Chapter 86

Kurt and his wife adored their adopted daughter,Lainey, and her sudden return had them overjoyed.

Within just half a day,they had already showered her with jewelry,spending without a second thought as if glittering trinkets could buy her happiness.

Lainey, however, wasn't moved. She forced a polite smile,but her heart wasn't in it.

What she was really waiting for was Denny's call.

She figured Denny's plan would be to come up with some excuse to meet her, then secretly use her hair for a DNA test. That would be her perfect chance to secretly switch Eleanor's hair with hers.

Her prediction came true sooner than she thought.The very next morning, her phone buzzed.

Denny used the excuse that, since she played an important role in the Homecoming Support Foundation Project, he wanted to sit down with her at Usepsall Café the following day to go over the details.

Lainey played her part well. She acted hesitant at first, then reluctantly agreed to meet him.

At that point, everything was in place, and she just needed the final step to complete her plan.

She quickly told her parents she would go home and drove straight back to the Todd family's villa.

Since the household staff had already cleared out Eleanor's things, the room looked almost empty,with only a few old pieces of furniture left behind.

Putting on gloves, Lainey crouched down and carefully searched every inch of the floor.

After almost an hour of searching, she finally spotted a few long strands of hair tucked deep under the bathroom sink.

Using tweezers, she carefully collected them and sealed them inside the bag she had prepared in advance.

With that done,she could practically picture herself becoming part of the Benton family. It felt so close she could almost touch it.

Just as she was happily getting ready to leave, she was startled when Jonny suddenly came back home.

His body reeked of alcohol, and his face looked stormy as he snapped, "Gone the whole night, and this soon after our wedding? What's this,huh? Are you already thinking about divorce?"

He thought he was just blowing off steam, but to his shock,Lainey smiled and calmly answered,"Of course,I'd love that."

Jonny froze, completely caught off guard.

He had been expecting her to cry, throw a fit, or beg like she usually did. Never in his wildest dreams did he think she would agree so easily.

Squinting suspiciously, he studied her face."What kind of game are you playing now?"

Lainey crossed her arms, walked toward him with a proud look, and said with disdain, "Game? No. It's simple. You're just not good enough for me."

Jonny wasn't the naive lover he used to be. Seeing her dodge the point, he grabbed her wrist and demanded, "Tell me exactly what you mean!"

Lainey quickly pulled her hand free and lifted her chin proudly. "Do you want to know why I didn't come home last night? I went to watch a very entertaining show, and while I was there, I discovered something shocking. I'm not Kurt Gilbert's daughter. I'm actually the long-lost daughter of the Benton family in Breoqua." She didn't bother to keep it a secret anymore.Why should she? With Eleanor's hair in her possession,the DNA results would prove her claim soon enough. Then,once she was officially recognized as a Benton,her position would be unshakable.

Jonny,however,was stunned.

His mind reeled at her words. Could this really be true?

The Benton family was just as powerful and renowned as the Stewart family

If they backed the Todd Group, not only would the company survive, but it would also flourish.

But then again, could he really believe Lainey?

She had put on acts, lied, and schemed too mmany times for him to trust her easily.

Lainey noticed the doubt flickering in his eyes,but she didn't care in the slightest.

Instead,she let out a mocking laugh, her gaze dripping with scorn as she continued, "Get it through your head,Jonny. I'm the one divorcing you."

When had Lainey ever dared to look him in the eye and challenge him like this?

Something about her newfound confidence rattled him. Could she actually be telling the truth thistime?

Even if she wasn't, he reasoned, if there was even the slightest chance of using this connection to the Benton family,it would be worth it.

With that thought, his attitude shifted in an instant. His harshness melted into sweetness, his voice softening as he coaxed, "Lainey, after all we've been through,can we really just end things like this? Listen, there's a grand charity auction coming up in a few days. I'll take you with me. Whatever catches your eye,I'll make sure we bid for it, alright?"

But as the supposed future member of the Benton family,why would she care for such little gestures?

Even so, until she drained every bit of benefit from him,letting him trail by her side wasn't sucha bad plan.

Lainey tilted her chin and looked down on him with a smug expression "That depends on how well you perform."

The next afternoon, Lainey met Denny as planned

Treating her with the utmost respect, Denny politely pulled out a chair for her. Once she sat down, he took a file from his briefcase and placed it in front of her.

"Mrs. Todd, our firm is launching a charity program called the Homecoming Support Foundation. Since you've always been passionate about charity work,we'd like to hear your opinion."

Lainey picked up the document, though she hardly paid attention to its contents. Her mind was elsewhere.With practiced subtlety, she slipped a sealed bag from her purse under the table and quietly placed the strands of hair onto her lap.

She lingered a moment, then took a delicate sip of her drink before excusing herself smoothly. "I'm sorry,I need to step away for a moment."

As she stood up, the strand of hair slid off her lap and landed on the sofa cushion.

To anyone watching, it would look like it hadsimply fallen naturally.

Sure enough, the moment she stepped toward the restroom, she caught sight of Denny discreetly snatching up the hair and slipping it quickly into his pocket.

Lainey's heart raced with excitement.

Perfect. Everything was going exactly as planned.

Soon,she would be part of the Benton family

But she wasn't as invisible as she thought. From across the room, Darleen had been quietly watching. She frowned in confusion.

Why was Lainey behaving so oddly, dropping strands of hair like that?

And why did that man with her look so strangely familiar?

Darleen wracked her memory, trying to recall who he was,but nothing came to mind.

Eventually,she let it go.

Whatever the scheme was, she wanted no part of it.Lainey was nothing but trouble

She had learned that lesson before, and she wasn't about to fall for it again.