The IVF Secret That Shook a Dynasty novel Chapter 505

Raymond gestured with his hand, shifting the focus to Vivica.

Sullivan and Sean turned to look at her. The lean one and the heavy one had different expressions, but both pairs of eyes were filled with a complex, defensive look as they sized her up. Joseph shifted his position slightly, blocking his wife more completely from their view.

Sullivan snorted. “A Chase descendant? If I don’t acknowledge her, then she’s no descendant of this family.”

From the hospital bed, Hayes grew agitated. “Her name is Vivica!” he insisted, craning his neck. “She is my daughter! If Mom and Dad hadn’t foolishly given my little girl away in secret, we wouldn’t have been separated for decades! Cough, cough—” The excitement sent him into a violent coughing fit.

Worried about his health, Raymond rushed forward to soothe him. “Hayes, calm down. Your health is the most important thing. With Mr. Baird and me here today, we’ll protect Vivica.”

Joseph heard this and felt a wave of annoyance. He hated being used as a shield. Raymond’s move—dragging him and his wife into this mess without so much as a warning—infuriated him. But facing a common enemy, he couldn’t show his displeasure. On the contrary, he had to cooperate and present a united front.

“Hayes, Mom and Dad have been gone for years, and you’re still blaming them? Is that any way for a son to act?” Sullivan, the eldest, reprimanded him with the air of a patriarch.

Hayes was still coughing, unable to retort.

Sullivan shot him a fierce glare. “You think I needed you to tell me that?!”

Sean immediately fell silent, shrinking back with a shifty look.

Sullivan rolled his eyes at his brother before turning back to Joseph, his expression a little more polite but still tinged with defiance. “Mr. Baird, when we met at the hospital, you said you were the one who reported us… We have no quarrel with you. Wasn’t that a bit underhanded?”

Joseph smiled, slipping a hand into his pocket. “No quarrel? Mr. Sullivan Chase, the only way to keep a secret is to not do it in the first place. Did you really think the games you were playing in Riverdale were so flawless?”