novelraw Chapter 158: You Are Not The Uncle, You Are The Father
Chapter 158: You Are Not The Uncle, You Are The Father
Chapter 158: You Are Not The Uncle, You Are The Father
As Brett read what was before him, his carefully constructed façade crumbled. His face flushed a deep crimson, his hands trembling slightly. He sputtered, trying to regain control of the situation, but the carefully rehearsed words seemed to catch in his throat.
It was a document asking him to forfeit his shares for fraud and trying to carry out a hostile take over of the company. He looked up at Levi, his gaze filled with hate.
"What... what is the meaning of this?" he stammered, his voice laced with a mixture of anger and panic. "This... this is ridiculous! This document... lt has no hold on me! You are simply bluffing and I will not be blackmailed!"
He glared at Chris, his eyes narrowing, his expression turning menacing. "You!" he snarled, pointing a trembling finger at him. "You are going to pay for this! You think that you can betray and double cross then get away with it? I will expose you to the world! I’m going to tell everyone your secret!"
Levi remained calm, his gaze fixed on Brett’s increasingly agitated face. He had expected a desperate reaction, a last-ditch attempt to salvage the situation.
"And what secret might that be, Brett?" Levi asked, his voice low and steady. "Is it perhaps connected to Brandon’s paternity?"
A stunned silence descended upon the room. The board members exchanged uneasy glances, their faces etched with confusion. Brandon, who had been watching the exchange with a mixture of anger and confusion, now looked completely bewildered.
Levi’s gaze swept across the room, taking in the shocked expressions of everyone present. He had been holding onto this information for a long time, a secret that had weighed heavily on his mind. But now, the time had come to reveal the truth.
"You see, I too had my doubts about Brandon’s parentage right from the start and as he grew up it became worse," Levi said, his voice clear and resonant, cutting through the heavy silence. "He looks nothing like me. There has never been any resemblance. So, I did what any reasonable person would do. I had a DNA test done."
The room fell silent once more, the tension in the air becoming almost palpable. All eyes were fixed on Levi, waiting for him to continue.
"The results were... conclusive," Levi said, his voice low and steady. "I am not Brandon’s father."
A collective gasp echoed through the room. Brandon stared at Levi, his face a mask of hate.
Brett, still reeling from the exposure of his fraudulent scheme, now looked completely devastated. The secret he had been threatening to reveal had been preempted, exposed by the very person he had intended to harm.
"What... what are you saying?" Brandon stammered, his voice barely a whisper. "This... this can’t be true."
Levi looked at Brandon, his expression softening slightly. He knew this was a devastating revelation, a shattering of his entire world.
"I am sorry, Brandon," Levi said, his voice gentle. "But it is the truth. I had hoped to spare you this pain, but given the circumstances... you dragged yourself into this"
He turned his gaze back to Brett, his eyes hardening. "It seems you were planning to use this information for your own gain," he said, his voice laced with disgust. "You were willing to exploit this family secret to further your own ambitions."
He paused, his gaze sweeping across the room, taking in the shocked faces of the board members. "I also considered the possibility that Brandon might be Chris’s son," he continued, his voice steady. "Given the timing of certain events, it seemed... plausible."
Chris, who had been standing silently by Levi’s side, looked on. He stared at Brandon, now that it had been said aloud it felt real that Brandon was indeed his and not Levi’s
"I was ready to believe that until I had a thought," Levi continued. "What if Brandon was not his either? So I did another DNA test, and Chris is not the father."
The whispers rose again, as the shareholders discussed the salacious new angle. Chris looked befuddled at Levi’s new information. He had been certain that he was the one, but now he struggled with a sense of relief and disappointment.
"What do you even mean?" Brandon said sharply, his words cutting through the tension in the room.
"That neither of us are your fathers." Levi explained patiently.
"But don’t worry, I had another DNA test done with another prospective father and it turns out my instincts were right." He said as he looked at Brett who looked terrified.
"Brett, you are not the uncle. You are the father." Levi said, dropping the bomb.
Brandon’s gaze swiveled from Levi’s face to Brett. They stared at each other in disbelief.
"That is simply ridiculous!" Brett sputtered angrily while Brett kept on staring in shock.
"Is it?" Levi raised an eyebrow, "In any case, you are free to do another test, I am sure that you want to know the truth for yourself." He shrugged.
"You are trying to turn this on me, make me your scapegoat but it is not going to work!" Brett insisted.
He looked back at Brett, his eyes narrowing. "It seems you were not the only one keeping secrets, Brett," he said, his voice laced with a coldness that sent a chill through the room.
The carefully orchestrated plan had backfired spectacularly, revealing a much deeper and more damaging secret than anyone had anticipated. The carefully constructed façade of the Van Doren family had been shattered, revealing the complex web of lies and betrayals that lay beneath.
Levi turned to face the board. "I believe that the reason for this meeting appears to be null so you are all dismissed." After saying that, he calmly walked out of the office and out of the building where the press who had been summoned by Brett so that the whole world could witness Levi’s humiliation were camped and waiting with their microphones and cameras.