Laura said, "Alfonso's bad news. You wouldn't want to help him, right?"
Gerald shook his head, "He needs to face the music for his own screw-ups. I'm not helping him."
Laura finally felt a bit better. But then another thought hit her. "Would Alfonso really be that nice? He told you Josephine looks like your grandma?"
"I didn't think much of it before," Gerald replied. "There are tons of people who look alike. We've been searching for my sister for years and have seen many lookalikes, but every time we got our hopes up, we were let down."
"So you did a DNA test with Josephine just because she looked similar?"
"Yeah, that's right. The test showed she's not related to my mom," Gerald said. "But when I saw her today, she was like a spitting image. It's wild to think two totally different people could be so alike. Not just in appearance, but in their behavior, quirks, even their eyes."
"What's going on then?" Laura blurted out. "You know what? I always had this feeling that Josephine's parents might not actually be her real parents!"
"What do you mean by that?"
Laura angrily recounted all the awful things Todd and his wife had done to Josephine.
Steven, who didn't know the details, was fuming just hearing about Todd's actions.
Gerald listened, picked up his wine glass, stayed quiet for a few seconds, then put it down without drinking.
"I'll have someone look into this," Gerald said. "And I want to do another DNA test."
Laura said, "I think that's a good idea! Your family hasn't adopted any girls, right?"
Laura knew the Campbell Family had lost a daughter but adopted a girl named Shirley the next year.
Sure, adopting might alleviate the family's sorrow. However, if the biological daughter were to surface later on, things could get pretty awkward.
Lots of families have been through this. With the internet being so advanced now, Laura had read several such stories.
Some biological parents treated their adopted daughters well but ignored their biological daughters.
Laura couldn't wrap her head around it. She got being good to the adopted daughter—they had raised her for years and had feelings for her.
But shouldn't the biological daughter, who had been lost for so long, be more deserving of their care? How could they be so biased?
In a wild turn of events, once the biological daughter was located, the adopted daughter employed various tactics to sow discord between her and the parents. Ultimately, the biological daughter was ousted once more.
Laura was furious when she read this online. She felt there were all kinds of people in the world. Including the Campbell Family, Laura had no good impression of the adopted Shirley. So, she had to get the facts straight now.
If the Clarence Family had also adopted a so-called daughter, then even if Josephine was their child, she would never go back to suffer that!
"No," Gerald said. "Our whole family believes my little sister is irreplaceable. She'll come back one day, and there will always be a place for her at home."
"That's right," Laura said. "Then hurry up and do the DNA test! I'm so excited! I really think Josephine is your sister!"
Steven pulled her back, "Let's not jump to conclusions. We need proof. Let's wait for the test results."
"Right," Gerald said. "I also hope you can keep this under wraps. I don't want everyone to know, and if it turns out there's no blood relation, it wouldn't be good."
"Don't worry!" Laura said. "I'll definitely keep it a secret! I won't tell Josephine either!"
Laura imagined the possibility of Josephine being the Clarence Family's daughter.
The Clarence stood far above even Stuart in influence, not just in wealth. While Stuart was affluent, the Clarence Family wielded unmatched power.
If Josephine really was their daughter, Laura anticipated Todd and his wife's reaction eagerly!
"And also, about the weekend trip to the resort, please help persuade Josephine," Gerald said.
Laura said, "By the weekend, the test results should be out, right?"
Gerald nodded, "My mom hasn't been in good health these years. I'll take her out for a break. If the results are good, we'll meet. If not, we won't."
Laura said, "Okay, I get it."
She thought the Clarence Family was doing the right thing. They had been looking for their child for so many years without giving up and hadn't adopted any random girls, unlike the Campbell Family.
And Todd, even though Josephine was still there, they adopted Emily. This behavior made Todd and his wife seem less like real parents.
The three of them chatted a bit more, and by the time dinner was over, it was quite late.
On the way back, Laura sighed, "If Josephine really is from the Clarence Family, that would be great."
"Yeah," Steven said. "It would make a huge difference in status."
"Come on, Josephine is not that kind of materialistic person," Laura said. "I just hope she can have a family who truly loves her."
"I know what kind of person Josephine is. I've known Gerald for many years, and he's genuinely a good guy. And the Clarence Family has always had a good reputation."
"Exactly," Laura said. "At first, I was shocked. I thought he had a thing for Josephine."
"I was shocked too," Steven said. "We should keep this from Josephine but tell Stuart. He seems worried too."
"He deserves it!" Laura said. "Let him know how popular our Josephine is!"
"Don't stir things up," Steven said. "Stuart has had a hard time too."
"How am I stirring things up? He's had a hard time? Of course, men understand men. Do you think it was normal for Stuart to be so bad back then?"
Steven quickly said, "Of course not! He did make mistakes in the past, but hasn't he changed now?"
"Yes, he's changed, so now he's had a hard time. If Josephine doesn't forgive him, is she in the wrong?"
"That's not what I meant."
Laura snorted, "You better not mean that!"
Despite her harsh words, Laura still contacted Stuart.
Stuart was shocked to receive Laura's message. Josephine might be the lost daughter of the Clarence Family? That would explain Gerald's unusual behavior that evening. The big stone in Stuart's heart suddenly fell.
He was just starting to make progress with Josephine and didn't want any more surprises. But thinking about it, if Josephine really was the Clarence Family's daughter, then she wouldn't be related to Todd. This would explain why Todd and his wife had been so cold and heartless to Josephine.
Josephine was kept in the dark, completely unaware. She had indeed been busy these past few days, even working late into the night one evening, so Stuart and Jeffery stayed at the Haustia Manor.
Soon it was Friday, and when getting the DNA test results, Steven and Laura went along too.