My wife and I faced difficulties conceiving, so we opted for IVF. Before the embryos were combined, I discovered my wife secretly swapping my sperm with that of her first love. I said nothing and simply swapped it back. Then, I took the opportunity to replace her eggs with those of my ex-girlfriend. Twenty-five years later, her first love came to my door, trying to claim my son: “My dear boy, I’m your real father!” Upon returning home from an overseas medical project with my son Caspian, we were taken aback by what we saw. A crowd of distant relatives, usually absent, had gathered. It seemed like the Johnson family was hosting a large family meeting. The most irritating sight was Quentin, sitting on the couch with red eyes, being comforted by my elusive “good wife,” Fiona Johnson. I raised an eyebrow, set my suitcase aside, and looked at Fiona: “What’s the occasion today? Why the crowd?” Caspian stood behind me, arms folded, glaring at Quentin with disdain. He had an inkling of the man’s identity. My mother-in-law sat at the head of the room, looking displeased and hesitant. Before Fiona could respond, Quentin rushed at Caspian, tears streaming down his face: “My dear boy, I’m your real father!” Caspian quickly stepped aside, scowling at Quentin as if he were something filthy. He stepped back, his tone icy: “My dad is Declan.” That kid is truly on my side. I held Caspian’s hand, giving him a reassuring nod, and then struck Quentin with a punch. The sound echoed through the living room. “Don’t make false family claims,” I said coldly, my gaze sharp. Fiona jumped up, helping Quentin, and pointed at me in anger: “Declan, have you lost your mind? How dare you hit Quentin!” She raised her hand to strike me, but Caspian swiftly moved forward and slapped Fiona. “How dare you hit my dad?” Caspian’s voice was calm but carried undeniable authority. Fiona froze, both angry and furious, raising her hand to hit Caspian. But Quentin pulled her back, pretending to cry: “Fiona, don’t hit him, he’s our son!” His fake fatherly act made me want to laugh. Fiona lowered her hand, glaring at Caspian: “If it weren’t for your real father, I’d teach you a lesson today!” Caspian sneered: “Oh, I’d like to see how you plan to do that.” His fierce gaze reminded me of my younger self. I was secretly pleased; he truly is the son I raised!
An elder from the family cleared his throat, trying to restore order to the chaotic scene. “Quiet down, everyone!” His voice was deep, carrying unquestionable authority. Everyone gradually quieted down, eyes on the elder. He looked at Fiona: “Fiona, why did you call everyone here?” Fiona took a deep breath, as if summoning courage. She wrapped an arm around Quentin’s shoulder, looking deeply emotional. “Actually, I have some important news to announce today.” She paused, her eyes scanning the crowd before settling on Caspian and me. I watched her quietly, curious to see what she was up to. “Caspian, he’s… he’s not Declan’s biological son.” Fiona’s voice was soft, but it was like a bomb exploding in the living room. Caspian turned to me, shock in his eyes. I gestured for him to stay calm. The relatives around us whispered excitedly, like vultures circling a carcass. “Back then, when we were doing IVF…” Fiona paused, as if embarrassed, “The doctor said Declan’s sperm quality was poor… So, to spare his feelings, I swapped it with Quentin’s…” This fool tried to shift the blame onto me! Fiona’s malicious gaze landed on me, seemingly expecting me to lose my temper. But I remained calm, waiting for her to continue her performance. “Today, I called everyone here to witness…” She looked tenderly at Quentin, “Caspian recognizes his biological father.” The relatives immediately erupted. “If Caspian isn’t Declan’s son, he needs to acknowledge his real father!” “Exactly, occupying the Johnson family son-in-law position for so many years, it’s time to step down!” “Declan has been holding onto the Johnson family business, now that the truth is out, he should step down from Johnson Corporation!” Listening to these discussions, I laughed coldly inside. These scheming relatives, who’ve been pushed out of the company management and only rely on year-end dividends, aren’t happy with me. They’re eager to watch the drama unfold between Fiona and me, hoping to reclaim a piece of the pie. Caspian, seeing the greed in the relatives’ eyes, squeezed my hand tighter. I spoke: “Caspian will always be my child.” My voice wasn’t loud, but it was firm. Quentin looked helpless, choking up: “Declan, how long will you deceive yourself?”
