Chapter 4

The other diners began shooting us strange looks, whispering among themselves and pointing in our direction.

I wiped the water from my face and fixed Jason with a cold stare. "Jason, there are security cameras around the pool."

Jason froze for a moment before raising his voice even louder. "You probably bribed whoever's in charge of the cameras, too! You've got money and power. You can fake anything you want! Life has been so unfair to me."

Mom sighed. "Enough arguing. Get to the hospital, both of you! It's freezing out here, and we don't want either of you coming down with pneumonia."

And just like that, all four of us ended up back at the hospital.

My adoptive parents rushed around, fetching hot water one moment and taking care of hospital bills and prescriptions the next.

While they were out paying the bills, Jason and I were left alone in the hospital room.

He'd been lying weakly in bed, groaning in discomfort, but the moment my adoptive parents left, he sat straight up.

He yanked the IV needle out of the back of his hand and walked barefoot over to my bed. A sinister smile, far too vicious for someone his age, spread across his pale face.

"Well, Daniel? What do you think of that?"

I leaned against my headboard and looked at him calmly. "Not bad. Better than getting yourself electrocuted by your own cheap surveillance camera."

"You!" Jason was so furious he could barely get the word out. He glared at me viciously before continuing, "Let me tell you something. I'm not like those idiotic heirs who just accept whatever happens to them. I've read more novels than you've eaten grains of salt! I know all the tricks you self-righteous impostors pull.

"Do you think acting like nothing's wrong will erase the fact that you stole my life?"

He leaned toward me threateningly. "You'd better listen up. You can't keep fooling my parents forever! Blood comes first, after all. Sooner or later, they'll choose me over you!"

The more he talked, the more worked up he became, until he was practically jabbing a finger in my face.

"I'll make sure you get kicked out of this family! I'll ruin your reputation and leave you with absolutely nothing!"

Watching him carry on like a rabid dog, I suddenly found the whole thing rather amusing.

"Jason," I said calmly, "do you really think that if you drive me out, everything this family owns will automatically belong to you?"

"Obviously!" Jason sneered. "I'm the only one in this family who shares their blood. Everything belongs to me in the first place!

"What business does an adopted orphan have clinging to this family? You've done nothing but live off my parents' charity, land yourself a decent job, and wear a few designer labels. And now you actually think you're part of high society?"

He lifted his chin proudly, as if he'd already won. "Daniel, you need to know your place. You're nothing but a parasite!"

Just then, the door handle turned. My adoptive parents were back from paying the bills.

Jason's expression changed in an instant. He rolled his eyes and crumpled to the floor, as though someone had shoved him.

Noticing the strange atmosphere in the room, my adoptive parents looked at me in confusion and asked what had happened.

I sighed and glanced at Jason with an exasperated look. "Jason called me a parasite and told me to get out of this family."

Jason clearly hadn't expected me to repeat his words so bluntly in front of my adoptive parents. His eyes widened in shock.

After all, based on the novels he'd read, this was the moment when an adopted impostor was supposed to play the victim and resort to underhanded tactics to win the parents' sympathy.

"You're lying!" Jason shouted. "You're the one who's been bullying me, and you pushed me!"

"Then let's check the security footage and see who's telling the truth."

I pointed toward the inconspicuous camera mounted in the corner of the hospital room.

Jason's face stiffened, and for the first time, he looked genuinely panicked.

I let out a cold laugh, pulled out my phone, and dialed a number. "Hello, Dr. Williams? This is Daniel Miller. Send me the security footage from VIP Room 302 covering the last ten minutes. Yes, right now."

After hanging up, I turned to Jason, who was staring at me in utter disbelief, and spoke in a calm, even tone.

"Oh, I forgot to mention that Miller Group owns 51% of this private hospital. I'm its largest shareholder, which means I have the right to access every security camera and every piece of data here whenever I want."