The True Heiress Strikes Back: You Chose My Stepsister—I Chose Your Rival to Father Your Heir - Chapter 17: Chapter 17
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After Dominic rescued Vanessa from the seaside, he patiently comforted her for a long time before she finally fell asleep.
The next morning, he habitually dialed Isabelle's number, only to hear the mechanical announcement: "The number you have dialed is powered off." The cold voice made his heart tighten.
He immediately drove to the suburban villa. When he pushed open the door, the house was eerily quiet.
The villa was completely empty—Isabelle clearly hadn't returned.
An unprecedented panic swept over him. He immediately mobilized his team to rush back to the seaside, but the beach was deserted, with only waves crashing against the rocks.
The rescue team searched the waters for a full 24 hours. Finally, the exhausted captain reported to him, "Mr. Harlow, we've searched the entire nearby area. The night winds are getting really cold..."
The rescue captain hesitantly handed him an item—it was Isabelle's hair clip, now covered in sand.
"We found this wedged in the rocks, Mr. Harlow." The captain's voice was soft. "Based on the tide calculations, around 10 PM last night, your wife... there's no chance she could have survived..."
Dominic's voice suddenly rose. "What the hell are you talking about? Isabelle is an excellent swimmer. She has to be fine."
His assistant nervously reminded him, "Mr. Harlow, ever since your wife saved you and suffered those complications, she hasn't been able to go in the water..."
Those words hit Dominic like a sledgehammer to the chest.
He staggered back two steps, his mind suddenly flashing to that rainy night. Isabelle had saved him from drowning, developed a high fever, and could never touch water again.
And now, he had thrown her into the sea with his own hands.
A month passed, and the seaside rescue operation finally came to nothing.
Vanessa constantly complained of feeling unwell, frequently asking Dominic to accompany her to the hospital. At first he patiently went along, but when he realized every checkup showed nothing wrong, he began to feel annoyed.
Whenever this happened, Isabelle's face—always calm and serene—would appear before his eyes. Those eyes held such deep love. He remembered their wedding night when he told Isabelle he was impotent, the heartbreak in her eyes had been overwhelming.
Dominic offered huge rewards for any information about Isabelle's whereabouts, but there was never any news.
The day Vanessa gave birth, Dominic noticed a suspicious man lurking in the hospital corridor. When he got up to question him, the man had already vanished without a trace.
When the nurse placed the newborn in his arms, Dominic felt no joy at becoming a father for the first time.
Looking at the wrinkled little face in his arms, all he could think about was whether Isabelle was dead or alive, his chest feeling hollow and aching.
At the baby's Welcome Home Party, His mother beamed as she carried her grandson around, showing him off.
A reporter suddenly asked, "Mr. Harlow, since your wife has been missing for so long and Ms. Snow has given you an heir, are you considering making Ms. Snow your official wife?"
Dominic's expression immediately hardened. His assistant quickly intervened, "Sorry, we won't be responding to that question."
After the party ended, Dominic sat alone on the lounge sofa, lost in thought.
Vanessa walked over carrying the crying baby, pouting playfully. "Dominic, the baby won't stop crying. Can you calm him down?"
Dominic rubbed his temples, feeling like his head was about to split.
Vanessa suddenly changed her tone, lowering her voice. "Dominic, Isabelle's been missing for so long—maybe she ran off with another man. Besides, we really love each other, so why don't we..."
"Enough!" Dominic snapped his head up, fire blazing in his eyes. "I'm exhausted right now. Let me have some peace."
In that moment, he suddenly felt that everything before him was utterly meaningless.
Vanessa stormed out with tears in her eyes.
Standing by the floor-to-ceiling window, Dominic happened to glance at the garden and saw Vanessa intimately linking arms with a strange man. It was the same guy who'd been lurking around the hospital that day.
The way they were laughing and talking together made Dominic's eyes turn cold.
"Dig up everything on that guy," he commanded his assistant, his voice cold and sharp.
The next day, his assistant handed him a thick investigation report. "Mr. Harlow, this guy is Ms. Snow's distant cousin. He has a record for assault, served three years, and he's a notorious scumbag in their hometown."
Dominic's expression was unreadable. After a long silence, he said quietly:
"Find a way to get a paternity test done."
Three days later, the test results hit like a bolt from the blue—the probability of him being the child's father was 0%.
Dominic violently threw the report to the floor, papers scattering everywhere.
"Perfect! Vanessa Snow! Just fucking perfect!"
He pulled out his phone and called his assistant. "Throw Vanessa a spectacular birthday party! I want to give her a real 'surprise.'"
On Vanessa's birthday, Dominic threw her an extravagant celebration.
Looking at the room full of Hermès bags and Cartier jewelry, Vanessa couldn't stop grinning.
Since giving birth to the "Harlow heir," she'd used the resources Dominic provided to become an influencer with millions of followers.
"These are all birthday gifts from my baby's daddy~" She eagerly started a live stream, showing off to the camera.
Just as Vanessa was smugly displaying her diamond necklace to the livestream, the massive screen behind her suddenly lit up.
The banquet hall fell dead silent, then erupted in gasps and exclamations.
