Doing the test again is definitely out of the question; she would be exposed!
Ava closed her eyes; this time she had truly made a mistake. She hadn't expected Alessia to be so troublesome, nor had she anticipated her cunning. Alessia was just as detestable as her mother.
However, she still needed to get through the current situation.
"Brother, my head hurts..." Ava weakly held her head with one hand.
"Ava, you..." Harrison frowned, hesitating for a moment. The next second, he saw his sister, who had been standing just moments ago, suddenly collapse onto him without any warning.
"Ava, what's wrong? Ava?" Harrison shook Ava's shoulders, but she showed no response.
"Quick, call a doctor, call a doctor!" Harrison ordered the nearby servant, then carried Ava into the house and upstairs.
With the protagonist gone, the banquet couldn't continue.
Alessia raised an eyebrow; the skill of fainting at will could rival a TV drama.
However, her goal had been achieved; she didn't mind changing locations.
Alessia didn't hesitate and followed upstairs.
Jessie also wanted to follow but was ordered by Margaret to stay and handle things.
Who could have expected such a dramatic turn of events at what was just a lively banquet a moment ago?
Upstairs.
Just as Harrison laid Ava on the bed, Alessia entered.
Hearing the sound, Harrison turned around, his face cold as he rebuked, "Why did you follow up? Are you only satisfied when you've angered your mother? How could you be so heartless!"
Alessia crossed her arms, her expression indifferent. "Mr. Ramirez, you might not have heard clearly just now. Is she really my mother? You can ask her if she dares to take a parentage test with me."
At this, Harrison felt a twinge of guilt. He wasn't foolish; Ava had fainted just as he mentioned another parentage test, too coincidental.
"What do you want?" Harrison got straight to the point.
Though their Ramirez family had fallen, they still had their pride. The scandal of Ava impersonating someone's mother would tarnish their reputation. Moreover, he had already guessed where the sample Ava gave Alessia earlier had come from.
It seemed Gordon Laroux and Alessia truly had a father-daughter relationship. If making Alessia acknowledge Ava as her mother could benefit the Ramirez family, then so be it.
Harrison pondered before speaking again, "Sia, no matter what, I recognize you as my niece. You can tell your uncle anything you need."
Was he trying to buy her off with this statement? Alessia smiled, "I don't need anything. Please ask Miss Ava to wake up; I have some questions for her."
Harrison glanced behind him; Ava was still lying on the bed, unresponsive.
After a moment of contemplation, Harrison decided to stall. Alessia hadn't agreed to his conditions, so delaying was the best course of action.
"She is still unconscious. Why don't you wait outside until the doctor arrives?"
"No need." Alessia refused. "I am a doctor; let me take care of her."
As Alessia moved forward, Harrison naturally reached out to stop her, "Sia, where did you learn medicine? Why haven't I heard about it? Your mother already has a longstanding illness; this isn't something to joke about. Let's wait for the professional doctor."
"Mr. Ramirez, don't you trust Alessia? Do you also not trust me?" While Harrison was speaking, the door was pushed open from outside, and in came Riley leaning on crutches, followed by a visibly unhappy Bianca.
After they barged in, a hurried female voice came from behind them, and then Margaret rushed in, panting. "Hey, don't barge in! This isn't a place for thugs like you. Miss Carter, although you are a distinguished guest, you can't behave recklessly with someone like him."
Margaret was full of anger; she had only come after delaying for so long just to keep Riley and Bianca occupied.
She hadn't expected Bianca to bring a cripple and still move so quickly.
"Thug? Mrs. Ramirez, are you sure you didn't misspeak?" Facing Margaret's constant accusations of being a thug, Riley remained calm, but Bianca couldn't stand it any longer. She reached out her hand to Riley, "Give me your business card!"
Riley understood her intention and gently smiled, cooperatively taking out two business cards from his pocket and handing them to her.
After receiving the cards, Bianca arrogantly lifted her chin, passing them to Harrison and Margaret one by one. She said with more joy than avenging herself, "Open your eyes wide and see clearly. Who is he? Is he really the thug you all mentioned?"
