Chapter 67 Self-Sabotaging
Michael gritted his teeth to suppress the rage he felt. âAngie, Madeline isnât Cameronâs daughter. Sheâs mine and your motherâs daughterâ¦â he uttered honestly. He shot a gaze at Joseph as he spoke, and Joseph gave him a subtle nod. Michael heaved a sigh of relief.
While they were on their way home, Michael had ordered Joseph to call both of their family doctors to inform them to be on standby just in case they were needed. Michael was sure that his son had followed his orders. Angie didnât realize the way Michael and Joseph were exchanging looks, as she was too stunned by what Michael just said. She glared at Michael while questioning him. âW-What do you mean, Dad?â
Crystal was more shocked than Angie was. With her eyes widened, she questioned Michael with a look of disbelief. âWhat did you just say, Michael? Say it again!â When Michael saw the two family doctors edging closer to his wife, he gained some courage to repeat himself. So, Michael held Madelineâs hand before walking over to Crystal and placing Madelineâs hand in Crystalâs. He placed his arm on Crystalâs back as he spoke in a gentle tone. âYou heard what I said, Crystal. Madeline⦠Madelineâs our biological daughter. Itâs all my fault. I failed to take care of our daughter, and I didnât realize that I had brought the wrong child home. Iâve already done a DNA test to prove that Madeline is our daughterâ¦â
âNo! Thatâs impossible!â Angie shouted while shaking her head. Crystal was still too stunned to respond. âThis doesnât make sense. Stop cracking such terrible jokes, Dad. This canât be real. This isnât real. Iâm your biological daughter. I look just like Mom! Everyone says I look like Mom. How could I not be her daughter? Youâre lying, Dad. Youâre lying!â Angie cried.Têxt belongs to .
âIâm notâ¦â Michael tightened his grip around Crystal as he gazed in Jonathanâs direction. Jonathan calmly pulled the DNA test results out. He had made a lot of copies of the results, so he handed one copy to each member of the family. Angie went through the results with trembling hands, and tears trickled down her cheeks after that. She wailed and sobbed as she tore her copy apart. âNo! This canât be true! This is fake. You guys are lying. I donât believe it! You guys are all lying!â She shook her head.
How could I not be my parentsâ child? Iâm the young lady of the Wendel Family. I donât believe this. I share the same blood as Mom and Dad. Iâm my brotherâs younger sister. Iâm the precious girl in the Wendel Family. I am! I have to be!
Ever since Angie was a child, tons of people had been envious of her for being born into a rich family. They were also envious of her loving parents and the eight older brothers and cousins she had. She had always been the brightest, most eye-catching gem in all her social circles. Everyone looked up to her. But if she wasnât her parentsâ daughter, and if she wasnât the young lady of the Wendel Family, all of this would disappear overnight.
Iâll be banished by the heavens. Everything I used to have will no longer belong to me. All the envious gazes I used to get will turn into mocking and ridiculing gazes. I might even be kicked out of the upper-class circles. Iâll turn into an outsider⦠I canât allow that to happen. I canât!
âYou! This was all a part of your evil scheme, wasnât it? You scammed my father. Youâre Cameronâs daughter, and youâre just as bad as her. Youâre evil. You must be trying to harm me!â Angie charged over to Madeline as she reached out to grab Madelineâs shirt.
Sebastian held his arm out to push Madeline behind him, but Madeline stopped him right in time as she used her other hand to grab Angieâs wrist. In one swift motion, she twisted Angieâs wrist to her back before pushing her onto her knees.
Angie wailed in pain. Right then, Cedric stormed over to Madeline. âAre you crazy, Madeline? What are you trying to do?â Madeline raised her foot and kicked Angie to the ground before patting the dust off her hands. âIâm just protecting myself. Do you have bad eyesight, Cedric? Didnât you see what just happened?â she asked calmly.
âYouâ¦â Cedric was at a loss for words.
Madeline raised her brows as she looked at him. âDo you think I should act the way I used to? Should I let her hit me and curse at me without fighting back? If thatâs the case, Iâm afraid Iâll have to disappoint you! I used to take all the beating and cursing because I thought I was Cameronâs daughter. I thought I was indebted to you guys and the Taylor Family. But now, Iâve returned my debts to the Taylors, and⦠it seems like I never owed you guys anything. Why should I allow her to bully me, then?â
âYou⦠Youâ¦â Cedric couldnât seem to argue against her. Madeline turned to look at Michael. âI donât think your family welcomes me, Mr. Wendel. Perhaps I should visit another day.â
âNo, Madeline. Donât get mad.â Michael was still trying to calm down Crystal, who was trembling uncontrollably. âI want you to apologize to your sister!â Michael barked at Cedric.
Cedric pretended not to hear anything as clenched his teeth and bent down to help Angie up. Angie quickly crawled into his arms as she began to sob. She felt as if her entire world had collapsed at that moment. She despised Madeline.
Madelineâs someone who deserves no respectâher mother was an illegitimate daughter. In the past, Madeline received less respect than the maids in the Taylor Family. But now, the man I like the most is saying that he likes Madeline. Even after Madeline went through the IVF procedure and had two sons, that man still hasnât given up on her. All he thinks about is her. I hate Madeline. I wish she could just die and disappear from this world. But Madeline didnât just stay around. I canât believe sheâs actually my parentsâ biological daughter. Right now, sheâs about to overtake my position as the young lady of the Wendel Family. I know Iâm not as smart, pretty, or fit as Madeline. The only thing Iâve always won her in is my family background. My dad is Michael Wendel and my mom is Crystal Taylor. I have eight brothers and cousins who love me. Iâm the precious princess of the family. But now, all of that is gone. All of this belongs to Madeline. I wouldnât be surprised if the skies actually fell to the ground at this point, Angie thought.
All she did then was cling to Cedric as if he was the last sliver of hope she could find. My brothers are mine. My parents are mine. Iâm the young lady of the Wendel Family. No one can snatch that away from me. Iâll fight anyone who dares to do it!
Michael was annoyed by Cedricâs actions, but he couldnât do much. All Michael could do was to speak to Madeline. âDonât get mad, Madeline. Cedric isnât going against you. Heâs just like that. I promise all four of your brothers will be nice to you in the future!â
âMichaelâ¦â Crystal had been staring at Madeline the whole time. Crystalâs entire body was shivering as she looked up at her husband. âAre you saying that Madeline is our biological daughter?â
âYes.â Michael nodded as he hugged his wife. âMadelineâs our biological daughter!â
âWhat about Angie?â Crystalâs gaze was eerily calm despite her trembling figure. âIf Madeline is our daughter, then who are Angieâs parents? Why does Angie look so much like me?â