The next morning, he habitually dialed Isabelle's number, only to hear the mechanical announcement: "The number you have dialed is powered off." The cold voice made his heart tighten.
He immediately drove to the suburban villa. When he pushed open the door, the house was eerily quiet.
The villa was completely empty—Isabelle clearly hadn't returned.
An unprecedented panic swept over him. He immediately mobilized his team to rush back to the seaside, but the beach was deserted, with only waves crashing against the rocks.
The rescue team searched the waters for a full 24 hours. Finally, the exhausted captain reported to him, "Mr. Harlow, we've searched the entire nearby area. The night winds are getting really cold..."
The rescue captain hesitantly handed him an item—it was Isabelle's hair clip, now covered in sand.
"We found this wedged in the rocks, Mr. Harlow." The captain's voice was soft. "Based on the tide calculations, around 10 PM last night, your wife... there's no chance she could have survived..."
Dominic's voice suddenly rose. "What the hell are you talking about? Isabelle is an excellent swimmer. She has to be fine."
His assistant nervously reminded him, "Mr. Harlow, ever since your wife saved you and suffered those complications, she hasn't been able to go in the water..."
Those words hit Dominic like a sledgehammer to the chest.
He staggered back two steps, his mind suddenly flashing to that rainy night. Isabelle had saved him from drowning, developed a high fever, and could never touch water again.
And now, he had thrown her into the sea with his own hands.
A month passed, and the seaside rescue operation finally came to nothing.
Vanessa constantly complained of feeling unwell, frequently asking Dominic to accompany her to the hospital. At first he patiently went along, but when he realized every checkup showed nothing wrong, he began to feel annoyed.
Whenever this happened, Isabelle's face—always calm and serene—would appear before his eyes. Those eyes held such deep love. He remembered their wedding night when he told Isabelle he was impotent, the heartbreak in her eyes had been overwhelming.
Dominic offered huge rewards for any information about Isabelle's whereabouts, but there was never any news.
The day Vanessa gave birth, Dominic noticed a suspicious man lurking in the hospital corridor. When he got up to question him, the man had already vanished without a trace.
When the nurse placed the newborn in his arms, Dominic felt no joy at becoming a father for the first time.
Looking at the wrinkled little face in his arms, all he could think about was whether Isabelle was dead or alive, his chest feeling hollow and aching.
At the baby's Welcome Home Party, His mother beamed as she carried her grandson around, showing him off.
A reporter suddenly asked, "Mr. Harlow, since your wife has been missing for so long and Ms. Snow has given you an heir, are you considering making Ms. Snow your official wife?"
Dominic's expression immediately hardened. His assistant quickly intervened, "Sorry, we won't be responding to that question."
After the party ended, Dominic sat alone on the lounge sofa, lost in thought.
Vanessa walked over carrying the crying baby, pouting playfully. "Dominic, the baby won't stop crying. Can you calm him down?"
Dominic rubbed his temples, feeling like his head was about to split.
Vanessa suddenly changed her tone, lowering her voice. "Dominic, Isabelle's been missing for so long—maybe she ran off with another man. Besides, we really love each other, so why don't we..."
"Enough!" Dominic snapped his head up, fire blazing in his eyes. "I'm exhausted right now. Let me have some peace."
In that moment, he suddenly felt that everything before him was utterly meaningless.
Vanessa stormed out with tears in her eyes.
Standing by the floor-to-ceiling window, Dominic happened to glance at the garden and saw Vanessa intimately linking arms with a strange man. It was the same guy who'd been lurking around the hospital that day.
The way they were laughing and talking together made Dominic's eyes turn cold.
"Dig up everything on that guy," he commanded his assistant, his voice cold and sharp.
The next day, his assistant handed him a thick investigation report. "Mr. Harlow, this guy is Ms. Snow's distant cousin. He has a record for assault, served three years, and he's a notorious scumbag in their hometown."
Dominic's expression was unreadable. After a long silence, he said quietly:
"Find a way to get a paternity test done."
Three days later, the test results hit like a bolt from the blue—the probability of him being the child's father was 0%.
Dominic violently threw the report to the floor, papers scattering everywhere.
"Perfect! Vanessa Snow! Just fucking perfect!"
He pulled out his phone and called his assistant. "Throw Vanessa a spectacular birthday party! I want to give her a real 'surprise.'"
On Vanessa's birthday, Dominic threw her an extravagant celebration.
Looking at the room full of Hermès bags and Cartier jewelry, Vanessa couldn't stop grinning.
Since giving birth to the "Harlow heir," she'd used the resources Dominic provided to become an influencer with millions of followers.
"These are all birthday gifts from my baby's daddy~" She eagerly started a live stream, showing off to the camera.
Just as Vanessa was smugly displaying her diamond necklace to the livestream, the massive screen behind her suddenly lit up.
The banquet hall fell dead silent, then erupted in gasps and exclamations.
End of The True Heiress Strikes Back: You Chose My Stepsister—I Chose Your Rival to Father Your Heir Chapter 17. Continue reading Chapter 18 or return to The True Heiress Strikes Back: You Chose My Stepsister—I Chose Your Rival to Father Your Heir book page.