A Man with Nerves of Steel (Joseph Hart) novel Chapter 527

Chapter 527

“Are you my biological father?”

Joseph had barely reached the door when he heard Natalie’s voice inside. It felt as though a knife had been plunged straight into his heart.

Skylar didn’t say anything in response. Maybe he simply nodded in acknowledgment, or maybe he was sizing her up in silence.

Joseph knew Skylar was perfectly capable of speaking. The fact that Skylar was staying quiet meant he was deliberately withholding his response.

Then Natalie spoke up again. “If you’re not denying it, that means it’s true. You really are my biological father! finally found you. I’m Cora’s daughter, Natalie Hart. But since you’re my father, I’ll take your last name, so I’m now Natalie Zahn.”

Skylar finally spoke. “Yes, you’re indeed my daughter. My sweet girl, you’ve finally come to see your dad. I didn’t think your mother would agree to let you visit.”

Instead of denying it, he just straight-up admitted it!

“My mom wouldn’t let me come, so I snuck out. I have to go back soon.”

“Your mother was wrong to do that. And that useless foster father of yours must have been feeding you inferior ways of thinking. He’s nothing but narrow-minded and ignorant-typical of lowlifes!

“Oh, you can go ahead and tell me what you want.”

Joseph was beside himself with rage. He was on the verge of storming in and killing Skylar.

Natalie piped up, “I don’t really know what to ask for. This is our first time meeting, after all. Let’s just get to know each other first.

“We’ve only just reunited after more than a decade. A little awkwardness is inevitable. We’ll both need time to adjust, even if blood is thicker than water.”

“You’re right. We both need time to get used to each other. There’s no doubt that we’re bound by blood. You’re a very sensible young lady.

“Go on back now, and think about what you want. I’ll have someone get in touch with you soon. Whatever you want, I can make it happen as long as you’re on my side and listen to me.”

“Okay. Get some rest, Dad. You have to get better.”

She called him “Dad” so affectionately… Joseph felt as though his heart were being torn to shreds. The daughter he had raised himself had accepted another man as her father without a second thought.

He stepped away. A short while later, Natalie came out, wiping tears from her eyes.

Damn, what a touching reunion.

Instead of leaving right away, Natalie went into Gemma’s office. When Joseph followed her there and opened the door, he found Natalie sobbing, wiping away her tears with the back of her hand.

“Dr. Jebb, get her out of here,” Gemma said irritably. She clearly couldn’t stand Natalie.

Joseph escorted Natalie out and told her to get in the elevator. Seeing that she didn’t recognize him at all, he

1/2

+15 Bonus

didn’t know whether to be relieved or devastated.

From the look on Natalie’s face, though, she seemed to be immersed in the joy and excitement of finding her biological father.

In that instant, Joseph knew he had completely lost this daughter of his.

He mused, “I knew it. She’s not my flesh and blood, so there’s no way she could ever truly be close to me. A child who belongs to someone else will always be someone else’s child.

“This is my life. This is the hand fate dealt me. It hurts like hell, but this is bound to happen eventually.”

Whether he wanted to accept this or not, he had no choice but to face reality. Someday, he’d have to let all of this go and move on with his own life.

Joseph headed back to the office.

He asked point-blank, “That young lady is still a student, right? She was in Mr. Zahn’s room. What kind of relationship do they have? Don’t tell me she’s working herself to the bone for him already.”

Gemma rolled her eyes at him as she thought, “So not only is he ugly, but his mind is also just as filthy?”

She explained, “She claims to be Skylar and Cora’s daughter. She demanded that I not only save Skylar but also keep her updated on every single step of his treatment. That snot-nosed brat has a hell of a lot of nerve.

“I have to say, though, she’s way too clever for her age. She barely got three sentences out before the waterworks started. She really knows how to work herself up! That young lady is Cora’s daughter, alright.”

Joseph had long known that Natalie was different. Cora had been grooming Natalie as her successor, so calling Natalie a younger version of Cora wouldn’t be an exaggeration.

The smart and perfect ones were always other people’s children.

Joseph mused out loud, “Looks like once Cora divorces Joseph, she’ll be marrying Mr. Zahn. Those two together would be a force to be reckoned with. So, Gemma, where does that leave you?”

2/2

+15 Bonus