My best friend showed up at my family's mansion, heavily pregnant, demanding to take over my mother's place. She claimed she was carrying my father's son. Her story? Five months ago, on my dad’s birthday, they got drunk and ended up in bed together. She pointed a manicured finger at my mom, screaming, "You old hag! You couldn't give him a son, so do yourself a favor and get out!" Then she turned to me with a triumphant smirk. "And you, you little leech, get lost too. From now on, everything in this house belongs to your baby brother!" Finally, she looked at my dad, batting her eyelashes. "Charlie, baby, stop hiding it. This is a Sterling heir in my belly." My whole family just stared at each other. Because we knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that the baby in her belly could not possibly be my dad's. My friend thought we were just making excuses. She threatened to sue my dad for child support and defamation. But when I threw my dad's ID card in her face, her world crumbled. 1 For their 30th anniversary, my dad took my mom to the dealership to buy a car. Just as he was about to swipe his card for the latest G-Wagon, fully paid, my best friend, Jessica, burst in. She snatched the card from my dad's hand, shouting, "Charlie! You can't buy this old woman a car! That money is for our son!" Jessica gestured dramatically towards her protruding belly. My parents and I stared at her, stunned. My dad was the first to react. He frowned, "Jessica, what the hell are you talking about? What does your baby have to do with me?" Hearing my dad deny it, Jessica’s eyes instantly turned red. She pouted, voice trembling, "Charlie, how can you deny it? This baby is yours! Five months ago, on your birthday, you got drunk and... and you took me!" "When I found out I was pregnant, the doctor said it was a boy. I came here to give the Sterling family an heir!" My parents and I were completely baffled. Five months ago, for my dad’s birthday, I did invite Jessica. A lot of my parents' friends came over. It was a lively party. My dad, being the birthday boy, had a few too many cocktails and passed out early. My mom helped him to the bedroom. Sure, my mom got called away for an emergency at the hospital halfway through the night, and all the guests left, leaving just me and Jessica. But she slept in my room. Before going to bed, I even checked on my dad. He was snoring like a chainsaw, dead to the world. There was no one else in the room. I couldn't fathom how my best friend could make up such a ridiculous lie. It took me a few seconds to find my voice. "Jess, are you confused? There's no way that baby is my dad's." Jessica shot me a side-eye and pouted. "Confused? That night your dad held me all night calling me 'baby,' saying I was younger and prettier than your mom. He even said he wanted to marry me!" "Chloe, denying it won't change the facts. This is your dad's seed. It's your biological brother. From now on, your bestie is going to be your stepmom!" Jessica rambled on, spinning a tale about getting up for water in the middle of the night, stumbling into the wrong room, and my dad refusing to let her leave. Her voice was loud. Everyone in the dealership stopped to watch the drama unfold. "Look at her belly! She's definitely pregnant." "Rich old men always go for the young ones. Classic." "Best friend to stepmom? That's some reality TV drama right there." 2 My parents' faces turned red from the gossip. But my dad kept his cool. "Jessica, because you're Chloe's friend, I'm trying to be patient. Please stop spouting nonsense. That child has nothing to do with me." My mom chimed in, voice steady but cold. "I don't know why you're doing this, but I can tell you right now, there is zero chance that baby belongs to Charlie." Jessica wouldn't let up. She pointed straight at my mom's nose. "Shut up, you old hag! Who are you to talk about my baby? You're just a dried-up hen who couldn't give him a son. Know your place and step aside!" Then, she whipped out her phone triumphantly. "I have photos, videos, and recordings from that night! I'm going to play them right now so everyone can judge for themselves!" The video was indeed filmed in my parents' bedroom. The footage was grainy, but you could see my dad hugging Jessica, refusing to let go, mumbling something incoherent. The photos were selfies of them lying in bed together. There was even one of Jessica kissing my dad on the cheek while he slept. And the recording... it was explicit. Jessica moaning, and my dad's deep voice calling out "Wifey" over and over. The crowd exploded. "Oh my god! She has receipts! It must be true!" "He looks like a decent guy, but he's a creep behind closed doors!" "Disgusting. Preying on his daughter's friend? Animal." Jessica beamed, victorious. She waddled toward my mom, pushing her belly forward. "Well? Evidence is right here. What do you have to say now? I'm telling you, I'm the new mistress of this house!" I couldn't stand seeing my mom bullied. I stepped in front of her. "Jessica, I don't know where you faked this trash, but my dad would never do this!" Jessica glared at me. "Chloe Sterling, don't you dare yell at me! I'm your future mother. I'm carrying your brother. If anything happens to him, you'll pay!" I laughed out of pure anger. She used to make snide comments about how my mom, a mere housewife, wasn't good enough for a successful man like my dad. She used to drool over him when he picked me up from school. I never thought much of it. Now I see she was plotting this all along. My dad is handsome and rich, after all. "Bullsh*t brother," I snapped. "My dad will never be the father of your child. If you have any shame left, leave now!" Jessica didn't expect me to be so tough. She