Chapter 745

Downstairs, Miriam and Jennifer were still going at it, neither willing to give an inch.

When Teresa arrived, she rushed over to pull them apart. “Let go, you two! Aren’t you both a little too old for this?”

Miriam, spotting Teresa, swung her arm and almost hit her by accident. Luckily, she managed to stop herself just in time and finally let go of Jennifer. “Teresa, what are you doing here?” Miriam asked.

“What are you two thinking? Brawling at Horizonlead Group? Aren’t you embarrassed enough already?” Teresa scolded.

Miriam took a deep breath and jabbed a finger at the furious Jennifer. “She’s totally lost her mind. Oh wait, she’s not your sister. She even went out of her way to badmouth me on WhatsApp. What gives her the right? I came here just to talk to Jonathan about how tough it is for you raising a kid. I’ve made plans to have dinner with Edward. Yet now she’s out here smearing my name.”

Jennifer fired back, “You slandered me first. You just can’t stand to see me doing well, so why should I be nice to you?”

Miriam sneered, “If you really were Teresa’s sister, you wouldn’t be so scared of a paternity test. The only reason you’re freaking out is because you’re not her sister. You’re just a fake. You should get lost right now. You don’t deserve to be anywhere near Teresa. You’re nothing but a fraud, a total imposter!”

“Miriam, shut up!” Jennifer screamed. She raised her hand again, only to have her wrist seized.

Teresa shook Jennifer’s hand off, her voice impatient. “Can you just calm down for a second, Jennifer?”

Jennifer stared at Teresa, on the verge of breaking down. “You’re siding with Miriam again. You never stand up for me,” she shouted at Teresa, not caring about anything anymore.

Teresa grew even angrier. “How do you expect me to take your side when you’re spouting off like that? Have you ever once thought about how I feel? Right now, you’re not just throwing shade at Miriam–you’re disrespecting me too, you know that?”

“Miriam started driving a wedge between us, and that’s why I said that. If she hadn’t done that paternity test, none of this drama would’ve happened. I wouldn’t even be here arguing with her,” Jennifer insisted, once again pinning all the blame on Miriam.

“Face reality,” Teresa said, each word deliberate. “I know you’re just refusing to face it, but deep down, you already believe it, don’t you?”

“No, I don’t!” Jennifer suddenly screamed, her voice slicing through the air as she clutched her head. “The name Hannah Johnston belongs to me–even if I don’t want it, it’s still mine! No one can take my name away unless I give it up myself. Jennifer is me; Hannah is me. I am your sister, and I am part of the Johnston family!”

“You’re not her sister, and you never will be. A fake will always be a fake,” Miriam yelled, her voice booming over Jennifer’s. “Imposter,” she sneered. “Think about what you’ve done for Teresa. Have you ever truly cared about her? No, you just can’t stand to see her happy. You’re the one who’s actually up to no good.”

Just as Miriam finished, footsteps sounded behind them–Jonathan had arrived. He pushed past a few onlooking employees, grabbed Teresa’s shoulders, and looked her up and down. “Are you okay? Did you get hurt?”

Teresa forced herself to look calm and shook her head. She wasn’t physically hurt, but she just felt exhausted.

Jonathan frowned and patted her shoulder, comforting her. “Take a deep breath. Don’t get too worked up–it’s not good for the baby.”

“Baby?” Miriam’s eyes snapped to Teresa’s belly. “Teresa, are you pregnant?”

Jonathan turned to Miriam. “Yeah, she’s pregnant. And it’s mine.”

Then he shot Jennifer a cold glare. “You knew Teresa was pregnant and you still shoved her? What if something happened to her? Could you live with that? Do you even see her as your sister at all?”

Jennifer sneered, “This is our family’s business. Mr. Ex, stay in your lane.”

Jonathan’s face turned grim. “Family? Are you Teresa’s sister?”

Miriam jabbed a finger at Jennifer, stressing each word. “She’s not Teresa’s sister–she’s just a fraud. She always played the victim and put pressure on Teresa. She can’t stand it when Teresa is actually happy.”

“I didn’t!” Jennifer retorted, tears streaming down her face. She just couldn’t accept that she felt like a living joke. She wasn’t Teresa’s sister, yet she shamelessly enjoyed all the benefits Teresa offered while still trying to control her life.

Teresa had always been generous, buying Jennifer cars and designer clothes. Jennifer believed she was repaying Teresa by looking out for her, acting like the big sister she thought she was. She felt she had every right to meddle in Teresa’s life because they were family. But now, being called a fraud made everything feel different.

Miriam shot back, “Don’t give me that ‘I didn’t‘ nonsense. I’ve seen exactly how you treated Teresa. You kicked her out of Nareigh, but then you stuck around yourself just to date Donald.”

Jonathan’s gaze snapped to Miriam. “Wait, what did you just say? Jennifer made Teresa leave Nareigh?”

Miriam sneered, “Yeah. Jennifer is seriously awful. She’s constantly messing with Teresa, pulling the ‘big sister‘ card and claiming it’s for her own good. She’s crazy controlling–telling Teresa what to do, and insisting everything has to go her way.”

“Miriam,” Teresa cut in. “That’s enough. Let’s not talk about this here. Let’s just go.” She didn’t want to air their family drama at Horizonlead Group.

But Miriam refused to back down. “Teresa, don’t stop me. I have to get everything off my chest today.” From the moment Jennifer insulted her, all Miriam felt was utter disgust and a furious urge to stomp her into the ground.

“Jennifer,” Miriam began. “You know why Teresa drops Mike at my place every time she goes on a business trip instead of leaving him with you, his aunt? It’s because she doesn’t trust you; Mike’s scared of you and avoids you; and you never treat your family right. They find it tiring to be around you and all want to stay away from you. You wanna know why Teresa never told Jonathan about you? Because you kept threatening her, saying that if she spilled anything about Mike to Jonathan, he would come after you and your career and reputation would be ruined. Teresa cared about you and always stayed silent. Teresa’s always been so good to you, but all you ever do is whine at her and never care about how she feels. You don’t care about Mike’s feelings either. All you ever think about is yourself; you don’t love your family at all.”