Chapter 22 Madman

"Does it have to be this way, Caroline? Can't we go back?" John's expression darkened as he saw Caroline's appearance. He shouldn't have succumbed to Stella's temptation back then.

"Mr. John, if you have nothing else, please leave. If you want to talk business with him, please come in." Caroline frowned, using official language to handle the situation.

"What's wrong, baby?" Nicholas didn't know when he had stood next to Caroline. He raised his hand and held Caroline's shoulder, looking at John with a possessive gaze.

"I'm fine. You can talk business, and I'll leave first." Caroline let Nicholas hold her, but she didn't want to be with John. Nicholas knew that, so he agreed to let Caroline leave first.

"Wait!" John immediately stopped Caroline when he saw her wanting to leave.

"What's the matter?" Caroline frowned slightly, and Nicholas's gaze continued to look at John with a hint of hostility.

"I have something I want to talk to you about alone. Can you give me some time?" John looked at the two people in front of him while speaking. Nicholas tightened his grip on Caroline's hand when he heard this.

Can't we talk about it now?" Caroline didn't want to be with John, let alone be alone with him.

"About the secrets of your mother and sister, as well as your past, Caroline, don't you really want to know?" After hearing John's words, Caroline's body visibly stiffened. Her intuition told her that what John was going to tell her today would unravel the mystery that had puzzled her for many years.

"I promise you." After hesitating for a moment, Caroline agreed to John's request. Her heart was beating fast now and she felt like something was about to come out of her chest.

"Mr. Nicholas, can we start talking business now?" Having achieved his goal, John hooked his lips and looked at Nicholas.

Nicholas pursed his thin lips and took Caroline's cold little hand into the office. She was so focused on what John had just said that she didn't notice Nicholas's change in mood.

They talked for a long time but Caroline wasn't paying attention. Seeing this, Nicholas said: "Baby, come here."

Caroline was sitting in her own seat daydreaming when suddenly called by Nicholas. She blushed instantly and gave him an annoyed look before walking over obediently.

Watching their interaction made John feel uneasy. It would be difficult to take Caroline away from Nicholas but he didn't have such intentions at the moment anyway; he was just surprised by how much trust Nicholas placed in someone else during such an important business deal.

"Take a break here and let James record for you," said Nicholas while rubbing Caroline’s head gently before letting her rest on the sofa next to him.

The meeting didn't last long, at least not for Nicholas and James, but for Caroline, it felt like a century had passed. But when the meeting was about to end, Caroline began to worry again.

"Caroline, I need to talk to you about something. Can Mr. Nicholas and Mr. Chen leave for a moment? I want to talk to Caroline alone," John smiled lightly. Although Caroline appeared calm on the surface, her ice-cold hand had already betrayed her true thoughts.

Nicholas was about to stand up, but Caroline subconsciously held his hand. "You better not have any bad ideas, or you might not be able to leave the gates of the Johnson family today," Nicholas held Caroline's hand and narrowed his eyes, warning John.

"I wouldn't dare to do anything here in the Johnson family. I really have something to tell her. Mr. Nicholas, please don't worry," John was intimidated by Nicholas's presence during their last encounter, and even though he had mentally prepared himself this time, he still felt a little scared.

"That's for the best," Nicholas sneered and tightened his grip on Caroline's hand.

"Don't worry, baby. I'll be waiting for you outside the door. If anything happens, just call me, okay?" Although Nicholas didn't think John had the guts to do anything in front of him, he still wanted to reassure Caroline.

"Mm," Caroline nodded lightly, and Nicholas knew that she had taken his words seriously this time, so he left the office.

In the office, John and Caroline sat face-to-face at the long table. Caroline spoke first, "What do you want to tell me?"

"Caroline, have you ever wondered why Caroline treats you so differently from Stella, even though you are both daughters?" John's every word was like a heavy blow to Caroline's heart.

This was something that had troubled her for many years. "Isn't it because I was difficult to deliver when I was born?" Caroline's smile faded away, and she laughed bitterly.

"Do you really think it's that simple?" John continued to question, each word hitting Caroline's heart.

Caroline had deceived herself with this reason for so many years because she couldn't think of any other reason that would make them so cruel to her. "Do I have any other choices?"

Looking at Caroline's nervousness, John regretted his past actions. If he had cherished the person in front of him back then, they wouldn't be in this situation now. "You do have another choice. I can tell you the truth. Caroline, I know you don't want to believe me right now, but after everything we've been through, I really want to give you justice."

"Caroline was a bit confused. The man in front of her was the one who had hurt her and had been with her sister, so why was he now helping her?

"You and Stella are supposed to be twin sisters, but you were sent to the orphanage for a reason that's not as simple as you think. It wasn't just because your birth was difficult. Let me explain it slowly, okay?"

Looking at Caroline's eyes, John knew that this girl also wanted to know what happened in the past, what caused the gap between the two sisters.

"Actually, your mother had an affair. Everyone knows that you can't keep a secret forever. Your father found out not long after. A woman who had an affair gave birth to two daughters. It's no surprise that your father demanded a paternity test."

What was going on? Why didn't she know about all of this? Why did John, an outsider, know about these things? How much else was there in this family that she didn't know about?