Chapter 5

Tracey's POV

I took a glance at the report. 

Probability of paternity: 0.0000% !

Lucas had a hard time processing this fact. 

He grabbed the person in charge and barked at his face, "No! There must be something wrong with the test!" Then he pointed at Nathan and roared, "Look at him! He looks just like me! He must be my son!"

The person in charge stepped back and said, "Sir, we are a very reputable agency. We are fully responsible for the result of the test." 

"But that boy is my son!" Lucas growled.

I said, "Leave that poor gentleman alone before he calls for the police. You're paranoid and hysterical right now, Lucas. Take the report and go away." 

Lucas turned back and pressed me against the wall. 

"You! It must be you! You're the one who's behind everything!" He stared at me with anger. 

We were so close that it reminded me of what happened on that night before I left.

I could tell that he was thinking of the same thing.

"You're a nymph. What have you done to the test? What have you done to me? That boy is my son. You know better than anyone else!" As he was speaking, his voice got low and he got even more closer.

"Are you kidding me?" I said in a cold voice. "I'm not a witch. I can't just wave my magic wand and change the test result."

"You...!"

I saw a mixture of passion and hatred in my ex-husband's eyes.

For a brief moment, I thought he was about to strangle me.

Jessica stepped in and pulled Lucas back, "Lucas, I know you want a child and it kills me that I can't give you a child because of my pre-existing health condition. The doctor told me that I'm well on my way to recovery. Please let go of Tracey now. Nathan is her son..."

Lucas grabbed Jessica's shoulders, shook her violently, and shouted at her, "No, you don't understand! Nathan is my son!"

At that time, Nathan, accompanied by a nurse, walked into the room. 

When he saw the farce between Lucas and Jessica, he pulled the hem of my blouse.

"Mommy, is Lucas going to kill Jessica?" Nathan asked in a terrified voice.

As much as I enjoyed this circus show, I picked Nathan up in my arms and said, "Maybe, but that's no longer our concern."

Then, I walked out of the room.

"What did you do to the test sample, Nathan?" After I got into the taxi, I asked. 

"After the nurse swiped my mouth with a cotton bud and put it in a tube, I told her that I wanted something to drink. When she left the room to fetch water, I swapped my cotton bud with the one I found in the trash bin!" Nathan said with a giant smile on his face.

"Why did you do it?" I asked. 

Nathan leaned against my chest and said in a soft voice, "I don't like Lucas. I can tell you don't like him, either. I don't want him to be my father. I want to stay with mommy." 

I didn't say anything but looked outside the window. 

"Mommy, are you sad now? Did I do something wrong?" Nathan said. 

"No, my darling. You've done the right thing. It's just..." 

"Don't worry, mommy. I will protect you! I won't let anyone hurt you!" Nathan said. 

Tears were circulating in my eyes. 

My baby boy was so young, yet he was so smart and brave. 

I would do everything to protect him from that asshole Lucas.

...

The next morning, I walked into Goldgem Tower, which was the HQ of my father's company. 

When my father was alive, he owned the largest company in town. 

If I hadn't got married to Lucas, I would have already taken over from him and who knows, I might have already become the most influencial businesswoman in the country. 

When I pushed the door of my father's office, I saw my uncle Hans Stewart sitting on my father's executive chair. 

He was in a cranky mood, and he didn't look very happy to see me.

"Tracey, you were supposed to be here yesterday. Where the hell have you been?"

"I got caught up with something, Uncle Jacob."

"Call me Mr. Stewart like everyone else does." My uncle said in a stern voice. "We're going public next year. I don't want anyone to think that I'm running a family-owned business." 

"What?!" I was shocked. "But when my father was alive, he specifically told me that we should never go public..." 

"But he's no longer with us, isn't he?" My uncle said with a dark look on his face. "Now that I have taken over from him, everything has to be done my way. Being his one and only daughter, you have to take up the responsibility to show your unwavering loyalty to me, so to keep all of our investors confident and pampered. Are you with me or not?" 

I was in doubts, but I didn't want to disappoint my uncle. So I cleared my throat and said, "I am with you, uncle... I mean, Mr. Stewart. But I checked the balance sheet before I came here, and I found some numbers just didn't match..." 

"It's all because of your father. He wasn't right here before he passed away." My uncle tapped his head with his finger and said in a low voice. "Now that I've taken over, I have to deal with his mess. And the solution that I've come up is... Well, you have to go talk to Jerry Fisher. He's one of our most powerful investors. Make sure that he signs this contract tonight."

My uncle threw a folder on the table. 

I picked it up in silence. 

My uncle had a very special way of conduct to belittle others without raising his voice. It reminded me of my father.

"I will see to it, Mr. Stewart. But before that, I just need to ask you something about my father's death. I still haven't received his death certificate..." 

"Enough!" My uncle stood up from the chair and stared down at me. "Liam's dead now. And now we have to focus on moving on with our lives. Everyone has their own way of dealing with grief, but you shouldn't let useless sentiment cloud your judgement!"

I was shocked by his sudden burst of anger. 

Having detected my fear, he changed into a more softened voice and said, "I know you miss your father. I miss him as well. He was a good mentor to me. He told me to take care of you before he passed away. That's what I'm doing right now. I'm giving you a chance to save our comapny. And when you come back with a 300-million-dollar contract, you'll be the heroine to our company. And that will be the time that I can fully entrust you with the responsibilty of succeeding your father's legacy."

"Thank you, Mr. Stewart," I whispered. 

"You look pale. You need to eat something. How's your son, by the way? Nathanial? Is it? Have you found him a new father?"

"Nathan doesn't need a father," I replied. 

My uncle grunted with discontent, "Everybody needs a father. If his biological father is a jerk, you need to find him another one. It's very important for a boy to have a strong, powerful father figure in his life. Or else they will end up being two-bit punks on the streets. Are you seeing anyone recently? Do you need me to set you up with someone? Because I've got some great candidates." 

"No, please don't do that, Mr. Stewart. I am capable of raising this child on my own. I won't let you down." I said and walked out of the office. 

Why was my uncle so defensive about my father's death? 

I dialed a number.

"Darren, I'm back. I need your help. It's about my father's death..."