Chapter 292 How Do You Beg Me?
"No matter how Lark managed to make herself into a young lady of the Romanov family, I'm certain that you are my sister." Caspian gripped Harriet's shoulders. "From the first moment I saw you, I was inexplicably drawn to you, but it wasn't the kind of attraction between a man and a woman. I always thought this feeling was magical, and now I know, it was the pull of family!"
Harriet pushed his hands away without hesitation.
The coldness in her eyes was like a sharp knife, stabbing straight into Caspian's chest!
Caspian opened his mouth, ready to explain, but before he could say a word, Harriet had already turned and rushed back toward the room.
"Harriet!" Caspian was about to chase after her, but Tristan stopped him with an outstretched arm.
"Let her be alone for a while," Tristan said. "What she needs most right now is space and some quiet."
In the room, Harriet immediately pulled out her phone, dialing Jasper's number.
Her mind refused to accept what she had just seen in the paternity test results. It felt wrong and impossible. She needed answers, and Jasper was the one she could turn to in order to uncover the truth.
But Jasper's phone was switched off.
Harriet called several times in a row, but every attempt ended the same way. The line stayed unreachable, and the automated message confirmed that his phone was still off.
She removed Xanthe from her blacklist and called her, yet the result was no different, her phone was also turned off.
Harriet threw her phone on the bed in despair, holding her head in her hands, feeling like it was about to split open.
How could she possibly be a child of the Romanov family?
Was it possible that Cleo's final, unfinished words before her death were about her true background?
Why was this happening?
When Caspian came in, Harriet was curled up, lying quietly on the bed.
Caspian walked up to her, his handsome face showing complex emotions. "I just got word from the hospital, York ran away. Looks like he's guilty."
"From what we can piece together now, Lark's paternity test report was most likely forged by her working together with York. Lark isn't my sister at all, we are the true siblings."
Harriet said nothing. She simply closed her eyes coldly, shutting herself off from his words.
"Harriet, don't treat me like this," Caspian crouched by the bed, saying anxiously, "Even if we had misunderstandings before, it's not too late to fix things, is it?"
Harriet's brow furrowed slightly as she slowly opened her eyes. "You think we can fix things?"
"Why not?" Caspian said. "I've already explained about poisoning you. I didn't really want to hurt you, and I wasn't planning to hurt you."
"You think that's the only thing between us?"
"What else is there? Tell me."
Harriet sat up, looking at him coldly. "When I was recovering at the Emberfall hot spring villa, Lark sent people to kill me."
"I know about that, but I wasn't involved."
"You weren't involved, but the people she arranged were from the Romanov family, weren't they?" Harriet questioned. "If you hadn't mistaken her for your sister, how could she possibly have had the money and power to use so many people and guns to try to kill me!"
"I may be fine, but Rhea died protecting me!" Harriet's tears streamed down as she broke down, accusing him. "The people Lark arranged killed Rhea, but the gun that killed Rhea was handed over by you, the Romanov family!"
"I'm not settling scores with you because I already killed Lark myself to avenge Rhea. To me, you're just strangers."
"But I absolutely cannot accept that you're my family, because I can't accept that my family are the indirect killers who caused Rhea's death!"
Caspian's heart hurt so much he couldn't breathe. "I really didn't know it was like this. If I had known, I would never have let this happen."
"What's the point of saying this now?" Harriet said through her tears. "If Rhea hadn't rushed out to protect me, I would have been shot dead by Lark and you, the Romanov family, long ago."
Caspian painfully closed his eyes. "Harriet, I'm sorry."
"I know that if Lark really forged the paternity test and deceived you, then you were also innocent victims, and I have no reason to blame you." Harriet's lips curved slightly as she said softly, "But I can't get past this in my heart."
"If I happily accepted you, wouldn't Rhea's death become a joke?"
"Please leave. I want to be alone."
Caspian opened his eyes. "Okay, you rest first. I'll investigate how Lark's paternity test happened and give you and Rhea an explanation."
Caspian returned to the second floor. Just as he was about to enter the master bedroom, the door suddenly opened from inside.
A young woman, Coralie Walker, stood in the doorway. Seeing Caspian, she said anxiously, "Caspian, I don't know where my father went. Can you help me find him?"
Without answering, Caspian walked straight into the room and slammed the door shut behind him.
