My CEO Husband Says I'm Irreplaceable

Chapter 152: Chapter 152: You Still Care About Him?

Nancy Linton’s eyes reddened, her voice choked with emotion. "Okay. Once we get the test results, I will take you home and have the patriarch stand up for us."

’I will never let Kevin Hawthorne and Shirley Langley get what they want. They won’t take what rightfully belongs to my son. I’ll risk my life for it if I have to!’

Vesper Grayson looked up and said softly, "Aunt Nancy, there’s no time like the present. Let’s go to the testing facility now."

’I also want to use this opportunity to test whether Luke Lockwood and Nancy Linton are actually related by blood.’

Nancy Linton nodded, then looked at Brandon Linton beside her, her voice a little tentative. "Brandon, is that okay?"

"Mm, I’m fine with it," Brandon said.

The blood draw and sample collection were completed in one smooth process.

Afterward, Nancy Linton left with Brandon Linton.

Once she was sure they had left, Vesper Grayson handed a sample of Luke Lockwood’s hair to another doctor and whispered a few instructions.

Leon Quillan drove her back to the office. While waiting at a red light, Vesper glanced out the window and spotted a clingy couple in the car in the next lane, causing her to frown instinctively.

It was Kevin Hawthorne and Shirley Langley.

’For a couple their age, they’re certainly clingy. Do they really have to make out passionately during the short time they’re stopped at a red light?’

An idea struck her. She pulled out her phone and calmly hit the record button.

...

「Three days later.」

Vesper Grayson stared at the file the doctor had sent to her phone, her fingers tightening slightly.

Nancy Linton and Luke Lockwood were confirmed to be biological mother and son.

’So it wasn’t a coincidence after all.’

Just as she was about to call Nancy Linton, a call came in from her.

"Vesper! It’s a match! Brandon... He’s my biological son!"

Nancy Linton’s voice was choked with uncontainable excitement.

Vesper Grayson’s eyes darkened. Comparing it to the conclusive report she held, her voice turned cold. "Aunt Nancy, are you sure you didn’t misread it?"

’How could both DNA reports come back as a match?’

"I’m not mistaken! I just got the results! I’ll take a picture and send it to you right now!"

A moment later, an image of a DNA report, stamped with the facility’s official red seal, arrived on her WhatsApp.

Vesper’s frown deepened after she skimmed the document.

’I’m positive my report is flawless.’

’That means there must be something wrong with Brandon’s.’

’There’s definitely more to Brandon Linton than meets the eye. He clearly planned this whole reunion in advance.’

’Who is he, really? And what is his motive?’

"Vesper, did you see it?" Nancy Linton asked softly when she heard only silence on the other end of the line.

"I saw it. Congratulations, Aunt Nancy."

"I’m going to contact him now and take him to the family estate. I’ll let the patriarch see just what Kevin Hawthorne did to his own son and me!"

After hanging up, Vesper Grayson went to the testing facility in person.

The doctor she had commissioned to run the test was named Nathan Chandler.

Nathan Chandler studied the image on Vesper Grayson’s phone for a moment before looking up. "Miss Grayson, this report did indeed come from our facility."

"If my report is correct, then how do you explain this one? Could a mistake have been made somewhere?" Vesper Grayson asked gravely.

Nathan Chandler’s expression grew stern. "Rest assured, Miss Grayson. I will investigate this thoroughly. I’ll notify you the moment I have any results."

"Please investigate this discreetly, Dr. Chandler. And keep it quiet for now."

"Understood. If someone is behind this, I will not let it slide!"

After leaving the facility, Vesper Grayson drove straight to the Hawthorne Group.

She navigated her way to the president’s private elevator with ease and rode it straight to the top floor.

Maxim Chandler, who was just coming out of the office, saw her step out of the elevator and quickly turned back inside to make an announcement.

"President Hawthorne, your wife is here."

Jared Hawthorne stood up and went out to greet her.

"What brings you here all of a sudden?"

"Let’s talk inside." She took his arm, leading him into the office.

Maxim Chandler, ever the perceptive assistant, retreated outside and thoughtfully closed the door.

Inside the office, Jared Hawthorne led her to the sofa to sit down. His large hand came to rest naturally on her belly as he asked in a probing tone, "What’s wrong?"

