My CEO Husband Says I'm Irreplaceable

Chapter 153: Chapter 153: What Kind of Scene Is This?

Kevin Hawthorne jumped up, his face flushed red as he roared, "What nonsense are you spouting! That’s a complete lie! I brought Aidan home back then because I was afraid you wouldn’t be able to handle the loss of our son. I did it for your own good, and this is how you repay me? With suspicion!"

"Kevin Hawthorne, you have the guts to do it but not to admit it. Are you even a man?" Nancy Linton’s eyes were rimmed with red, her voice sharp with pain and urgency. "You’ve already moved her into our home, so have the decency to tell the truth in front of Dad! Have I said a single thing to wrongly accuse you?"

"She ran into some trouble recently, so I was just helping her out for old times’ sake. I was afraid you’d get suspicious and misunderstand, so I put her right under your nose. I never thought you’d let your imagination run wild and cause a scene in front of Dad!"

Kevin Hawthorne scrambled to explain himself, turning to Zachary Hawthorne. "Dad, don’t believe a word she says. Her life has been too comfortable, so now she’s just stirring up trouble for no reason."

"I am not!" Nancy Linton abruptly pulled Brandon Linton forward. "Dad, this is my son, your biological grandson! Look how much we resemble each other. This is the paternity test report. I just got it today!"

The color drained from Kevin Hawthorne’s face.

He never imagined that the child he had abandoned all those years ago could actually be found. And that Nancy had gone behind his back to secretly get a DNA test.

He had given strict instructions back then for the child to be sent as far away as possible, never to appear in Northolme again.

He knew Nancy had been searching for their son, even posting public notices, but after more than twenty years with no news, he had long assumed the boy was dead.

Zachary Hawthorne took the report and glanced at the results. His cloudy gaze shifted between Nancy Linton and Brandon Linton. There was, indeed, a resemblance in their features.

His expression grew heavy.

"Kevin, the child Nancy gave birth to back then... did you really get rid of him?"

"Dad, I didn’t! Even a vicious tiger won’t eat its own cub. How could I possibly abandon my own biological son!" Kevin Hawthorne flatly denied it, determined not to admit to this in front of the old man.

"Then what’s this about Shirley Langley?"

"I married Nancy back then as you arranged. Cheryl never married, and she only came to me recently because she was having a hard time. I’ve always felt guilty about her and just wanted to make it up to her. Who knew Nancy would suddenly go crazy like this!"

’Cheryl...’ How affectionate he sounded.

A bone-deep chill spread through Nancy Linton’s heart.

In their twenty-plus years of marriage, the most he ever called her was "Nancy" when he was in a good mood. When he was upset, he’d use her full name. And now, he could lie so brazenly in front of the old man without batting an eye.

’The man’s shamelessness knows no bounds!’

"You took care of her? All the way into her bed?" Nancy Linton’s voice was as cold as ice. "Don’t think I don’t know what you were doing sneaking into her room in the middle of the night! Aidan Hawthorne is your and Shirley Langley’s spawn! The two of you never broke it off all these years!"

"I think you’re losing your mind!" Kevin Hawthorne, enraged by the exposure, shot back. "Nancy Linton, if you keep this up, we’re getting a divorce!"

"You just want me to leave with nothing, don’t you?" Nancy Linton sneered. "In your dreams! I won’t let you give away a single thing that belongs to my son. I’ll never let outsiders profit from this!"

"You haven’t worked in years. You’ve been living off me. What do you have that’s yours?" Kevin Hawthorne retorted harshly. "It’s my money, and I’ll give it to whoever I want! You think you can just find some kid who looks like me and claim he’s my son? Who knows if that paternity test is even real!"

"You..." Nancy Linton trembled with rage at his shamelessness.

Aidan Hawthorne stepped forward, reaching for her. "Mom, what’s gotten into you? Did someone put you up to this? Is that why you’re saying these things?"

"Don’t touch me!" Nancy Linton violently shoved his hand away. "I don’t have an ungrateful wretch like you for a son! I heard your conversation with Shirley Langley. You can drop the loving-mother-and-filial-son act!"

