Chapter 76
Rebecca returned home with the precious stone. Both nannies were surprised to see her so early, as was Cooper Hill, the butler of Carter Manor. Everyone wondered where Patrick and Debra had gone. Cooper, however, was quickly drawn to the heavy box Rebecca carried. He hurried to help her inside.
"Thank you, Cooper," Rebecca said, smiling as he set the box down in the living room.
"No problem," Cooper replied, smiling. "Ms. Carter, why did you return so early? Do you miss the babies?" he asked, trying to lighten the mood.
Rebecca shook her head. "No, something happened, and Dad and Mom should be back soon." She hadn't expected to see Janet, but considering what Janet had gotten, she felt quite pleased. Rebecca missed the babies and hugged them; it had been nearly a whole day. The nanny carefully handed Lily to her. Rebecca held and soothed Lily until Patrick and Debra returned.
As soon as they entered, Debra looked at Rebecca and the others, smiled, and took Lily from Rebecca's arms. Rebecca’s arm was getting sore, so she willingly relinquished Lily. When Lily saw her grandmother, she blinked and reached for her.
"What bad luck. We ran into that bitch Janet. Otherwise, we could have played all day!" Debra grumbled, complaining to Rebecca. Rebecca found it amusing. "Maybe it was a coincidence. Never mind, we have plenty of time in the future, and we'll always be together."
She reunited with Patrick and Debra at only twenty-six years old. She had a long life ahead. Debra agreed, happily nodding. "Exactly, we have time and will always be happy together."
They stayed in their hometown for two days. On the third day, after the bracelets and pendants were ready, they took a helicopter back to Maeloria. The journey was tiring, but the novel experience made Rebecca and the nannies feel that being cooped up for a day wasn't so bad. They were all excited.
However, that evening in Maeloria, Paul asked Patrick and Debra to the study. Avoiding Rebecca, he revealed a big secret.
"Debra, Patrick, I have something very important to tell you. Look at this!" Paul said nervously, producing a document and handing it to them.
Both Patrick and Debra were stunned. The document was a paternity test report: [Tested: Theodore Edwards and Arthur Edwards. Results: The DNA mismatch between the samples was rather high, indicating a lack of blood relation.] "What does this mean?" Patrick blurted out.
Paul gloated, "The Edwards couple—Theodore's grandparents—have been caring for Janet's child, haven't they? Yesterday, while Janet was out, they bribed her nanny and took a blood sample for a paternity test with Theodore. You know, without a marriage certificate, Theodore needs a paternity test to claim custody of the illegitimate child. That's what they planned. They wanted to prepare the paperwork and, while Janet was away, transfer custody to Theodore."
Debra panicked. "That bitch, Janet, she's always wanted to marry Theodore, hasn't she? Her kid already has the Edwards name, so why isn't she rushing to have the child recognized? Why do those two need to be so sneaky?"
Patrick laughed sarcastically. "Right, that's the reason. Janet dreams of marrying Theodore, but what about those two old farts? They don't want Janet to marry Theodore! They may love the child, but they think little of Janet. Janet knows they only want the child, not her. So, for months, she's used the child as a bargaining chip. Her only condition is marrying Theodore; on their wedding day, she'll let him become the child's guardian."
Patrick spat and cursed, "What a dog-eat-dog show!"
Paul laughed and continued, "Janet should be out of town. They couldn't wait, so they secretly did the paternity test. Then, they wanted to find a lawyer to gain custody. But, the paternity test showed that Janet's child is not Theodore's!" Paul almost laughed.
Debra smiled delightedly and cursed, "Two bad guys! Serves them right!"
"Oh right, I told Adrian this, and he said to keep it secret and not tell Becky," Paul cautiously reminded them.
Debra and Patrick were dumbfounded. "What do you mean?"
Paul complained, "You two really produced a good son! Patrick, Adrian's cunning and deceitful nature is too similar to yours. He really deserves to be your son."
Debra and Patrick looked at each other. Paul thought for a moment. "Didn't Adrian say he didn't recommend Becky sue Theodore for divorce? I find that strange, too. Even though infidelity isn't explicitly stated as grounds for divorce, Theodore has an illegitimate child. If we gather evidence and Becky initiates divorce, we might win, right?
"Turns out Adrian started investigating the day after we reunited with Becky. He gathered evidence, but none proved Theodore was cheating on Janet. Most importantly, Adrian got the delivery room nurse to collect a sample of the baby's blood and quietly had a paternity test done with Theodore." Debra was shocked. "So Adrian already knew Janet's child wasn't Theodore's?"