Chapter 375
“Ah!” Camilla put her weight into it, pressing her heel down on Wallace’s hand until he let out a scream. His eyes were wild as he glared up at her.
“You ungrateful bitch! Don’t pretend you forgot whose money helped pay your mother’s hospital bills. I paid for plenty of those with the cash you made serving me drinks. Now you’ve landed yourself a cushy life with the rich and you think you can toss me aside? Keep dreaming. Where’s my son? Bring him out here, right now p>
He shouted and tried to wrench his hand out from under Camilla’s shoe. But instead of letting up, she pressed harder, grinding her sole into his skin.
“I’ll ask you one more time. Who put you up to this? Don’t feed me some story about finding your way here on your own. I know exactly what you’re capable of—you couldn’t have gotten anywhere near Tessa by yourself. Wallace, you’ve been to prison. You should know slander can put you right back inside. Think carefully—do you really want to risk your neck again for whoever’s pulling your strings this time p>
Camilla didn’t care yet whether Wallace actually had anything to do with Jasper’s birth or not. The only thing that mattered was she knew someone else had sent him here, and she was going to drag that person into the open.
Wallace’s eyes shifted, refusing to meet hers. He stared at the tip of Camilla’s elegant shoe, then let his gaze wander to her expensive bracelet. After a pause, he seemed to steel himself.
“What strings? I just got lucky, that’s all. Ran into Tessa by fate. Enough of the accusations. I’m out now, so the three of us should live as a family. Quit wasting time. Take me home p>
He said it like he was completely entitled, like it was his natural place to give orders and play the father.
His hand must have been hurting, because he winced and looked furious, but he didn’t dare yank it free. He knew Camilla’s heel might dig in deeper and do worse damage.
“Oh really? Then how’d you do the paternity test? Where did you even get Jasper’s hair?” Camilla pushed on.
She ran her own business now, with a life Wallace couldn’t touch—not even after her divorce from Barnard. There was no chance a man just out of prison could get close enough to get her son’s hair. The more she thought about it, the clearer it was. This was a setup.
Camilla glanced at Tessa. She felt sure she’d already worked out who was behind this, she just needed proof.
Wallace hesitated again, then shrugged. “What’s there to question? After I got out, I waited for you outside for days. You take your son out to eat sometimes—what’s so strange if I managed to snatch a little something? Why go on with all these pointless questions? I’m back, and instead of bringing me home, you’re hiding out in someone else’s house? How’s that make us look? Where’s my son? He hasn’t had his real father around all these years, it must have been hard for him. You better bring him out to meet his dad p>
He lay there on the floor, looking up at her, pathetic and pitiful, but his voice had lost none of its arrogance or sharpness.
Camilla stayed quiet for a moment, then shot Lance a look. His expression had turned cold, the tension practically sparking in the room.
So, Wallace said he’d followed them? Gotten close enough to Jasper? If Lance hadn’t been with Jasper every moment lately, maybe that story would have made sense. But Lance had spent ten years in the military. Counter-surveillance was second nature to him. There was no chance Wallace could have gotten anywhere near them without Lance noticing.
Lance ignored Wallace, turning instead to Tessa. “You met him in the hospital, didn’t you? You went for a checkup, bumped into him with a paternity report, overheard him talking about Camilla—so you decided to get involved, is that right p>
Tessa rolled her eyes, her tone sharp and impatient. “So what if I did? Lance, the truth is right in front of you. She’s nothing but a liar and a cheat—she had another man’s child long before you, and she only got with you to find someone willing to raise him. The Carter boy fell for it too. Are you really going to keep fooling yourself? I’m your mother, you know. Everything I do is for you. It’s time you woke up p>
“You go for your checkup every Thursday. Only people in the Charles family know that. And it just happens this guy runs into you on that route, with a paternity report in his hand, and you fall for it completely. Tessa, even you should be smarter than that.” Lance didn’t bother responding to her accusations. He just kept analyzing the facts, calm and to the point.
He didn’t need Camilla to back him up. He had figured out for himself who the real culprit was.
Tessa’s voice sharpened. “What’s that supposed to mean? Lance, I’m your mother, you p>
“I know who you are. But being my mom doesn’t mean you’re not being played for a fool. Everyone can see you’re being used. The evidence is right in front of you and you’re still going out of your way to fight for someone else’s game. You seriously need to open your eyes,” Lance said, looking at Wallace with disdain before turning his cold gaze back to Tessa. It took effort to keep his tone level and hold back his anger.
Tessa’s face flushed with embarrassment. Even Oscar and Darwin seemed to realize something was off, their expressions growing more serious. For once, no one spoke up for her.
Tessa couldn’t help herself and snapped back, “So what? Lance, don’t sidestep the issue. The boy’s actual father showed up at our door. Aren’t you the one who needs to wake up? Why are you so desperate to play dad to someone else’s kid p>