Chapter 2: Confronting the Actress

After the investigator left, I sat in the room for a while and texted my cousin: "Finished talking."

She came in fast. "What’s the story?" She always barreled in, bringing a gust of energy with her.

"Ethan’s parents probably weren’t involved in the baby swap."

"Pfft! Doesn’t change the fact that they’re trash." She flopped into the chair across from me, arms crossed, eyes blazing.

"They don’t know who Mason’s mother is, either."

"That jerk Ethan sure knows how to keep his mouth shut!"

"Ava, do you know Lauren Chen? She’s an actress."

"Yeah, she’s been hooking up with Skyward Media’s CEO, Daniel Price, these past two years. She’s been in a lot of shows, but she’s got no real talent. No matter how many resources get thrown at her, she’s just a familiar face. Dan..."

My cousin suddenly stopped, staring at me wide-eyed. "It’s her?"

"No solid proof yet, but there’s a strong chance—like eighty percent." I showed her the photo.

"The nose and mouth do look similar." She studied the photo, nodding.

"I want to test her reaction."

"How?"

"I want to see how she reacts if Mason and I show up in front of her. Ava, help me out."

"No problem!" She grabbed her phone and started typing. "Lauren’s filming a show for our company right now. The director’s a friend. I’ll get the shooting schedule. I’ll take you to the set."

A few minutes after she sent the message, she got a reply.

"Tomorrow and the day after, they’ll be shooting at Willow Lane Studios. Lauren has several scenes every day."

"Let’s go the day after tomorrow. It’s the weekend, and Ethan will be on a business trip."

On Saturday, I gave the nanny the day off, took Mason, met up with my cousin, and headed to Willow Lane Studios.

The city was waking up as we drove. Mason kicked his legs in the back seat, humming along to the radio. Ava kept up a steady stream of chatter, trying to keep my nerves in check.

When we arrived, they were just filming Lauren’s scene.

"Lauren’s acting... well, the other girl’s pretty good." My cousin chatted with the director.

The female director, about forty, sounded a bit regretful. "Too bad no one’s really promoting her. She’s still stuck playing minor roles with only a few scenes, and she’s already twenty-six or twenty-seven. Not much hope of breaking out."

"You never know. Maybe tomorrow’s her big break. Stranger things have happened," my cousin said. "But I really don’t get why Daniel Price is pushing Lauren so hard. Even if she’s his real sister, with such a low return, he should pick someone else."

"I actually asked around about it. She said Lauren taught her how to enjoy life."

My cousin looked baffled. "What kind of enjoyment is worth that much?"

"She takes her to eat junk food—corn dogs, fries, fried chicken, that sort of thing." The director shook her head, half amused, half exasperated. "And sometimes she sends her flowers, teaches her how to play video games, stay up late, sleep in, go to clubs."

"That’s it? That’s a steal."

"That’s it." The director nodded at our shocked faces. "I don’t even know what to say. Most people rebel in their twenties; she waited till her forties. She used to be so disciplined, looked younger than her age, but she’s really let herself go lately. Not long ago, she ended up in the hospital with food poisoning from eating fair food, and then blamed her own weak stomach."

My cousin clicked her tongue. "She’s been brainwashed."

"Well, she won’t listen to anyone now. She keeps saying, ‘Quality of life matters more than longevity—happiness is what counts.’" The director waved helplessly.

As they spoke, the assistant director, a few yards away, called, "Cut! Ten-minute break." Lauren and the talented young actress walked over to watch the playback.

The set bustled with crew members, the smell of burnt coffee and makeup hanging in the air. I wiped Mason’s mouth with a napkin, heart pounding. This was it.

As they came our way, I picked up Mason, who’d been watching the assistant director’s walkie-talkie with wide-eyed curiosity.

Because we were close to the monitor and the director was nearby, the two actresses glanced over naturally.

I noticed Lauren’s steps falter and a flash of surprise cross her face when she saw me and Mason, though she quickly recovered.

It had to be her.

I just laughed at myself.

Something so easy to find out, yet I’d been kept in the dark for three years. The realization stung, but I also felt a strange sense of relief—like finally seeing the edges of a puzzle I’d been fumbling with in the dark.

Then I comforted myself—it was better than being lied to for a lifetime. At least now, I could do something about it.

Just when I thought that was enough, a small surprise popped up.

After watching the playback, the assistant director was giving notes to the two actresses, mostly to Lauren.

Mason finished his water from his special bottle, then suddenly called out in their direction, "Mommy."

The notes had just wrapped up, and his little voice was loud enough for several people nearby to hear. The set went momentarily quiet, all eyes flicking over to us.

"Silly boy, Mommy’s right here." I smiled, touching my cheek to his and correcting him. "Those are big sisters."

After all the emotional bombshells these days, nothing could faze me anymore.

A few adults smiled kindly in our direction.

"Big sister," Mason said shyly.

A trace of tension in Lauren’s eyes vanished at his words. She relaxed, letting out a tiny breath, and offered Mason a small, wavering smile.

"Aww, what a good boy," the other actress responded brightly. "We’ll come play with you after filming."

When filming resumed, Lauren’s performance improved, but even after four or five more takes, the director never called "cut" for a wrap.

The director sighed mid-shoot. "Her mind’s clearly elsewhere."

It was true—if Lauren put a tenth of her scheming into her acting, she wouldn’t be this mediocre.

My test was over.

While I was planning my next move, Lauren made her own.