Chapter 543

The living room was so quiet, it was almost eerie. Charles sat stiff in his seat, eyes glued to the floor. He knew he'd messed up, just couldn't bring himself to say it out loud. "So, what are you planning to do about this?" Kimberly asked, her voice calm but cold. Charles hesitated for a beat. "I… I don't know. Just don't let Lauren find out, okay? Whether you want to sue Alicia or do something else—I don't care." He only wanted to protect the girl he'd raised. Even the paternity test had been done behind everyone's back. He never wanted Lauren to get hurt. Kimberly let out a sharp laugh. "Of course you care. She's the one you brought up, huh? Gotta wrap her in bubble wrap, right?" When Charles kept silent, Kimberly blinked hard, her eyes reddened. "Doesn't Lauren deserve to know who her real parents are? If Alicia kept her without their consent, that's not fostering—it's kidnapping. That's illegal. Got it?" Charles frowned. "Kimberly, don't mix things up. Lauren and Alicia aren't tha