Chapter 150: A Stinging Humiliation
Sophia said the most devastating things in the flattest tone.
The words Hannah had maliciously pinned on Emily before now became a sharp arrow, stabbing straight into her heart.
The most terrifying part was that Henry was right there at the scene.
Hearing Sophia's words, both Melinda and Hannah's expressions changed.
Just then, the man who had been brought over still wouldn't give up and tried to grab Melinda's hand.
"Melinda, I'm your real father."
Melinda said in disgust, "You're not! Get away, don't touch me!"
In her extreme anger and frustration, she pushed him into the pool, but accidentally hit Hannah, who immediately passed out.
"Hannah—"
"Mom!"
When Hannah regained consciousness, the first thing she saw was the man's face hovering over hers—that big mole on his left cheek right in front of her eyes. He had just given her CPR.
If she hadn't been unable to get pregnant with Henry's child back then, and if Luna hadn't wanted to divorce him and take half his fortune, she wouldn't have taken such a desperate risk to seduce her classmate.
Luna was dying anyway. Why should she get half of Henry's fortune?
It should all be hers!
Later, she successfully got pregnant and drove Luna to an early death, but she never expected her classmate would cause her such huge trouble today.
Hannah slapped the man across the face, wiped her lips hard with the back of her hand, and searched frantically through the crowd for Henry, finally spotting him not far behind her with a cold expression.
"Honey..."
"Hannah, I'm here."
But unexpectedly, it was the man in front of her who responded first. When she had seduced him back then, this was what she called him most often.
Hannah gritted her teeth and yelled in anger, "Can you just shut up!"
Sophia watched her gradually break down, unable to defend herself, and the pleasure in her eyes slowly spread.
Rather than persuading an evil person to be good, she preferred to give them a taste of their own medicine.
After all, how could they understand the victim's pain without experiencing it themselves?
"Honey, Melinda really is your daughter. I don't even know him! Someone... no, Sophia set me up!"
Sophia sneered at this, her lips curling with almost mocking contempt.
She said calmly, "Whether it's a setup or not, wait until you've seen these two paternity tests before you try to clear your name."
The display screen on the lawn suddenly showed two paternity test reports.
One was between Henry and Melinda.
The other was between Melinda and that man with the mole on his left cheek.
The facts proved it.
Melinda really wasn't Henry's biological daughter!
"Oh my God! Melinda really isn't the Smith family's child?"
"Hannah actually cheated on Henry and made him raise someone else's daughter for over twenty years, that's just too..."
"Serves him right! Who told him not to cherish Luna back then? This is his karma for daring to abandon such an excellent and beautiful Luna."
All kinds of gossip from the crowd reached Henry's ears.
He clenched his fists, and all his rage turned into action as he kicked the man in the stomach, sending him back into the pool.
The splashing water completely drenched both Hannah and Melinda.
From the day Hannah was scared into wetting herself, Sophia had Monkey and Rat investigate her affairs.
This investigation uncovered Hannah's affair.
Melinda's face went pale as she muttered to herself, "Impossible! I'm the Smith family's daughter, not this man's daughter. This paternity test is fake!"
She walked over to Henry and grabbed his arm, "Dad, this report is fake. I'm your daughter! I only recognize you as my father. Don't abandon me, Dad!"
Henry's eyes were fixed on the paternity test report. He forcefully pushed away Melinda as she came closer and said angrily, "Don't call me Dad! I'm not your father!"
Hearing this, Hannah seemed to have all the strength drained from her body. She looked at Henry with miserable eyes, wanting to see even a trace of trust in his eyes, but there was nothing.
Sophia wasn't surprised by Henry's reaction.
The fact that he'd had an affair while Luna was recovering from childbirth showed Henry had no sense of loyalty whatsoever.
When he came to the university to give her something, he had taken a liking to one of her roommates. Not long after, that roommate moved out of the dorm and into an apartment Henry rented for her.
Melinda's face was full of anxiety. Having no other option, she turned her pleading gaze to William again.
This time, he directly refused her.
She broke down, "Why? I'm your real sister! William, why won't you help me? Why are you helping an outsider instead?"
William's face was as cold as ice, his sharp eyes piercing as he said something that shocked everyone.
William said, "Because... Emily is my daughter."
Sophia's eyes started blazing with anger. She quickly walked toward William. What crazy talk was William spouting here!
Emily, nestled in William's arms, froze and looked down, playing with his cufflinks, somewhat troubled about whether to acknowledge William.
James and Michael looked up at him, their faces full of joy.
So Emily was still their full sister after all.
Hannah and Melinda were instantly shocked.
Especially Hannah.
If Emily really was William's biological daughter, then what she said about her being an illegitimate child would be...
Sophia directly took Emily back from William's arms and glared at him hard.
She lowered her voice to warn him, "William, don't make things worse."
She had finally cleared things up with Holden, and Sophia didn't want all her efforts to be ruined because of William's statement.
Emily hugged her neck thoughtfully, "Mommy, don't be angry."
Sophia kissed her, "Emily's such a good girl."
Emily was about to nuzzle her cheek when she remembered that the doctor William had called earlier had applied ointment to her forehead.
She obediently stayed still in Sophia's arms.
Everyone present was stunned by this chain of developments, and it was at this moment that Holden appeared.
"This has been a family embarrassment, and I apologize for subjecting you all to such a scene."
"Sophia was once my grandson-in-law in the Smith family. Although she and William have separated, she will always be James and Michael's mother, a part of the Smith family, and her daughter is the Smith family's daughter."
Holden smiled as he smoothed over William's earlier statement. Although people had doubts, they didn't dare show them in front of him.
They all smiled and agreed.
Martin led people to escort the guests back to the banquet hall.
The man in the pool took the opportunity to climb ashore.Nearly drowned, he thought his ordeal was over, but as soon as he left the Smith Manor, he was knocked unconscious with a club.
As soon as the guests left, Holden's face turned cold.
He said to Henry, "Hurry up and deal with this mess of yours."
"Take her for a paternity test tomorrow. If it's confirmed she's not a Smith family child, make her change her surname."
Melinda cried, "No! Grandpa, please don't!"
Hannah's face was ashen. She knew she was finished. Everything she had gained through scheming had gone up in smoke today.
Sophia hadn't expected Holden to be so ruthless either.
She glanced at the pale-faced Melinda and noticed that the young man following behind her looked somewhat familiar.
She couldn't quite remember where she'd seen him, but felt that the way he looked at Monkey was a bit off.
There was worry, fear, and ruthlessness in his eyes - he looked at Monkey like he was staring at a ticking time bomb.
She recalled what Monkey had said about his background before and paid more attention.
William noticed her gaze going back and forth between Monkey and Ethan, and subtly blocked her line of sight.
"What I said just now, I meant it."
Sophia pulled away to create distance between them, somewhat annoyed by William's current attitude. Couldn't he just stay cold and distant like before?
Why did he have to keep bothering her like this!
"William, I don't care whether you're sincere or not. Emily is my daughter alone and has nothing to do with you."
"I can afford to raise my daughter, and I can afford to raise James and Michael, too. If you really want what's best for me, give me custody of James and Michael."
These past two years, she had worked desperately to expand her influence and build connections, wasn't it all to avoid having to rely on men at critical moments?
Sophia firmly believed that the only person who could unconditionally and forever prioritize protecting her and her children was herself.
People's hearts change easily - better to rely on yourself than on others!