Chapter 2The Final Heir

The young woman had always worn a mask, so I hadn’t paid much attention to her appearance. Now, looking closely, she seemed a bit heavy-set.

“Lin,” I addressed her. “Go get some hot water and wash my mother’s feet.”

“What?” The girl froze, standing rooted to the spot, her fingers nervously twisting the hem of her clothes.

“What’s wrong?” I observed her movements. “You’ve been serving my mother for a week, and you’ve never washed her feet?”

“What exactly do you do during your shifts?”

“I… I…” She stammered, instinctively glancing at my mother-in-law on the bed.

“Oh, for heaven’s sake!” The old woman slapped the bed frame. “Whether I want my feet washed is up to me, it has nothing to do with you! There’s nothing for you here, just leave!”

In that moment, I felt like I was watching a dramatic family play unfold. This Lin, she was definitely not just an ordinary caregiver.

The next second, my phone vibrated. The photos had arrived. On the screen, Eason sat in a corner of a coffee shop, glaring furiously at the woman opposite him. In the woman’s arms was a child, two or three years old. I stared at the photos, a scoff escaping my lips.

Both women looked at me simultaneously. “What are you laughing at?”

I looked up at the old woman on the bed. “Mom, our men are not being faithful. Eason’s gone and gotten himself a bastard child.”

In my peripheral vision, Lin’s shoulders gave a tiny jerk, but she quickly regained her composure.

The old woman sneered. “Elara, are you mistaken? A woman in her forties who can’t even bear a child, and you expect me to fight your battles for you?”

“A bastard child? That status isn’t for you to decide, it’s for me to decide. Don’t be ungrateful. If I were you, I would have signed the papers and cleared out a long time ago!”

As her words fell, Lin visibly relaxed. Indeed. With such strong backing from her mother-in-law, she could practically walk all over this family.

But what if… there were several women walking all over the family? A crab convention?

“Pfft…” I couldn’t help it; I laughed again. “Mom, I think you’ve misunderstood. The bastard child I’m talking about isn’t Eason’s; it’s Arthur Reed’s.”

“What did you say?” Both women gasped simultaneously.

“But you don’t need to panic.” I handed my phone to my mother-in-law. “Eason has already gone to deal with that mother and child. I’m sure he’ll handle it cleanly.” I paused, my finger gently zooming in on the photo on the screen. “Speaking of which, that boy… he really looks like Dad.”

The old woman trembled as she took the phone, her face ashen, one hand repeatedly clutching her chest. “How could this be… how could this be…”

Lin frantically rushed forward, snatching the phone. “Madam, deep breaths! Please don’t get agitated. It’s not that bad yet! When Eason gets back, we can…”

“Eason?” I interrupted her with a smile. “You might be mistaken. The one actually transferring assets isn’t Eason; it’s Arthur Reed.”

I leaned in closer to my mother-in-law. “Mom, please take care of yourself. We’re counting on you to get back to the company and investigate this thoroughly. You absolutely cannot collapse at this point, or it will truly benefit that mother and child.”

As my words fell, the old woman’s mouth opened, but no sound came out. She slumped backward. Lin was completely panicked. She frantically lunged for the call button by the bed. “Quick! Someone! Bed 601 is in distress!”

I rushed forward to help support her. “Mom, don’t get so agitated. Don’t you like children? They’re all Reed family blood, no matter whose offspring they are, you should treat them equally…”

“You shut your mouth!” Lin spun around furiously, swinging a hand at me. My eyes narrowed. I raised my hand, caught her wrist, and squeezed hard.

“What do you think you are? A caregiver, daring to lay a hand on me?”

The next second, I shoved her. She stumbled backward, crashing straight into the nearby medical cabinet. But as she fell, her hands desperately shielded her abdomen.

“Help! My baby!” A piercing scream cut through the entire hospital room. I gasped.

A baby?