Chapter 712

The lawyer informed Irene that the child's full name was Michael Johnston and his mother was Teresa Johnston. He had no photos of Michael and suggested she ask the parents directly for more information.

Irene stared in disbelief. She asked, “Michael? You’re saying the child has the last name Johnston, and Teresa is his mother?”

“Indeed, the child’s mother is Teresa Johnston,” the lawyer replied.

Irene was stunned. She couldn’t believe it. She thought, ‘This can’t be true. How can Teresa have Jonathan’s child? Doesn’t she have any feelings for him at all? And if there is a child between them, how can she only be revealing this now?’ ‘But the child is three years old. Given the timing, it has to be Teresa. That child… must be hers!’

Irene demanded urgently, “Is the child’s nickname Mike? Does he look strikingly like Mr. Lynn?”

The lawyer replied, “I honestly don’t know about that. Mr. Lynn instructed us to remain on standby. We’re not certain yet whether he’ll file for custody of the child.”

Irene thought, ‘If Teresa gave Jonathan a son, that’s our Lynn family’s bloodline. Why wouldn’t we fight for him?’

Irene said deliberately, “Start preparing. There’s no way we’ll let the Lynn family’s bloodline be left out there.”

Irene hung up the phone abruptly. Her hands still trembled uncontrollably. She thought, ‘After all my nagging for a grandson, I’m finally a grandmother. And Teresa is the mother? The boy is my first grandson, and she kept it a secret. Why?’

Irene didn’t have time to process it all. She immediately tried to call Jonathan, but his phone was unreachable. Fuming, she scrolled through her contacts to call Teresa, only to find her phone equally unreachable.

Irene grew angrier the more she thought about it. She felt like a complete fool. It was as if the whole world had been lying to her. Still refusing to believe it, she called Werner, and this time, he answered.

Irene demanded furiously, “Do you know Jonathan has a son?”

Werner was utterly bewildered. “What on earth are you talking about? Jonathan has a son? Where would he even get one?”

“Then ask your precious son and daughter,” Irene snapped. “Donald is unreachable, and Cheryl’s lying to protect Teresa. If you don’t make them explain, I’ll take this straight to Hayden.”

Irene was fuming with rage, while Werner stood dumbfounded. “Please calm down first. What on earth is going on? What kid? What fabrication? I can’t make heads or tails of what you’re saying.”

Irene sneered, her voice full of scorn. “You don’t know? Last year, a boy who looked just like Jonathan came to the Lynn residence. We all suspected he was Jonathan’s son. Cheryl volunteered to arrange a DNA test. Hayden and I were there. The result said he wasn’t Jonathan’s. Jonathan didn’t believe it, so Donald ran another test. It was the same result. But Jonathan trusted his instincts and did one himself. It confirmed that the boy is his son. How do Donald and Cheryl explain that? Your whole family has been hiding this from us. Refused to help your brother’s business. Don’t ever contact me again.”

The call ended abruptly. Werner took a deep breath. He could feel Irene’s fury radiating through the phone.

‘So it’s true after all,’ Werner thought.

Werner hurried into Hayden’s room and exclaimed, “Dad, I’ve got some amazing news for you.”

“Humph, save your breath,” Hayden scoffed from his wheelchair, peering over his newspaper. “Nothing decent ever comes out of your mouth.”

Werner, almost breathless with excitement, exclaimed, “Dad, this is monumental news. Now, try not to get too excited when I tell you.”

Werner cautiously gauged Hayden’s mood. Hayden had been recuperating well lately, and seeing that he was in good spirits today, Werner decided it was a good time to bring it up.

“Dad, Jonathan has a son. You’re going to be a great-grandfather,” Werner said.

Hayden’s reading glasses clattered to the floor. His fingers trembled with excitement as Werner picked up his glasses for him. Werner looked so agitated, he seemed ready to spring from his wheelchair.

“Who did you just say has a son?” Hayden exclaimed, utterly shocked.

Werner pressed the reading glasses into Hayden’s hand, grinning. “It’s Jonathan, Dad. Jonathan has a son. Irene just called me. No doubt about it.”

Hayden’s lips curled into a wide grin, utterly speechless with joy.

Hayden exclaimed, “You mean it’s that rascal Jonathan who has a son? Not Donald, not Gary, but Jonathan? The perpetual bachelor, the one we thought would never settle down? He gave me a great-grandson? Our family’s firstborn grandson?”

Werner offered a wry smile, then continued, “Yes, Dad. Not Donald, not Gary, but Jonathan. Irene says you’ve met the child before.”

“I’ve met him? Which child are you talking about?” Hayden exclaimed in astonishment, completely baffled.

“That’s what Irene said. She claimed the boy had dinner at the Lynn residence last year and accused Donald and Cheryl of hiding the truth. Look at this mess. I swear, Dad, I knew nothing about it.”

Ever since his divorce from Cathy, Werner had done a lot of soul-searching. These days, he was doing everything he could to make it up to Hayden, hoping to earn back some familial affection and his father’s approval.

Hayden cut Werner off. “Quick, push me over there. Call Cheryl, Donald, and Jonathan now. We’re all going to Jonathan’s place. And tell him to bring my great-grandson.” Hayden was bursting with joy.

“Got it, Dad,” Werner said, equally overjoyed.

At the hospital, Teresa lay in bed with an IV drip. Jonathan sat silently beside her, holding her hand, eyes fixed on her face, afraid to misinterpret her.

The doctor entered and began examining Teresa while filling out her medical chart.

Jonathan whipped his head around to face the doctor, his voice tight with worry. “How is she? Was it just low blood sugar that made her faint?”

“She hadn’t eaten all day, which caused hypoglycemia and pregnancy complications,” the doctor said. “Luckily, you brought her in just in time. A few minutes later, the baby wouldn’t have made it.”

Jonathan shot to his feet, stunned. It felt like a ton of bricks had hit him. “What did you just say?” he demanded. “She’s pregnant?”

“You shocked me. How could you not know your wife is almost six months pregnant?” the doctor said, baffled. “What kind of husband misses that?”