Chapter 358
Eleanor Blackwood's expression darkened. "Those children can't possibly look that similar without being related. I'm certain that boy is my grandson! Dominic was exactly like that at his age - always giving people that same icy stare. And those eyes... they're identical to mine!"
"But Master Dominic doesn't seem suspicious about the boy's background," the nanny pointed out.
"Dominic doesn't know himself as well as I do. He's probably forgotten what he looked like as a child."
"That's true. So what do you plan to do?"
Eleanor's eyes gleamed with determination. "I need to confirm whether Dominic is that boy's father. For that, I'll need a DNA test."
"Well... you'd need the child's hair or blood sample for that..."
"Where there's a will, there's a way." Eleanor's voice brimmed with confidence. "I'll inform Dominic once I have the results."
Meanwhile, Zoe Montgomery lay in her hospital bed, scrolling through news on her phone.
The miscarriage meant she had to remain under observation for several days. Dominic had visited briefly that morning, but within ten minutes of arriving, he'd received a phone call and left abruptly.
Without the pregnancy, Eleanor had also started paying Zoe less attention.
A twinge of disappointment pricked at Zoe, but the $155 million Dominic had transferred to her account quickly soothed her irritation.
Money couldn't buy everything, but it certainly bought happiness.
She'd accepted Dominic's payment without hesitation. Naturally, she'd continue searching for a cure for Sophia. She knew Dominic would keep treating her well if Sophia showed any improvement.
For now, Dominic still needed her - and $155 million was just the beginning of what she intended to extract from him.
Suddenly, her phone buzzed with an incoming message.
Zoe tapped it absentmindedly. A video began playing.
Her eyes widened in horror as she recognized the figures on screen.
"Wait! That's me! And that man... Julian!" she gasped.
It was footage from that night with Julian. They'd searched the entire room thoroughly and found no cameras. Yet here was undeniable proof of everything that had happened between them, every intimate detail exposed.
Zoe's face burned with humiliation. Her hands trembled so violently she nearly dropped the phone.
"Who sent this?" she thought frantically.
She checked the sender information, but the field was blank.
"What the hell is happening?!" Panic clawed at her throat.
Her fingers flew across the screen as she typed a reply: (Who are you? Trying to blackmail me? Dream on! Dominic and I are already over, so this means nothing!)
Before sending, she hesitated, then deleted the entire message.
Even though their relationship had ended, Dominic would despise her if this video surfaced. And she still needed more money from him.
After several false starts, she finally settled on: (Name your price. How much do you want?)
Though their engagement had ended, Zoe knew this video could destroy her reputation completely. She'd already become the laughingstock of her social circle after Dominic called off their wedding. If this footage leaked, everyone would assume he'd dumped her because she'd cheated.
Meanwhile, at Mooncrest Manor, other events were unfolding...