Chapter 35
Ondine lifted her head, her tear-filled eyes fixed on Valencia.
Valencia's gaze rested on her face. There was no anger in her eyes, no disappointment—just something more complicated.
Like a mother looking at the child she'd raised, suddenly realizing that child had become a stranger.
"This time, I believe you. But if anything like this happens again—rumors, exclusion, anything that makes your sister uncomfortable—I won't ask a second time. Do you understand what I mean?"
Ondine nodded, tears falling again. "I understand, Mom. Thank you for believing me."
Valencia said nothing more.
She stood, glanced at Seraphine—her gaze filled with both sympathy and guilt.
"Sera," her voice softened considerably, "come with me for a moment."
Seraphine set down her magazine, stood, and followed Valencia out of the living room.
Ondine sat on the sofa, watching the two of them disappear down the hallway, tears still streaming down her face—but the warmth in her eyes had dropped to freezing.
She wiped the tear tracks from her face with the back of her hand, her fingers trembling slightly.
'Seraphine. This is all because of you.'
The living room was left with only Ondine.
She sat on the sofa, surrounded by a silence as heavy as a tomb.
The completely cold cup of tea still sat on the coffee table, a thin film of oil floating on its surface like a murky mirror, reflecting her blurred face.
She stared at the tea, her gaze growing colder inch by inch.
Valencia said there wouldn't be a next time.
But Ondine knew—there wouldn't be a next time. Not because she'd stop, but because next time, she wouldn't let anyone catch her.
Cloud Ridge Estates was perched halfway up the northern mountainside of Silverlight City, the most expensive residential area in the entire city.
Starting from the base of the mountain, security checkpoints appeared every 150 feet—tight as a small military zone.
Gavin's Bentley was stopped at the third checkpoint.
A guard bent down to peer into the car, his tone polite but firm. "Sir, visitor vehicles require advance registration of license plates by the homeowner. Your plate is not on today's visitor list."
Gavin's expression soured.
He'd pulled considerable strings just to get a tour pass for Cloud Ridge Estates, and now he couldn't even get through the gate.
Xiomara sat in the passenger seat, dressed in a pale pink Chanel suit, her makeup flawlessly subtle.
She leaned forward slightly and gave the guard a gentle smile. "Sir, we have an appointment with the property management to view a house today. Could you make an exception?"
"I'm sorry, ma'am. Rules are rules. Vehicles without prior registration cannot enter." The guard didn't budge. "You can park at the lot at the base of the mountain and take the property shuttle up."
Gavin reversed the car, his frustration barely concealed.
Xiomara soothed him softly. "It's fine. Taking the shuttle is the same. Just being able to come in and look around is already a privilege. Cloud Ridge Estates isn't a place just anyone can enter."
The shuttle was a white sightseeing cart that wound slowly up the mountain road.
A property salesperson sat in the front row, enthusiastically introducing each villa's designer and sale price—figures so staggering they made people's jaws drop.
Xiomara kept a composed smile on her face, but her fingers discreetly tightened around the strap of her bag.
She had worked hard to convince Gavin to use his connections to secure this tour—this was Silverlight City's most elite neighborhood, home to the wealthiest and most powerful. Any connection here was worth its weight in gold.
She had to make a good impression here, pave the way for the future.
Of course, it would be even better if the Percy family could move in here themselves.
As the shuttle passed a large compound, it slowed down.
The salesperson gestured toward the closed bronze gate.
"This is the largest property in all of Cloud Ridge Estates, covering over 20,000 square feet. The owner is Mr. Orion FitzRoy from the FitzRoy Group. But he's a very private person, rarely goes out. This gate only opens a few times a year."
Xiomara's gaze locked onto the gate immediately.
Orion.
The FitzRoy family connection she'd been searching for was right behind that door.
"Mr. Orion FitzRoy…" Xiomara's voice was soft, carrying just the right amount of curiosity. "Is he a relative of Mr. Octavius FitzRoy?"
"Yes, his grandfather." The salesperson nodded. "Mr. Orion FitzRoy's health hasn't been great in recent years. He's been recuperating quietly and doesn't receive outside visitors."
Xiomara was about to ask more when the bronze gate suddenly began to open.
A black Rolls-Royce emerged from within.
The body gleamed coldly in the afternoon sunlight, the hood ornament tilted slightly upward, the custom license plate glaringly conspicuous.
Everyone on the shuttle instinctively fell silent.
The Rolls-Royce door opened. First came a dark brown cane.
Then an elderly man stepped out, dressed in a gray casual outfit. Though in his seventies, his back was straight, his bearing distinguished.
A watch was worn on his wrist, glowing softly in the sunlight.
Xiomara recognized that watch.
She'd seen them in an auction catalog—the final price had six zeros after it.
Then came the sound of the other door opening.
A young woman of striking presence stepped out.
White top. Black trousers. Simply dressed.
But that face—the moment Xiomara saw it clearly, her pupils contracted sharply.
Seraphine.
After the old man got out, he didn't leave immediately. He stood in place, waiting for Seraphine to walk around to his side.
One hand rested on his cane. The other naturally patted Seraphine's shoulder, and he said something with a smile.
Seraphine tilted her head slightly to look up at him, the corner of her mouth curving as she responded.
The old man laughed heartily, his voice full of vitality, echoing loudly in the quiet mountain air.
He patted Seraphine's shoulder again, then turned and got back into the black Rolls-Royce.
The driver respectfully closed the door, circled back to the driver's seat, and the car smoothly pulled out, exiting through another garage exit.
The way the old man looked at Seraphine was filled with undisguised satisfaction.
A roar erupted in Xiomara's mind as all the fragments suddenly clicked into place.
Why she'd seen Seraphine's biological mother last time, trying to give them that bracelet that looked so expensive.
Now it all made sense.
After Seraphine left the Wipere family and returned to that shabby home—how had she been able to access that exclusive private hospital ordinary people couldn't even approach?
She'd latched onto an old man.
Xiomara turned to look at Gavin beside her.
Gavin had seen it too.
His footsteps had stopped at some point, his entire body frozen in place, his gaze locked on the direction the Rolls-Royce had disappeared.
His jawline was taut as a drawn bowstring, his Adam's apple bobbing.
"Isn't that Seraphine?" Xiomara blurted out in shock. "How is she…"