Upon hearing this, Harrison lowered his head and read aloud the words on the business card: "Riley Sinclair, psychotherapist, specializing in psychology and traditional medicine."
Harrison raised his head in shock, his eyes filled with disbelief. "Are you saying you're the genius doctor Riley?"
Margaret's eyes widened in the same astonishment. She had always thought Riley was just a thug living off his sister.
Who knew he had such a background.
Riley remained composed, ignoring Harrison and Margaret's surprise, he politely said, "May I proceed to treat Miss Ava now?"
Logically, he should be allowed, but Harrison clearly hesitated.
Alessia grew impatient. How long were they going to drag this on?
She suddenly acted, swiftly grabbing Harrison's hand that was blocking her.
Seeing Alessia move, Margaret was about to step forward to help, but Alessia wasn't polite. She pushed Harrison into Margaret's arms.
Alessia's push was forceful, and Margaret was knocked down by Harrison, tumbling to the ground with him.
Approaching the bed, Alessia looked at Ava lying there as if asleep. Without hesitation, she reached out and pinched her philtrum firmly.
"Alessia, what are you doing? This is your mother; you can't do this."
Even though Harrison had fallen to the ground and was occupied, he still tried to stop Alessia when he saw her attacking Ava.
Ava's acting skills were commendable; even after being pinched, she continued to pretend to be unconscious.
Ignoring Harrison's words, Alessia turned to Bianca. "Bring some water."
Bianca glanced around the room and saw a jug of water on the table. She hurried over and handed it to Alessia.
Taking the water, Alessia opened the jug and poured it all over Ava's face.
Unable to continue the act, Ava finally coughed a few times and sat up on the bed.
However, despite reaching this point, Ava still wanted to continue the charade. She looked up, pretending to be confused, and asked, "What's happening? Brother, sister-in-law, why are you on the floor?"
"Ava, you shameless woman, do you have no dignity?" Bianca chuckled, finding it amusing. She had seen shameless people before, but never someone as shameless as Ava.
She had said it herself; a woman like that couldn't possibly be her sister-in-law's mother. Her sister-in-law was indeed clever not to fall for Ava's tricks.
Ava had never been scolded like this before, and she was stunned. She couldn't help but burst into tears.
"Miss Carter, I'm over fifty years old. It's fine if you don't respect me, but how can you insult me like this? I used to be friends with your mother, Mrs. Carter."
Bianca was taken aback. Mentioning Mrs. Carter made her face stiffen.
"Alright, enough acting. I'm tired of talking nonsense with you all." Alessia frowned. She fully understood now; Ava was just a nuisance, so it was best to deal with her quickly.
After all, she had prepared for both scenarios long ago.
She looked directly at Harrison. "Mr. Ramirez, your company must be struggling lately, right?"
Alessia spoke with certainty.
Harrison was taken aback for a moment and seemed slow to react.
After all, he was experienced in business. Upon careful consideration, he understood. "Are you behind the troubles in my business?"
Understanding was one thing, but he was still unwilling to believe it. After all, Alessia had grown up in the countryside. Even if she was Al, she wouldn't have the ability to ruin his business.
However, Alessia gave him the accurate answer. "You're correct, it's me. I've bought up the Ramirez' shares recently, including those sold to outsiders. I've also acquired shares from individual shareholders."
Harrison frowned. He had recently sold some shares for liquidity, but the person who bought his shares was introduced by a friend. How could that person turn out to be Alessia?
But when it came to matters concerning the Ramirez Group, he'd rather believe there was than wasn't.
Harrison's gaze swept over the faces of those in the room before he walked out and made a phone call.
Not long after, Harrison returned, his expression calm.
Margaret, who had been anxious moments ago, breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Harrison's demeanor. She looked scornfully at Alessia. "I knew you were lying! You, a girl from the countryside, couldn't possibly have enough money to buy our company's shares. Young lady, be realistic. Listen to me and behave. You've done well with your LR Studio, but it's still a niche market. If you want to expand on a large scale, the Ramirez can help you make connections in Canada."
***