One of our older relatives, Timothy Weiss, broke up the argument between Greg and Jacob. He tapped his walking stick on the floor to silence everyone.
"Quiet! What's going on?"
As the oldest person there, Timothy commanded everyone's respect. He turned to Greg and Amanda, scrutinizing them. "Why do you have to cause a scene on Jacob's birthday?"
Amanda shot Greg a look. Greg, taking her hint, immediately faked a sigh.
"Since everyone's here today, I shall take this opportunity to announce some very important news." As he spoke, he cast a conflicted look at Jacob.
I coldly watched his acting, feeling nothing but disdain.
"Jacob isn't Rachel's son."
As Greg dropped a bomb, the party attendees began to murmur among themselves.
Jacob's shoulders trembled slightly. He looked at me with a mix of confusion, fear, and panic. I stroked his head to comfort him and gently pulled him closer.
A gleeful, victorious look briefly flashed across Greg's eyes, but it was quickly replaced by sadness and remorse.
He explained, "Rachel and Amanda gave birth on the same day. When I visited Amanda with Rachel's baby, I made a mistake and swapped the two babies."
His head hung low as if he were very upset, but I almost laughed at his hypocrisy.
Greg was the one who had overstepped boundaries with Amanda. Yet, he was trying to cover up his evil plan of swapping the babies by calling it a mistake.
He stole a glance at me, expecting me to break down and make a scene. However, I showed no reaction and simply took a sip of my coffee.
He continued, "I just wanted to make it clear to everyone here that Amanda is Jacob's biological mom, not Rachel." Taking another look at me, he added, "Rachel, you gave birth to a daughter, not a son. We need to right the wrongs today and hand Jacob back to Amanda."
Some of our relatives looked shocked. Soon, people began to discuss the incident.
"Turns out they accidentally swapped the two babies. It's not a big deal—they can just swap them back."
"That's right. A child should live with their biological parents. There's still time for the children to go back to their rightful parents."
"Rachel gave birth to a daughter. Since a daughter can't inherit the family wealth, Rachel should take this chance to step down. We can't have Weiss Group handed over to a daughter—that's no different than ceding it to an outsider."
Eyes narrowed, I scanned the faces of those who had spoken up. They must have been infiltrators arranged by Greg. He had known these people would speak up for him.
These useless, petty bootlickers in Weiss Group had long harbored resentment toward me. They would love to see me leave Weiss Group so they could continue working there.
Upon hearing those words, Jacob gripped the hem of my shirt with unease. I comforted him and then looked at Greg, snickering.
"Did you think I couldn't tell my child from another just because I was in great pain? Jacob is my son. He will never call another woman his mother."
I didn't raise my voice, but I sounded unusually firm and unyielding.
The panic on Jacob's face gradually subsided after he heard my assuring statement, and he drew closer to me. Tears immediately rolled down Amanda's cheeks. She appeared heartbroken, as if I had really taken her child away.
"Rach, Greg is telling the truth. Jacob is my son. Stop lying to yourself—I am Jacob's biological mother."
