Chapter 48
“Really, Amara,” Seb said, looking at her lazily. Was she doing all this because she still cared about him and was still hurt? Seb wondered.
Amara didn’t look relieved by his fake apology. Instead, she reached into her bag and pulled out a heavy stack of documents.
“Not at all,” she said, her voice like ice. “Ever since Seren was little, I was the one who took her to the doctor. I bought her the best clothes. I hired a world-class piano teacher. Every cent came out of my pocket, not yours p>
She stepped forward and shoved the pile of receipts directly into Seb’s chest. “It’s a total of 30 million. Please pay me back in full, Mr. Creed p>
The room erupted into frantic whispering. Their mates who had just been calling Amara wicked were now staring at the receipts in shock.
“Wait… so Seren won first place because of the teacher Amara hired?” one old friend whispered.
“She treated that girl like a princess,” another added, shaking their head. “That child is incredibly ungrateful p>
Seb looked down at the paper in his hand, his face pale. The weight of the receipts felt like a mountain. He turned a chilling look toward Elara, who was suddenly trembling.
“It’s just 30 million,” Seb snapped, trying to save his crumbling pride. “I’ll pay it back when I can.” He leaned in toward Elara, his voice a low, dangerous growl. “If what she said is true… I’ll deal with you later p>
He shoved the receipts at Elara and stormed out of the hall without looking back.
The silence that followed was heavy. The party was over, and so was a huge Chapter of Amara’s life. Julian stepped up beside her, offering a supportive hand.
“It was a long night,” Julian said softly, looking at the exhaustion behind her eyes.
“It’s fine,” Amara replied. She felt lighter, as if she had finally shed a skin that didn’t fit.
“Amara,” Julian continued, his expression turning serious as he pulled a sealed envelope from his jacket. “I had a paternity test done through a private agency myself. I didn’t want any room for doubt p>
“The results are absolutely certain.” The hospital hallway was cold, but it was nothing compared to the ice in Seb’s veins. He stood in the director’s office, staring at the screen. The records didn’t lie.
Amara was right. Every memory of Seren’s childhood flashed before his eyes: the minor illnesses, the check-ups, the blood tests. He remembered seeing her blood type on a chart once and feeling a flicker of confusion, but he had suppressed it.
He had wanted to believe Elara. He had wanted to believe he had a legacy.
He had traded a diamond for a piece of glass.
Seb arrived at the Creed mansion looking like a ghost. The silence of the house felt heavy, mocking the 30 million dollars he now owed to a woman he had just publicly humiliated.
He walked into the drawing-room where Madam Creed sat, sipping her tea with her usual regal composure. Without a word, he dropped the medical file onto the mahogany table.
“Mother,” Seb whispered, his voice cracking. “Look at it p>
Madam Creed set her teacup down with a sharp clink. She picked up the report, her eyes scanning the bold letters at the bottom: PROBABILITY OF PATERNITY: 0 p>
“I had my doubts,” Madam Creed said, her voice surprisingly steady, though her hand trembled slightly. “But you were so certain, Seb. You let that woman, that Elara, into our home. You let her drive Amara away p>
“She’s not mine,” Seb said, collapsing into a chair, his head in his hands. “Seren… she isn’t my daughter. I threw everything away for a lie p>
He thought of Amara’s face at the party, the way she looked at him with nothing but cold, hard indifference. He had demanded she apologize to a child who wasn’t even his. He had defended the woman who had spent years bleeding Amara dry.
The realization hit him like a physical blow: He hadn’t just lost a daughter. He had lost the only person whom he truly loved and who had truly cared for him.
The moment Elara and Seren stepped through the doors of the Creed mansion, the air turned deadly. Before Elara could even speak, Madam Creed lunged forward.
SLAP!
The sound echoed through the marble hall. “You bitch!” Madam Creed screamed, her refined composure replaced by pure, unadulterated rage.
She grabbed Elara by the hair, shaking her.
“You tramp! How dare you trick us! How dare you bring a stranger’s child into my home and call him a Creed p>
“Seb! Seb, help me! I’m sorry!” Elara shrieked, reaching out toward the man she had manipulated for years.
But Seb didn’t move. He sat in the shadows, his eyes vacant, staring at the floor. He didn’t even blink as the woman he once protected was dragged across the floor.
“Grandma! Grandma, stop hitting Mommy!” Seren wailed, tugging at Madam Creed’s expensive silk dress. “She has a baby in her belly! Don’t hurt the baby p>
Madam Creed looked down at the child with utter loathing. She shoved Seren away with a sneer. “Don’t you dare call me Grandma! You’re just a little bastard from nowhere! That child in her belly? It’s probably another lie from a shameless snake p>
She turned back to Elara, her voice a shrill cry of regret. “It’s all your fault! If it wasn’t for you, Seb and Amara would still be together! I’ll kill you today p>
“Stop! Please!” Elara sobbed, her face bruised and tear-stained. She looked at Seb, her last hope. “Seb, I learned my lesson. Please… I saved your life once. Remember? Just let me go for the sake of that debt. The child I’m carrying is yours, I swear p>
For a split second, Seb’s heart wavered. He remembered the cold night years ago, the accident, and the woman who had pulled him from the wreckage. If it weren’t for her, I’d be dead already, he thought, his hand twitching as if to stop his mother.
“Wait,” a voice boomed from the doorway.
Demain stepped into the hall, breathing hard, a folder clutched in his hand.
He didn’t look at the chaos; he looked straight at Seb.
“I found the eyewitness, Seb,” Demain said, waving a signed statement in the air.
His eyes were grim. “I found out who your real savior was. And it wasn’t Elara p>