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Chapter 4

Author: Goodtale
Gordon raised his hand high, ready to slap me across my face.

"You bastard! How dare you lay a hand on the real heir?"

My eyes turned cold as I seized his wrist.

He glared at me. "Still putting on airs like you're the heir? You're an impostor. I can hit you if I want! From now on, Keith is the one I answer to!"

Just then, we heard a car pull up downstairs, and Mom and Dad hurried through the door.

Mom's voice trembled with emotion. "My precious boy has been found? Where is he?"

Keith had been doubled over in pain moments earlier, but now he rushed downstairs, his eyes red-rimmed, and threw himself into her arms

"Mom, I'm back!"

Mom froze in his embrace.

"But Elijah can't stand having me here," Keith cried, his shoulders trembling. "He even hit Gordon, who's been with the family for years, just to drive me out. He said that even if I really was the heir, I still couldn't measure up to him."

Gordon called out, his voice urgent and loud. "Mr. Jackman, Mrs. Jackman, you're finally back!

"I've served at the Jackman estate for three years, and I know what I'm seeing. This impostor took your son's place for ten years, enjoying all the comforts of the Jackman family.

"Now that your real son is back, Elijah is still resorting to violence. If you don't step in, what will people think of the Jackman family?"

Rachel nodded slightly to my parents. "Mr. and Mrs. Jackman, Keith is your flesh and blood. The Quinlan family wants him to take Elijah's place as my fiancé."

She turned to me, her voice icy. "As for Elijah, he owes Keith ten years of his life. Someone has to make him pay. Anyone who stands up for him today will be making an enemy of the Quinlan family."

Dad was about to speak when Keith's tearful voice interrupted him.

"I don't care about the Jackman family's wealth. I don't want anything. I just want a little warmth from my family."

His breath hitched.

"I only want Mom and Dad to share a little of the love they give Elijah. Even a tenth would be enough for me."

Mom gently pulled back and asked softly, "Are you saying you're Alfie, the one we lost ten years ago?"

Keith wiped his eyes and nodded. "Mom, it's me."

He held out the report to her. "Look, these are our DNA test results. They match the Jackman family."

Gordon smacked his thigh. "There's no mistake! How could the test be wrong? Mr. and Mrs. Jackman, throw this impostor out before you hurt Mr. Keith's feelings. Everything in the Jackman family should belong to him one day!"

Keith sighed, putting on a magnanimous air. "Mom, Dad, even though Elijah had me trafficked, I don't hate him. Just send him back to the mountains. His happiness is waiting for him there."

Mom took the report and threw it on the floor without even looking at it.

All three of them froze.

"What are you talking about?" Mom asked coldly. "Alfie was a dog. The one we lost was a Labrador. And that blood sample came from a dog, too."

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  • Turns Out the True Heir Is Our Labrador   Chapter 10

    The days that followed were peaceful. Mom turned her attention back to the present and stopped driving to highway exits, shelters, and rescue centers. She gathered the missing-dog notices she'd posted over the years and put them in a box, keeping only the last one out."I won't post any more," she said. "I've done it for years. That's enough."The Pomeranian recovered from his injuries and followed her everywhere. She still called him Alfie, but now the name carried something more.When she went to the market in the morning, he trotted along behind her. The fishmonger asked, "Isn't that your dog?""Yes," Mom said with a smile. "We found him."She didn't say which Alfie she meant. After calling both dogs by the same name for so long, it no longer mattered which one she was calling.Rachel never came back to the Jackman estate. The Quinlan family paid a large sum on her behalf, then sent her away. Every so often, someone spotted her in a party photo, standing off to one side with

  • Turns Out the True Heir Is Our Labrador   Chapter 9

    This should have ended at the courthouse. But somehow, someone posted the trial records online."Fake heir impersonates the real one and gets sentenced to three years."The post went viral. At first, some people defended Keith, arguing that life in the mountains was hard and that our family had treated him too harshly.Then the comments began piling up. One person asked, "If they were looking for a dog, why did you get involved?" Another wrote, "You claim to be family, then immediately demand someone give up his room. You've certainly picked your moment." Someone else commented, "The Jackmans spent ten years searching, only to find an impostor—and were still expected to smile and welcome him."Within half a day, public opinion had turned against him.Someone recognized Keith as the same man who'd caused a scene during a land dispute a few years earlier. Back then, he'd also put on a pitiful face and gone around claiming he was broke.Someone dug up the listing for the apart

