Chapter 7

Joseph met Bernard's scrutinizing gaze and said, "It's genuine. I didn't believe this was the truth, either, so I did a few more paternity tests with different labs. But the results… they didn't change."

Bernard didn't speak right away. He just stared at Joseph, his eyes sharp and probing.

A bitter, helpless look crossed Joseph's face. "I already showed Cora the results."

"Oh? You told her? And then?" Bernard asked.

"Yeah, I told her, but I don't know what's going through her head. She refuses to accept a scientific conclusion, nor does she admit that she cheated. She won't come clean to me and won't be reasonable. I haven't made this public, Dad. Right now, only the three of us know. I'm hoping we can settle this peacefully."

"This isn't a small matter. You did the right thing by not making a scene. Still, this really came out of nowhere, and I wasn't mentally prepared for it. As her father, I trust Cora's character. She would never…"

Of course. Like father, like daughter. Obviously, they were on the same team.

Joseph felt himself getting anxious. "You don't know what Cora has—"

He wanted to say that Selena and Kimberly weren't his, either, but then a thought flashed through his mind. What if Bernard already knew what Cora had done? What if he was only playing along to keep Joseph from blowing up?

He changed tack. "What's done is done. I just want to know the truth. Who is Natalie's real father? There's no way Cora didn't know she was pregnant with another man's baby, so why didn't she end up with him? Why did she choose me instead? And if she chose me, why did she hide this from me? Do you know anything, Dad?"

"I don't. I'll have her come here to give us an explanation," Bernard said.

As he listened to Joseph, the calm, unshakable look he'd worn slowly faded. Confusion crept into his expression. In the end, he called Cora and told her to come home immediately.

While they waited, he asked Joseph a few technical questions about the paternity test. When he heard the latter answer professionally, he suddenly remembered that Joseph was a doctor with over a decade of experience. If he was putting the paternity test results on the table, that basically confirmed that Natalie wasn't his child.

Bernard also called Helen and told her to hurry home.

Cora rushed into the house. She was a little surprised and confused to see Joseph there, but she thought it was a good thing. She could use her parents' authority to pressure him into coming home.

However, when Bernard handed her the paternity report and told her to explain herself, her mind went blank. She immediately turned a sharp, furious gaze on Joseph. "What is this? You can talk to me directly if you're upset with me. Why did you run to my parents to complain about me? What are you trying to pull?"

Joseph didn't back down. "Explain what's in that report."

Cora tore the paternity report to shreds. "There's nothing to explain because Natalie is your daughter! You're trying to use this nonsense to slander me and get what you want, but I'm not letting you!"

She turned to Bernard. "Dad, do you know what he's doing? He wants to use this fake report to divorce me and make me pay him 1.6 billion dollars. He's no saint for making such an outrageous demand!"

Bernard immediately fixed a razor-sharp glare on Joseph. "Is that your real motive?"

Joseph hadn't expected Cora to turn this on him like this—she made him look like some greedy, money-hungry jerk!

But after a moment of thought, he decided to own up to it. "That's right. Cora, I want a divorce, and you're going to pay me. If you'd signed the divorce papers yesterday, it would've been 1.6 billion dollars. But now, I want more."

"You scum!" Bernard exploded with rage and punched Joseph hard across the face. He raised his fist to hit Joseph again when the latter didn't fight back, but Cora ran over and stopped him.

She hadn't expected Bernard to actually hit Joseph. She hastily said to Joseph, "Just apologize. Apologize to my dad and me, and get his forgiveness. You're not allowed to make him this mad again from now on…"

Joseph let out a dark, humorless laugh. He could taste blood where his gums had split. He rolled his tongue against the wound, then spat a mouthful of blood onto the floor.

"I didn't do anything wrong. Why should I apologize? This marriage is ending today, Cora!"

"I'll kill you, you ingrate!" Bernard lunged at Joseph again, looking furious.

At that moment, Helen came through the door. She gasped in shock when she saw what was happening. "Hey! Bernard, what are you doing? Stop it, now!"