Chapter 89

3RD POV

"Um, where is Mannie?" David asked. He hadn’t seen Mannie, and with them about to eat, it made him feel somehow.

His voice sounded calm, but his eyes kept moving, scanning the house, the corners, the stairs—restless. His wolf stirred quietly inside him.

"She said she will come back a bit late today. But I will call her and tell her you are here." Clara said. She turned slightly toward the dining table. "Kids, you can eat. I kept your mom’s portion inside."

The kids nodded and dug into their food.

Clara walked to the balcony to call Mannie. She dialed quickly, tapping her foot on the floor. The moment Mannie picked up, Clara didn’t waste time.

"Mannie, could you come back home now? David’s here."

"What!!!??"

Mannie’s scream shot out of her before she could stop herself. Heads turned toward her in the office hallway, eyes scanning her with irritation.

"Tsk… What family problem could she be having once again? She really is a barrel full of problems," someone muttered loudly.

Mannie heard it. Her jaw tightened. She clenched her fist so hard her nails dug into her palm.

"I will come home immediately," she said into the phone, trying to keep her voice steady.

Her heels clacked hard against the floor as she walked straight into the supervisor’s office.

Knock! Knock!

"Who is that?" the supervisor trembled. His voice shook as if he feared another complaint. Mannie rolled her eyes. For someone who bragged so much, he still acted so timid.

She stepped in.

"Sir, I want to leave for home on time. An emergency cropped up."

"Alright, get out," he said, waving his hand without looking at her.

Mannie didn’t even bother arguing. "Thank you, sir." She rushed off to pack her things.

Her heart thumped faster each second. Her hands shook as she stuffed her belongings into her bag.

Could David have gotten the DNA results?

Could the children be his?

What if he tested Dominic too?

Her breath grew unsteady. Her chest felt heavy.

Knowing the kind of person David was… he would never come to her family home without a reason. If he had answers, he would appear. If he didn’t, he would never step foot near her family again.

"Oh God… this is making me crazy."

The moment she stepped outside, she waved down a cab.

"Please—take me to this address," she said quickly, giving her location.

Inside the moving car, she clutched her bag tightly. Her leg bounced uncontrollably. She stared at the road but saw nothing—her mind was too full.

When the car finally stopped at her gate, she opened the door before the cab fully halted. She handed the driver his fare and hurried off.

No polite “Thank you, sir.” No calm breath. Her mind was chaos.

David and Clara were just coming down the stairs with Dan and Sandra following behind them.

"The kids' gifts are in the car. There was no need to follow me downstairs," David said as he stepped outside. His tone was soft but firm.

Clara smiled. "You bought so many things. How can I let you carry them alone?"

David returned a small smile,

Together, he and Clara walked toward the car.

Suddenly, David’s steps paused. His eyes shifted slightly, picking up a familiar heartbeat… a familiar scent.

Mannie.

He turned.

Mannie was approaching, her pace slowing with each step until she stopped completely. Her breath hitched. Her face froze for a second—shock flashing in her eyes.

Her gaze drifted to her brother and his wife standing behind David.

A bitter thought stabbed her chest.

Could Mom have contacted David… just to show off?

Her mind pulled back to the morning. Her mother begging her to invite David.

"Mom… just how far would you go to appease your pride?" She thought inwardly.

Her heart sank.

Mannie tried to smile, but it didn’t reach her eyes. It felt stiff. Pulled. Wrong.

She forced her voice to stay steady.

"Good day, David, Mom, Dan, and Sandra."

Before she could take another breath, David stepped forward and opened his arms. He pulled her into a hug—warm, firm, almost too tight.

"I missed you," he whispered into her ear.

Mannie froze. The warmth of his breath tickled her skin. A sharp shiver ran down her spine. She flinched lightly and pulled back.

David loosened his arms, but not completely. His wolf caught her scent fully now—fear… confusion… stress. It made the wolf restless.

Then Dan moved forward suddenly, spreading his arms wide.

"Sister, I really missed you," he announced loudly, trying to prove to David that he and Mannie were close.

"Tsk…" Mannie clicked her tongue. "Says the one who has never lent me help."

Her words cut sharply through the air.

Sandra swallowed hard. Clara hid a smirk.

Mannie took a long breath to calm herself. She turned back to her mother and David.

"Why are you guys outside?" she asked. Then she shifted to David. "Or are you about to leave?"

A small flicker of happiness slid through her eyes at the thought.

David noticed. His wolf noticed too.

She really wants me gone…

He didn’t show his reaction, but inwardly he snorted.

