Mister Jang wiped the cold sweat from his forehead as he watched Lin Xia's imposing demeanor. He hadn't expected the seemingly refined and elegant eldest daughter of the Lin family to wield such ruthless authority. The oppressive aura she exuded made his back tense involuntarily. Without another word, he hastily stuffed the thick envelope of cash into his coat, slipped on his sunglasses, and left the café in a hurry.
Lin Xia quickly stepped into her limousine, shut the door behind her, and rolled up the tinted windows. Taking a deep breath, she reached for her thermos and took two quick sips of warm tea, attempting to steady her nerves.
What should I do?
The truth was now undeniable. The harsh reality of it had been laid out before her in black and white, ruthlessly shattering any remaining doubts. She couldn't even begin to imagine how their mother would react upon seeing this paternity report.
As she sat in the quiet of her car, her phone rang, snapping her out of her thoughts. It was a call from the office. As the president of a subsidiary company, she was constantly swamped with work. Lately, the stress of managing business affairs, combined with the shocking revelations she had uncovered, left her physically and mentally drained. After handling the brief work call, she hesitated for a moment before flipping through her contacts. Her fingers hovered over the name Yang Mo.
She had asked Uncle Li for his number last time and saved it. Part of her wanted to call him—wanted to ask just how much more he knew. She even wanted to ask for his advice on what to do next. But just as her thumb moved towards the call button, she hesitated.
What face do I have left to call him?
The Lin family had cast Yang Mo aside. Now that the truth had surfaced, would he even care to help? After a long moment of contemplation, she let out a sigh and instead called her second sister, Lin Ruan.
The call connected quickly.
"Second sister," Lin Xia said, her voice steady yet weighted with an unspoken heaviness. "The results of the appraisal report are out."
On the other end, Lin Ruan was inside a dressing room, applying makeup for an evening gala. Upon hearing those words, her hand froze. Her heart pounded, and a chill spread through her chest. Hastily, she gestured for her assistant to leave the room before she dared to continue the conversation.
Her voice trembled. "Big sister… you mean Lin Cohen? He's really… our father's biological son?"
The revelation hit like a bombshell, shattering any illusions of peace. Lin Ruan's breath hitched. Her mind went blank for a moment.
"Are you sure?" she asked desperately. "Did you confirm it? Try again with a different appraiser—what if it's a mistake?"
Lin Xia's voice was firm. "It's true. There's no mistake."
Lin Ruan's hands trembled, her face pale. "Big sister… what are we going to do? How do we tell Mom?"
For eighteen years, their mother had adored Lin Cohen, believing him to be her own son. Now, to find out that he was the child of a mistress… it was unthinkable.
"I don't know," Lin Xia admitted. "Let's talk about it when Shuang gets home tonight. If we tell Mom now, she might not be able to handle the blow."
"…Alright," Lin Ruan murmured. "I have a meeting soon. We'll talk later."
That evening, the three sisters sat together behind closed doors, their expressions grave as they discussed their next move. When Lin Shuang arrived, she immediately sensed the heavy atmosphere.
"What's going on? Why are you both acting so secretive?" she asked, eyes darting between them with concern. "And why are you avoiding Mom and Dad… and Cohen?"
Lin Xia didn't bother with explanations. Instead, she silently placed the paternity report on the table.
Confused, Lin Shuang picked up the document. "Isn't this for Yang Mo and Dad? Didn't we confirm that ages ago?"
"No," Lin Ruan interjected, voice low. "It's for Lin Cohen and Dad."
Boom.
It felt as though a thunderbolt had struck Lin Shuang's mind. Her face drained of color as she registered the truth. The document shook in her hands.
"Our father… he…" she stammered, struggling to process it. Then, anger flared in her chest. "That bastard! I'm going to confront him!"
She shot up from her seat, gripping the document tightly and heading for the door.
"Stop!" Lin Xia and Lin Ruan lunged forward, grabbing her arms. "Calm down, Shuang!"
"Calm down?" Lin Shuang spat. "We've been lied to for years! Dad cheated on Mom twenty years ago and brought his illegitimate son into our house! How are you two staying so calm?!"
Lin Xia tightened her grip. "Think about it. If we expose this without preparation, the one who will suffer the most is Mom. She's the victim in all of this."
Lin Shuang gritted her teeth. Rage boiled within her, but she forced herself to listen. Her fingers trembled as she clutched the papers. "All these years, we treated Cohen like family. Mom gave him everything—her love, a supercar worth tens of millions, even that expensive Patek Philippe watch. And all this time, he was just playing along?"
Lin Ruan's eyes darkened. "We were stupid. And the worst part? We pushed our real brother away."
Lin Shuang's breath caught. "Yang Mo…"
The three sisters fell into a heavy silence. The memory of Yang Mo's cold, distant departure surfaced in their minds. They had been so blind.
Lin Shuang clenched her fists. "He knew. Yang Mo knew everything. That's why he left. What else does he know?"
"Shuang," Lin Xia warned, sensing her thoughts. "Don't do anything reckless."
But Lin Shuang had already made up her mind. She turned sharply towards the door.
"I'm going to bring Yang Mo back."
Lin Ruan's eyes widened. "What? Do you think he'll just come back because you ask him to?"
Lin Shuang didn't stop. "I have my ways."
Lin Xia sighed in frustration. "That girl… she always acts impulsively."
Lin Ruan crossed her arms. "Let her go. We have to focus on dealing with Dad first."
The room fell silent again, the weight of the night's revelations pressing down on them. Outside, Lin Shuang hurriedly made her way downstairs, a fire of determination burning in her eyes.
She was going to bring Yang Mo home—no matter what it took.