  • Turns Out the True Heir Is Our Labrador   Chapter 8

    My parents and I attended the trial. Keith and Gordon sat at the defendants' table.Keith had changed into old clothes, and his hair was a mess. He looked more pitiful than anyone else in the courtroom.Anthony argued that Keith was a poor boy from the mountains who had been misled by Gordon and had acted in a moment of confusion. He said Keith hadn't been after money—he'd only wanted a family. Now Keith was saddled with debt and had nowhere to turn, so Anthony asked the judge for leniency.Gordon claimed he alone had come up with the plan and that Keith had nothing to do with it. He took all the blame upon himself.Sitting there, with half his hair gone gray and his back hunched, Gordon was asked by the judge why he'd done it. He explained that his son was getting married and needed money. After working at the Jackman estate for three years, he'd grown resentful of how easily we could afford clothes worth a year of his wages.No one in the gallery felt sorry for him. Resentme

  • Turns Out the True Heir Is Our Labrador   Chapter 7

    The house stayed quiet for a long time after the police left. Gordon remained on his knees in the living room, refusing to get up."Mrs. Jackman, I've served the Jackman family for three years. I may not have done anything extraordinary, but I've worked hard. I lost my head this time. You can hit me or curse me, but please don't fire me. My whole family depends on this job."Mom didn't look at him."Three years," she said. "I treated you like family. What did you think of me? You called my son an impostor. You brought outsiders into my home, wrecked it, and hurt my dog. "Gordon, you're dismissed. I'll pay your wages for the rest of the day. The damages will be settled in court."The housekeeper, Miriam Zane, helped Gordon outside. He kept crying and looking back as he was led out. The door closed behind him, and he never set foot in the house again.Mom stood there for a long time."I trusted the wrong person," she said softly.I helped her sit down. Some lessons came at a p

  • Turns Out the True Heir Is Our Labrador   Chapter 6

    Rachel went silent for a moment."Mr. and Mrs. Jackman, even if the person you were looking for was a dog, Keith is still the one who was deceived," she finally said, her stance unyielding. "He's spent more than ten years suffering out there on his own. "I don't care whether or not he's your biological son. You have to accept him today and treat him as your son. The Quinlan family will only agree to an engagement with Keith."Keith looked up at her, tears slowly welling in his eyes. "Rachel…""Who do you think you are?" Dad said coldly. "Whether I accept someone as my son is my decision. An outsider doesn't get to decide who carries the Jackman name."Rachel's expression stiffened."And there won't be an engagement," Mom added. "Marry whoever you want. It has nothing to do with our family."Keith's face went pale. "Mom, how can you do this? I suffered in the mountains for ten years. I finally came home, and you can't even spare me a kind word. How can you be so heartless?"Mom

  • Turns Out the True Heir Is Our Labrador   Chapter 5

    The living room fell silent for a few seconds. Gordon was the first to break the silence. "Mr. and Mrs. Jackman, what do you mean by that?"He stepped in front of Keith and raised his voice. "What do you mean, 'a dog'? Mr. Keith is your own flesh and blood. That's a fact!"You've been fooled by this impostor for ten years and become attached to him. Now you're willing to deny your own son? How can that be right?"Rachel's expression darkened, too."Mr. and Mrs. Jackman, I know you love Elijah. But family is family, and the report is right here in black and white. I checked every detail of Keith's claim. You can't push your own son away just because you can't bear to part with Elijah."Keith stood beside Gordon, tears streaming down his face. "Mom, Dad, I don't want anything. I just want a family. If you won't accept me, I'll never belong anywhere for the rest of my life."My parents stood silently in the doorway.When everyone else had finished, Mom finally spoke. "Are you don

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