"Mannie, what are you saying?" Clara cut in quickly. "Son-in-law just wants to get the gifts he bought for the kids. The DNA has already confirmed that the kids are his."

Everything in Mannie went silent.

Her ears rang.

Her vision shook slightly.

"What? Are you sure you went to the right hospital?" she blurted out.

"Mannie, what do you mean?" Clara snapped. "Of course he would!"

David stepped forward slightly, voice calm but heavy.

"Well, if you are doubting me, why don't you follow me with the kids and we will run another test."

Inside his mind, he breathed a quiet sigh.

If she comes… Drex can finally dig deeper. We can find out the real truth.

Mannie stood still for a moment, completely lost in her thoughts, then nodded slowly.

David’s shoulders relaxed a bit.

"I am Jay’s father. So his wellbeing—and the wellbeing of the kids—I will take up the responsibility."

Mannie’s eyes widened.

"Then why only Jay? I am confused. I want to see the result."

"That is guaranteed. I will email you the results later."

Sandra, who still held a tiny hope that David was fake, felt her knees wobble.

"Let’s all go inside," Sandra said with a shaky, flattering smile. "Why stand outside under this chilly evening?"

She tried to hook her arm with Mannie’s, but Mannie dodged neatly and walked ahead.

Sandra’s forced smile twitched.

"Mannie, I noticed that the milk in the house is small. Kids need milk to grow," Sandra said sweetly. Then she turned to Dan. "Honey, why don’t you rush to buy milk for the kids. They need it. I don’t know how careless Mannie could be with this."

A small shade tossed with a smile.

Clara ignored them and helped David carry the gifts upstairs.

When they opened the door, the kids jumped up immediately.

"Mommy! You are back!"

"Mommy, Dad is here too!"

Mannie led the kids back to the dining table gently. "Eat, eat. Don’t block the doorway."

She hummed at their chatter, trying to settle her heart.

"Who brought these gifts?" she asked when she saw Dan re-entering with two gift bags.

"Oh! That’s something I and my husband bought for the kids. I’m sure they will love it," Sandra said quickly, grabbing the gifts and handing them toward Mannie.

Mannie walked up to her with a small smile.

"Thank you, but your gifts are not needed. Please leave my house."

Sandra froze.

Dan blinked.

Clara raised her brows.

David’s wolf lifted its head with interest.

Mannie guided them toward the door firmly.

"Mannie, calm down," Sandra cried. "We were just having misunderstandings. No need to be rude. We’re just poor like you—how could we help when we were also struggling…?"

Her voice cracked; she sniffled loudly, wiping tears to gain sympathy.

Mannie didn’t blink.

She pushed both her brother and his wife out the door along with their gifts.

Clack. Click.

The door shut behind them.

Sandra’s face twisted instantly.

"That bitch."

"Shhh," Dan hissed. He grabbed her hand. "Let’s leave first. Our image is already bad in front of David."

"Is it not because of that damn bitch Mannie? She thinks she will marry David? What a pipe dream."

Slap!

Dan’s palm slammed across her cheek.

"Shut up! If not for your useless mouth, we wouldn’t be in this mess."

Sandra stumbled sideways, stunned.

Then—

Thump.

She felt something hit her chest. Not hard, but enough to jerk her slightly. She frowned.

Maybe from the slap’s shock…

"You bastard! How dare you slap me? If not because of your incompetence—we wouldn’t be here. You can’t even take care of your sister or your mother. You call yourself their son?"

Her voice rose angrily.

"You better fix your relationship with them!" she snapped and stormed toward the car.

As she grabbed the car door, she felt something wet on her chest.

She froze.

She looked down slowly.

A red stain ran across her chest.

Thick. Dark. Slow.

Her eyes widened in horror.

"Gosh… I am bleeding."

Her voice trembled. She grabbed her handkerchief and pressed it against her chest quickly.

"Dan! I am bleeding!" she cried out.

But then—

she paused.

There was… no pain.

Not the sharp kind.

Not the stabbing kind.

Nothing.

She pinched herself.

"Ouch—okay… I can feel pain. So why…?"

Her heart raced. She opened her blouse slightly and checked.

Her skin was intact.

Smooth.

Unbroken.

No wound.

"Thank God… I’m not bleeding," she breathed out shakily. "But where did this come from? And why does it smell like blood?"

Dan stepped closer, frowning deeply. A chill ran up his spine.

"Maybe someone died in one of the apartments upstairs… and the blood fell on your clothes," he said in a shaky voice.

Sandra swallowed.

Just imagining it made her legs weak.

"Let’s get out of here before we are labeled as murderers," she said quickly and rushed into the car.