Chapter 552: Chapter 552: Absolutely Will Not Raise Someone Else’s Child

It was only at this moment that Mrs. Bell understood. Patrick Zane wanted to keep Harvey not just because he didn’t have a son himself, but also because Harvey was a descendant of the Zane family.

At this realization, a surge of fury rose in Mrs. Bell, and her gaze sharpened instantly. "You, Patrick Zane! I never imagined you were thinking something like this!"

Actually, when the two-child policy was introduced, she and Patrick Zane had thought about trying for a boy, but a checkup revealed her health wasn’t ideal for it.

For all these years, she’d felt she had let Patrick Zane down by not being able to give him a son.

That was why she hadn’t objected when Patrick Zane wanted to keep Harvey.

But she never imagined he would consider Harvey more important than his own biological daughter!

"What am I thinking?" Patrick Zane roared, unable to contain his anger. "If we don’t keep Harvey, are we really going to let my brother send him to an orphanage? He is, after all, a descendant of the Zane family!"

"And what about Susan?" Mrs. Bell demanded coldly. "Is Susan not a descendant of the Zane family?"

"I never said she wasn’t." Patrick Zane’s brows furrowed tightly as he spoke in a deep voice. "But she’s a girl. Eventually, she’ll just get married and leave."

"And when she marries, she stops being your daughter?" Mrs. Bell’s voice caught in a sob.

Patrick Zane roared again, "Why do you insist on twisting my words?"

"My mother is mistaken," Susan said, draping an arm over her mother’s shoulders. Her tone dripped with sarcasm. "The truth is, I haven’t even gotten married yet, and you already don’t consider me your daughter."

"You—" Patrick Zane glared at her, his face turning livid. "Susan Zane, you’ve gotten bold, haven’t you? Is this how you speak to me?"

"Dad, I don’t want to fight with you. I just want to ask you two questions." Susan struggled to compose herself and keep her tone even. "Are you really planning to keep Harvey and raise him as your own son?"

Patrick Zane gasped for breath, his chest rising and falling violently. He forced out a single word: "Yes."

"I see." Susan nodded with a smile. "Then my last question: do you choose Harvey, your son, or me, your daughter?"

Patrick Zane’s eyes narrowed. He forced a few words through his clenched teeth, "What do you mean by that?"

Mrs. Bell spoke before he could. "Patrick Zane, are you choosing Harvey, or are you choosing your daughter and me?"

Patrick Zane’s face became as dark as a thundercloud. Through gritted teeth, he spat, "Are you really going to force me into a corner like this?"

"Let’s get one thing straight." Mrs. Bell gave a sarcastic smile. "We’re not the ones forcing you. You’re the one forcing us!"

Harvey, looking utterly confused, tugged on the hem of Patrick Zane’s shirt. "You’re so loud. I wanna go on the coin ride."

Patrick Zane looked down at him, composing himself slightly. "Okay, I’ll take you on the coin ride in a little while."

He then turned to Susan and her mother. "Don’t argue in front of Harvey. We can talk about this after he’s asleep. First, I’m taking him downstairs for the ride."

Mrs. Bell said with a deadpan expression, "How touching, the loving father and son. Go downstairs and enjoy the ride yourselves."

With that, she took Susan’s hand and went into the bedroom.

"Susan." Mrs. Bell held her daughter’s hand, her eyes red-rimmed. She looked at her, her expression a mixture of heartache and self-reproach. "I’m so sorry. This is Mom’s fault. Mom was wrong."

Susan shook her head, a faint smile playing on her lips. "Mom," she said softly, "I’m just happy that you’re on my side."

Mrs. Bell pulled her into an affectionate embrace. "I never thought your dad was this kind of person. Let’s pack our bags and go stay with your aunt for a few days. We’ll let your father think things through on his own."

"Okay." Susan nodded, the smile on her lips widening.

An hour later, Patrick Zane came home with Harvey. "Honey," he called out casually, "take Harvey for a bath, will you? His clothes are dirty."

His words echoed in the silent house. No one answered.

Patrick Zane frowned. He went into the bedroom to look for them, but there was no sign of anyone. ’Where did they go?’

He checked the study as well, but it was also empty.

Patrick Zane’s expression darkened instantly. He pulled out his phone and called Mrs. Bell.

"Where did you go?"

"Susan and I are going to stay at my sister’s place for a while."

"Are you kidding me?"

"Why would I be kidding?"

Patrick Zane took a deep breath, suppressing his anger. "If you and Susan are off having fun, what’s supposed to happen to Harvey?"

"How should I know?" Mrs. Bell scoffed. "He’s your brother’s grandson. What’s he got to do with me?"

"You..." Patrick Zane gritted his teeth. "You’re doing this on purpose, aren’t you?"

"Let me tell you something. I, Audrey Cole, will absolutely not raise someone else’s child!" With that, she hung up.

Patrick Zane gripped his phone tightly, his face growing even more livid.

Harvey started whining. "I want a bath! Give me a bath, hurry up!"

"Alright, alright," Patrick Zane said with a sigh of resignation, putting down his phone. "I’ll give you a bath."

**

That night, Michelle Fuller was staying over at Renee Jennings’s place again.

Just before bed, Renee Jennings received a private message from Susan. The corners of her mouth lifted into a small smile. "Michelle, I’ve got good news."

Michelle Fuller, who was lying on her stomach watching food videos on her pillow, looked up, her eyes bright with curiosity. "Ooh, what is it?"

Renee’s voice was full of cheer. "Susan’s mom got into a fight with her dad, and then she took Susan to a hotel. They’re planning to go stay at her aunt’s place tomorrow."

"Whoa!" Michelle Fuller shot up, her face alight with excitement. "That’s fantastic! Susan’s mom came to her senses right in the nick of time!"

"Yeah." Renee Jennings’s lips curved into a smile. "Thank goodness her mom saw the light."

"I wonder how things are going with Daisy Chapman." Michelle Fuller propped her chin on her hands, her elbows resting on the pillow, her expression full of curiosity.

Renee Jennings blinked. "Daffy said she’s meeting her boyfriend to talk things over. I’m not sure when, though."

In fact, Daisy Chapman had already scheduled the meeting with Young Mr. Quinn.

The night before, Daisy Chapman had been lying in bed, tossing and turning, unable to fall asleep.

’She was wondering how she should face Young Mr. Quinn tomorrow, how she should act to seem more carefree, decisive, and indifferent.’

"No, no, I have to stop thinking about this." Daisy Chapman quickly closed her eyes. "I need to get to sleep."

’I have to be full of energy tomorrow.’

「The next day.」

Daisy Chapman slept until noon. After washing up and eating brunch, she spaced out for a bit before finally starting on her makeup.

She put in colored contacts, applied false eyelashes, put on a full face of makeup, and even made sure every single strand of her hair was perfectly styled.

After a final application of lipstick, she stood before the mirror, looked herself over, and broke into a satisfied smile.

’Good. Perfect.’

Before leaving, Daisy Chapman picked up Misty and nuzzled it with her cheek. "Sweetheart, wish me luck."

Misty, who was in a great mood, squawked, "Go, Daffy! Go~"

Daisy Chapman put Misty down, walked out the door, and drove to the meeting place.

The restaurant was on the fourth floor of the mall. After parking her car and taking the elevator up, Daisy Chapman spotted a lottery kiosk and decided to buy a scratch-off ticket.

She hadn’t been expecting to win anything—she just wanted a small distraction. But she never imagined the surprise would be so sudden: she had won 100,000!

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