Forbidden Passion
Chapter 552 Brandon Denied Paternity

Phoebe didn't think she'd bump into Brandon and Taylor by the lake. She could feel Grace getting all tense next to her, so she gave her arm a little squeeze. "Don't sweat it," Phoebe said, trying to calm her down. "They're your people, the closest you've got."

Grace shot Phoebe a nervous look. "Phoebe, I'm not ready for this."

Lately, Taylor had been coming down to see Grace three times a day. Sometimes she'd ask about Grace's childhood, other times she'd just sit there, not saying much. Honestly, even though they were blood, Brandon and Taylor still felt like strangers to Grace, and it freaked her out.

Phoebe flashed Grace a reassuring smile. "It's cool, I get it. You need time, and so do they. Just don't dodge it, give it a shot, okay?"

Grace bit her lip and nodded after a bit.

Phoebe helped Grace as they walked towards Brandon and Taylor. She could feel Grace dragging her feet, so she slowed down. She took it easy, giving Grace time to get her head straight.

Brandon looked at Grace next to Phoebe and asked Taylor, "Who's that girl? Never seen her before."

Taylor replied, "Her name's Grace. Who do you think she looks like?"

Brandon gave Grace a good look. Her delicate features instantly reminded him of how Taylor looked when they first met.

Brandon asked, "Don't tell me she's some secret kid of yours?"

Taylor gritted her teeth and pinched Brandon's side hard. "Don't be an ass. I'm not like you. She's our daughter."

"Get outta here," Brandon snapped. "If she's our daughter, then what about Madison?"

But Grace looked so much like a younger Taylor, especially her nose, lips, and chin, like they were cut from the same cloth.

Taylor saw Grace getting closer and decided to spill the beans. "We took the wrong baby at the hospital back then. Grace is our daughter."

Brandon's eyes widened. "Are you serious?"

"Why would I lie? When you were in the ICU, we did a paternity test. She's our daughter," Taylor said, annoyed.

Brandon's eyes darted between Grace and Taylor. "Is this for real?"

"Brandon, Grace is really your and Taylor's biological daughter," Phoebe said as she helped Grace get closer. Hearing Brandon's words, she quickly jumped in, worried he'd hurt Grace with his attitude. Brandon looked at Grace, stunned. She did look more like Taylor, but how could they have taken the wrong baby?

Brandon asked, "What the hell happened?"

Taylor hadn't been sitting around these past few days. She had people dig into what happened back then and even went upstairs to talk to Mason and Alva to get the scoop.

Mason and Alva played dumb, saying they knew nothing about the baby switch and denied everything.

Given how much time had passed and the fact that there were no cameras in the nursery back then, no one but Mason and Alva knew how the babies got switched.

Grace was floored when Taylor mentioned that Mason and Alva claimed ignorance. She had clearly heard them say they switched her and Madison to give Madison a better life.

But now, Mason and Alva were denying everything, which was seriously pissing Grace off.

Still, Grace couldn't just throw Mason and Alva under the bus in front of Taylor. They had raised her for 20 years, after all.

Taylor said, "I had people dig through the hospital records. It was probably a nurse's screw-up. You know how crappy the hospital was back then, no cameras or anything. Even if there were, it's been 20 years. We wouldn't find squat. When I talked to Mason and Alva, they were more shocked than I was. It was a mistake back then, but now we can fix it, and that's a good thing."

Brandon stared at Grace, making her super uncomfortable. She clenched her fists.

"Then how did you know she was our daughter?" he asked.

Taylor was caught off guard by the question and looked at Phoebe. It was Phoebe who had told her, but how did Phoebe know? Phoebe had never really explained. She said, "Actually, I had a hunch before Grace's car accident, but I couldn't be sure." Brandon frowned, "How did you figure it out?"

Phoebe replied, "One day, Theodore took me and Madison to eat fish. Mr. Sullivan looked at Madison weirdly and later followed us to the market. We thought he was some creep. But it's not like a creep to follow us and then give us money." Brandon said, "That sounds sketchy, but just because of that, you thought Madison wasn't a Reynolds? Isn't that a bit of a leap?"

"I didn't think much of it at first. What really got me thinking was when I saw Madison bullying Grace in the company cafeteria and then sending people to trash the Sullivan's fish shop. But Mr. Sullivan stopped Grace from calling the cops. It wasn't until Grace's car accident, when the doctor said she had A-negative blood, that I realized Madison was bullying Grace because Grace was the real Reynolds kid," Phoebe said.

Brandon, being the big boss of the Reynolds Group, quickly pieced together all the info Phoebe had dropped.

He asked, "So you're saying Mason and Alva knew Madison was their daughter all along, and Madison knew she wasn't our real daughter?"

Phoebe looked Brandon in the eye, "Yeah, at least that's what I think. Mason and Alva knew Grace and Madison were switched. Whether it was the nurse's fault or their doing, only they know."

"That's a load of crap," Brandon shouted. "Madison might be a handful, but I don't buy that she's as bad as you say."

Phoebe wasn't scared of Brandon. She said, "If you think I'm making this up, call Madison and let her face me, or check the company records to see if she used her status to bully Grace."

"Phoebe, what are you trying to pull? You want us to kick Madison out so Grace can take her spot?" Brandon was having none of it.

Grace's face went pale, and tears of humiliation welled up in her eyes. "Mr. Reynolds, don't worry. I'm not here to take anyone's place." With that, Grace pushed Phoebe away and stumbled off.

"I'll deal with you later," Taylor snapped at Brandon and quickly ran after Grace. "Grace, slow down; don't trip."