Chapter 24 Real or Fake


    He didn’t just put Erin on a pedestal-he spent most of his time trying to win her over by plotting pranks and revenge against her.


    Tracy didn’t believe for a second that he suddenly showed up out of kindness.


    She dodged Simon’s outstretched hand, forcing down the wave of bad memories.


    The guard who had been pped grumbled, “Mr. Dunn, there’s only one real daughter in the Jackmans. We all know her. She came in over half an hour ago. This girl’s clearly a shameless impostor trying to sneak in. Don’t let her fool you.”


    Simon nced at Tracy-head down, silent—and replied loudly, “Yes, there’s only one real daughter in the Jackmans. But when Mrs. Jackman gave birth, the babies were switched at the hospital. They didn’t find the real one until 18 yearster.


    “This one here is the fake-she stole the identity of the real daughter and lived in luxury for 18 years.”


    The guard suddenly understood. “So that’s it! No wonder she gave off that fake, shameless vibe the moment I saw her. Turns out she really is a fraud-pretending to be someone else for 18 whole years without a shred of shame!”


    Tracy wasn’t stupid.


    The guard’s deliberate hostility and Simon’s sudden appearance-it was all too perfectly timed.


    If she still didn’t get what was happening, then her two years in the etiquette school were for nothing.


    Simon didn’t stop the guard’s insults. In fact, he watched her with a gleeful look, waiting for her to blow <ol><li></li></ol>


    He’d been trailing behind her for years. No one knew better than him how proud and arrogant she could be.


    Now, humiliated in public like this, she’d definitely lose her temper.


    Everyone knew the Jackmans no longer favored Tracy. If she dared throw a tantrum here like a spoiled heiress, he’d dly put her in her ce-for Erin.


    After all, she’d been gone two years. How dare shee back and try to take Erin’s ce? Even force Erin to throw her this grand wee party?


    He still remembered how aggrieved and patient Erin looked when she told him about it. He could barely stop himself from stepping in and teaching Tracy a lesson right now.


    But under the sneers, scorn, and curious stares, Tracy simply looked up and said, “Mr. Dunn, if you’re done humiliating me, may I go in now?”


    She didn’t care how they looked at her. She didn’t care what Simon and the guard were trying to prove. She just wanted to quietly attend this party with her grandfather.


    She wasn’t the old Tracy anymore. This kind of humiliation didn’t evene close to the pain of a


    beating.


    When Simon met those calm eyes, he suddenly felt like some idiot performing for her.


    “You…”


    He was irritated but couldn’t think of what to say. In the end, he could only lead her inside.


    Tracyposed herself before entering the hotel-she didn’t want her grandfather to worry when he saw her.


    But the moment she stepped in, she was met with a group of young, unfamiliar faces in high-end designer gowns-faces that looked vaguely familiar.


    She’d been to enough parties to know this wasn’t the private family gathering Liam had promised.


    Still, she turned to Simon and asked, “Where’s Grandpa?”


    Simon was caught off guard. “Franklin?”


    Today’s wee party was something Erin had painstakingly organized for Tracy. The guests were all young elites from Cloudville. Even Benjamin and Daphne didn’t show up, so there’s no way Franklin


    would.


    Everyone in Cloudville’s elite circle knew that ever since Tracy left two years ago, Franklin had been hospitalized and never stepped out again—not even for the Jackmans’s events.


    One look at Simon’s face, and Tracy understood everything.


    The so-called family party, the promise that her grandfather would attend-it was all a lie.


    She didn’t know what Liam’s true motive was, but it was clear this wasn’t anything good.


    With a cold face, she turned around without hesitation.


    Simon didn’t expect her to react like that. Stunned, he quickly rushed to block her. “Tracy, Erin nned all this out of kindness. Don’t be ungrateful!”


    Kindness?


    Tracy couldn’t see where the kindness was in any of this.


    “I appreciate her effort, but I don’t need it.”


    She was firm and ready to leave, but Simon grabbed her by the arm.


    ncing at the nearby crowd chatting away, he suddenly raised his voice and shouted, “Tracy, you’re already here-why rush off?”


    His voice drew everyone’s attention. All eyes turned to Tracy.


    “Let go!”


    She yanked her arm free with such force that she stumbled back several steps before steadying herself.


    Her slender wrist was bright red, showing just how hard Simon had grabbed her.


    Tracy didn’t want to argue. She pulled down her sleeve to cover it and just wanted to get out of there-but the nearby group was already closing in.


    “Well, well, look who it is. Turns out it’s our once-beloved princess of Cloudville, Ms. Jackman!”


    “Ms. Jackman? Please, that name’s been dead for years. She changed herst name to Yarwood ages ago. The news is still online-we should be calling her Ms. Yarwood now.”