Chapter 148
Thomas said expressionlessly, "My mom's opinion is our whole family's opinion. You don't need to say all this."
Helen's eyes widened in disbelief, "But without a paternity test, there's no way to prove this child is Jason's! How can you all be so irresponsible?"
"After all these years, I think the truly irresponsible person is probably someone else."
Thomas glanced at her, his eyes dark and heavy.
"But—"
Faced with Helen's continued pestering, Thomas completely lost his patience and gave a look to a nearby servant.
The servant immediately understood and stepped forward to block Helen, "I'm sorry, let me show you out."
Helen gritted her teeth and left reluctantly.
The living room became quiet again, but the relaxed and pleasant atmosphere from earlier was gone.
Tamsin grabbed my hand with a guilty look on her face, holding it tightly.
"Sue, don't pay attention to her. Even though she's Jason's birth mother, she has nothing to do with the Cooper family anymore. The Cooper family doesn't accept what she says. In our hearts, you and Jessica have long been part of our family."
Looking at Tamsin's concerned and caring eyes, a warm feeling washed over me.
I smiled gently at Tamsin, "Don't worry, I understand."
I know who treats me well and who doesn't.
And who I've been with—how could I not know?
Jessica could only be Jason's child.
And the way the Cooper family stood up for me without hesitation made my heart feel warm.
This was a kind of family affection I'd never experienced before.
Only then did Tamsin feel a bit more at ease.
She lovingly rubbed Jessica's little head again.
"Good that you're not overthinking it. I just feel bad that you and Jessica had to deal with that."
She seemed to think of something and let out a long sigh.
"It's been twenty years, and I don't know why Helen suddenly showed up. She never cared about Jason before, but now she cares about Jason's child! Just seeing her makes me upset!"
Thomas looked thoughtful, "I heard she got divorced."
"No wonder she came back!"
Tamsin slapped her thigh.
She stared at Thomas, "I'm warning you! Don't do anything stupid and rekindle old feelings with her!"
Thomas looked embarrassed, "Mom, the kids are right here. What are you saying?"
I immediately got up tactfully and took Jessica to the back garden to play.
After we left, Tamsin continued asking.
"Now that no one else is here, let's talk honestly. Tell me the truth—do you still have feelings for Helen?"
Thomas sighed helplessly, "Mom, how is that possible?"
"Then why haven't you agreed to any of the people I've introduced you to?"
Tamsin questioned him.
Thomas thought about it—that did seem to be the case.
He sighed, "Don't you know what kind of person I am? I don't have feelings for Helen anymore. It's just that I've been busy with work all these years, so I gradually let go of relationship matters. After being single for so long, I got used to it."
Tamsin didn't speak right away but looked at Thomas suspiciously.
Thomas calmly let Tamsin "inspect" him.
After a moment, Tamsin finally nodded, "As long as you're not thinking about her. That kind of woman should stay far away from our Cooper family. She's bad luck."
She paused and added, "How about I introduce you to someone else?"
Thomas shook his head repeatedly, "No, no! Mom, why don't you find someone for George instead? He needs it more!"
At the mention of George, Tamsin's face immediately fell.
"George isn't easy to deal with either. He's so old now, not married and no kids."
Tamsin muttered, then asked, "When is he coming back?"
Thomas mourned for his younger brother in his heart and answered honestly, "In a few days."
Tamsin's eyes lit up, "Find out the exact time, and I'll handle the rest! Marriage! He has to get married!"
---
Old Cooper Mansion back garden.
Jessica sat by the pond with her face in her hands, looking completely down.
I gave her fish food, but she wasn't interested in feeding them.
I had no choice but to feed the fish myself while asking, "Jessica, is something bothering you?"
"Mommy..."
Jessica let out a long sigh and looked at me, wanting to speak but hesitating, "Am I really Daddy's child?"
My heart immediately tightened. I quickly crouched in front of Jessica and looked directly into her eyes.
"Why would Jessica suddenly think that? Is it because of what Grandma said?"
"Not entirely."
Jessica nodded, then shook her head, "Great-aunt also doubted I was Daddy's child before. Mommy, why don't Daddy and I do a paternity test?"
Hearing these words from a four-year-old child made my heart clench painfully.
My child had always longed to be acknowledged by her biological father.
Now that they'd finally been reunited, she was being questioned again and again.
These weren't things a four-year-old girl should have to deal with!
I let out a long sigh in my heart and hugged Jessica tightly, rubbing her little head.
"Baby, Mommy can tell you very responsibly that you are Daddy's child. That's absolutely certain."
"Jessica believes Mommy, but everyone keeps doubting it."
I knew this had already cast a shadow over Jessica's heart.
If it wasn't resolved quickly, it would seriously affect Jessica's mental well-being.
My heart ached, "Then shall we do a paternity test? That way, whenever anyone doubts it in the future, we can just throw the test results in their face and make them shut up."
Jessica nodded, but her expression was still gloomy.
I held Jessica and comforted her gently for a long time, then took her out for a drive to clear her mind. Only after seeing her mood improve a bit did we go home.
That evening, Jessica went to wash up and sleep, but I sat on the sofa, unable to stop spacing out.
I hadn't done a paternity test before because I was certain Jessica was Jason's child.
But I never expected that just because of that thin piece of paper, Jessica would be this upset now.
Would doing the paternity test earlier have avoided all this trouble?
All kinds of messy thoughts churned in my mind.
Just then, Jason's enlarged face suddenly appeared in front of me.
I jumped in surprise, "How did you come back without making any sound?"
Jason frowned slightly and touched my forehead with his hand.
"The TV isn't even on, what are you staring at? And I've been calling you for a while now, but you haven't responded. Did something happen?"
I looked up at him.
"Your mom went to Old Mansion today and demanded that Jessica and you do a paternity test."
Jason's face immediately darkened.
He quickly held me tight and comfortingly stroked my head.
"Sue, don't pay attention to her. If she upsets you, just yell at her and kick her out."
I shook my head, "I'm fine. The main thing is Jessica is really upset about this now. She's doubting whether she's really your child."
"Jessica... It's okay, I'll go talk to her."
"Jason."
I slowly let out a breath and said word by word, "Take Jessica to do a paternity test tomorrow. That's the best way to solve this."