Chapter 2

Linda's reaction was even faster.

She swayed, almost losing her balance, and Michael had to catch her before she fell.

Her eyes darted away, unable to meet mine.

Her guilty conscience was plain as day.

Micah was a seasoned lawyer, and he quickly pulled himself together. But when he looked at me, there was something heavy and searching in his eyes.

"Grace, this report" Micah started.

"I had this done eight years ago," I replied, my voice calm and steady. "When Emily was eight, she had a routine blood test at school. I kept a sample.," I explained.

"Then I took a strand of Richard's hair."

I said it so casually, like it was just another ordinary thing.

But everyone in the room was rattled; their hearts skipped a beat, and a cold chill ran through them.

A woman had been plotting for eight years without anyone noticing. Just how terrifying was she?

Helen's lips trembled as she pointed at me, unable to get a word out.

"You you vicious woman," she finally managed to spit out. "You knew all along? You kept this from us for years."

"Of course I knew," I said.

I looked her straight in the eye, enunciating every word.

"From the very first day Emily was brought home, I knew she wasn't my daughter."

"And I know exactly where my real daughter is."

My gaze, sharp as a blade, sliced right through Linda.

Linda shuddered, her face turning even paler.

Just then, a spoiled voice rang out from the doorway. "Mom, is the lawyer done with Dad's inheritance yet?"

Emily had arrived.

She was dressed head-to-toe in designer brands, her makeup flawless, and she carried the latest designer bag.

There wasn't a hint of sadness on her face, just pure excitement and barely concealed impatience for the massive fortune she was about to claim.

She walked into the room, and when she saw the tense, almost explosive atmosphere, she froze for a second.

"What's going on?" she asked.

Helen grabbed Emily's hand like she'd found a lifeline.

"Emmy, hurry, look. This woman has totally lost it," Helen shrieked. "She brought out some fake DNA report, saying you're not really Richard's daughter."

Emily's face changed instantly, and she glared at me, her eyes full of disgust and disdain.

"Grace, what are you up to now?" she snapped. "My dad's body isn't even cold yet, and you're already itching to grab his inheritance?"

"Just so you know; the will spells it out loud and clear. You're not getting a single dollar."

She never called me 'Mom', just Grace, like I was a stranger because Richard and Helen spent her whole life telling her I was some barren woman who couldn't even give Richard a son.

To her, I was nothing but a prop in her father's life.

I stared at the face I'd raised for eighteen years.

On that face, I saw the Stone family's selfishness, Helen's bitterness, and Linda's greed.

But not a single trace of respect for me, her so-called mother.

Honestly, it was almost funny.

I waved the DNA report right in Emily's face. "Emily, take a good look.

"See for yourself, it's all in black and white.

"You and the guy you call 'Dad'? No blood ties. Not a drop."

Emily's eyes widened in shock.

She grabbed the report, her eyes locking onto the final result. "Richard Stone is not Emily's biological father."

Those words seared themselves into her mind.

"No this can't be real" Emily kept mumbling, completely stunned. "You faked this. You're lying to me."

She totally lost it, ripping the report to pieces, the scraps falling like snowflakes.

"I'm Dad's real daughter. I'm the rightful heir!" Emily screamed, her voice cracking with hysteria.

I shot her a cold, unbothered look.

I said, "Rip it up all you want; it won't change a thing. The lab keeps the originals. You can't erase the truth.

"Emily, the Stone family lied to you for eighteen years, and you grew up under my roof for eighteen years.

"As your adoptive mother, here's the last thing I'll ever teach you.

"What isn't yours, no matter how tightly you cling to it, will slip away in the end."

My words completely broke down her last defenses.

She crumpled to the floor, sobbing uncontrollably.

Helen gathered Emily into her arms, her heart breaking for her.

"My precious granddaughter, don't cry. I'm right here; you're not alone," Helen said.

Her eyes shot daggers at me, pure poison in her gaze.

"Grace, how can you be so heartless? Even if Emmy isn't your real daughter, you raised her for eighteen years," Helen snapped. "How could you do this to her? Doesn't it eat at your conscience at all?"

"Conscience?" I let out a cold, mocking laugh.

I shot back, "Helen, you and your so-called Stone family, do you really think you can talk to me about conscience?

"Eighteen years ago, when you swapped out my daughter for your own selfish gain, where was your conscience then?

"All these years, you treated Emily like a princess and dumped my real daughter in the countryside, never giving a damn about her. Where was your conscience then?"

"And Richard, right before he died, he handed everything to someone who wasn't even his blood, didn't leave me, his wife, a single dollar. Where was his conscience then?"

With every word I spoke, their faces lost more color, growing paler with each blow.

I strode right up to them, towering over them, my gaze cold and commanding. "From now on, I'm the one making the rules."

I turned to Micah.

"Mr. Cole, under the law, I'm entitled to half of the marital assets," I said. "Richard's will only covers his half of the property.

"And since his will was made under fraudulent circumstances, its validity is questionable."

Micah's expression turned very serious.

"Mrs. Winters, you're right. This is indeed a complicated matter," he said.

I shifted my gaze to Michael and Linda, my eyes cold and sharp.

"And you two," I said. "Richard's handed you quite a bit of cash over the years, hasn't he?" "Every project at work, every dollar spent at home, wasn't it always Richard covering everything for you two?"

Michael's face went stiff.

"Grace, what are you getting at?" he asked.

"It's simple," I said.

I reached into my bag and pulled out something else: a thick, heavy account book.

I slammed it down on the table and said, "This is the account book I've kept for fifteen years.

"From the very first time Richard bought you a house, every single transfer, every expense; not a single dollar slipped past me. It's all right here.

"Whether it was a gift from our shared assets or a personal loan from him, we'll settle every last dollar in court, down to the cent.

"Michael, Linda, every dollar you owe me, with interest, I'll get it all back.

"Not a single dollar missing."

The account book landed like a boulder, crashing down on everyone's hearts.

Michael's and Linda's faces had gone beyond pale; they were completely drained of color.

They stared at me like I was a demon crawling straight out of hell.

Emily had stopped crying.

She stared at me, her eyes brimming with fear.

She finally realized she was no longer facing that pushover "mom" she used to walk all over.

Now, she was up against a woman out for revenge, someone ready to drag the entire Stone family down into the abyss.

Helen was the first to snap out of it.

She lunged at the account book like a lioness whose cub had been threatened.

"Nonsense. You just made all this up," she shrieked.

I didn't move and gave her a cold, deadpan stare.

"Go ahead, rip it to shreds if you want," I said. "Just like Emily shredded the DNA report earlier.

"Doesn't matter. I've got copies saved on my computer and online too.

"Every single transfer is on record at the bank.

"Helen, did you really think I spent the last fifteen years as nothing but a doormat, just cooking and cleaning for your family without a word of protest?"

My words stopped her cold, her hand frozen halfway in the air.

For the first time, I saw real fear in her eyes.

Yeah, pure fear.

She finally realized the daughter-in-law she'd stomped on for years was actually a snake, lying in wait.

And now, that snake had finally woken up.

And now, it was ready to strike.