Chapter 27 Identity Revealed
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Nancy subtly withdrew her hand and looked at Martha. “Grandma.”
“Hmm, sit down,” Martha said, still elegant in a Francelle–style vintage gown, with an emerald bracelet glinting on her wrist.
Nancy sat beside Martha. Across from them, Regina and Andrew watched Nancy intently, but Nancy didn’t bother greeting them and only spoke to
Martha.
A loud bang echoed in the air at once.
Fergus‘ face twisted with anger. “Nancy, are you blind? Your parents are right here! Can’t you even say hello? You have no manners.”
Nancy met his fury without flinching. “If we’re talking about manners, I doubt anyone beats you. Grandma hasn’t said a word yet, so why are you talking?”
“You…”
Before Fergus could retort, Martha sharply interrupted, “Fergus, be quiet!”
Seeing the disappointment in her eyes, Regina immediately struck Fergus‘ arm. “Fergus, how can you talk to your sister like that?”
Fergus clenched his teeth and fell silent, but his eyes burned with resentment.
Raine glanced at Nancy. “Nancy, I’m really sorry. Fergus just got carried away because he cares deeply about our parents. Please don’t be mad at him.”
Nancy didn’t even look at Raine. Instead, she turned to Martha. “Grandma, what did you ask me here for?”
Though usually commanding, Martha spoke gently to Nancy. “It’s about something, but we’ll discuss it after the meal.”
“Okay.”
During the meal, Martha and Nancy did most of the talking. Meanwhile, Fergus dotingly placed food on Raine’s plate, completely ignoring Nancy.
“Raine, Blossom Skincare has already sold over ten million,” Fergus said, looking at the news on his phone with a laugh. “Their last sales were only five million. Thanks to you, their sales have doubled.”
“They do have a good product,” Raine replied with a smile.
Fergus glanced at Nancy, his tone laced with disdain. “Some companies only manage a little over eight million in sales. It’s funny, especially since they hired an A–list celebrity!”
“What are you two talking about?” Martha asked, frowning.
Fergus quickly explained, “Grandma, Nancy’s company originally planned to hire Raine as their spokesperson, but Nancy canceled the contract and went with someone else. It’s a shame, as now their sales are getting crushed by the brand Raine represents.”
Raine responded softly, “That has nothing to do with me. Blossom Skincare is simply popular.”
“If that’s true, then what’s there to brag about?” Martha questioned bluntly.
Raine’s and Fergus‘ expressions shifted subtly. After a brief moment, Raine finally said, “Grandma’s right. It’s nothing to brag about.”
But her fingernails dug deeply into her palms.
That old woman was so clearly biased toward Nancy.
What was so special about Nancy? Apart from being family, she didn’t measure up in any other way.
Martha always took Nancy’s side. Was blood relation really that important?
Fergus simmered with anger as well, but he dared not speak in front of Martha.
Martha saw straight through them and felt a flash of irritation. She turned to Nancy. “Nancy, I asked you to come today because I have something for you.”
With that, she handed Nancy, an envelope.
Nancy opened it, her eyes widening in shock at what she saw.
“Grandma, this is far too generous,” Nancy protested, waving her hand.
“You’re my granddaughter. You deserve every bit of it,” Martha replied firmly,
Unable to refuse, Nancy reluctantly accepted the envelope. She glanced up to find the four Lidells across the table watching her closely. Nancy quickly lowered her gaze, an unreadable look flickering in her eyes.
After dinner, Martha rose and said her goodbyes to Nancy.
The four Lidells lingered nearby, and as soon as Martha disappeared from view, Andrew turned to Nancy and asked, “Nancy, how have things been for
you out there?”
“Pretty good,” Nancy replied.
“Why don’t you come back home?” Andrew’s expression softened, displaying a rare kindness. “We’re worried about you, living all alone. Our home is big
Chapter 27 Identity Revealed
enough, and we’ll make it worth your while if you come back. What do you say?”
Nancy narrowed her eyes, studying his face carefully. After a moment, she said, “I’ll think about it.”
2/2
Seeing that gentle persuasion wasn’t working, Andrew decided to be more direct. “Alright, how about this? On your 20th birthday, a month from now, I’ll throw a welcome banquet and officially announce to everyone that you’re my daughter. You can move back then. How does that sound?”
Raine’s expression shifted dramatically at his words.
