Chapter 278

Chapter 278
Marcus's POV
Before I could respond, Phillip erupted from his chair, his face flushed with indignation. "How can you be so certain the woman in that video is Anna? I think you just can't stand her—you're deliberately trying to destroy Marcus and Anna's engagement. You can't go a single day without stirring up trouble, can you? Is making our branch miserable your only source of satisfaction?"
Mary's chin lifted defensively. "Brother, you're being unreasonable. Am I doing this for myself? I'm thinking of the Murphy family's reputation and Marcus's dignity."
I clenched my jaw as she continued her theatrical performance, each word calculated to inflict maximum damage.
"I've always said Anna Shaw is a loose woman," Mary pressed on, her pearls catching the light as she gestured dramatically. "She and Logan Porter are childhood sweethearts. Ten years ago, Doris publicly joked about wanting one of her sons—didn't matter which—to marry Anna and bring her into the Porter family. Hmph. They've clearly been involved all along."
Donna's hand flew to her throat. "This... this can't be possible?"
I felt the familiar weight of all eyes turning to me, but before I could speak, Mary reached into her handbag with the flourish of a magician revealing their final trick.
"Let me show you something else," she announced, producing a document and slapping it onto the glass coffee table. The sound echoed through the room like a gunshot. "This is a paternity test between Logan Porter and Benedict Shaw."
My blood turned to ice, then immediately to fire. Rage coursed through me at her audacity.
"It says right here, clear as day—Logan Porter and Benedict are biological father and son." Mary's voice rose triumphantly. "William, your precious grandson and granddaughter are Logan Porter's children, not our Marcus's."
The color drained from my father's face as he gripped his cane. "Wh-what? No, that's impossible. Benedict looks exactly like Marcus. This has to be fake."
The grandfather clock's ticking seemed to amplify in the suffocating silence that followed. I could feel the weight of my family's stares, their doubts spreading like poison through the room.
Donna turned to me, her voice wavering. "Marcus, say something. You must know whether the children are yours or not?"
My father's weathered hand trembled on his cane. "Marcus, tell us. Are the children yours?"
I stood slowly, my spine straight despite the tempest raging in my chest. Meeting each gaze directly, I spoke with absolute conviction: "Both children are mine. Biological."
William's shoulders relaxed slightly. "If Marcus says they're his, then they are. I have serious doubts about the authenticity of this so-called paternity report."
Mary's face contorted with frustration. "Father, are you alright? Even with all this evidence thrown in your face, you still defend Anna Shaw? Are you deliberately blind?"
The absurdity of her performance would have been laughable if it weren't so vicious. My hands clenched at my sides as I watched her continue her charade.
Catherine shifted Caroline in her arms, her eyes narrowing dangerously. "Some people are truly ridiculous. They won't believe their own family but readily accept dubious videos and random paternity reports. I'm curious, Mary—where exactly did you get this report?"
Mary faltered for just a moment before recovering. "What does it matter where I got it? This report is from a legitimate institution. How could it be fake? If it is, we can sue them."
She's too prepared, I thought. This wasn't opportunistic—this was orchestrated.
Donna glanced anxiously at the clock. "It is getting late, and Anna still hasn't appeared. What should we do?"
Phillip cleared his throat, taking control. "This video seems to be circulating only within the Murphy family so far. Everyone should delete it. Tomorrow's engagement ceremony will proceed as planned. We'll get to the bottom of today's events no matter what. Father, what do you think?"
William nodded firmly. "Do as Phillip says."
Mary's composure finally cracked. "Have you all lost your minds? What if we don't call off the engagement immediately and this video spreads among tomorrow's guests? What about the Murphy family's reputation?"
The threat hung in the air like a blade. My jaw tightened at her blatant manipulation, but it was Catherine who pounced on the slip.
"Wait a minute." Catherine's voice cut through the tension like a scalpel. "How do you know so clearly what will happen tomorrow? Mary, you wouldn't happen to be the mastermind behind all this, would you? Are you threatening Marcus?"
Mary's POV
Catherine's accusation hit me like a slap to the face. In the opulent main living room of Murphy Estate, the air suddenly felt thick and suffocating.
"How do you know so clearly what will happen tomorrow?" Catherine's voice sliced through the tension. "Mary, you wouldn't happen to be the mastermind behind all this, would you? Are you threatening Marcus?"
I forced myself to remain calm, adjusting the pearl necklace around my throat that suddenly felt too tight. "What nonsense are you spouting?" I shot back, injecting practiced indignation into my voice. "I'm merely making assumptions—do you understand what assumptions are? This whole mess is obviously Logan Porter's doing."
I swept my gaze across the room, ensuring everyone was listening, particularly William. "He's clearly trying to claim the children. He's the one pressuring Marcus, not me. What does this have to do with me?"
Catherine tilted her head slightly, Caroline still sleeping peacefully in her arms. "I hadn't even considered that angle. Thanks for pointing it out, Aunt Mary."
Pride swelled in my chest. Finally, someone was seeing reason. "Logan Porter has always been unstable. Nothing he does would surprise me."
"So you're saying," Catherine's voice turned dangerously sweet, "you believe the woman in the video is Anna, that she's having an affair with Logan, and that the children are his?"
"The evidence is right before our eyes," I stated firmly, gesturing toward the coffee table where the paternity report still lay. "What's there to doubt?"
The trap snapped shut before I even realized it was there.
I turned to Catherine, feigning concern. "Catherine darling, take my advice. Don't get too close to a woman like Anna Shaw. You don't want her reputation tarnishing yours." My lips curved into what I hoped was a sympathetic smile. "You're such a sweet girl, but you can be too trusting sometimes."
The tension in the room thickened, but I pressed on, confident I held the moral high ground. After all, I was protecting the Murphy family from scandal. William would understand eventually.
"Anna," Catherine suddenly called toward the doorway, her voice carrying an odd note, "you heard everything, didn't you? Come in and explain to everyone."
My heartbeat suddenly accelerated. There, framed in the doorway like a portrait of composed elegance, stood Anna Shaw.
"You finally showed up," I seized the initiative, rising from my seat. "Care to explain to everyone what's going on? What's the story with this video? What's between you and Logan Porter? And those children—whose are they really?"
The room held its breath, waiting for her response.
But Anna remained unnervingly silent, her gaze slowly sweeping across every face in the room. I interpreted her silence as guilt—what else could it be?
"Anna Shaw," I raised my voice, letting frustration color my tone, "don't think you can get away with this by copying Marcus's silent treatment. I'm telling you, if you don't explain yourself today, don't even think about getting engaged to Marcus tomorrow."
I paused for effect, watching her carefully. "The Murphy family can't afford this embarrassment."
The room fell into deathly silence, broken only by the soft crackling of logs in the fireplace. Still, she said nothing, just stood there like a statue carved from ice.
William's weathered hand gripped his cane. "Annie, don't be afraid. Tell everyone what really happened."
What happened next shattered my carefully constructed expectations. Marcus rose slowly from his chair, his movements deliberate and controlled. His gaze locked directly on the woman in the doorway, studying her with an intensity that made my skin prickle.
"You're not Annie," he said, his voice low and absolutely certain.