Chapter 46
Damian's heart dropped. He instinctively ducked behind a large tree.
He watched Emily get out of the car, look around, spot Matthew waiting at the school gate, gently take his hand, say something with a smile, and then lead him into the black Bentley.
His brother... had been taken.
He wanted to rush out, wanted to shout, but reason held him firmly in place.
No. He couldn't blow their cover.
The Hale family must have taken Matthew thinking he was Damian. To avoid exposing their secret and triggering more suspicion from his dad, he had to be 'Matthew' now.
He took a deep breath, his small face working to arrange itself into his brother's cool expression.
Inside the black Bentley, Matthew sat quietly in the back seat.
"Dami, it's been so long. How come you seem quieter lately?" Emily's gentle voice came from beside him.
Early this morning, she'd gotten a call from Bianca, telling her to pick up Damian and bring him to the Hale family mansion as quickly as possible to build their relationship.
Matthew looked up. "Where are we going?"
"To visit your Grandma Ashley. She's making you something delicious. Does Dami remember what his favorite dishes are?"
She was trying to use food to bridge the gap with the child.
Matthew looked at her without speaking. Emily sighed, assuming Bianca had made the child withdrawn.
"Dami, what does your mommy... usually talk to you about?"
Matthew lifted his head, his dark eyes meeting hers. "Mommy says not to eat things from strangers, and not to go with strangers."
Emily's face grew more awkward.
"Well... what else besides that?"
"Mommy also teaches me German, explains human anatomy to me, and takes me to do experiments." Matthew's answer was smooth and natural—these were all things he and his brother had coordinated in advance, part of 'Damian's' life story.
Listening to this, Emily couldn't get a word in edgewise and could only close her mouth awkwardly. This child, though much quieter than before, was like a porcupine—impossible to get close to.
At the Hale mansion, Bianca had received a call from Ashley last night, telling her to have Damian brought over so she could "cultivate" their relationship and, incidentally, knock Juliana down a peg.
"Bee, look who's here." Emily opened the door and led Matthew inside.
Bianca put down her phone and looked up. She really didn't like Damian, especially as he got older and more cunning.
She suppressed her displeasure, reached out toward Matthew, softening her voice. "Come here to me. Dami, have you missed Mommy?"
As she spoke, she leaned forward, her lips painted with expensive lipstick aiming for Matthew's cheek.
Matthew frowned. Just as her lips were about to touch him, he stepped back sharply and pushed her hand away.
He wasn't strong, but Bianca had been leaning forward. His push caught her off balance, and she fell back awkwardly onto the sofa.
"You!" Bianca's expression changed instantly. "What kind of rude child are you!"
"My mommy says children's skin is delicate. Adults wearing makeup shouldn't kiss them casually. The chemicals in cosmetics are bad for your body."
That one sentence left Bianca speechless.
David had just arrived at the doorway in time to witness the entire scene. Ashley had sent him to "supervise" and help Bianca handle the child.
Clearly, it wasn't going well. The one being handled was Bianca.
He leaned against the wall, stroking his chin, unable to stop another image from surfacing in his mind. At the Sharp estate, Juliana held Damian the same way, but forget kissing—even for hugs, she made sure not to wear makeup, afraid it might harm the child.
Compared to the woman in front of him... David clicked his tongue internally. Her mothering skills really left something to be desired.
At the Sharp Group's top-floor office, Lucas sat expressionless behind his massive desk, his long fingers scrolling through the tablet in front of him. On the screen was an investigation report his assistant had just sent over—every single day of Bianca's public schedule over the past seven years.
Lucas's gaze fixed on certain months seven years ago.
Damian's due date had been late October that year. But from August to November of that year, Bianca had been with a film crew in a remote mountain area in the west with no signal, shooting an art film.
Press releases, behind-the-scenes photos from the set, pictures from the wrap party... His eyes stopped on Bianca's stomach. In the photos, her belly was completely flat.
Even with careful weight management, why would she go somewhere so remote during her due date?
Unless... Bianca had been lying from the start. She'd never been pregnant. She wasn't Damian's mother at all.
Lucas closed the file, thinking of that child who looked exactly like Damian. Could there really be such a coincidence in the world?
At the Sharp Estate, Ashley was leisurely sipping her tea when urgent footsteps sounded from the foyer.
"I need to ask you something."
Lucas's cold voice came without warning from above.
Ashley's hand holding the teacup froze.
"What is it, in such a hurry?"
Lucas pulled out the chair across from her and sat down, leaning forward slightly, creating an oppressive pressure.
"Seven years ago, the day Damian was born—what really happened?"
Ashley's pupils contracted.
"Why... why are you suddenly asking about this? It was so long ago. Everything was so chaotic then—how could I remember clearly?"
"Is that so?" Lucas looked at her. "I remember you told me Bianca hemorrhaged severely, nearly died, so all the doctors were busy saving the mother."
"Yes, yes! Bee has always been fragile. She almost gave her life to bear you that child!" Ashley immediately picked up his thread, speaking with apparent sincerity.
A humorless smile curved Lucas's lips.
"Really? But I found out that for three months before and after Damian's birth, Bianca was filming out west. Tell me—how did she manage to be on set getting sunburned while simultaneously hemorrhaging in a hospital giving birth?"
All the color drained from Ashley's face.