CHAPTER 36: CHAPTER 36: THE PATERNITY TEST RESULTS ARE OUT

I opened the box for no reason at all.

Inside was a cool, transparent violet jade bracelet—flawless in texture, clarity, and color.

Before I could react, Timothy Xavier had already taken my hand and slipped the bracelet onto my wrist.

"Not bad, fits you perfectly."

He seemed quite satisfied with his choice of both the style and the size.

As for me, I looked past his tall figure, my gaze landing on the clock on the wall.

The hands had already passed midnight. Our anniversary was over.

"Thanks."

I replied flatly, then said to him, "I’m tired. Is there anything else?"

Timothy was still the same as before, as if completing a set routine.

The gift was given, he told me to rest early, and then left my room.

But I couldn’t sleep at all.

At night, I scrolled through pages online and finally realized that this bracelet on my wrist was also something Timothy had just bought at an auction.

It was a top-quality icy violet jade bracelet, worth over twenty million.

Some jewelry experts had even compared this bracelet to the jade necklace Timothy got before—and surprisingly, this bracelet was even more precious than that necklace.

...

The next morning, when I showed up at the breakfast table, Serena still had that necklace around her neck.

But when she saw the bracelet on my wrist, an obvious flash of envy crossed her eyes.

I really had to admire Timothy’s mental strength.

His wife and his mistress each wearing gifts he gave, and he could still eat with a perfectly calm face, not even skipping a beat.

After breakfast, I was about to head back to my room.

Doris suddenly piped up, "Daddy, that nanny lady’s bracelet matches Mommy’s necklace so well! They’re both purple!"

Timothy said to his daughter, "Doris, next time Daddy will buy Mommy an even prettier bracelet, okay?"

Doris wasn’t happy, pouting as she said, "But I think the one nanny lady is wearing looks the best! Let her take it off and have Mommy try it on!"

All breakfast long, Serena’s eyes kept circling my bracelet.

Who’d have thought her tricks would go from ’stealing’ to openly snatching now!

And this time, she was using a child to do it.

But last night, it was Timothy who put this bracelet on my wrist himself. Now, he didn’t ask me to take it off.

Serena saw Timothy hesitating, so she pretended to be understanding and backed off, "Doris, didn’t Mommy tell you? A real lady doesn’t take what belongs to someone else. I’m already happy Daddy gave me this necklace. The bracelet is Auntie’s, we don’t need it, okay?"

I let out a soft sigh; what a performance.

The so-called parenting expert...

Doris wasn’t letting it go. "Just let her take it off and try it on you, take a picture at least? Mommy, I just think this bracelet would look best on you!"

Timothy finally spoke to me, "Let Serena try on the bracelet."

Hearing Timothy’s order, Doris shot me a smug look, walked over, and said, "Take it off. I’ll have Mommy try it."

I wasn’t surprised by Timothy’s decision at all.

Anyway, I’ve never had a chance when facing Serena and her daughter.

If this bracelet ended up on Serena’s wrist, would it ever come off again?

I smiled lightly, slipped off the bracelet, and handed it over.

Just as Doris reached out, I let go on purpose, making the bracelet fall to the ground.

With a crisp crack, it hit the floor and split with a clear fracture.

Doris glared at me, "You did that on purpose!"

My smile widened as I said to the little brat, "It’s mine—I can do whatever I want with it. You’re just a kid, don’t be like your mother, always eyeing other people’s things."

Doris’s eyes filled with angry tears, looking at Timothy for help.

I looked at Timothy too, saying, "Don’t forget whose life your daughter owes. Don’t push me too far—my patience has its limits."

With that, I asked Nanny Lowell to take me back to my room.

As I left the dining room, I caught sight of the regret in Serena’s eyes. She couldn’t stop staring at the shattered jade bracelet.

Clearly, she really did love other people’s things.

After all, it’s worth twenty million.

Back in my room, Jenna called, her voice tense, "Are you home? I’m coming over, I have something important to tell you."

I thought she wanted to talk about that birthday photo Serena posted on X.

She must’ve also noticed the token of love between Timothy and me hanging from Serena’s neck.

But I didn’t expect that when she arrived, she asked mysteriously, "Timothy isn’t home, right?"

"No, he just left for the office."

I said, "Serena and the kid seem to have gone out too. What’s up?"

Jenna let out a breath, "Good. The paternity test results are back. That’s what I came to tell you."

My eyes brightened. "So we basically have all the evidence for my divorce now. All that’s left is Timothy’s assets, right?"

"Well... actually, there’s a problem."

Jenna said, "According to the paternity results, Serena and Doris are not even mother and daughter."

I stared at her in shock. "How can that be? Are you sure?"

Jenna nodded. "That’s exactly what I asked the lab. But they were totally sure there was no mix-up with the samples. Those two have no blood relation at all."

I was completely baffled.

So Doris isn’t Serena’s biological daughter?

But she’s Timothy’s biological daughter?

I couldn’t make any sense of it.

Jenna suddenly had a thought, "I know! Maybe Doris isn’t Serena’s because Serena got someone else to be the surrogate to protect her figure and avoid paparazzi. That woman is so scheming and nasty, it’s totally possible!"

I shook my head. "I don’t know... Timothy’s a very traditional guy. I just don’t think he’d accept surrogacy."

Jenna and I racked our brains but couldn’t figure anything out.

In the end, we decided to contact Attorney Quincy.

To make sure nobody in the villa would notice, we arranged to meet Hannah at a teahouse far from here.

Attorney Quincy said to me, "I’ve nearly finished going through your husband’s assets. Even though it’s just his on-record holdings, half of that is enough for you to live comfortably for the rest of your life. Any results from the DNA test yet?"

I explained the situation to Hannah, who was clearly surprised too.

"So you’re saying, your husband’s mistress isn’t the biological mother of that child?"

She thought for a moment, then said, "That doesn’t seem possible! Otherwise, why would your husband insist on the child calling her ’Mom’?"

Jenna chimed in, "I don’t believe it either! That kid is so scheming, just like Serena! She has to be her real daughter."

Hannah asked me, "Think carefully. Are you sure you didn’t mix up the samples? Did you take Serena’s and the child’s for sure?"

Her question made me start to doubt myself too.

That day, in a rush, I’d grabbed some of Serena’s hair.

But later, Timothy came, and to keep them from noticing, I hid the hair behind my back.

And after they left, I climbed back into bed by myself.

During that time, I left the hair on the bed first.

Lately, I’ve lost plenty of my own hair because of insomnia.

Could my hair have gotten mixed in?

Jenna saw I was silent for a long while, and asked, "Did you remember something?"

I muttered, "Did I really mess this up?"

Hannah said, "I suggest you redo the paternity test. The result between Serena and Doris is crucial—if they’re biological mother and daughter, it’s your best evidence of your husband’s affair. Otherwise, with your husband’s connections and power, you’ll be at a major disadvantage in the divorce case."

I understood her point, but it put me in a tough spot.

Getting Serena’s hair last time was hard enough.

Now with my legs so weak, how would I get her hair again?

Just then, a voice sounded behind us, "Hannah."

Hannah froze, Jenna and I both turned to look, our hearts pounding.

Timothy, with a stranger, was walking into the teahouse as well.

And apparently, that stranger knew Hannah!

He laughed as he explained to Timothy, "She’s a lawyer too—a colleague of mine."

When Timothy heard Hannah was a lawyer, his deep gaze fell straight on me.

His stare made my skin crawl, especially since the paternity test between Serena and Doris was right there on the table.

Even though it was inside a file folder, anyone could see we were consulting a lawyer about something.

I held my breath, my heart pounding faster and faster.