Chapter 769

Peggy’s eyes clearly shifted for a moment. When Evelyn walked toward her, she felt a chill run through her body.

“Peggy? Is that really you?” Evelyn looked closely at the woman in front of her. The face was completely unfamiliar, yet there was something oddly familiar about it.

Peggy had already regained her composure and asked with a hint of disdain, “Who are you? Do I know you?”

“I’m Evelyn, Evelyn Davis,” Evelyn said. “You’re Peggy, right?”

“Never heard of an Evelyn Davis,” Peggy said. “You’ve got the wrong person.”

With that, Peggy tapped the man next to her on the shoulder and smiled. “I’ve got something to do. I’ll head out first. See you another time.”

When Peggy turned to leave, Evelyn panicked and hurried after her. “Peggy, wait-”

Teresa also wanted to follow, but Jennifer grabbed her arm hard.

Jennifer’s face had gone deathly pale. “Let’s go,” she said.

She refused to believe that the woman who had just leaned on that greasy stranger, acting cheap like some street girl, could be her mother.

In her mind, her mother was proud, independent, and strong, not someone this mean and shameless.

Teresa had no idea what Jennifer was thinking. “That woman might really be Peggy,” she said.

“She’s not my mom!” Jennifer suddenly shouted at Teresa like a madwoman.

Jonathan instantly pulled Teresa close, shielding her as his sharp gaze pierced Jennifer like arrows. “Why are you yelling at her? Teresa doesn’t owe you anything. You’re not even her real sister.”

Tears welled up in Jennifer’s eyes. Ignoring Jonathan, she kept her gaze on Teresa. “That woman isn’t my mom. She’s not. Evelyn said my mother was strong and independent. Maybe this woman just happens to have the same name.”

Teresa took a deep breath. “I told you, people change–especially after so many years. If you really want to know whether she’s your mother, just take a DNA test.”

“She’s not. I’m not doing a DNA test with a woman like that. There’s no need!” Jennifer screamed like she had lost her mind.

“Don’t waste time talking to her. Let’s go,” Jonathan said as he held Teresa close.

He walked back to the private dining room first, politely excusing himself to the businessmen there, saying he had something urgent to handle, and introduced Teresa as his girlfriend. In public, he always called Teresa his girlfriend so no one would gossip or speculate.

Then Jonathan took Teresa and left.

Jennifer stayed there alone. She collapsed to the ground, feeling her last bit of strength break apart.

She had been raised by Fiona with very traditional values, even overly conservative ones. In fact, she had always disliked women who dressed revealingly.

But the woman she had just seen was exactly the type she hated most: dressed in skimpy clothes, leaning on a fat, greasy man, acting cheap like some madam.

That was nothing like the mother she had imagined. Her mother was soft, sharp, and strong, a powerful woman who had everything under control. So this had to be a mistake–Teresa and the others were wrong.

Jennifer wiped her tears. She told herself there was no need to feel hurt over a woman like that. After all, that wasn’t her mother.

Outside the restaurant, Evelyn ignored the pain in her leg and strode after Peggy, who was about to get into her car.

“Let go of me!” Peggy shook her off impatiently. “I told you, you’ve got the wrong person. Keep this up and I’ll call the cops.”

Her face looked nothing like the Peggy Evelyn remembered, but the expression, the tiny movements, and those eyes–all of it felt familiar.

“You’re Peggy, aren’t you?” Evelyn said.

“What nonsense! I’m calling the police.” Peggy tapped a number on her phone while brushing her hair back with one hand.

The scene overlapped with an old memory in Evelyn’s mind.

She remembered young Peggy doing the same thing–brushing her hair back–while picking up her clothes and slipping them on, asking, “Philip, who’s better, me or Evelyn?”

“Of course it’s you,” Philip had said back then.

And Evelyn had been furious. “You two are disgusting! How could you do this in my house, in my bed-”

Thinking about those painful memories, Evelyn felt all the old fury and humiliation flooding back, even though she no longer loved Philip and had once forgiven Peggy under family pressure.

She gripped Peggy’s shoulders so hard it was as if she wanted to crush her. “Are you Peggy? Let me see your shoulder and I’ll know. I remember you had a red birthmark there.”

“What’s wrong with you?” Peggy finally snapped. With all her strength, she shoved Evelyn hard to the ground, then jumped into her car and sped off.

Evelyn tried to chase her, but the pain in her injured leg was unbearable. All she could do was grit her teeth and sit on the ground.

Driving away, Peggy watched Evelyn’s figure fade in the rearview mirror and finally let out a sigh of relief.

She was glad she had stayed calm and pretended not to know Evelyn. She was also thankful for her plastic surgery.

She couldn’t understand why Evelyn was looking for her after all these years. A chilling thought crossed her mind—maybe Evelyn had found out that she switched their babies back then. The more she thought about it, the more uneasy she felt.

Peggy pulled out her phone and called Lucas over and over. But he didn’t answer a single call, which made her so angry that she threw the phone aside.

Then she dialed another number. “It’s me. Shut down the beauty salon in Jarisburg. I’m done with that place.

“If anyone comes by, don’t mention my name. Just say I’m not there. And book me two tickets to Cerein this week, as soon as possible.”

After hanging up, Peggy exhaled a long breath.

She had known this day might come, the day she’d have to face Evelyn. But no matter what, she wasn’t going to let Evelyn take Lucas away.

He was her son.

Chapter 770