Of Course, the Son I Raised Is My Own Flesh and Blood

After my son Noah and I returned home from an overseas inspection of a medical cooperation project, we froze. A huge crowd had gathered. Even the distant relatives we normally never saw had all shown up. Anyone who didn’t know better would have thought the Carter family was holding a full-blown family reunion. The person who stood out the most was Ryan Brooks, sitting in the middle of the couch with red-rimmed eyes. Evelyn Carter, my “wonderful wife” who was hardly ever home, was holding him in her arms with a tender, heartbroken expression and soothing him softly. I raised an eyebrow, set my suitcase to the side, and looked at Evelyn. “What’s the occasion? Why is everyone here?” Noah followed behind me with his arms folded coolly across his chest, staring at Ryan with open disdain. He had already vaguely guessed who this man was. My mother-in-law sat in the seat of honor, her expression uneasy, as if she wanted to say something but couldn’t bring herself to. Before Evelyn could say a word, Ryan suddenly cried and threw himself at Noah. “My son, I’m your real father!” Noah nimbly stepped aside and frowned in disgust, as if Ryan were some filthy object. He took a step back and said coldly, “My dad is Ethan Carter.” That boy really was my perfect little ally. I took Noah’s hand and gave him a reassuring look. Then I raised my arm and punched Ryan square in the face. The dull thud of my fist echoed through the living room. “Don’t go claiming random relatives,” I said coldly, my eyes sharp as knives. Evelyn sprang to her feet and helped Ryan up, pointing at me as she shouted furiously. “Ethan Carter, have you lost your mind? How dare you hit Ryan!” She raised her hand as if she intended to hit me. Noah reacted instantly, stepped forward, and slapped Evelyn across the face. “You dare hit my dad?” Noah’s voice wasn’t loud, but it carried an unquestionable authority. Evelyn froze, furious and enraged, then raised her hand to hit Noah. But Ryan grabbed her arm and put on a fake crying act. “Evelyn, don’t hit him. He’s our son!” The way he played the devoted father made me want to throw up. Evelyn lowered her hand and glared viciously at Noah. “If he weren’t your biological father, I would teach you a lesson today!” Noah let out a cold laugh. “Heh. I’d love to see what you think you can do to me.” The sharpness in his eyes reminded me of myself when I was young. I secretly reveled in the satisfaction. He really was the son I had carefully raised.One of the elders of the family cleared his throat, trying to calm the chaotic scene. “Everyone, quiet down!” His deep voice carried an unquestionable authority. The room gradually fell silent, and every gaze turned toward him. He looked at Evelyn. “Evelyn, why did you call everyone here?” Evelyn took a deep breath, as if she were gathering her courage. She wrapped an arm around Ryan’s shoulders, looking as if they shared some tragic, undying love. “Actually, I have an important announcement to make today.” She paused, sweeping her gaze over everyone before finally looking at Noah and me. I watched her in silence, wondering what ridiculous performance she would put on next. “Noah, he… he isn’t Ethan’s biological son.” Evelyn’s voice wasn’t loud, but her words exploded through the living room like a bomb. Noah whipped his head around to look at me, his eyes filled with shock. I signaled for him to stay calm. The relatives around us began whispering among themselves, stirring excitedly like sharks that had smelled blood. “Back when we underwent IVF…” Evelyn paused, as if the words were difficult to say. “The doctor said Ethan’s sperm quality wasn’t good… To keep from hurting his feelings about wanting to become a father, I replaced it with Ryan’s…” This shameless thief had actually stolen my sperm and now tried to dump all the blame on me! Evelyn cast me an ill-intentioned look, clearly hoping I would lose control in a rage. But I remained perfectly calm, leaving her no choice but to continue her performance. “I called everyone here today so they could witness…” She looked deeply at Ryan. “Noah accepting his biological father.” The surrounding relatives immediately erupted. “Noah isn’t Ethan Carter’s son, so of course he should recognize his biological father!” “Exactly. Ethan has occupied the position of the Carters’ son-in-law for all these years. It’s time for him to step aside!” “Ethan has controlled the Carter family’s business all these years. Now that the truth is out, he should step down from the Carter Group!” I listened to their comments and sneered inwardly. These relatives had ulterior motives. In recent years, I had suppressed them and removed them from the company’s management, leaving them with nothing but annual dividends to live on. They had resented me for it. Now they were delighted to watch the drama unfold. If Evelyn and I fell out, they could return to the company and claim their share of the profits. Noah tightened his grip on my hand as he looked at the relatives’ undisguised greed. I spoke up. “Noah will always be my child.” My voice wasn’t loud, but every word landed with weight. Ryan put on a helpless expression and choked out, “Ethan, how long are you going to keep lying to yourself?”I wasn’t lying to myself. Noah really was my son. Did Evelyn and Ryan truly think they could fool me? Back then, when Evelyn couldn’t get pregnant after years of trying, we decided to undergo IVF. Before the embryos were created, I accidentally caught Evelyn working with a nurse to tamper with the sperm storage cabinet, and I heard her happily calling Ryan to tell him that she had already switched in his sperm. I didn’t make a scene at the time. Without saying a word, I turned around and paid the doctor a million dollars to replace it with the extra sperm I had previously collected. I also “kindly” asked the doctor to replace Evelyn’s eggs with those of my ex-girlfriend. On the day the embryos were created, Evelyn and I witnessed the birth of our “miracle” together. She was unnaturally happy, probably thinking it was the child she and Ryan had made. Watching her foolish expression nearly made me laugh myself to death. Over the years, I had watched her act like a clown while treating Noah well, and the satisfaction in my heart was indescribable. She had wanted to set me up, but she never imagined she would spend more than twenty years happily playing mother to someone else’s child. Evelyn interrupted my memories and sneered at me. “You’re just refusing to admit defeat. Noah may have spent all these years by your side, but his biological father is Ryan. His sperm wasn’t yours!” My tone was calm, but a hint of provocation colored my words. “Are you dreaming?” “If you don’t believe me, we can get a paternity test!” Evelyn said firmly. “I also want a divorce! You spent all those years crawling after me and pressured me into marrying you. After twenty-five years together, I’ve already done more than enough for you!” When she brought up divorce, a trace of delight appeared on her face. Apparently, she had been thinking about it for a long time. Seriously? She actually had the nerve to say she had done more than enough for me? I had married into her family for twenty-five years, and for twenty-five years, I had lived like a single man. While I was raising our child alone, she was out enjoying romantic nights with Ryan. While I was fighting in the business world and carrying the Carter family’s reputation on my shoulders, she was drowning herself in luxury and nightlife. But she had gotten one thing wrong. I hadn’t spent all those years crawling after her because I loved her. I married her only to gain the status of the Carter family’s heir’s wife and take control of the Carter Group. And now, the Carter Group was completely under my control. That meant Evelyn no longer had any value to me. “Divorce is fine,” I said, shrugging indifferently. “But there’s no need for a paternity test. I’m certain Noah is my son.” Noah looked at me with unwavering eyes. “Dad, I believe you.” Evelyn and Ryan immediately panicked. “Noah, don’t you believe your mother?” Noah ignored her and simply moved closer to me. Just then, a boy who looked like a college student burst through the door. He walked straight up to Noah and called out excitedly, “Brother!” Everyone present froze. One extra father was bad enough, but now another younger brother had appeared out of nowhere?