Chapter 103
"Hmph, at least he knows better!" Ashley let out a cold laugh. She assumed David's biological parents had reached out on their own, and a vicious look flashed in her eyes. "Those two took my money back then. They should've kept their mouths shut. And now they have the nerve to go stirring things up with David? They're asking for trouble!"
She hung up and immediately dialed another number.
"I need you to take care of something. Go 'invite' David's biological parents in for a little chat. Make sure they understand—there are things you don't say, and people you don't mess with."
She paused. "Don't kill anyone. But make sure they never forget this lesson and never open their mouths again."
The person on the other end acknowledged her respectfully.
……
"Uncle David, did you ever play with robots with your mom and dad?" Matty tilted his head, his eyes wide with innocent curiosity.
That question dragged a dull blade across his chest.
He looked at these two children in front of him. They had a complete family, parents who loved them. Even if things between their parents were complicated, these kids could feel the love, feel the presence.
What about him?
His "mom and dad"—one had treated him as a tool, the other as a chess piece. The warmth he thought he'd had was nothing more than a carefully constructed lie.
"It must be really nice having your mom and dad around, huh?" David asked quietly. There was a loneliness in his voice he hadn't even noticed himself.
Matthew nodded enthusiastically. "Of course! With Mommy and Daddy and big brother, we're all together and it's the best!"
All together.
His grip tightened around the toy robot.
He knew there was no going back. The David who'd been carefree, who thought he had life all figured out—that person was gone.
……
When Juliana came out of David's room, Lucas was standing at the far end of the corridor by the window, his back to her, posture straight but carrying the weight of exhaustion.
"Matty's asleep. Dami's still in there with David," Juliana said as she walked over.
Lucas turned. His expression was quiet, measured.
"How is he?" Lucas asked.
Juliana shook her head. "Not in a good place. When I got there, Ashley was in the middle of laying into him—even brought up his parents. He ended up throwing her out."
Lucas's brow furrowed slightly. He'd always known his mother's affection for David wasn't entirely pure, but Ashley had always played the role of a devoted godmother in front of him. He hadn't expected her to say something like that directly to David's face.
"His parents?" Juliana looked at Lucas. "David was adopted by your mother, right?"
Lucas nodded. "His family was struggling when he was young. His parents gave him up to my mother. She saw how sharp he was and brought him into the Sharp family, raised him like one of her own."
Juliana listened without responding. She thought about Ashley's cutting words in that hospital room, about the coldness that had settled in David's eyes.
She couldn't shake the feeling that the "adoption" Lucas was describing and what she'd sensed didn't quite line up.
"He's always been loyal. Done a lot for the Sharp family." Lucas's voice dropped low, carrying a guilt he couldn't quite name. "This time, I'm the one who hurt him."
Juliana looked at him, her voice gentle. "It wasn't intentional. But what David needs right now isn't just the best doctors and treatment. He needs time. And someone who actually gets it."
Lucas didn't respond. He understood David. He knew how much David had given over the years—for him, for the Sharp family.
He'd always thought they were brothers.
"You don't need to worry about my mother," Lucas said finally. "She won't go bothering David again."
……
David getting hurt by Lucas, and then sinking into that dark place—it lit a fire in Ashley that had nowhere to go.
And then seeing Lucas at the hospital with Juliana, the two of them looking after Matthew together—that image lodged in her like a splinter.
She picked up her phone and called Logan.
"What have you even been doing lately?" Her voice was impatient, barely holding back her irritation.
A careless laugh came through the line. "Oh, you know. Taking care of the things you'd rather not handle yourself."
"Enough with the wisecracks!" Ashley cut him off sharply. "What about what I asked you to do? Are we really just letting Juliana keep her claws in Lucas?"
"Let her," Logan said breezily. "Honestly, Lucas doesn't have much of a choice. She's got both his kids."
Ashley's eyes narrowed. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"Nothing. Just saying it how it is." His voice dropped slightly, carrying an unpleasant kind of smugness. "Or maybe you've forgotten—I used to date Juliana. And if you hadn't known I had a thing for her, would you have gone through all the trouble of hiring her as a surrogate?"
Ashley's hand jerked, nearly dropping the phone.
She steadied herself quickly, her tone turning dismissive. "I had no idea about you and Juliana back then."
"Sure, if that's what you want to believe." Logan's agreement was completely hollow. "So, what's the plan? Want me to help push Juliana out of the picture for good?"
"Obviously," Ashley said coldly. "Get on it. I'm telling you, the Sharp family cannot afford any more chaos right now."
"Now that's a little unfair." Logan's voice shifted, taking on an amused lilt, like he'd just spotted something entertaining. "I've always been perfectly well-behaved. But speaking of well-behaved—have you ever actually stopped to wonder whether the person dating Juliana back then was really me?"
Ashley's heart gave a sharp lurch.
Her mind flashed back to the days when Logan had used the Wells family's influence to throw his weight around in front of her. He had been Juliana's boyfriend back then. That much she was sure of.
But the way Logan was talking now—it felt like he was hinting at something.
"What exactly are you saying?" Ashley's voice cooled, a edge of wariness creeping in.
"Nothing much." Logan let out a low, needling laugh. "Just a friendly reminder—I've always had a thing for playing the stand-in. Back when I was with Juliana, it was really just... a matter of stepping in for someone else."
"Standing in for..." Ashley's chest tightened. A bad feeling crept over her. "For who?"