Chapter 256

Chapter 256

"But when I saw the photos you and Liam submitted to the police, that's when I remembered this box," Patrick said.

I could see the exhaustion etched on his face. "So you went back to find it?” I asked.

Patrick nodded. "This belonged to Grandpa. I've been taking care of his belongings all these years. I haven't touched most of them - I just left everything in Grandpa's old room."

I hesitated for a moment before opening the box. Inside lay a yellowed diary and a detailed blueprint of an underground building.

"What is this?" I murmured, staring at the blueprint. A strange sense of both unfamiliarity and eerie familiarity washed over me.

Patrick leaned in to look, and his expression changed. "This is that laboratory we went to."

I glanced at the date on the blueprint, and my heart sank.

The timing was far too coincidental—it had been built exactly one year before I was born.

I didn’t believe in coincidences.

Every coincidence had a hidden motive.

If I connected this to everything I already knew, it's very likely that before I was born - right when Zoey was diagnosed with pregnancy - Max had already begun plotting in secret.

I flipped through the diary, and each page sent a fresh wave of shock through me. It contained meticulous records of my daily life: my birth, growth milestones, blood type tests, physical examinations, and more.

Even more disturbing, toward the end, there were entries about Patrick as well.

It seemed my parents’ decision to adopt him hadn’t been entirely their own. Max had likely orchestrated it from behind the scenes.

"I'm sorry," Patrick said quietly, guilt heavy in his voice. "If I had checked sooner, maybe you wouldn't have had to go through so much."
"This has nothing to do with you!" I said quickly. "You only found out later too."

Patrick sighed. "I'll organize all of Grandpa's materials for you as thoroughly as I can in the coming days. But I have one request."

He looked at me, his eyes serious. "No matter what happens, don't involve our parents. They’ve sacrificed so much to protect the Sullivan family all these years. I really don't want to see them dragged into the grudges between the previous generation and ours."

I remained silent for a long moment before finally nodding.

Truthfully, I didn't want that either.

Zoey is my biological mother. Although we hadn't spent much time together, I had felt her genuine care and sincerity during this difficult period.

That kind of warmth couldn’t be faked.

Besides, with the Sullivan family's power and status, she had no reason to pretend.

As for Theo,some of his behavior struck me as shameless, but he still seemed decent enough.At the very least, I could tell he carried his own burdens and difficulties.

My persistence in uncovering the truth wasn’t driven solely by a desire for revenge - although I did want those who harmed me to pay. More than anything, I simply refused to live the rest of my life in confusion and shadows.

"I can agree to that," I said with a nod. "But can you take me to the Sullivan Manor? I want to see Max's room and go through his belongings."

If Max had truly been pulling strings from behind the scenes, he must have left traces. Perhaps I could find more useful information there.

Seeing that I had agreed to his condition, Patrick's expression visibly relaxed. He nodded and agreed without thinking twice.

Soon, we drove back to Silverlight City.

Theo and Zoey had not yet returned. When the servants saw Patrick, they didn't stop us and allowed us entry without question

Max's room had been relocated to the far edge of the manor.It was cleaned regularly by servants, but otherwise, few people ever entered.

Patrick pointed to an empty spot on the floor. "This is where I found it. Take a look around—there might be more."

I nodded. "Let's split up. We’ll cover more ground that way. Be thorough. Look for anything that seems even slightly useful."

Patrick agreed, and we immediately began searching the room.

Before long, Patrick let out a surprised exclamation.

I hurried over. "What did you find?"

He handed me an old photograph, his voice filled with excitement. "Look at this!"

The moment I glanced at the photo, a chill ran down my spine.

In the image, Max stood at the entrance of an orphanage, surrounded by smiling children. Their faces beamed with innocent joy.

My heart stuttered.

Could it be... could it be that the orphanage I lived in as a child wasn't the only one?

Had Max sponsored multiple orphanages to carry out his illegal dealings?

The mere possibility made my hands tremble.

“Can you find this location?” I asked urgently.

Patrick studied the photo more carefully, then nodded. "I think I can. Come with me!"

Soon, Patrick led me to an orphanage on the outskirts of the city.

I stood at the entrance, comparing the photo with the building before me. The layout, the architectural style—everything was almost identical.

"How can this be!" My heart trembled, and I cried out.

Just then, the children inside the gate heard my voice. Several small heads poked out, staring at me with open curiosity.

I stood at the entrance, looking at the situation inside.

This orphanage was far more luxurious than I had imagined.

The interior was beautifully decorated, with every corner carefully padded as if to protect the children from even the slightest injury.

Large, expensive toys were scattered throughout the grounds. Clearly, both care and money had been invested here.

You need both - one without the other won't work.

The children looked remarkably well-cared for. They didn’t resemble typical orphans; they looked more like children from wealthy families.

The oldest boy approached us, his expression guarded. "What do you want? This place isn't open to the public. If you don't have any business here, please leave!"

He spoke firmly and quickly pulled back a smaller child who had tried to grab my hand.

I kept my face neutral. "Where's your director? Can you get him for me? I have questions to ask."

"Who are you?" the child asked warily. "The director is very busy and probably doesn't have time to see you."

I didn't bother explaining further. "Just tell her someone from the Sullivan family is here. That’s all you need to say."

Seeing hesitation in his eyes, I added coldly, “Report it quickly. Otherwise, don’t blame me for barging in.”

I noticed how protective he was of the younger children, so I deliberately sharpened my tone. "If anyone gets hurt because of this, it won’t be my fault."

The boy was still just a child after all. He couldn't compete with me. His expression suddenly changed, and he said to me, "Don't do anything rash. I'll go notify her right now!"

Before leaving, he specifically called out, "Number One, watch the kids.Don’t let them wander around. If anything happens, we're done for."

As soon as he finished speaking, a cold-looking child stepped forward, nodded in acknowledgment, and muttered under his breath, "It would be better if they got lost."