The loud sound made Coralie jump in shock. She froze for a second, startled by the sudden shift in his demeanor. His face looked darker than she had ever seen, cold and filled with pressure.
Instinctively, she took a step back as she asked, "Caspian, what... what's wrong?"
"You have the nerve to ask!" Caspian approached her step by step, demanding, "Coralie, your father fled to escape punishment. Are you saying you didn't know?"
"Fled to escape punishment?" Coralie's face turned pale. "What crime did my father commit that he had to flee? Explain yourself?"
"Lark was brought back by your father. He was the one who did the paternity test. He's the one who made us believe Lark was my sister." Caspian said word by word. "Now my real sister has been found. Lark was a fake, and your father knew the truth was exposed and ran away from the hospital overnight!"
"How could this be?" Coralie couldn't believe it. "No, why would my father do such a thing?"
"Why?" Caspian sneered. "Of course it was for you. He sent you to my bed, and afraid I wouldn't accept you, he set up this whole scheme."
"Your father understood that the Romanov family valued my sister above everything else. So he teamed up and arranged for her to fake her identity as my sister."
"In his plan, he would take credit for finding my sister, and in return, all he asked for was a single condition — that I marry you."
Coralie shook her head hard. "It's not like that. My father isn't that kind of person. Even if he hoped I could marry you, he wouldn't fake things. There must be some misunderstanding."
She grabbed Caspian's hand anxiously. "Caspian, my father's leg is still injured. I'm worried something will happen to him. Please help me find my father first, and give him a chance to explain, okay?"
Caspian's eyes grew colder. The next second, he grabbed her by the throat. "You still have the nerve to ask me? Are you saying you and your father didn't work together on this?"
Coralie couldn't breathe, instinctively trying to pry his hand away. "Caspian... I didn't..."
Caspian didn't listen or believe her. "If it weren't for your father, the Romanov family wouldn't have mistaken Lark. She wouldn't have had the ability to hurt my sister, and my sister wouldn't hate me like she does now. Coralie, you and your father are disgusting!"
Coralie looked desperate, tears sliding down her pale cheeks.
Caspian looked at her tears, and his heart felt like it was being pricked by an invisible needle, spreading a faint pain.
He finally released his grip on her. The moment he let go, Coralie lost her balance and fell back onto the bed.
Caspian turned away and sat down heavily on the sofa. He took out a cigarette, lit it and leaned back, but even as the smoke filled the air, the irritation and tension inside him refused to ease.
Coralie pushed herself up, wiped the tears from her face, came forward and crouched at his feet, pleading, "Caspian, my father would never dare to scheme and deceive you. When he found Ms. Brown, she had the Romanov family's ancestral amulet on her. How do you explain that?"
"Even if Ms. Brown is a fake, the amulet is real. How could my father have gotten a real amulet? So whether my father was involved in this is still questionable."
"Caspian, I'm begging you, don't convict my father so easily. At least find him first, okay?"
"You're begging me?" Caspian looked at her, blowing out a smoke ring that blurred the pale, fragile face before him. "How will you beg me?"
Coralie paused slightly, then a look of determination flashed in her clear eyes.
She half-rose, leaned forward, and kissed Caspian's lips.
Caspian's eyes deepened.
The half-cigarette between his fingers was thrown into the ashtray, and soon the master bedroom was filled with the intertwined sounds of a man and woman's breathing.
Caspian couldn't explain his feelings.
He was thrilled that Harriet was his real sister, but also pained and frustrated that his sister wouldn't accept him.
He needed an outlet, and Coralie had kissed him first. He had no reason to refuse.
But once this kind of thing started, it couldn't easily end.
Harriet had a video call with Della for about thirty minutes. The conversation slowly eased the weight on her mind, and her mood began to lift a little.
She said goodbye to Della and hung up, taking a deep breath.
"Feeling better?" Tristan came over, reaching out to touch her hair. "You barely ate anything at dinner. Should I have someone make you a late-night snack?"
"I'm not hungry." Harriet leaned into his embrace. "Tristan, I want to go home."
Knowing she was part of the Romanov family, she couldn't stay here anymore.
"But Mr. Mason Romanov hasn't recovered yet. You promised Caspian you would cure him." Tristan kissed her forehead. "Honey, I know you're confused right now, but if you just leave like this, you won't feel at peace either."
Harriet closed her eyes. "Yes, then I'll cure him as soon as possible, and we'll go home."
"Okay."