Chapter 4

With that, I turned around and headed upstairs without another glance.

The moment I returned to my office, I immediately called Erika Douglas, a friend of mine who worked in the healthcare system.

"Can you look into the sealed records for a private clinic? The doctor's name is Dr. Howell. I need you to pay close attention to any filings related to overseas medical documents," I said.

"Got it. I'll let you know as soon as I find something," she replied.

Less than half an hour later, Erika sent me a screenshot. "Found it. Dr. Howell's clinic isn't even licensed to handle international medical documentation.

"They recently had a batch of counterfeit seals made bearing the names of overseas hospitals. The authorities are already investigating them," she texted.

A faint smile tugged at my lips as I looked at the screenshot. Another link in the chain of evidence had fallen into place.

Just as I was about to get off work, the receptionist rushed into my office in a panic. "This is bad, Ms. Larson. There's a group of people outside…" she trailed off.

I made my way to the reception, only to see a group of young people propping a massive white funeral wreath in front of the company's glass entrance as they livestreamed on their phones.

There was even a glaring banner stretched across it that read, "Boycott the vicious psycho! Protect Summer Cortez, an independent woman!"

Screenshots of hateful online comments had also been plastered across the glass doors.

"That's her! She's the one who got jealous of her own best friend and started persecuting a single mother!" one of them shouted.

"Take a good look, everyone! How is a psycho like her fit to be a manager?" another yelled.

The security guards were doing their best to hold the crowd back, but the situation had already spiraled into chaos. The commotion had severely disrupted my work environment.

Just then, my phone buzzed. It was a text from Adrian. "There's a big surprise waiting for you at tomorrow's celebration. Get ready to watch your reputation go up in flames if you don't sign the agreement."

My gaze shifted from the commotion outside to the threat on my phone. My fingers tapped lightly on the screen before I replied with a single word, "Scram."

…

The largest ballroom at Stellavel Hotel had been reserved for Noah's one-month celebration. The venue was lavishly decorated, with dozens of cameras positioned around the hall to livestream the event.

Dressed in a custom white couture gown, Summer stood onstage with Noah in her arms. She looked every bit the picture of a pure and innocent victim.

Tears streamed down Summer's face as she addressed the live cameras. "All I ever wanted was to raise Noah peacefully as a single mother by choice. However, my best friend began to target Noah at every turn ever since she lost her mind after a car accident.

"She froze my bank card, cut off Noah's formula supply, and even tried to drive us out of the city…" she choked out.

The big screen displayed a continuous stream of comments from the livestream.

"A psycho like Sylvia should be locked up in a mental institution!" one of the comments read.

"Poor Summer. Sending you the biggest hug!"

"Dox that psycho! Make her hand over the mansion as compensation!" another comment read.

Summer's relatives and fans pointed fingers and hurled insults at me from every direction. Everyone had taken her side, and the wave of online abuse came crashing down on me.

I sat at the head table as I watched the carefully orchestrated farce unfold with cold indifference.

Dressed in a perfectly tailored suit, Adrian pulled a document from his briefcase and slammed it down before me.

"Everyone's watching, Sylvia." He lowered his voice so that only the two of us could hear.

"This is for your own good. Sign this property transfer agreement. Given your unstable mental state, Summer and I will look after the mansion for you until you recover.

"Sign it, then log into the property records portal and confirm the transfer on the spot. Otherwise, you're not walking out of here today," he threatened.

It was the ultimate setup—a calculated move to legally strip me of all my assets.

I stared at the document in his hand without saying a single word. My right hand tightly gripped the presentation remote hidden in my pocket.

I didn't rush to defend myself even when the entire crowd had turned against me. Just then, Noah waved his hands excitedly from the stroller onstage.

His bright, childish voice cut through the clamor in the ballroom.

[The paternity test is hidden in the inner compartment of Daddy's briefcase. Last night, he used it to threaten Mommy backstage. He said that once they'd tricked Aunt Sylvia out of her five-million-dollar mansion, the deed had to be put in his name alone. If Mommy tries to keep the property all for herself, he'll pull out the paternity test on the spot and expose everything!]

I let out a cold sneer after hearing Noah's rant. So those two snakes weren't as united as they pretended to be.

My eyes immediately locked onto the briefcase Adrian had placed on the chair.

So this was where the most devastating piece of evidence had been hidden all along.

Adrian finally lost his last trace of patience when I remained silent. He grabbed my wrist, snatched up the ink pad from the table, and tried to force my thumb onto the agreement.

"Don't make me do this the hard way," he gritted out menacingly. "Everyone here's a witness. Whether you like it or not, you're going to sign this today!"

"Who do you think you are, trying to manage my property?" I snarled. I snapped my head up and swung my hand hard across Adrian's face.

The sharp crack echoed through the microphone and rang across the entire ballroom. The room instantly fell deathly silent.

"As if you're worthy of that!" I snapped. While Adrian was still reeling from the blow, I snatched the briefcase from his chair.

Then, I yanked open the zipper to the inner compartment. Pinching the corner of the report between two fingers, I pulled it free in one swift motion.

"Since all of you insist I've gone crazy, then let's show the entire internet the truth." I raised the report high into the air as the cameras instantly zoomed in on it.

The words "biological father" stood out in bold black letters at the bottom of the report.

"Let's see who's really been playing dumb while they carried on a filthy affair behind everyone's backs," I declared.

I looked coldly at the big screen before pressing the presentation remote's button.