Vesper Grayson didn’t keep him in suspense, telling him the whole story from beginning to end.

She then showed him the DNA report Nathan Chandler had sent her.

"So, Luke Lockwood is really Aunt Nancy’s son?" Jared Hawthorne’s eyes darkened slightly. ’I never thought Luke Lockwood would be related to her... that he’s my cousin.’

"I commissioned Dr. Chandler myself, so there’s no mistake," Vesper Grayson said, pausing for a moment. "As for Brandon Linton’s report, I suspect he bribed someone to create a fake. Dr. Chandler is already looking into it discreetly and will let me know what he finds."

The warmth of his palm seeped through her clothes as he stroked her belly gently, but his words sent a chill down her spine.

"He’s got some nerve, trying to scheme his way into the Hawthorne family. Have you told Aunt Nancy?"

"Not yet." Vesper Grayson’s expression was conflicted. "She’s completely absorbed in the joy of finding her son right now. I don’t have the heart to rain on her parade. Besides, the idea that Luke Lockwood is both Aunt Nancy’s son and your cousin, and that I’m supposed to be the one to help them reunite... it just feels off somehow."

Jared Hawthorne’s dark eyes narrowed. "Do you still care about him?"

"Of course not!" Vesper Grayson replied instantly. "He and I are ancient history."

"Then don’t let him get to you," Jared Hawthorne said nonchalantly. "It doesn’t matter who he is; he won’t affect us. If you’re really uncomfortable, you can just hide it from her for now and let them sort out the reunion themselves."

"But that would be so cruel to Aunt Nancy..."

"The decision is yours. I’ll support you no matter what you choose to do."

As soon as the words left his mouth, the phone on his desk started vibrating.

Jared Hawthorne glanced at the caller ID and then looked at Vesper. "It’s a call from the family estate."

He answered the phone, his tone respectful. "Grandpa."

Zachary Hawthorne’s stern voice came through the line. "If you’re not busy, I need you to come to the estate."

"Understood."

"Aren’t you going to ask why I’m asking you to come back?"

"I’m sure you have your reasons," Jared Hawthorne said calmly. "Vesper is here with me. I’ll bring her along, and I can share two pieces of good news with you at the same time."

"What good news?" Zachary Hawthorne asked, his curiosity piqued.

Jared Hawthorne’s lips curved. "Allow me to keep you in suspense for a little while."

"You little rascal, playing mysterious with me. If I’m not pleasantly surprised, you’ll be getting a taste of my cane!"

"No problem."

After hanging up, a playful glint appeared in Jared Hawthorne’s eyes.

"Want to come with me and watch the show?"

"Okay. Should we head out now?"

"No rush," Jared Hawthorne said at a leisurely pace. "Since Grandpa summoned me, he surely notified my uncle as well. We’ll go after everyone has arrived."

"Do you think Grandpa will handle this fairly?"

"Aside from his bias toward me, the old man is always scrupulously fair in all other matters."

"..."

"I’ve scheduled an appointment with a private doctor. Tomorrow, your husband will take you to your prenatal checkup, hmm?"

’Husband...’

The tips of Vesper’s ears grew hot.

Normally, she only called him Mr. Hawthorne, President Hawthorne, or Elias. Hearing him call himself her "husband" felt so foreign it made her heart skip a beat.

She averted her face and said softly, "Public hospitals are perfectly fine, you know."

"I’m not saying they aren’t, but the service at private facilities is better. I don’t want my wife to have to wait in line just for a checkup."

’He would do everything in his power to give her the absolute best.’

A warmth spread through Vesper’s heart, sweet as honey.

By the time they arrived at the family estate,

two or three cars were already parked in the courtyard.

’Everyone must be here already!’

The atmosphere in the living room was exceptionally tense, broken only by Nancy Linton’s aggrieved sobs.

"Father, since the day I married into the Hawthorne family, I’ve always followed the rules and never wronged anyone. I could forgive Kevin Hawthorne for deceiving me all these years, but I can’t forgive this! He should never, ever have abandoned the son I risked my life to give birth to, all for that bitch he keeps on the side! And then he lied to me and made me raise his bastard son for more than twenty years!"

Every word was an accusation, each one tasting of blood and tears.

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