paused, then threw a tantrum. "Chloe, for the sake of our friendship, I was going to let you stay in the Sterling house. But since you want to insult me, you can get out too! Everything belongs to your brother now!" She finished yelling at me and turned to my dad, putting on a pitiful act. "Charlie, look how they're bullying me! What if the stress hurts our son?" My dad frowned, avoiding her gaze, sticking to his denial. "I was black-out drunk. I couldn't have done anything. These videos prove nothing! I said, the kid isn't mine! Go find the real father!" Even though the "evidence" looked damning, my family knew the truth. We were absolutely certain that baby wasn't my dad's. 3 Seeing our united front, the onlookers started whispering theories. "Deepfakes? AI is scary good these days. Face swapping is easy." "Maybe she hired a lookalike? The family seems genuinely confused." "First time I've seen a whole family deny it so hard. Maybe she's just a gold digger scamming them?" "Tsk tsk. So young and already trying to be a homewrecker." Jessica's face burned hearing the whispers. But she didn't back down. "This is the Sterling bloodline!" She lunged at my dad, grabbing his arm. "Charlie, you can't let people talk about us like this! This is your only son!" My dad shook her off. "Let go! I said nothing happened! The kid isn't mine!" My mom took a deep breath, staring Jessica down. "Jessica, you know whose baby that is. But it is absolutely not Charlie's." Jessica shivered under my mom's gaze but kept shouting, "I know exactly whose it is! It's Charlie's!" No matter what we said, Jessica insisted the baby was my dad's and demanded we leave the house. My dad's face darkened. "Jessica, if you keep slandering me, I won't care about Chloe's friendship anymore!" My mom was trembling with rage. I held her back. I stared at Jessica coldly. "Jessica, defamation is a crime. Do you really want to go to jail?" She flinched at the word "jail," but then seemed to remember something. She puffed out her chest. "I'm not slandering anyone! I'm stating facts!" I sneered. "Proof?" Jessica smiled like she was waiting for that. "Proof? Oh, I have proof!" She dug into her Hermes bag (which I bought for her) and pulled out a document, slamming it onto the table in front of us. It was a DNA test report from an amniocentesis. It clearly stated that the fetus shared a biological relationship with "Charlie Sterling." My parents and I exchanged looks, stunned. Jessica saw our shock and smirked. "See? Black and white. This is Charlie's seed!" The crowd gasped again. "A DNA test? That's definitive. Guess the old guy really did it." "I thought she was scamming them. Turns out it's real..." "Can't deny science." Jessica felt the tide turn in her favor. She stroked her belly, looking at my mom provocatively. "Karen, the evidence is irrefutable. Hurry up and divorce Charlie. Stop occupying the nest if you can't lay eggs!" Then she sneered at me. "Chloe, looks like you lose! The inheritance is all for my son!" Finally, she looked at my dad with lovey-dovey eyes. "Charlie, stop hiding it. This is your legacy. Divorce this old woman so I can marry you properly!" She thought she had won. She thought she was moments away from a life of luxury. Instead, my family answered in unison. "We do not accept this report!" 4 Jessica's smile froze. "You don't accept it? On what grounds? It's right there!" My dad spoke slowly, his voice calm but powerful. "On the grounds that the report is fake." My mom nodded. "Don't bring forged documents here to embarrass yourself." I stayed silent, my expression icy. I stood with my parents. Jessica exploded. Her eyes filled with venom. "Fake? You just say it's fake and it's fake?" "Open your eyes! This is from City General Hospital!" It was indeed on hospital letterhead. But we would never accept it. Seeing that we wouldn't budge, Jessica switched tactics. She started wailing to my dad. "Charlie, that was my first time! If you hadn't forced me, I wouldn't have given myself to you! I gave you my most precious gift, and now you won't take responsibility?" Then to my mom: "Karen, as a woman, you should sympathize! I'm so young and pregnant. My baby needs a father!" Then to me: "Chloe, ask yourself, how good have I been to you? I did everything you asked! Do you have no conscience?" She cried like a tragic heroine. The crowd started to pity her, casting judgmental looks at us. "That man is despicable. Forcing a girl and then denying the baby!" "The mother and daughter are so cold-blooded. Poor girl." "They won't even believe a hospital report. Rich people think they can bully anyone." ... They painted us as villains. Jessica cried harder, feeding off the sympathy. But no matter how hard she performed, my dad's face remained dark. There wasn't a flicker of recognition for the "son." My dad's voice shook with suppressed anger. "Jessica, how many times do I have to say it? That baby is not mine!" My mom added, "Stop dumping your trash on my husband. It's not his!" I dropped the hammer. "I'm telling you, even if God himself came down, that baby would not be my father's!" Jessica saw crying wasn't working. She went nuclear. She wiped her tears and snarled: "Charlie, are you really going to be this heartless? Fine! If you won't do the right thing, I'll go to the police and charge you with rape! Let's see if the law can force you!" "Your family's good life ends today!" She smirked, thinking she had us cornered. I laughed coldly. I reached into my bag, pulled out my dad's ID card, and threw it in her face. "Guess who the police are going to arrest first?" The next second, Jessica stared at the ID card, struck dumb. She was completely bewildered.
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