Chapter 5 Chapter 5 Five Trending Topics

Andrew looked straight at the plate of spicy grilled beef in her hand, drooling uncontrollably.

It smelled so good.

He was so hungry.

He looked pitifully at Evelyn, timidly saying, "My father abused me and didn't give me anything to eat for two days and two nights."

Words failed Evelyn.

She remembered that Andrew seemed to be the heir of the Stuart family. Did Alexander forget to feed his son?

She had never heard of the Stuart family going bankrupt!

"Mom, I'm hungry..."

Evelyn rolled her eyes. This kid seemed to be addicted to calling her Mom, right?

Was he planning to stay and be her son?

In his dreams! Having two little troublemakers had already made Evelyn dizzy. One more little troublemaker would drive her crazy.

"Oh my god! Evelyn, who did you harm this time, actually having a son almost the same age as me?"

Liam's voice interrupted the eye contact between the two. Evelyn didn't say a word, took off her slippers, and smashed them toward his forehead.

"Get lost."

Liam chuckled and approached Andrew with his arms folded. He stood over Andrew for a moment and then remarked sarcastically, "Oh, aren't you the heir of the Stuart family, worth hundred-billion dollars? Can't you get used to living in a thirty-billion-dollar mansion and have to come and squeeze into our house instead? Are you out of your mind, or has the world gone mad?"

"Liam," Evelyn growled softly. "He is severely dehydrated, showing signs of pain on his face. Who knows when he last had any fluids? Hurry up and get him some water. If he dies in our house, we'll be facing a lifetime in prison."

Liam still wanted to argue, but a calculating glint flickered in his eyes. He murmured to himself, "He arrived at just the right moment. I can take advantage of this situation to make a move."

Evelyn went to the kitchen and fetched some soup, bringing it to the living room. She sat down next to Andrew and observed him.

It was undeniable that Andrew was the spitting image of Alexander, but he didn't look like Eliza at all.

However, his eyes gave her a sense of deja vu.

It seemed that she had met him somewhere before!

"Get up and pour yourself a drink."

Andrew pouted and shook his head. "I'm too hungry and too weak to move."

Liam was lost for words.

What a brat!

*****

Evelyn had assumed that Alexander merely left Andrew in her care temporarily, but as two days passed without any Stuart family members coming to collect him, she felt increasingly helpless.

Evelyn thought, 'The little prince has turned into a little beggar. Mr. Stuart, are you sure this is the heir you want?'

Liam struck up a friendship with Andrew. Yet, Liam completely fooled Andrew by continually duping him into transferring money from his own father's account.

Of course, in the end, who ended up being the fool was still uncertain.

In the evening, Evelyn threw two kids and a dog into the study. Then she sat alone on the sofa browsing Twitter. The screen was ablaze with trending topics:

#AlexanderSecretChildRevealed#

#AlexandersChildPhotoLeak#

#AlexandersSecretSonOutshinesStuartsHeir#

#AlexandersFirstLoveSon#

#AlexanderAdmitsSon#

Five trending topics dominated the screen.

Each was marked with a bold "HOT".

They were absolutely eye-catching!

Such a juicy piece of news!

Within a mere thirty minutes, the click count soared into the billions.

Evelyn idly tapped on the trending hashtag #AlexandersChildPhotoLeak#.

After all, the gossip about Alexander deserved some clicks, considering he had taken care of her for half a year...

But when Evelyn saw who was in the photo, her interest in gossip vanished instantly.

To be precise, she no longer had the mood for gossip.

"Liam!"

Without saying a word, she went straight to the study and dragged Liam out.

"Spill it. What's the deal with those photos going viral on Twitter? And what's up with this whole illegitimate kid thing? Liam, have you lost your mind? Are you so eager to die that you keep seeking out more deaths?"

After speaking, she stared at the phone on the screen for a few seconds and then changed the topic. "Gotta say, you do bear a resemblance to him when you're in a photo together. But sadly, you're just a little weed trying to hold onto a big tree. Maybe next lifetime, huh?"

Liam rolled his eyes and said somewhat speechlessly, "I edited this photo before, merged Alexander's face with mine, and made it look like a family portrait."

Evelyn shot him a sharp look and said through gritted teeth, "Cut the crap. You still haven't told me what this stunt is for."

Liam shrugged nonchalantly, a smirk playing on his lips. "You've been on the run from Alexander for half a year. I just wanted to give you a chance to blow off some steam. I won't let him bully you as he wants!"

Evelyn felt a surge of warmth in her chest. As she was about to reward Liam with a kiss, she paused when he continued, "If he wants to squash the rumors, he'll have to take a paternity test with me. I'll agree to go with him, but he'll have to give me one billion dollars."

"Get lost."

*****

In the guest room of the Stuart Manor, Eliza let her phone slip from her fingers, and it clattered to the floor.

How was this possible?

How could Alexander still have a child left behind?

As far as she knew, Alexander had kept his distance from women over the years. Eight years ago, he'd been tricked by his brother that night with Evelyn.

Aside from Evelyn, Alexander hadn't been with any other woman. So how could there suddenly be a boy who bore such a striking resemblance to Alexander?

What in the world was happening?

In a flash of insight, she recalled the other two babies in Evelyn's womb seven years ago.

Could it be that the head of the gynecology department at that time had mishandled the situation, leaving the other two illegitimate children to be born?

No, she couldn't jump to conclusions. She needed to investigate thoroughly to uncover the truth.

Her thoughts were cut off by the ringtone.

The phone on the floor rang. Eliza glanced down and saw that it was her mother calling.

"Hello, Mom, what's the matter?"

"Eliza, what's going on with the trending topics? How come Alexander is involved in another scandal with a love child who looks so much like him?"

Eliza gritted her teeth and said in a resentful tone, "I'm thinking it might be one of the two kids Evelyn was carrying back then. Mom, you've got to dig into this. We can't let Evelyn pull a fast one and turn things around. If we don't, I'm gonna get kicked out of the Stuart family."

"Darn it! Wasn't that little bitch supposed to have gone abroad? How'd she end up back here? Alright. I'm on it. I need to find out if this so-called illegitimate child is really Alexander's son. If it is..."

"If it is, then he won't see the end of this year," Eliza said with a venomous tone.

"Right. You also try reaching out to your mother-in-law. She adores Andrew the most. If you play your cards right and turn her against Evelyn, Evelyn will never become part of the Stuart family."

*****

In the study...

Alexander frowned as he stared at the photos of his alleged illegitimate child that had surfaced on Twitter.

Within an hour, the click rate had soared past three billion.

The frenzy was even more intense than when Andrew was in the spotlight because this kid bore an even stronger resemblance to him.