The crowd grew quieter.North was slightly moved. It sounded like a lie, but Gerald chose to believe her.Gabriel flew into a rage. “Fine! Great! Do you insist that my family’s teacup is fake, North?”North raised her brows. “Mmhm.” Consequently, everyone became restless.Naturally, many experts and outstanding people in the field attended the antique conference. An old man got to his feet. He had not stepped forward to say anything because he found that the Jordan family was very overbearing. But a sigh escaped him when North had strayed further from the truth. “Ms. North, you can’t say nonsense. Yes, the Jordan family did humiliate you to support Reina. But frankly, the porcelain teacup of the Jordan family is real. Everyone in the field knows that.” “North, let me introduce him to you. This is Mr. Newcomb, the co-president of the Antiques Association. He’s appraised numerous antiques. He claims that this is real. So, what else can you say?” Gabriel looked at North smugl
There was a large transparent glass window in the appraisal room, so people could see what was going on from the outside. When they saw Mr. Newcomb putting those two teacups together, they laughed.“Both Mr. McGrath and Mr. Newcomb are here today along with some experts. I’m sure North will have nothing to say when the results are out later.” “North, you’d better start coming up with excuses or say sorry to the Jordan family. You should pray for their forgiveness!” …Mr. Newcomb looked at the almost identical teacups in the appraisal room and narrowed his eyes. He pushed his glasses and subconsciously looked at North’s teacup. He was confused.Mr. McGrath, the president of the Antiques Association, was nearby. He frowned too. He and Mr. Newcomb exchanged a look. Suddenly, his heart skipped a beat. “Do you also feel that…”“Yeah, guys. Come and check it out…” The crowd could see the experts surround one of the teacups as they used various kinds of tools. Meanwhile, the exper
Everyone was taken aback when Mr. McGrath said that.How could North’s teacup be real?In that case, the Jordan family had the fake.Gabriel was the first to come back to himself. He shouted loudly, “What nonsense!”Bryan’s expression turned grim. “Mr. McGrath, everyone in the Jordan family respects your authority. However, you cannot just say whatever you want. We’ve had this teacup all this time. I recall that you authenticated it ten years ago and called it real at that time. Don’t you remember?”Mr. McGrath exchanged a look with Mr. Newcomb before sighing.“That’s right. Ten years ago, I wasn’t as knowledgeable, and I overlooked a small detail. It’s this detail that determines the authenticity of the teacup.”Gabriel scoffed. “There’s no need for you to look for such excuses. Is there any chance something from the Jordan family’s collection could lose to something of North’s?”Mr. McGrath was the co-president of the Antiques Association. Thus, he spoke with a commanding ton
“But my mother was sure that the teacup was authentic when she bought it in the past. How could it be a fake?!” Gabriel roared, not happy with how things turned out. His eyes lit up as he took out a certificate of authenticity. “Mr. McGrath, look at this. This is my mother’s certificate of authenticity for the teacup. There is indeed a flaw in the edge of the teacup. That proves that the Jordan family’s teacup is authentic!“North, tell us how an item from the Jordan family’s collection ended up in your hands. Did you steal it?”The gathered crowd was suspicious.That was right. The picture on the certificate showed the authentic item, so how could the Jordan family’s teacup be a counterfeit? Had someone switched them?North’s eyes narrowed. She was curious about this too. If Mrs. Jordan had been the one to buy the teacup and even had a certificate for it, how had it ended up with Estella? And how had the Jordan family ended up with a fake?But North would never believe that her
North was not asking this question out of a fit of pique. She found that there were simply too many coincidences in this situation. How could the antique that Mrs. Jordan bought have ended up with Estella? And how had Reina suddenly become the Jordan family’s heiress?Who was Mrs. Jordan, exactly? Could she have been Estella’s friend?North did not expect that Bryan’s expression would become thunderous. “I won’t tell you!”How dare this thief ask for Estella’s name? North was not worthy of knowing Estella’s name!Reina had said that North always bullied her while she was with the Myers family. Initially, Bryan had thought that it was understandable that North was so arrogant. After all, she was the Myers family’s heiress. He thought that he could overlook her behavior since the Myers family had raised Reina.However, North had stolen Estella’s things. How could he bear to let that go?!“Ms. North, I can overlook the matter of the teacup, but it’s best that we don’t interact wit
Gerald recalled North’s question from before. “Do you remember what kind of person Mrs. Jordan was?”Giselle massaged her temples. She thought for a long time before shaking her head. “My memory is awful now. We were such close friends back then, but now I only remember a hint of her features. I can’t recall anything else.”Gerald did not keep pressing her.After hanging up, North was blinking at him. She had heard everything. “So, is the engagement real?”Connor nearly stopped breathing. Oh, no! It had taken so much effort for Gerald and North to be together happily. However, there was this marriage agreement! What were they going to do?Gerald said lazily, “It’s real. But who said that Reina’s identity is real?”North was taken aback. She sounded troubled when she replied, “Are you saying that Reina is impersonating the Jordan family’s daughter?”That was impossible, right? Bryan and Gabriel were no fools.Gerald put on a fake smile. “Why don’t we make a bet, Mrs. Howard?”…
