Chapter 5: 5

"That's right. You were switched at birth and ended up with the Walsh family in Lakeview Town, while their real daughter grew up with the White family out in the countryside on the west side. As for the White family's own daughter... well, she was raised by us."

Julian's face scrunched up in regret as he finished. Still, he felt a bit lucky that it wasn't his own daughter who ended up with the Whites. Mr. And Mrs. White had split up over ten years ago, and Frank, the father, had been left to raise his daughter by himself. Most days, they barely had enough to get by. He couldn't help but feel sorry for the Walsh family's real daughter.

Rosie let out a helpless sigh. "Yeah, Elena. The girl we raised, the White family's daughter, is Keira. All these years, we truly believed she was our girl. Who would've thought this is a giant mistake?"

Elena finally got it. So, the Keira her grandfather talked about was actually the biological daughter of Kayla's adoptive parents.

Rosie noticed Elena's silence and quickly continued, "It's summer break right now, so Keira is traveling overseas. Your brothers are all out of the country for work, and none of them are home at the moment. But your dad and I have already told them you've come back. As for Keira, we're worried she won't take it well, so we haven't broken the news to her yet. When she returns, if she doesn't want to go back to the White family, would you be okay if she just stayed with us?"

Julian was the only son in the Holmes family. After marrying Rosie, they had four sons before finally having a daughter, and the whole family spoiled their little princess rotten. Her grandfather, especially, doted on Keira like she was made of glass. Everyone in the Capital knew just how much Mr. Holmes adored his granddaughter.

Worried Elena might feel left out, Julian hurried to add, "Elena, Keira's a good kid. The Whites don't have much, and if she doesn't want to go back to them, she can stay here and be your little sister. How does that sound?"

They really wanted her opinion before making any decisions.

Elena nodded, showing she understood. "Whatever you think is best."

She could tell her grandfather was obsessed with Keira. Otherwise, he wouldn't have tried to intimidate her right after she got home, or made it clear that Keira would always be a Holmes.

Julian and Rosie both breathed a visible sigh of relief when Elena didn't object.

“Elena, you really are so considerate,” Rosie said, gently stroking Elena's smooth hair. She turned to Jack, who had also freshened up. “Did you deliver our thank you letter and gifts to the Walsh family?"

Jack had been waiting for this. He respectfully pulled out a thick envelope from his briefcase and handed it to Rosie, then quickly summarized everything that happened that evening.

Julian slapped his hand on the table. “The Walsh actually treated my daughter like that?"

Jack lowered his head. As a servant, he knew it wasn't his place to say more. Besides, Elena had been there herself. How to deal with the Walsh was up to her.

"Elena, I can't believe they were so harsh to you," Rosie said, her eyes full of worry. Elena just shrugged it off. "Don't worry about them. They chose to reject the gifts. From now on, we just don't need to keep in touch."

Still, once she was settled in, she planned to go back and visit her grandmother.

Julian frowned and thought for a moment. "Alright. No matter what, they did raise you. If they want to cut ties, then we'll respect that. There's no need to stay in touch."

Elena nodded. "Okay."

It had been a long, exhausting night, and Elena was starting to feel drained. Julian and Rosie walked her back to her room themselves and had one of the maids bring her chicken soup and beetroot soup.

"Elena, you're way too skinny. You really need to eat something good for you." Elena didn't want any of it. She felt fine. She didn't need all these soups.

Rosie saw the look on her face and her eyes turned teary, her voice trembling a little. "You've been out there for eighteen years. You're so thin, a breeze could knock you over. If you don't take care of yourself, I... I..."

Rosie's eyes filled with tears, and Elena sighed, picking up one of the bowls. "Alright. Alright."

With Rosie watching her closely, Elena obediently finished both bowls of soup. Only then did Rosie finally leave the room with the maids. Right before the door closed, Rosie shot her a secretive smile. "Elena, get some sleep. I have a surprise for you in the morning."

Elena blinked in confusion.

Once the door shut, Elena couldn't help but smile a little. So this was what it felt like to actually be cared for by your parents.

She was exhausted after such a long day. She headed into the closet, picked out some pajamas, and as she changed, she caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror. She froze.

Where was her pendant?

Her hand flew to her neck. It was empty. She started searching the room, checking everywhere, but she couldn't find it. Elena stopped and tried to remember. Back on the mountain, that man had grabbed her, and she thought he might have snagged her necklace.

Did it fall off up there?

Seriously?

She frowned and raked her fingers through her hair, feeling more annoyed by the second. The pendant wasn't worth much, just a regular piece of emerald. But it meant everything to her.

Her grandmother had told her that when she was little, she was always getting sick. When Elena turned three, her grandma had gone to a mysterious person to get her a protective pendant, even had Elena's name carved on the back. She'd worn it every day since she was a kid.

And now she has lost it.

It was all that guy's fault. Elena couldn't decide if he was the unlucky one, or if she was. She just hoped she never ran into him again. He was nothing but trouble.

Speaking of trouble, Damon was currently lying in a VIP room at the city's top military hospital.

"I told you to go spend time with Keira, but no, you had to run off to that remote project. And look at you now! Bitten by a snake! Serves you right! If you ever listened to me, would you be stuck in this hospital bed right now?"

An old man stood at the side of the bed, a cane in hand, going off on Damon. He was so worked up that spit flew everywhere as he yelled.

Damon looked pale, but his dark eyes were full of indifference. “I'm not the only guy in the Clifford family. Ask someone else to see her. Besides, I'm not interested in Kiera."

A good-looking young man on the other side of the bed widened his eyes and started waving his hands frantically. “Not me, Grandpa! I'm only twenty-two. I just graduated college. I'm way too young for marriage. If you want great-grandkids so badly, Damon's your best bet!"

The minute Desmond finished, Damien shot him a glare that could kill. Desmond flinched, scratched his head, and grumbled, "Or Travis could do it. It really doesn't have to be me."

On the other side of the bed stood a refined-looking man in a suit and clear glasses. He just smiled. “I'm drowning in work and don't have time for romance. But Damon is retired from the military and has plenty of spare time now."

Travis didn't bother saying anything else. It was obvious. If there was going to be an arranged marriage with the Holmes family, Damon was the one who had to do it.