CHAPTER 462: THE MASTERMIND BEHIND IT ALL

Luke walked back slowly, weighed down by his thoughts.

Logan’s words echoed in his mind:

—The real Selina is with Jacob, but they can’t pinpoint the location, and even Selina herself doesn’t know where she’s being held.

—She wants to work with Logan to uncover who’s backing the fake. That imposter clearly studied Selina in depth—same height, same voice, same face, and even mimicked her habits. This wasn’t a solo job.

If they were going to investigate, Luke couldn’t blow his cover. He had to treat the imposter exactly like the real Selina.

The more Luke thought about it, the more frustrated he got.

How the hell were they supposed to expose whoever was behind her? Or push the woman to slip up herself?

This was a mess.

Wait a second... something clicked.

Old Mr. Carter Thomas’s 70th birthday was coming up in a few days. The Carter Family had already sent over invitations. Luke didn’t care for them and hadn’t planned on going.

But now that he knew Selina was in Jacob’s hands—he had to.

Just then, Luke’s assistant ran up to him, clearly rattled. "Sir! Chairman Joe Morris is here—he’s right outside the stables. We’ve been trying to hold him back, but with his status, it won’t be long before he gets in."

Luke’s face twisted like he’d just swallowed a bug. "What the hell is wrong with the Morris Family?"

They knew they weren’t welcome. Were they just craving a verbal beating?

But then he remembered something Logan had said—

Didn’t Logan suspect the imposter might be connected to the Morris Family? What if...

Luke spun around and walked back to the imposter, throwing out bait.

"Selina, can you believe Joe has the nerve to show up? And he brought Grandma Morris and Hannah! What, does he seriously not know how much you hate those people?"

He raised his voice dramatically. "And bringing that new wife of his—what is that, a power move? What, she wants you to call her ’Mom’ now? Give me a break. You told me yourself the only mother you recognize is Victoria, right?"

The imposter flinched at Hannah’s name and forced a smile. "Yeah... of course."

Luke narrowed his eyes.

"And that woman might be from the Hill Family, but she’s not your mom. Just because people call her ’Mrs. Morris’ doesn’t mean she can take Victoria’s place."

He watched her closely as he spoke.

Her face twitched like she was holding something in, and Luke’s thoughts started racing.

Could the fake really be tied to the Morris Family? They must be insane. They couldn’t find their real daughter so they brought in a counterfeit?

Probably not Joe, though. Could it be Grandma Morris?

Luke pushed further. "So yeah, I kicked them out. Told them to beat it."

A few of Luke’s friends walked up. "Hey, Luke... Chairman Morris is still outside. Are you sure it’s a good idea to just leave them out there?"

"Yeah," another chimed in, "they said they were here to see Miss Clark. Maybe let her decide?"

Luke grumbled. "Come on, you know Selina. She’d kick them out herself. You’ve seen how she is."

Then he turned to the imposter with fake confidence. "Right? You want them gone too, don’t you?"

The woman’s heart jumped. She suddenly smiled.

"Luke, that’s not necessary. Let them in."

Luke was stunned. "What? Let them in? Selina, you hate the Morris family, remember?"

The woman’s expression froze for a second, but she quickly recovered, pretending to sound helpless.

"I do, but they’ve been making a scene at the gate. It’s not good for your stable’s reputation. Besides, as long as I don’t care, it doesn’t matter if they come in."

Luke hesitated for a moment, clearly reluctant. "Alright, fine."

He paused, giving her a meaningful look. "But Selina, you’re... not quite the same anymore. You used to say there’s no need to tolerate people you don’t like. You’d never let Joe in. Damn... when did you change so much?"

The woman stiffened again, then mumbled, "Well, we are out in public..."

But in her heart, all she could think was: It’s the Morris Family. It’s the damn Morris Family.

She didn’t want to give that up. If she could replace Selina, become the real Morris heiress, all that wealth and power would be hers. Why would she turn that down?

Putting on a show of grace, she said aloud, "Besides, after thinking about it, I realized there’s no point staying at odds with the Morris Family. No matter what, we’re family by blood."

"Alright then," Luke replied, his tone unreadable—sarcastic or sincere, it was impossible to tell. "If that’s what you want, I’ll let Joe in."

...

Outside the gate, Grandma Morris was just about to leave in frustration when the doors opened.

Joe immediately spotted "Selina" and rushed toward her, his voice trembling.

"Selina! Thank goodness—you’re still willing to see your father..."

Hannah added warmly, "We’re still family, Selina. Isn’t that right?"

Grandma Morris had looked furious just a moment ago, but after laying eyes on "Selina," something flickered in her expression.

She paused, then gave a stiff nod.

"Why were we kept waiting outside?"

Joe, assuming she was about to scold "Selina," turned red and hesitated.

"Mom..."

The woman quickly exchanged a look with Hannah and bit her lower lip.

"I’ve thought it over. Since we’re blood-related, there’s no rift that can’t be bridged. I was wrong before..."

Grandma Morris’s eyes narrowed, a knowing look flickering through them. She caught on quickly.

Joe was nearly in tears.

"Selina... What did you say? You—you really accept us as family? You mean it?"

The woman glanced at Hannah again, knowing this had to be a gradual process.

She couldn’t just replace Selina—she had to become her. All of her. Selina had always been cold to the Morris family. If she embraced them too fast, Logan might start to suspect something.

So she pressed her lips together, feigning reluctant sincerity.

"Yes. Blood ties are what they are... but I’m not ready to return to the Morris family. Not yet."

Joe’s eyes turned red with emotion.

"Selina, it’s enough that you’re even willing to come back someday. I’ll wait for you, no matter how long. My sweet daughter!"

...

Not far away, Luke gritted his teeth.

"Joe’s really Selina’s biological dad? Seriously? Dude couldn’t recognize his own daughter again and now he’s bawling his eyes out because an imposter called him ’Dad’?"

Logan said nothing, but the disgust in his eyes was obvious.

He watched quietly for a moment, then said out of nowhere,

"Suddenly... I think that woman looks a lot like Hannah."

Luke blinked, confused, glancing between Hannah and the fake Selina.

"Like how?"