Adina’s fingers froze, and she immediately raised her head.She put down her work and walked outside.Before she stepped out, she saw Aaron and Ruby through the glass door. They were standing there with anxious expressions.She suddenly sneered.It had been two days since Dew was arrested. These two people must have run out of options, hence they came to her.“Addy!”When Ruby saw her come out, she got so worked up that her hands trembled.If those who were uninformed had seen that, they could have thought that the mother was so excited that she almost cried because she had not seen her daughter for a long time.Adina’s expression was cold. “Why are you looking for me?”As she spoke, she glanced at her watch. “I still have a meeting. If you have something to say, say it.”Aaron was instantly triggered. “Why are you still in the mood to attend a meeting when your sister’s in such a state? Adina, you have to think of a way to save your sister!”Adina smiled faintly. “What does
Adina’s heart was filled with excitement, but that excitement only lasted for a second before it quickly disappeared.She pursed her lips and pulled the glass door open to enter her company.“Hold on,” Aaron said with a cold and angry demeanor.Adina did not stop moving. She really had a meeting to attend, so she did not have time to waste there.“I raised you for eighteen years. Shouldn’t you repay me for my parenting and kindness throughout those eighteen years?”When Adina heard Aaron’s words, she suddenly chuckled from anger.She held the doorknob of the glass door, then turned around and said, “Parents have a legal obligation to support their children, and children have an obligation to support their parents. I can financially support you, but I don’t have an obligation to get Dew out of prison.”He actually wanted to guilt trip her with his eighteen years of so-called parenting. It was hilarious.“If you were my biological daughter, it would be my duty to raise you for ei
Adina ignored Ruby’s cries.She stared at Aaron. “Am I your daughter?”Aaron suppressed his anger and said, “I promised your mother that I would keep this secret until I die. But now, with all that has happened to Dew, I have no choice but to expose the truth. After your mother passed away, I could have sent you to an orphanage, but I didn’t. Instead, I raised you until you were eighteen. I’ve done my duty as a father, and I have a clear conscience toward you—”“Haha!”Halfway through his sentence, Adina scoffed.At this point, she truly believed that she was not a daughter of the Daugherty family because no father would say something like that to his daughter.But she would not let herself be manipulated by Aaron either.“Why didn’t you send me to the orphanage? Wasn’t it because I held the shares of Daugherty Corporation?” She sneered.Aaron’s expression instantly darkened. “But all of Daugherty Corporation’s shares have been purchased. The owner of Daugherty Corporation has
Adina’s heart sank.In other words, her mother married Aaron only after she had gotten pregnant with her.It was clear why Aaron would agree to marry her mother. It was because the Xavier family was extremely rich. If he married the Xavier family’s only daughter, would he still need to worry about his future?That was the truth. The following year after Aaron married her mother, Daugherty Corporation was established.During the two years that her mother was alive, Daugherty Corporation grew rapidly.Although her mother passed away, she had provided a sufficient amount of funding to Daugherty Corporation. That was enough to help Daugherty Corporation grow higher and further.Without her mother, Daugherty Corporation would not have existed.But without her, the marriage between the Xavier family and the Daugherty family would not have happened either.Adina pursed her lips and tried to ask, “Grandma, before my mother knew Aaron, was she in a relationship with other men?”“Of cou
Duke parked the car and stepped out. He had come five minutes earlier, hoping he could fetch the two children before Adina did. However, just as he went out of his car, he could feel a cold gaze fixated on him. He looked in that direction and from afar, he saw a slender person slowly approaching him. “Mr. Winters, why are you here?”Adina asked with a slight frown as she looked at him. Duke smiled. “Didn’t I tell you not to call me Mr. Winters?”Adina froze. ‘I used to call him Duke just to play along when I pretended to be his girlfriend. ‘But there’s no need for such pretenses anymore.’She said plainly, “I will pick Al and Mel up. You can go on with whatever it is you need to do.”“I’m their biological father. This is my duty,” Duke said in a low voice; it sounded as low as the tune of a cello. “You’ve worked hard for the past four years. From now on, I’ll help you out.”Adina’s heart skipped a beat. She could only suppress that strange emotion after she dug her n
Melody lowered her head, feeling embarrassed. It was as if she was aware of her teacher complimenting her. The two dimples on her cheek deepened as she smiled. “Come here, let Daddy hug you.”Duke knelt down and stretched out his arms. “Daddy!”Melody ran over to him quickly. Duke carried her and spun her around.Ava was stunned. ‘Didn’t Alden and Melody call another man “Father” two days ago? Why did their father change to another man again…?’“Miss Jones, he is Al’s and Mel’s biological father. You can hand over them whenever he comes and fetches them,” Adina said gently with a smile. Ava nodded, still feeling stunned. She only returned to her senses when the family left the preschool. ‘Alden’s father is so handsome and charismatic. It’s no wonder why the children could not stop looking at him. Even I couldn’t take my eyes off him…’Two cars were parked at the entrance of the preschool. Adina and Duke opened their car doors. Hers was on the left, and he was on th
“Mommy, don’t worry. I will never leave you,” said Alden, who was sitting at the back.Adina was holding onto the steering wheel as she relaxed and smiled, “Al, you don’t have to look at him like he’s your enemy. Duke is your biological father. You should get to know him a little better, and there’s nothing to lose.” “But you’ll be sad.” Al hid the emotion in his gaze as he clenched his fist. “Al, I won’t be. Where do you want to go?” Adina smiled helplessly. When they were at the traffic light, she turned and looked at her as she said gently, “Duke is your and Melody’s father. I’m really happy that he’s decided to protect and look after both of you with me. How can I be sad?” Alden lowered his gaze and did not say anything. ‘If Duke truly loves Mommy, I will accept him into our lives as well.‘But if he were to hurt her in any way, I will never let the Winters family off the hook!’They drove to the Winters family’s mansion. Harold had been waiting at the entrance for a l
Harold recognized the car at the front. Before it stopped, he ran over and opened the backseat door. “Melody, I’ve missed you so much!”He instantly went for a hug. His embrace tightened as the figure was soft and smelled really good. However, he quickly heard an angry voice say, “Harold Winters, let go!”Alden, who was embraced in Harold’s arms, was very upset. Harold instantly let go. “Eh, Alden. Why are you here? Where’s Melody?”At that moment, he heard cute giggles from behind him. He turned and saw Melody coming out of the second car. George had given her a toy rabbit, and she was overjoyed. Harold swiftly ran over and took out the toy cat that he had been carrying. He then said, as if he was giving her a treasure, “Melody, this cat is much cuter than the rabbit. Look, it even makes sounds…”The toy cat meowed when he gave it a little squeeze. Melody giggled even louder. Duke, who had just come out of the car, smiled. He had not heard cheerful laughter like this in