Chapter 35 Biological Daughter
ANNA'S POV
I climbed up the stage slowly, the bright lights hitting me the moment I stepped forward, but I stayed just behind my father at first, waiting for my cue. From where I stood, I could see the crowd clearly — hundreds of faces turned toward the stage, watching my father with full attention. The murmuring had died down the moment he touched the mic.
“Now, for the main announcement of the evening,” my dad began, his voice steady but warm, the way it always was whenever he was about to say something important. “I know you all think that over the years it’s only two children I have. And I thought so too.”
There was a small ripple of confused whispers among the guests. Even from behind him, I could see heads turning toward one another, eyes narrowing, people trying to guess what he meant.
“And I am also aware that you all know that my two children are adopted,” he continued. “And without saying much, they are still my children. I love them more than anything else in this world. But… there’s something that you all might not know about.”
He paused for a moment, and the hall fell completely silent. I could practically hear the sound of glasses being lowered onto tables, forks stopping mid-air. Everyone was waiting.
Melissa and James were still standing among the crowd, completely unaware that I was behind my father. They hadn’t noticed me at all because I wasn’t fully visible on stage yet.
“Five years ago,” my dad said slowly, letting each word sink in, “my wife found someone very important to me. Someone I thought I would never see again.”
More gasps echoed through the room. People shifted in their seats, eyebrows raised, trying to piece together what was coming next.
“My wife found my biological daughter.”
The entire hall erupted in whispers, louder ones this time. I saw eyes widening, hands covering mouths, people turning around to get reactions from the people behind them. Shock was written on almost every face I could see.
“Now, I know you must be wondering,” my father said as he lifted a hand slightly, asking them to settle. “If I found her five years ago, why am I only speaking about it now? Well… she had a lot going on in her life at that moment. And when I found her, she asked me not to tell the media yet. Not to make it public until she had put herself together.”
I felt my chest tighten a little at those words, remembering everything I went through during those years. But I kept my smile steady.
“So today,” he continued, “I am going to introduce her to you all.”
The whispers died down almost instantly. Even people who had been seated at the far back leaned forward eagerly.
He turned toward me slightly. “Anna, you can fully come up to the stage now.”
I released a small breath, nodded, and stepped forward into the full light. The moment I did, the entire hall went even quieter. I plastered a smile on my face as I walked to stand beside my dad, and from this new vantage point, I could clearly see everyone including Melissa and James.
Their faces were priceless. Their eyes were so wide I thought they might fall out of their sockets. Their mouths hung open like they were in a frozen state of confusion and disbelief. I couldn’t have asked for a better reaction.
“Her name is Anna,” my dad said proudly, placing a hand on my shoulder. “She’s my biological daughter who was kidnapped at the age of three and lost for many years. But today, she stands by my side, ready to assist me and help move this company further.”
He straightened, his voice louder now.
“Yes, you heard me right. As my biological daughter, from this moment on, Anna will be taking over Quinn’s Enterprise as the new CEO and my successor.”
For a moment, the hall was stunned into silence again. Then one person began clapping. Another followed. And in seconds, the entire hall erupted into applause — loud, echoing, almost overwhelming applause that bounced off the walls.
I didn’t expect that. Truly, I didn’t. I had prepared myself for cold stares, maybe even judgment. But instead, I was welcomed with claps and nods and approving looks. It almost felt unreal.
I glanced back at Melissa and James again. Their faces looked even more ridiculous now, like they had swallowed something sour but weren’t allowed to spit it out. Melissa’s eyebrows were practically glued to her hairline. James tried to keep a straight face, but failed horribly.
How about that for a waiter. Or a whore, I thought, and the smallest smirk curled my lips.
“Thank you very much, everyone,” my dad said once the applause died down. “I’ve had a great run as the founder of this company. I’ve been CEO for over two decades. I think it’s time I take a break and hand things over to Anna, who is more than fit for the job.”
Before I could blink, members of the media who had been waiting quietly all evening rushed forward with flashing cameras. The entire room lit up with bright bursts of light snapping over and over again.
I kept my composure, posing with my dad, shaking his hand, smiling as the cameras clicked nonstop. The flashlights were blinding, but I didn’t look away.
“Now that we’re done with the announcement,” my dad said after addressing the mic one last time, “I hope you all have a wonderful evening. Enjoy yourselves. Eat and drink to your fill.”
He stepped away, leaving the stage completely to me for a second before he disappeared behind the curtains. I expected someone to hand me a mic or signal for me to say something, maybe give a speech, but that didn’t happen. And honestly, I didn’t mind. I wasn’t exactly in the mood to stand there and talk for ten minutes while pretending I wasn’t thinking about the two idiots staring at me in shock.
I walked down the steps of the stage, and almost immediately, people surrounded me.
A group of businessmen and women hurried over, all smiling, all stretching out their hands.
“Congratulations, Ms. CEO,” one man said, beaming as he reached forward.
That title sounded so strange coming from someone else’s mouth. Strange, but… nice. Respectful. Powerful. Something I had never been called before. Something no one had ever thought I would become.
“Thank you very much,” I replied, shaking his hand.
I repeated those same words as more and more people stepped forward, congratulating me, praising me, introducing themselves, hoping I would remember their names. I smiled at all of them, nodding, shaking hands, exchanging brief words.
But even as I did, I kept glancing through the gaps in the crowd.
And then I saw them.
James and Melissa.
James was still staring at me, the shock not having left his face. And the moment he realized I was staring directly at him, he quickly looked away, pretending to focus on something else — anything else.
Now that the truth was out…
Now that they knew exactly who I was…
I was very curious — very curious to see how they were going to speak to me now.