Albert tried to grab Hylda again, but Ian blocked his hand and said with a dark expression, "Brother-in-law, the decision you made is very unfair to my sister, yet she didn't say anything harsh to you. How far do you want to push her?"Albert opened his mouth and could not find a word to say.Then, Ian flatly said, "I'm going to hire the best lawyer for my sister in this lawsuit. We're not going to give up on Sophia and Hugo. You should tell your lawyer to be prepared as well."Albert started panicking at that time.Ian was not the same man anymore. He had the advantage over Albert since he married into the Moore family. Besides, Albert did not trust Hylda in keeping the secrets she had been hiding for so many years if their marriage were to be broken.Albert would be caught in serious trouble if that happened.When he thought about that, he got so worried that he immediately stepped forward to stop Hylda. Then, he said in a hoarse voice, "Hylda, don't be mad. I'm foolish and mad
Xenia continued in a hoarse voice, "I know. I'm not trying to get anything from you using the baby, but I just want to bid a proper farewell to it. Even though I got very scared when I first found out about my baby, its existence made me somewhat greedy... for someone who doesn't belong to me."She started sobbing as she spoke. "Mr. Jewell, I don't want anything from you. I can have an abortion like you wanted, but can we not do it today? The doctor just let me listen to my baby's heartbeat, and my baby is probably conscious now. I want to have a proper conversation with my baby and tell the baby that I'm not giving up on it because I don't love it.Albert saw Xenia crying, and his heart immediately softened.She looked so much like Rainee when she was crying. Besides, he even started to feel like their voice sounded very similar too even though it might just be an illusion.When she cried and said those words, he could almost see Rainee in her twenties standing in front of him wit
Albert and Hylda both had strange looks on their faces as they realized that Stella witnessed the dramatic scene that had happened."Stella, why are you at the hospital?"Albert was the one who recollected himself first as he hurriedly asked. Then, he looked at Keegan and asked, "Did you come here with Mr. Kane?"Stella shook her head. "Nope. I'm here to see a doctor and met him downstairs, so we came up together."She looked at Albert before shifting her gaze to Hylda, and finally to the woman that Albert was hugging. "And, this is?""She's—""She's the company secretary." Hylda interrupted Albert before he could finish speaking.Hylda was a homewrecker who ruined Rainee's family, and she was so proud of it back then. However, after less than a year of getting married to Albert, he got sick of her and found someone a lot younger to replace her. How ironic was that?Hylda could turn a blind eye to Albert having an affair outside their marriage, but she would not allow herself t
Albert said in a gentle voice, "Even though you and Stella are divorced, to me, we're still family. Besides, I'm just used to calling you that after so many years."Keegan raised his eyebrows and said, "Well, I'm afraid that you have to start getting used to addressing me in a different way now. You're not Stella's father. Technically, I'm not related to you in any way. If you don't stop calling me that, I'll have to do a lot of explaining to others. So, please stop doing that."Albert felt really awkward but managed to keep his composure.Hearing Keegan say Stella's name so kindly made Albert see that Keegan still cared for her, despite past lies. This reassured Albert about his choice to adopt Stella and be her foster dad, especially since the Kane family had been so good to him over the years; he couldn't give that up.Albert quickly regained his composure. "I might not be Stella's real dad, but I've looked after her since she was little. I've talked to her about adopting her, and
'I can't believe it!'Stella was still worried that Keegan's acting would be unnatural and too obvious to trick them.It turned out that her concern was completely unnecessary, as she saw how effortlessly Keegan said that.The serious and calm look on his face was so convincing that even Stella herself was going to fall for his lies.Albert got interested as soon as he heard what Keegan said. However, he remained skeptical."Is that even possible?"Keegan said, "Our technology is so advanced now that gene engineering and gene medication are very normalized. So, why would it be impossible to do that?"Albert immediately got tempted. "C-Could you send me her contact, then?"Keegan replied, "Of course. Just mention my name when you call her."Albert was extremely grateful, but he was filled with deep regret when he saw how well Stella and Keegan looked together.However, he could not spare more time to chat with them anymore, so he said to Stella, "Stella, my words always stand.
"We talked about something else too, but I mainly want to find out if he knows anything about his uncle. But, he doesn't seem to know much."Keegan dismissed the idea with a scoff. "That would be surprising. His parents aren't close to Irene, and they barely communicate. "The Moore family isn't fond of Irene's husband at all. "They didn't even let them have a wedding ceremony after getting their marriage certificate, and Marshall has met him just a few times."Stella was taken aback. "But Marshall's mom seemed so close to Irene at the jewelry exhibition back then. How can you be so certain?"Keegan replied calmly, "They were just pretending for the sake of appearances." He paused briefly before adding, "Marshall had a younger brother who was two years his junior, but he tragically died after choking on a small toy."Marshall's parents were out shopping at that time because Frederick was very happy that Irene had come back from studying abroad. He prepared a grand welcoming party
Stella flipped it open and saw Ian White's information.Ian White... No, it should be Phil Corden. This person had a very similar background to Hylda.They were both from a small town and came to Rivera with nothing when they were just teenagers.He worked as a waiter, a nude model, a helper in a barbershop, and a car mechanic...He had worked in almost every position that was available to the lower-class laborers.The two positions that he worked the longest were as a model and a waiter at Sapphire Clubhouse.His parents had passed away a long time ago, and his family, including his two older brothers, had not seen him for a very long time.A lot of people believed that he died in an accident, and even his identification documents were destroyed.That was the exact reason why Hylda could seamlessly fake him as Ian White.He was a person without an identity, and nobody would suspect anything if he were to replace another person who was abducted and went missing a long time ago
Keegan's eyelid twitched, and he repeated what she said. "You have men's clothes at your place?"Stella replied, "I did a photoshoot for a local clothing brand previously. They had a design that looked really good, so I took two sets of it for you. The fabric is very soft, but it's not something very expensive. Just forget it if you're not interested."Keegan paused. "Why are you speaking as if you've bought me any expensive clothes before?"Stella was speechless.Then, she gritted her teeth and said, "What makes you say that? The socks that I bought you cost a few hundred dollars for a pair, and the ones I'm wearing are just a few dollars!""Except for socks," Keegan said."What about boxers? They cost several hundred, and some are even more than a thousand!"Keegan was speechless."Except for boxers."Stella opened her mouth and argued back, "I didn't buy you expensive clothes not because I'm not willing to spend that money on you, but because they're just not worth the pric