Isabella: You keep lyinggg, Karen! Tell the damn truth for once, jeez!
rolls her eyes dramatically Oh no, don't play dumb with me, Karen! It's bad enough you've been lying non-stop, but pretending not to understand? That's just rich!
So Karen is the name of my mom now?
throws her hands up in exasperation Of course not, Certer! Your mom's name is Karen. But guess what? She's been acting like a freaking Shadow Walker around us!
What do you mean by that?
leans in closer, voice dripping with urgency I mean, she's been hiding things from us! Secret meetings, secretive conversations...
snaps her fingers Like last week, when I saw her sneaking out of your house late at night, whispering to someone on the phone!
leans in even closer, eyes wide with suspicion Who knows?! She was being all hush-hush, like she was plotting something big!
My mom would never do anything shady.
narrows her eyes, crossing her arms defensively Well, I saw it with my own eyes, Certer! Don't just brush it off like it's nothing!
grabs Certer's phone, tapping furiously on the screen No, no, no! Don't you dare let her off the hook like that! Let me talk to her!
takes a deep breath, trying to keep her voice steady Mom, we need to talk. There's something going on, and we can't ignore it anymore.
During the phone call, Isabella reveals a shocking family secret that leaves Certer and their mother reeling
pauses, taking a deep breath Okay, listen up, Certer. Brace yourself for this one... she lowers her voice to a whisper
leans in even closer, her eyes filled with urgency Alright, here it goes... Your dad?
raises an eyebrow Your dad, Certer, he's not who you think he is. He's not your biological father!
What are you talking about?
waves her phone in front of Certer's face Look at this! Your dad's DNA results from that genealogy website! It's all there in black and white, Certer!
quickly opens a web browser on her phone Okay, hold on, let me show you. types in the search bar 'Ancestry.com', quick!
points excitedly at the screen See, right there! It says 'Patrick Smith' isn't your biological father. It's another guy entirely!
leans back, smirking triumphantly Well, that's the million-dollar question, isn't it? Looks like we have some serious sleuthing to do, Certer!
stands up abruptly, grabbing Certer's hand First things first, we gotta dig up every shred of information we can find on this Patrick Smith guy!
How are we gonna do that?
starts pacing back and forth, thinking quickly Alright, alright! We gotta be strategic about this, Certer!
stops pacing, snapping her fingers We need to gather our team, Certer! We can't do this alone. I know just the people who can help us uncover the truth!