betrayal—his father had not only failed his grandfather's trust, broken his mother's heart, and abandoned the entire family, but for years had maintained that cold attitude toward his own children. And now, he wanted to hand over the Black family empire, built over many years, to the child of his mistress. How could he not be furious?

"This was never about money," Ethan stared coldly at Jasper, each word like a nail being hammered down. "Someone like you will never understand."

"I am your father!" Jasper roared in fury, jumping to his feet. "Who do you think you are to speak to me like this?"

They stood face to face, neither willing to yield, the tension between them almost generating sparks. Everyone in the room felt suffocated by the confrontation.

Then, Ethan's lips suddenly curved into a chilling smile, a dangerous gleam flashing in his eyes.

"Do whatever you want," he said softly, yet with unmistakable threat, "bring that bastard home and see how long he survives in the Black household."