Melinda had shown up at some point. “Surprised to see me, North?”North’s eyes narrowed. “I didn’t think you were invited to this event.”Melinda was delighted. “It doesn’t matter. Reina is the heiress of the Jordan family. I’m their special guest.”North nodded. “Oh. Hey, special guest, have you checked in with your hosts?”Melinda did not understand what North was getting at.North pointed with her chin. “The people backing you have already run off after being found out for bringing a counterfeit. Why didn’t they tell you that they were leaving? How come they dumped you here alone?”“How dare you!” Melinda despised North for her sharp tongue.She could not stand it. “Don’t you know how rich and influential the Jordan family is? Reina isn’t going to lose to you!”North paused for a moment before suddenly laughing. “Yes, that’s right. You’re both roaches. Anyone would admire you for your resilience.”Melinda’s face reddened. “North, how could you have such a vicious tongue?! A
“It’s natural to want affection from your family members. You did not know that Henry wasn’t related to you, so you’re not stupid.“You’re so cute and pretty. Your biological father would have adored you.”North blinked. Her eyes felt a little damp.“Besides…” Gerald paused before saying meaningfully, “Do you know what a marriage certificate signifies?”North did not understand what Gerald was getting at. “What does it signify?”Gerald’s tone was very calm. “It means two strangers have become the people closest to each other on this earth. Even though they are not related by blood, they are bound by something that cannot be removed. From now on, I will be your family.”North thought about it for a while before she understood. Dazedly, she said, “Oh.”“That’s why you can always trust me and be yourself. You can even whine and be bratty with me. However…” Gerald’s eyes narrowed. “There’s something that’s a little strange.”North had a feeling that Gerald really wanted to tell Nor
He moved his wrists and frowned.Did North sleep for the entire day? Was she disoriented?North sat by the bed with nothing to do. She watched as time passed. Strange, why wasn’t she awake yet? Was she that sleepy? Could it be that the advanced exam questions were too difficult and she did not want to wake up?North could not help but think about the questions. Hmm… they did not seem very difficult. She had thought of a solution!Indeed, people had endless potential when they were dreaming. They could even come up with answers to such difficult questions!North was afraid that she would forget and wanted to wake up quickly, but no matter how hard she tried, she could not wake up. She closed her eyes and opened them again, but she was still in the room.North frowned and muttered to herself, “What’s going on…?”Gerald looked at her silently.He also wanted to ask what was going on.“North, do you need my help?”North hesitated. Even though it was a dream, she was still a littl
North exclaimed in surprise.It turned out that Gerald could be sarcastic too!Gerald did not give Patricia any time to react. He was just short of chasing the entire Bracken family out.While the Bracken family was leaving, Gerald heard Mike grumble, “Mom… If you knew this was going to happen, why didn’t you adjust your act earlier!”Patricia was furious. “I did all of this for you. How could you fall for Gerald’s tricks?!”“But Gerald was right. They suspect that I’m not Paige’s son because of you!”…Giselle’s smile became more and more sarcastic. When the Bracken family disappeared, he said, “Accompany me pay respects to Paige. Also, get someone to clean Glass Manor inside and out.”He wanted to get rid of the bad vibes the Bracken family had brought in.…A few days later, when they returned to Royal Sights Residences, the Bracken family actually stopped causing trouble.North was about to graduate, and she had one final exam. She saw the class group chat exchanging adva
“Why? Do you think that I’ve forgotten how Paige died?”Giselle never expected that this shameless family would have the audacity to make an issue out of Paige’s death.“You make it sound so simple. Even if Patricia dies today, you would never disregard her last wishes. Is everything you do for the good of the Bracken family?“Still, the only person the Bracken family has ever had to sacrifice was Paige!”Virgil snapped, “Nonsense! I’m Paige’s biological father, how could I…”Giselle sneered. “Stop putting on an act. You didn’t look for your daughter when she was missing. You didn’t feel sorry for your daughter when she returned. You kept asking her to tolerate the adopted daughter. When she was sick, you even stopped her treatment so that she would die and let your adopted daughter marry her husband.“Virgil, I’m sick. I’m not dead yet, and I haven’t lost my memory. If this happens again, I’ll destroy the entire Bracken family!”Giselle looked at the bodyguards she had brought
