Chapter 169 Ethan Determines the Brown Family's Fate
The Silverlight City Parentage Testing Center.
Harper had parked her car just downstairs.
"Miss, your hunch was right. Ethan got suspicious and made a move. He had sought out Mitchell to conduct a paternity test," her informant reported.
Mitchell was Ethan's childhood buddy and worked at the testing center. Harper had predicted that Ethan wouldn't trust anyone else and would definitely approach Mitchell.
With a sneer, Harper remarked, "So all the effort was worth it."
It had taken considerable effort to secure a sample of Ethan's hair. But Ethan was no easy target; no tiger would allow its fur be plucked so easily.
She would have to resort to a different tactic.
"Do as I've instructed," Harper said, stepping out of the car.
Mitchell's vehicle was parked at the front, and he was heading toward the center carrying a sealed bag with samples of Ethan's and Justin's hair.
"Bang!" Suddenly, a muffled crash followed by the sound of car alarms echoed.
Mitchell turned, cursing under his breath as he realized an idiot had thrown a massive rock at his car.
"What about security?! How did he get in?" Mitchell was devastated, knowing his brand new and expensive car, costing well over three million, was now damaged.
"Catch that guy!" Mitchell exclaimed, on the verge of freaking out, his frustration boiling over.
With a thud, someone suddenly clumsily bumped into Mitchell, causing the sealed bag to fall to the ground.
Harper bent down swiftly, exchanged the bag, and handed it back to Mitchell with a smile. "Sorry, I was in a bit of a hurry."
"It's okay." Mitchell glanced at Harper and narrowed his eyes.
After a brief apology, Harper walked away.
Entering an alleyway, Harper took a deep breath to calm herself, looking down at the plastic bag she now held firmly in her hand.
"Got the hair samples; run the test now. I need to know the outcome," Harper spoke into her phone.
---
At Ethan's house.
"Casey, who said you could be picky with your food?" Ethan scolded, tapping the boy's head with his chopsticks as Casey avoided vegetables and went straight for the meat.
Casey rubbed his head and muttered discontentedly, "Uncle, I don't like veggies."
"Talk nicely," Ethan chided gently, recognizing that for kids, repetition could be seen as cute or mischievous. To Justin, it was endearing, but to Casey, it often spelled trouble. "Veggies are nutritious."
"My mom makes tasty veggies too," Justin said, serving some to Casey.
Casey looked curiously at him. "Really? Your mom must be awesome. My mom never steps foot in the kitchen and hardly ever eats with me. Dad doesn't come home either."
Jasmine paused, glancing at Ethan. She was in disbelief at Casey's revelation, wondering how Jordan could treat his child like this.
"I tried calling Jordan, but he wouldn't pick up. Lisa got wasted too. Those two are just..." Ethan bit back the curse on the tip of his tongue, restraining himself in front of the kids.
He couldn't fathom how such deadbeats could be parents.
"No matter the reason, parents who can't be there for their kids don't deserve forgiveness," Jasmine said, her voice rough, eyes fixed on her rice.
She had served five years in prison, missing out on five years of Justin’s life. She couldn't even give Justin a complete family. Meanwhile, there were people like Jordan and Lisa, who were free in the outside world, yet they were treating Casey horribly.
Ethan's hand that was holding the chopsticks went numb, the guilt intensifying.
"What if Justin's dad didn't know about him before, but upon finding out, had tried desperately to make amends? Could there be any chance for forgiveness?" Ethan asked softly, more tentative than he realized.
Jasmine hesitated. Henry had talked about making amends more than once, but his version of amends wasn't what she needed. "No, it's unforgivable."
She couldn't forgive herself for the void she created in Justin's life, nor the harm done to her that night.
"What if... I mean, if that day in Boston, I hadn't taken you with me, hadn't partnered with you, what would you have done?" Ethan was curious to know what Jasmine would do without any other options.
"I'd relinquish Justin to Henry's care and vanish," Jasmine uttered, speaking the stark truth. She would proceed with donating a kidney to Serena, seeking redemption for all her wrongdoings, and meet her demise on the operating table...
Ethan felt a sharp twinge of pain in his heart, put down his chopsticks abruptly, and stood up.
"Mr. Ethan, aren't you eating?" Jasmine asked anxiously, wondering if there was something wrong with the food.
Ethan shook his head. "No... no, it's not that. Suddenly, my stomach feels a bit off. I need to take a call."
The call display on his phone showed Mitchell's caller ID.
Clutching his phone, Ethan walked distractedly into the study room, his expression grim.
His breath became erratic, a part of him reluctant to uncover the truth any further. It seemed preferable to remain ignorant, focusing instead on making amends to Jasmine and Justin to the best of his ability.
"Ethan, the results are in. Do you want to know?" Mitchell's voice came through the phone.
Ethan's voice was hoarse as he replied, "I don't want to know."
"Why won't you play by the rules?" Mitchell chuckled. "Hurry up."
"Fine, I want to know, spit it out." Ethan rubbed his temples, his fingers tingling.
"I'll tell you but you have to buy me a new Bentley; someone smashed mine," Mitchell said through gritted teeth.
Ethan's eyes darkened. "Did you tick someone off?"
"Who could I possibly offend? Just my bad luck today," Mitchell cursed.
"Enough with the sob story, tell me the result now." Ethan was ready for whatever was coming.
"The sample is not viable for testing," Mitchell announced. "But I suspect it has been tampered with. I suggest you bring the kid in for another test. From the chromosomal analysis, the two samples I have are from two different women."
Mitchell laughed then jokingly added, "Ethan, turns out you're a woman?"
Ethan massaged his forehead. "Quit the wisecracks. Your car gets smashed, the sample is switched, and you still have the nerve to call me?"
He shouldn't have trusted Mitchell.
"You should be worried about your sister-in-law. That woman is crafty; your sister-in-law might not be a match for her," Mitchell drawled lazily.
"Sister-in-law?" Ethan frowned.
"Think about it, after my car got smashed, a woman bumped right into me. The sample fell, and she helped me pick it up. I checked the parking lot's surveillance, and guess what? She switched the samples," Mitchell said, amused. "Isn't that a stroke of bad luck for her? She probably has no idea what I do for a living."
Mitchell owned a paternity testing center and was also a private investigator.
"Stop beating around the bush," Ethan said, barely containing his anger.
"Harper, your little mistress." Mitchell started laughing. "When you had me investigate that incident from six years ago, I was suspicious. It was unlikely to be Harper. She was practically throwing herself at you, and if she were involved that night, she wouldn't have stayed silent for six years. But the overwritten surveillance footage couldn't be recovered, and unless she confesses, you've got nothing."
Ethan's frown deepened.
"Of course, I recommend you bring the child and follow the proper procedures for the test," Mitchell suggested, advising Ethan to bring Justin over.
"No need..." Ethan replied, his fists clenched tight. He couldn't bear for Jasmine to find out. He dared not let her discover that he was the one who had hurt her that night.
Ethan was scared.
"This stays between us. I'll handle Harper personally," Ethan warned Mitchell.
"You're disrespecting my profession," Mitchell snapped. "When can you take me to meet your sister-in-law?"
"No time for that." Ethan hung up the phone abruptly.
Harper...
It seemed like it was time for the Brown's to disappear.
...
Sitting by the window with a glass of red wine in hand, Harper received a call.
"The DNA results are in. The test confirms a father-son relationship."
The wine glass shattered on the floor as Harper's entire body trembled.
Justin... he really was Ethan’s son.
She couldn't let Justin and Jasmine stay in Silverlight City any longer. She would do whatever it took to make them vanish.
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