Chapter 43 Martin's Daughter Sets a Trap
Fannie's lively eyes blinked twice, and then tears began to stream down her face. She clenched her soft little hands and called out to Martin in a childlike tone, "Daddy..."
The people present exchanged looks of disbelief, their faces lighting up with surprise as if they had stumbled upon some unspeakable secrets.
The flash of cameras went off incessantly, and a reporter deliberately asked, "Who are you? Who sent you here?" It was clear that the little girl was there to cause a stir at the press conference.
Martin's eyes turned cold as he glanced at Alan, who immediately left without a sound.
Fannie's young heart seemed shattered. "Daddy, don't you remember? Four years ago, you slept with an eighteen-year-old girl, and that girl is my mommy. After that night, mommy got pregnant and then she had me." As she spoke, Fannie took out a button. "This button was left behind by you, decorated with a pattern that only you can use."
Martin's expression softened as he looked at Fannie's beautiful little face. "Little girl, whether you're my child or not, a DNA test will tell." After a pause, he ordered the security outside, "Take this little girl away."
Unfortunately, there was only silence; no security appeared.
At that moment, Alan returned, whispering cautiously in Martin's ear, "The security guards outside have been knocked out!"
Martin's handsome face darkened; he knew all this was a setup. He instructed Alan to investigate, "Who would dare do this?"
After acknowledging the task, Alan left.
Then, Fannie let out a loud cry, sobbing uncontrollably, "You are nothing but a heartless scoundrel! My mommy thinks about you every day! After you slept with her, you promised to marry her, but it's been four years. My mommy is so pitiful to have met a man like you."
Martin's temples throbbed. He stood up and approached Fannie, offering comfort, "Little girl, you must be mistaken. How about I take you to get some ice cream? Please stop crying." But as soon as Martin's hand touched Fannie's arm, she burst into tears, clutching her arm and collapsing to the ground, "Ouch, it hurts! Why did you hit me! Daddy, I just wanted to be acknowledged by you, why are you being violent towards me?"
Martin looked at his hand, which was frozen mid-air. If he wasn't certain he had only lightly touched her, he might have doubted himself if he had actually hit her.
The little girl's acting skills were indeed impressive.
Fannie sat on the ground, clutching his trousers, pleading, "Daddy, my mommy is gravely ill, she doesn't have many days left! Her biggest wish in life was to marry you! Even if she can't be your wife, could you please visit her one last time? Even if you don't acknowledge me, it's okay. Even if they are mean to me, even if they occasionally abuse me, I don't mind as long as I can survive!" Fannie's voice was filled with desperate sorrow, the very picture of a child abandoned by the world. If Martin didn't know she was acting, he might have believed her.
The onlookers reddened their eyes at her tragic story. Though they didn't dare to speak up, their disdainful looks suggested that they were inwardly cursing Martin as a scoundrel who abandoned his responsibilities.
People tend to sympathize with the underdog, especially when it's such an adorable little girl.
Martin was at a loss for words, his deep eyes churning with anger. He refused to let Fannie continue with her farce. "I am not irresponsible. Little girl, since you claimed that you are my daughter, I will have a doctor draw blood for a DNA test right now. If the result is YES, I will fulfill my duties as a father."
Fannie didn't respond, only looking up with tearful eyes, "I know you still don't believe me, Daddy! That's why I brought proof today!"
As she finished speaking, the large screen behind Martin switched scenes, showing a dark corridor where a drunk Martin staggered along.
He grabbed a passing female server's hand and pulled her into a guest room. The footage was clear; Martin's and the server's faces were unmistakable.
About an hour later, the server emerged from the room, her clothing disheveled and her body covered in bruises of various sizes.
The timestamp on the video was clear.
It was from four years ago, on January 10th.
Martin's eyes narrowed, his face turning dark and devilish in an instant.
If he didn't firmly believe he had only been with Patricia, he might have been convinced that the man in the surveillance footage was himself.
Martin could tell that the video had been doctored, the faces swapped. The planning was meticulous, clearly premeditated. Who had the capability to set him up like this, right under his nose, and to manipulate an innocent little girl?
Fannie clung to Martin's legs, begging pitifully, "Do you believe me now? My birthday is September 28th! I really am your daughter!"
The press conference was being broadcast live, and quickly, this episode spread online.
Patricia had just finished her rounds and was writing a prescription when a female doctor excitedly said, "Quick, check your phone, Mr. Langley is trending! It seems every wealthy family has its dark secrets."
Today was the Langley family's new product release.
Patricia thought the product was trending and didn't pay much attention, continuing her work until she heard everyone's comments: "That poor little girl, to suffer such hardships at her young age."
"I always thought Mr. Langley was a responsible and faithful man, but I was wrong. Not only did he cheat with Debbie, but he also had affairs and fathered an illegitimate daughter. What a complete scoundrel!"
"Good heavens, an illegitimate daughter! Mr. Langley actually has an illegitimate daughter? The young master of the Langley family has a new child!"
Hearing the words 'illegitimate daughter,' Patricia's hands trembled on the keyboard. She thought Fannie's identity had been exposed and quickly pulled out her phone to check the trending topics.
The full video was online. After watching it, Patricia's face was a mix of emotions.
It seemed Charles and Fannie were itching for trouble! They had gone behind her back to pull off such a stunt.
She never knew they were capable of crafting such a story. If it were made into a TV show, it would be a classic melodrama of wealthy family intrigue.
Then, someone burst into the office: "Do you think Professor Brown knows about this? She's Mr. Langley's fiancée, after all. What will she do if she finds out Mr. Langley has another child?"
The office fell silent instantly, and all eyes turned to Patricia.
Suddenly the center of attention, Patricia smiled faintly, feigning composure, "Don't look at me; I'm already divorced from him! His affairs have nothing to do with me."
Everyone immediately expressed their relief for her, criticizing Martin: "Professor Jane, you did the right thing divorcing such a scoundrel! We know about two women, who knows how many more there are?"
"Indeed! Look what he did to that little girl's mother. Her best years, wasted."
"That little girl is so pitiful. What will become of her now?"
Patricia responded with a light smile, "I have some matters to attend to, please continue your gossip." She walked to the stairwell and dialed Charles's number.
"I'm sorry, the number you have dialed is switched off. Please try again later."
Patricia couldn't help but laugh out of frustration. Those two worrywart kids! Instead of staying away from Martin, they had delivered themselves right to his doorstep.
She was determined to give them a thorough scolding tonight.
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