The surroundings suddenly fell silent.Virgil found it hard to breathe. “Let go! Are you crazy?!”“I’m asking you a question. Where is Paige buried? Tell me!”Virgil’s brain was deprived of oxygen. Without thinking, he roared, “How would I know? Let go, you crazy woman!”Patricia screamed, “Madam Giselle, what are you doing? Let go of him. Do you want Dad to die?”Gerald’s second uncle also shouted, “Madam Giselle, why are you doing this to us? Don’t treat your husband like this!”“You don’t know? You don’t know at all, do you?” Giselle ignored everyone. She looked unremorseful. She scoffed.“You claim to be severely depressed about your daughter’s death,” Giselle retorted. “Despite that, you actually don’t know where your daughter’s grave is!”As soon as she finished speaking, the entire place fell silent.When Virgil realized what he had just said, his face turned pale and he stopped screaming. He trembled as he spoke to Giselle hatefully. “You did this on purpose…”That wa
Mike said weakly, “North, we paid our respects to my mother before we went out today. We didn’t say anything because we were afraid that Grandpa wouldn’t be able to accept it.”As expected, Virgil clutched his chest and looked like he was about to faint.Patricia cried out, “Gerald, are you satisfied now that your grandfather is trembling in anger? We’ve kept it a secret for so many years. Despite that…”Everyone sighed. So, that was how it was.It was indeed Ms. Paige’s death anniversary today. However, the old man had fallen into a state of depression from the intense guilt. He then mistakenly thought that his daughter had passed away in May.As his family, Patricia and Mike could not bear to make the old man feel more guilty. Thus, they maintained the facade.In fact, they would pay their respects to Paige every year.This made sense. After all, Virgil was old and could not stand such harsh emotions.The people from the Bracken family jumped on this chance to scold Gerald. “
Everyone was dumbfounded. North was really bold!North blinked. “What’s wrong, Mr. Virgil? Why are you so angry? Did I say something wrong?”“What nonsense! Paige is my daughter! How could I intentionally let her die?!”North widened her eyes. “I didn’t say that you intentionally let her die! It’s just that the Bracken family didn’t like her and looked down on her. The medical staff didn’t care about her either. In the end, they didn’t even treat her and let her die.“I know. It’s not your fault. After all, you were so busy. How could you have the time to take care of a daughter you don’t love?”Virgil clutched his chest. “What nonsense…! Shut up!”“North!” Patricia screamed. “Gerald, are you just going to watch her anger your grandfather? Your grandfather’s health isn’t good…”“What did I say wrong?”North sighed. “Look at what Mr. Virgil said. Ms. Paige passed away at the end of May, so why didn’t he treat her for two whole months from the end of March to the end of May?“Th
Mike knew that he had fallen into North’s trap and was speechless!He was so anxious that his expression changed. His forehead was covered in cold sweat, and huge beads of sweat dripped down. “Um… I…”“Mike!” Patricia saw that the situation was not good, so she hurriedly interrupted Mike and pulled him behind her.Then, she took a deep breath and pretended to be helpless and upset.“Gerald, what nonsense are you talking about?! We’re family. If you have anything you’re upset about, just tell me. There’s no need to cause trouble at the banquet and make an issue out of Paige’s death anniversary!“We’re all Paige’s family, and Dad is also Paige’s biological father. How can we not know when her death anniversary is?“Paige’s death anniversary is at the end of May. It’s not today at all. You… You’re too much!”Virgil looked aggrieved. He nodded and said, “That’s right. Paige’s death anniversary is in May. Gerald, I know you don’t want to give up her inheritance. Moreover, I didn’t fo
Everyone’s eyes fell on Gerald.Gerald looked up slowly and said calmly, “Ms. Patricia, why did you choose today to hold a banquet for Mike?”“It doesn’t matter what day I chose!” Patricia roared.“So, you did choose the date.”Gerald looked down at Patricia from above. His cold gaze made Patricia suddenly feel suffocated.Her “son” had a murderous look in his eyes. “Any other day would have been fine, but not today.”Patricia hated the look in Gerald’s eyes the most. Why was he so arrogant? Why was he looking down on her? Why was he like that b*tch?She screamed, “Gerald, I’m your mother! Mike is your brother! It’s fine if you don’t love me, but you keep finding fault with me. What right do you have—”“Today is the anniversary of Paige’s death.”Gerald interrupted her.Patricia’s face turned pale, and the words that she wanted to say were stuck in her throat. The scene instantly fell silent.What did Gerald say? What day was it today?Today was the anniversary of Paige’s d
Patricia felt a lump in her throat. “You…”“Connor, come out.” North interrupted her.Then, a group of people dressed in black walked out of nowhere and played mournful music. Connor walked in the middle and placed a memorial tablet on the table.Everyone looked at the memorial tablet curiously, wanting to know whose memorial tablet it was. When everyone saw the name “Paige”, they instantly fell silent.North and Gerald paid their respects. Then, they placed the bouquets beside the memorial tablet.Their actions stunned everyone.Had they come to pay respects to Paige?Patricia was trembling. She stared fixedly at Paige’s name on the memorial tablet. She clenched her fists.Paige!Gerald had paid his respects to Paige at a banquet for Mike. Was he crazy?! She was so unlucky! Paige was already dead, but she was still the center of attention at Mike’s banquet!After paying her respects, North turned around. “What are you waiting for? Aren’t you going to pay your respects?”