“As long as there’s nothing suspicious, that’s a relief. I was worried she might be an imposter. Even though I don’t really like Isabella, she’s lived with us for twenty years. That’s a long time. Of course there’s some attachment. If anything happened to her, we’d all be upset.”
Jordan nodded. “It’s good you got the DNA test done. Now we can finally stop wondering about it. But honestly, Isabella seems like a completely different person lately. Even if she’s not an imposter, something’s definitely changed.”
Ethan paused before speaking. “I already had someone look into it. There’s nothing unusual. Jordan, this isn’t some kind of conspiracy. If Isabella’s different now, that’s on me.”
Jordan was surprised. He wanted to ask what Ethan meant but decided against it. He could tell from Ethan’s tone that he wasn’t in the mood for more questions.
“Ethan, you married Isabella. You should treat her right. Don’t just kick her out whenever you’re annoyed,” Jordan said, pretending to be concerned.
Ethan clearly wasn’t interested in any advice. “Jordan, I’m on my way home. I’ll send you the results soon,” he replied, his voice cold.
“Okay.”
Jordan ended the call, picking up on Ethan’s mood. Not even two minutes later, Ethan texted him a photo of the paternity test.
Jordan skimmed it, then forwarded the result to Natalie.
It wasn’t because he loved her food. He just liked bossing her around, treating her like a servant, and then nitpicking her cooking during dinner. Cynthia was used to it by now. Every time Jordan criticized her, Natalie would chime in, defending Cynthia and making herself look caring and reasonable in Jackson’s eyes.
Cynthia rolled her eyes inwardly. Natalie was the fakest person she knew.
Isabella hadn’t come home in days, and Cynthia missed her. She’d thought about visiting but ended up changing her mind after a lot of hesitation. Jennifer had been putting pressure on her, but Cynthia didn’t want to interfere with Isabella’s plans. Isabella wasn’t as fragile as she seemed. After all those years in the Lane family, nobody ever really treated her as family. Cynthia always told Isabella to be patient, to endure... Life was never easy for a girl without a father.
Cynthia actually supported Isabella’s ambition. She wanted her to succeed, just to prove everyone wrong. If Isabella failed this time, Ethan probably wouldn’t support her career anymore. She’d end up like every other woman in their world—stuck at home, barely any freedom at all.

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