Chapter 4

What the hell was I supposed to make of the vow Dad made on the phone just now? Had he abandoned his faith and lied to me just to protect his illegitimate son? This was driving me insane!

My temples throbbed, and I reached out to snatch the property deed from Kenneth's hands. However, he deftly dodged me. "Beckett, I'm warning you, if you damage anything in this villa, you won't be able to afford to pay for it!"

Dad had spoiled me rotten for more than two decades, treating me like I could do no wrong. Hence, no one had ever dared to speak to me in this tone.

Engulfed by anger, I grabbed a blue-and-white porcelain vase near the entrance—one I had bought for a fortune at an auction—and smashed it against the railing beside Kenneth. With a loud crack, shards of porcelain flew everywhere, leaving several small cuts on Kenneth's skin.

"You bastard, just because your scheming mother managed to worm her way into Dad's bed doesn't mean you get to call yourself the scion of the Livington family!" I raised my hand high and slapped Kenneth across his right cheek with all my might.

The crisp sound of the slap cracked like a thunderclap, and it made everyone around us suck in a sharp breath.

A bright red handprint immediately appeared on Kenneth's cheek. "How dare you!" Clutching his right cheek, he glared at me through tightly clenched teeth, his eyes dripping with venom.

I raised my hand and delivered another merciless slap to his left cheek. "These two slaps are to wake you up from your dream of being the scion of the Livington family! No matter what reason Dad had for giving you this villa, it doesn't give you the right to impersonate the scion of the Livington family!"

My chest heaved violently, and I felt like I was about to blow up. "I'm going to sue you for damaging Dad's reputation. You just wait for the lawyer's letter!"

I clicked into my photo gallery and pulled up a video from the day I was born.

Dad's voice was filled with joy as he looked into the camera and gently called out to me, "Look at the camera, Beck!"

Grandpa smacked him lightly on the arm, causing the camera to shake. "Use some common sense. Beck was just born. How would he know what a camera is?"

The video captured a picture-perfect family moment, but more importantly, the baby in the swaddle had a distinct, dark red birthmark on the inside of his ankle. I pulled up my pant leg and showed them the exact same birthmark on my ankle.

Gasps rippled through the crowd, and everyone wore an expression that said, "I knew it!"

"I told you! Beckett has to be Zane's son. Kenneth doesn't have that birthmark at all."

"There's no way you can forge a video like that, right? Kenneth must be out of his mind to think he can pass himself off as the scion of the Livington family. He's made a total fool of himself now!"

I immediately called Uncle Zion. However, he, who always answered my calls right away, didn't pick up.

I was still holding my phone up when Kenneth walked up to me, his expression smug. "Guess what, Beckett? Uncle Zion isn't going to answer your call."

Sure enough, a minute later, I received a text from Uncle Zion. "I have an urgent matter to take care of. If you need something, we can talk later."

Kenneth dialed his number, and before it could ring three times, Uncle Zion answered. His familiar voice came through the phone. "What's up, Kenneth?"

Kenneth immediately switched gears, playing the pathetic victim. "Uncle Zion, someone broke into my house and trashed the place!"

Uncle Zion's tone instantly became solemn. "What? Who dares to mess with our family? I'll come over right now to back you up!"

An onlooker, who was familiar with my family, immediately gasped as realization hit. "That's Zane's younger brother's voice! Looks like Kenneth really is the scion of the Livingston family, after all!"