She clung tightly to Brandon. "I only have one son, and it’s Brandon!"

Brandon Linton held her steady, his voice firm. "Mom, don’t worry. Your son is back, and I won’t let anyone wrong you ever again."

Watching the group descend into a shouting match, Zachary Hawthorne felt his temples throb and his head begin to split.

"You say Kevin was the one who got rid of the child back then. Is that a guess, or do you have proof?"

"Dad, do I really need proof? Isn’t it obvious?" Nancy Linton choked out between sobs. "You can’t just blindly side with him because he’s your son!"

"That’s enough, Nancy Linton! You know the old man isn’t well, yet you insist on making a scene in front of him. Come home with me now. We can settle whatever this is in private, as husband and wife!"

Kevin Hawthorne moved to grab her, but Nancy was having none of it.

She struggled, flailing her arms, and managed to land several hard slaps across his face.

Pushed to the peak of his fury, Kevin Hawthorne roared, "Aidan, what are you waiting for? Get over here and take your mother home!"

Aidan Hawthorne instinctively glanced at Zachary Hawthorne on the sofa. Seeing that the old man wasn’t stopping him, he immediately moved to forcibly drag Nancy away.

Brandon Linton stepped forward, blocking them.

"In such a hurry to drag Mom away? Did I strike a nerve? Feeling guilty now that your scheme has been exposed?" Brandon glared at them coldly before turning to Zachary Hawthorne and raising his voice. "Grandfather, I beg you to grant justice for my mother and me!"

"Who the hell do you think you are? This is not your place to speak," Kevin Hawthorne snarled, his face ugly. "The Hawthorne Family hasn’t acknowledged you. You have no right to call him ’Grandfather’!"

The confrontation reached a complete stalemate.

Standing at the door, Vesper Grayson asked softly, "Aren’t you going in?"

Jared Hawthorne’s face was expressionless as he said simply, "Let’s go."

It was clear the old man was waiting for him to return and take control of the situation.

Footsteps echoed, and Zachary Hawthorne visibly relaxed as if his backbone had just walked in. "Elias, Vesper, you’re back."

Every head in the room instantly swiveled toward the entrance.

Jared Hawthorne led Vesper Grayson to the sofa and sat down. He casually peeled a segment from an orange and placed it in her hand before speaking in a slow, deliberate tone.

"What’s all this commotion about?"

Kevin Hawthorne hurried forward. "Elias, your second aunt is just having a fit. Don’t worry about it. I’ll take her home right now."

"And that will solve anything?" Zachary Hawthorne interrupted in a low voice. "Elias is the head of the Hawthorne family now. All family matters are his to manage, including this mess you’ve made."

"Dad, this is my private family business. Elias is an incredibly busy man; he doesn’t have time for such trivial matters."

"How can it be trivial when it concerns the Hawthorne bloodline?" Zachary Hawthorne shot him a glare. "If Brandon is truly Hawthorne blood, then he must be brought back into the family."

Kevin Hawthorne’s heart skipped a beat. He said hurriedly, "Even if he is, he’s been running wild out there for years. Who knows what kind of bad habits he’s picked up! Aidan is the heir I have personally groomed! Even if he isn’t my biological son, I’ve long considered him my real son. He’s the only son I acknowledge!"

"Absurd!" Zachary Hawthorne slammed his hand on the armrest in anger. "Are you saying you want to hand over the Hawthorne family’s assets to an outsider with no blood relation?"

He had always prized the purity of his bloodline. Even if Brandon hadn’t returned, he never intended to hand the Hawthorne Group’s assets over to Aidan Hawthorne.

The word "outsider" struck Aidan Hawthorne like a dagger, and the color instantly drained from his face.

"Dad, Aidan has called you ’Grandfather’ for so many years. How can he be an outsider?" Kevin Hawthorne said anxiously. "Aren’t you afraid of breaking the boy’s heart by saying that?"

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