They think I’m an attendant. Josie mustered all her strength to calm herself down. She steadied her emotions, ready to leave. However, just at that moment, the door to the private room was forcefully pushed open, flooding the room with light.
A swarm of bodyguards rushed in from outside, swiftly clearing the area. “Don’t move!”
Those scions instinctively covered their heads and crouched down. Josie squinted her eyes, and to her surprise, she saw an elegant and extremely noble woman approaching from the end of the path.
The newcomer was Claudia. She stood firm, her voice not loud but commanding. “I don’t want any trouble. Everyone out.”
A group of people glanced at Summer, who was lying on the sofa in a drunken stupor, before scattering in all directions. The matriarch of the Olsen family had personally come to clean up the mess. There was no avoiding the matter.
Before Claudia could look her way, Josie turned her head aside, pulled out a mask, and put it on. Then, she took out her phone, switched on the camera, and placed it in her chest pocket. She cleared her throat, her voice raspy. “Should I clean?”
Claudia glanced at her, noticing nothing amiss. “Remove her needle.”
Josie nodded, walked over to Summer, removed the syringe, and carefully put away each item. Her movements were professional, having observed others do the same in La Oriele before. Summer was not fully awake. She opened her eyes in a daze, still smiling. “Mother, you’re here…”
Claudia frowned, tossing a coat over her, her voice icy cold. “How long has it been?”
Summer, hugging Claudia’s arm, acted coy. “I thought you’d forgotten about me, only having Liana in your heart.”
“How long has this been going on!” Claudia pushed her away and slapped Summer across the face, unable to contain her anger.
Summer winced in pain, gradually regaining her clarity. She looked at Claudia, whose chest was heaving, and asked, “Who told you I was here?”
Claudia looked at her without saying a word. Summer began to shout, “Was it Liana? That wretched woman!”
Slap! Another slap landed. Claudia showed no mercy, hitting Summer so hard that blood trickled from the corner of the latter’s mouth. “You must be out of your mind,” she said. “If your father finds out about this, it’ll be the end of you.”
Summer covered her face and took a deep breath. A frightening look filled her gaze. “If it weren’t for you, I would have died long ago. Why should I stay in this world to suffer!”
Claudia’s hand trembled as she pointed to the items Josie had arranged. “Did Arnold provide these for you?”
Summer wiped her mouth. “I requested them.”
Tears were clearly visible in Claudia’s eyes as she cried out. “Why!”
“You don’t know why, my dear mother?” Summer, like a rose about to wither, spoke loudly. “It must have been hard for you to hide this for so many years. What do you think will happen if Zach finds out that we are not your biological children?”
Upon hearing the unexpected news, Josie froze completely. What? Summer and Zach are not actually their biological children?
Summer laughed. “Will he be like me too?”
Claudia was trembling all over, “What nonsense are you talking about?”
“Stop pretending. I’ve had the DNA tested.” Summer leaned back, lighting a cigarette. “So, that’s why Father never wanted to hand over the reins to me.”
Her certainty left Claudia with no room for rebuttal. For a moment, she didn’t know what to say. The room fell into silence.
“Mother, I finally understand why, even though you already have us, you still went to such great lengths to find Liana. It turns out that Liana is your only child.”
Summer’s gaze was filled with contempt and a touch of self-mockery. Josie’s hands trembled uncontrollably as she packed the things, forcing herself to calm down.