I wasn’t deceiving myself; Caspian is indeed my child. Did Fiona and Quentin really think they could fool me? Back then, when Fiona couldn’t get pregnant, we decided on IVF. Before the embryo combination, I accidentally caught Fiona colluding with a nurse to tamper with my sperm storage. I overheard her excitedly telling Quentin that she had swapped in his sperm. I didn’t make a scene; I quietly offered the doctor a million dollars to switch it back with my extra sperm. I even “kindly” asked the doctor to swap Fiona’s eggs with my ex-girlfriend’s. On the day of embryo combination, Fiona and I witnessed the “miracle” together. She was abnormally happy, probably thinking it was her and Quentin’s child. Watching her foolishness almost made me laugh. Over the years, seeing her treat Caspian well, thinking he’s her son, was my private joy. She wanted to trick me, but she became an unwitting stepmother for over twenty years. Fiona interrupted my thoughts, mocking me, “You’re stubborn, Caspian may have been with you all these years, but the sperm isn’t yours! His biological father is Quentin.” I replied calmly, with a hint of provocation: “You’re dreaming?” “If you don’t believe me, let’s do a paternity test!” Fiona insisted, “I want a divorce! You forced me to marry you, and being with you for twenty-five years, I’ve done my duty!” Her face showed a hint of joy when she mentioned divorce. Looks like she’s been planning this for a while. Oh? She dares to say she’s done her duty? I’ve been married into her family for twenty-five years, living alone for all those years. While I raised our child, she was off having idyllic romances with Quentin. While I worked hard to uphold the Johnson family reputation, she was indulging in debauchery at entertainment venues. But one thing she got wrong; I didn’t marry her out of love, but to gain control of the Johnson family’s business. Now, Johnson Corporation is completely under my control. Fiona is no longer useful! “Divorce is fine,” I shrugged indifferently, “But there’s no need for a paternity test; I’m sure Caspian is my child.” Caspian looked at me, his gaze firm: “Dad, I believe you.” Fiona and Quentin immediately panicked. “Caspian, don’t you believe your mom?” Caspian ignored her, staying close to me. At this moment, a boy who looked like a college student barged in. He marched straight to Caspian, excitedly shouting: “Brother!” Everyone was stunned. It’s one thing for another dad to pop up, but now there’s a brother too?
Looking at the boy who resembled Quentin, I started to have a hunch. This must be Fiona and Quentin’s illegitimate child. They hid it well, not letting me find out for over twenty years. Looks like this drama is more interesting than I thought. My mother-in-law, sitting at the head, looked at the boy with authority: “Fiona, what’s going on here?” The atmosphere in the living room froze again. The boy looked like he was about to cry, his eyes red. “Brother, I’m Rowan. I… I’ve always known about you.” He stammered, his voice trembling slightly. He sneaked a glance at me, quickly lowering his head like he was afraid of my disapproval. “My… my dad often talked about you, saying you were excellent and handsome…” Quentin started sobbing at the right moment, his shoulders shaking. “Caspian, my beloved son, I’ve missed you so much all these years…” He lifted his head, eyes brimming with tears, as if he was wronged. “Rowan… he always wanted to meet you. We often secretly watched you…” Rowan nodded eagerly, adding: “Really! Brother, I went to your school just to… to be closer to you…” He pulled out a stack of photos from his pocket, carefully handing them to Caspian. “I… my dad used to mention you a lot. He always said you were remarkable and handsome…” Quentin began to sob, his shoulders shaking with emotion. “Caspian, my dear son, I’ve missed you so much over the years…” He looked up, tears welling in his eyes, as if he had been deeply wronged. “Rowan, he… he’s missed you too. We often went to see you secretly…” Rowan nodded eagerly, quickly adding: “Yes, really! Brother, I even went to school near you just to be closer to you…” He pulled out a stack of photos from his pocket and handed them carefully to Caspian. “These are your photos. I… I took them secretly…” Caspian flipped through the photos. There he was, wearing a graduation gown with a bright smile; looking tired after basketball practice; debating energetically with classmates… A shiver ran down Caspian’s spine. All these years, someone had been lurking around him, watching and secretly taking his photos! Fiona Johnson didn’t stay idle. She approached my mother-in-law, pointing at Rowan with a serious tone. “Mom, this is the Johnson family’s grandson! All the relatives are here today to witness this. Please… acknowledge him!” Fiona was clever. She knew that after my father-in-law passed away, it was my mother-in-law who held the decision-making power within the Johnson family. She had invited all the relatives to pressure my mother-in-law into recognizing Rowan as family. She believed that if my mother-in-law agreed to let Rowan join the family, I wouldn’t be able to object. After all, I’ve been dutiful and respectful to my mother-in-law for the past twenty-five years. Rowan, quick on his feet, immediately turned to my mother-in-law and respectfully called her, “Grandma!” My mother-in-law looked at Rowan and then at me, her gaze complex, not immediately acknowledging Rowan’s greeting. I knew she felt sorry for me. Not wanting to make things difficult for her, I broke the silence. “Fiona, your real motive is to have this illegitimate child join the Johnson family and inherit it, isn’t it? Why drag Caspian into this?”
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