She glared at him and snapped, "Arthur! Has your conscience been eaten away completely? Everyone says that being filial is the foundation of virtue—is this how you treat your parents?" Arthur scoffed, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Wow. Even now, you're still trying to manipulate me? Still pulling the same old guilt-tripping tricks?" He didn’t hold back at all, exposing them outright. His bluntness threw them off, catching them completely unprepared. Ashley wasn’t about to sit this one out—she jumped in without hesitation. Jabbing a finger at John’s face, she let loose. "You actually have the audacity to say you weren’t a negligent father? Look at yourself! Do you even know what being a father means? You ignored your own son and doted on that adopted kid of yours like he was the only one that mattered! You’re not just biased—you’re downright delusional! Even after finding out that Zac bullied Arthur for eight years—eight! And even when he tried to frame Arthur two years ago, and then again recently, you still defended him without question! You never hesitated to shield him, regardless of what he did! What, is Zac actually your secret love child or something?" Boom! The words hit John like a hammer. Illegitimate son. The accusation struck deeply, piercing straight to the heart. His expression twisted—one moment pale, the next flushed. He couldn't even meet the Gray family's eyes. The one thing he feared most was people questioning Zac’s legitimacy. Zac is my rightful son! he thought. Not an illegitimate son! But with Raelynn and the three sisters all here, he had no way to deny it. The words illegitimate son sent a ripple through the room. Everyone in the Gray family instinctively turned their eyes toward Zac and John. Julie frowned at the way John avoided their gazes. Even Raelynn picked up on his strange behavior. Wait... A thought flickered in her mind—something she couldn’t quite catch. Her eyes locked onto Zac and John, her expression turning serious. Before she could make sense of it, Ashley had already redirected her fury—this time at Raelynn. Under normal circumstances, as Arthur’s girlfriend, she wouldn’t have confronted his parents like this. But enough was enough! She jabbed a finger at Raelynn and snapped, "And you, Mrs. Gray! People say no parent—especially no mother—would ever stop loving their child. But he’s your son! You carried him for nine months—how can you be so cruel to him? And tell me—haven’t you ever thought it was strange? The way your husband treats Zac? So much so that he’d rather tear down his own son just to keep protecting that adopted one? Are you telling me you’ve never once questioned it?" The moment Ashley’s words landed, the entire Gray family went pale as ghosts. Raelynn’s eyes stayed locked on John and Zac, her mind drifting back to memories from long ago. She could still remember—ten years ago, John had told her he wanted to visit an orphanage to see an old friend. But before they even had a chance to meet that friend, they stumbled upon a young boy which was Zac was being bullied. At the time, Arthur was their whole world. But seeing Zac, who was the same age as Arthur—being tormented by a group of older kids, John couldn’t just stand by and do nothing. Raelynn, on the other hand, hadn’t wanted to adopt. She already had a son and a daughter—what reason was there to bring in another child? But then, completely unexpectedly, Zac grabbed onto her leg and started sobbing, telling her his heartbreaking story. The sight of him being small and helpless, made something inside her waver. Before she could even say a word, a rock suddenly came flying straight at her. It was fast, and unavoidable. Zac threw himself in the way and took the hit for her without hesitation! The frail boy ended up with a nasty scrape from the impact. That moment changed everything—Raelynn decided then and there to take him in. With Zac hurt, they didn’t even bother visiting John’s friend. Instead, they rushed him home. Zac had a natural charm. On the way home, he kept making Raelynn laugh, saying all the right things to touch her heart. He was more thoughtful than her own children as he always knowing just what to say. With his weak health and congenital heart condition, Raelynn couldn’t help but dote on him. Before she even realized it, she had started treating him as if he were her own. By the time they got back to the Gray family home, her affection for Zac had already begun to outweigh what she felt for Arthur. But then something odd happened—when Zac mentioned that he liked Arthur’s room, John agreed without hesitation. If it had just been Zac acting like a clueless kid, that would have been one thing. But Arthur was John’s son—the boy he had cherished for eight years. That was the room Arthur had lived in for eight years. How could John just give it away without a second thought—without even asking Arthur?Zac was lovable, sure, and he did tug at the heartstrings, but he was still a child they had only just brought into their home. No matter how much they liked him, this kind of favoritism didn’t make sense in a single day. Later, John said he was moving Arthur into a bigger room, which made Raelynn stop questioning it. But after that, things kept happening. Arthur had always been an obedient, well-mannered child, but ever since Zac came into the house, everything changed. He had suddenly started acting out.