Chapter 224 Biological Mother

Chapter 224 Biological Mother

Sloane's POV

Christian stared at the blood test report, his pupils trembling violently. He opened his mouth, as if trying to say something, but couldn't even get out half a syllable.

The hallway fell into a long, suffocating silence.

That night, none of us left the hospital. Jared kept me wrapped in his broad, warm embrace, his large hand tightly holding my ice-cold fingers, constantly transmitting strength to me.

I leaned against his chest, listening to his steady heartbeat, while my mind replayed like a slideshow the cold treatment I'd endured over the past twenty-plus years at the orphanage, and later the various mistreatments I'd suffered after Isabelle took me in.

If Jones was my biological mother, then what was Isabelle? What exactly happened back then?

The next morning, just as dawn was breaking, footsteps from the end of the hallway broke through the stagnant air.

The head of the lab department came running over, sweating profusely, clutching an envelope stamped with a "Top Secret" seal.

"It's here! The rush DNA paternity test results are here!"

I jumped to my feet. Because I got up too quickly, my vision went black.

Jared caught my waist with quick reflexes, took the envelope from the director, tore it open, and handed the report to me.

I took a deep breath, my gaze trembling as I skipped past all the complicated data and landed on the final conclusion.

[DNA comparison analysis supports a biological mother-daughter relationship between Jones and Sloane, with 99.99% certainty.]

Those bolded words hit like a sledgehammer, completely shattering my last shred of doubt.

"It's true..." Professor Brandon shakily leaned over to see the results. His cane dropped to the floor with a "clack," and he seemed to lose all his strength in an instant, his legs buckling as he nearly collapsed.

"Grandpa!" Christian's eyes were red as he caught him.

Professor Brandon's tears flowed freely. He pushed Christian aside and walked unsteadily toward me. This man, a giant in the medical field who had always been so dignified, now cried like a child who'd lost a priceless treasure.

He reached out with his thin, trembling hands and pulled me tightly into his arms.

"My dear child... you're actually Jones's daughter..." He sobbed uncontrollably, hot tears falling on my shoulder. "No wonder I felt such a connection when I first saw you... We failed you, letting you suffer so much out there all alone!"

I hugged this weathered old man back, and tears suddenly streamed down my face without warning.

So I wasn't unwanted trash after all.

In this world, I had real blood relatives too.

"But how is this possible?" Jared didn't get caught up in this warm family reunion. Standing beside me, a sharp, cold gleam flashed in his deep black eyes.

He calmly and sharply pointed out the core issue: "If Sloane is Jones's biological child, why did she grow up in an orphanage? Even more absurd—how could Isabelle later adopt Sloane from the orphanage as her 'biological mother'? And her attitude toward Sloane was nothing like what a mother should have."

Jared's words were like a bucket of cold water, instantly sobering everyone present.

Right—if I were Isabelle's biological daughter, how could she have let me suffer in an orphanage?

And how could she have beaten and scolded me after taking me back, even using me as a tool to climb the social ladder?

All of this was clearly a carefully planned conspiracy.

Jared's jawline tightened, his expression terrifyingly cold. Without hesitation, he pulled out his phone and called his trusted assistant, his tone icy as he gave orders: "Start investigating immediately! Dig up everything about Isabelle and Keira's whereabouts, social connections from over twenty years ago, and all the files from the orphanage where Sloane stayed! Even if you have to dig three feet underground, get me the truth about what happened back then!"

After hanging up, Jared turned back and pulled me into his arms again, his large hand soothingly patting my back.

I lifted my head from his embrace and looked at Professor Brandon with red eyes, asking the deepest question in my heart: "Professor... Grandpa, what happened back then? If Jones is my mother, then who is my father?"

At the word "father," Professor Brandon's hand paused slightly as he wiped his tears. He let out a long sigh, his cloudy eyes full of pain and helplessness.

"I don't know who your father is either." Professor Brandon shook his head, his voice carrying deep exhaustion. "Over twenty years ago, Jones had a big fight with me over some family matter and left home in anger. When she came back, she was already ten months pregnant, about to give birth."

"I was furious and demanded to know who the man was, but she acted like she was possessed—she gritted her teeth and refused to say the man's name, wouldn't even mention him."

Professor Brandon closed his eyes in pain, as if falling back into that most unbearable memory. "A few days later, she gave birth to a baby girl at the hospital. I thought, well, since the child was born, the Brandon family could certainly afford to raise one more child. But who could have imagined... the night after you were born, the hospital had a power outage, and when your mother woke up, you were already dead in the crib."

My whole body shook, my heart feeling like it was being squeezed by an invisible hand.

"After the child died, Jones couldn't handle the blow and went crazy on the spot." Professor Brandon choked up, tears rolling down again. "She searched everywhere for you, didn't recognize anyone, just held a pillow and called it baby. All these years, I've kept her in a nursing home with the best psychiatrists, but she's remained confused... If Keira and Isabelle hadn't gone to provoke her this time, she wouldn't have been driven to take pills and cut her wrists in despair..."

Hearing all this, my heart ached so much it felt like it would split open.

My mother didn't abandon me.

She went crazy because she lost me!

"Don't be afraid." Jared sensed my trembling and held me tighter. He lowered his head and kissed the top of my head, his low, husky voice carrying absolute dominance and protectiveness. "No matter who was behind it back then, I promise they'll pay a thousand times over."

Professor Brandon gradually calmed down from his grief.

After all, he'd spent half his lifetime navigating the world of fame and fortune, and immediately realized the seriousness of the situation.

"What happened back then was definitely not an accident, and Isabelle must be involved!" Professor Brandon's eyes instantly became extremely sharp. He turned to Christian and ordered sternly, "Christian, listen carefully. Until Jared uncovers the whole truth, the fact that Sloane is Jones's biological daughter must be kept absolutely secret! We can't let those evil women hear even a whisper of it, or they'll panic and destroy the evidence!"