Chapter 247: Help

Chapter 247: Chapter 247: Help

Jenson Whitman said softly,

"Getting a DNA test isn’t a bad thing. When we return to Veridia, we can formally introduce Vesper to everyone."

She’s been separated from the family for over twenty years. If we just bring her back out of the blue, people are bound to question her identity. A DNA test will leave no room for doubt!

Standing to the side, a look of gentle pain flickered in Renee Rhodes’s eyes.

"Vesper, we’ve never doubted who you are. Please don’t read too much into this."

’This girl is so intelligent and perceptive, so sensitive and thoughtful. For her to bring up the test herself, she must have her own worries and concerns.’

Vesper Grayson’s lips curved into a faint smile. "You’re worrying too much. I just think it’s safer to have it confirmed."

’Since they’ve already accepted me as family, what’s one more step in the process?’

The Sterling Family personally selected the testing facility. That same day, Vesper Grayson, Jenson Whitman, and Renee Rhodes successfully provided their samples. The final lab results would take seven days.

To celebrate the family’s long-awaited reunion, Miss Sterling specially instructed the kitchen to prepare a table laden with an exquisite and sumptuous dinner.

Vesper Grayson didn’t decline and called Jared Hawthorne to let him know.

"Miss Sterling asked me to stay for dinner. If you’re not busy, would you like to come join us?"

"I have a cocktail party I need to make an appearance at tonight. Call me when you’re done with dinner, and I’ll come pick you up."

"Okay, I’ll be waiting."

The lights were warm, the atmosphere harmonious and pleasant.

After dinner, Vesper Grayson went into the courtyard to call Jared Hawthorne. When she hung up and turned around, she saw a tall, slender figure standing silently in the night.

"Brother," Vesper Grayson called out softly.

Chadwick Whitman slowly walked to her side. Moonlight illuminated his refined features, and his expression was gentle.

"Don’t blame Mom and Dad. What happened back then was complicated. They never knew you were still alive. Mom lost her memories in an accident and forgot the past, but Dad... he always remembered you."

"Even though I was only five at the time, I remember things from very early on. I still recall how ecstatic he was when Mother was pregnant with you. He looked forward to your birth more than anyone."

"Later, when Mother came back and you were... gone... I saw with my own eyes, on several occasions, how Father hid it from everyone and secretly placed a memorial tablet for you in the Whitman ancestral hall. Every year on your presumed death anniversary and on your birthday, he would go alone to pay his respects. He would often just sit there for hours. He’s always blamed himself for losing you, filled with guilt and self-reproach."

"He may not be a man of many words, but he loves you more than anyone."

Vesper Grayson looked up at the bright moon. Its pure light washed over her face, and her heart felt clear and unburdened.

"I’ve never blamed them. All parents love their children—I understand that. Besides, I had a wonderful life with the Grayson family. My father and grandfather doted on me and never let me suffer even the slightest bit."

"I heard your stepmother has been targeting you since you were a child?" Chadwick had instructed his assistant to conduct a thorough investigation into the Grayson family’s past before he returned to Northolme.

"It was all just trivial stuff, and they never managed to truly hurt me," Vesper Grayson said calmly. "Dad was always biased in my favor, protecting me. No matter what happened, he always stood firmly in my corner."

"Perhaps he channeled all the guilt and deep affection he felt for my mother onto me."

Chadwick’s gaze softened. "Their meeting back then was just a fateful mistake," he said lightly. "Mom and Dad’s love for each other is deep-rooted. No one could ever come between them."

"The Grayson family gave you the gift of a loving upbringing, and the Whitman family will never dismiss that debt of gratitude. I will prepare generous gifts and personally visit them another day to express our thanks."

Vesper Grayson smiled. "That’s true. In this world, feelings are the one thing you can’t force."

’In the end, it was all Milton Grayson’s unrequited love. Renee Rhodes probably never had any feelings for him.’

Chadwick turned to look at her, his tone both gentle and earnest.

"Vesper, Mr. Grayson adores you, but Mom and Dad’s love for you is every bit as strong. I know you grew up with the Graysons and your ties there are deep, but you are a Whitman by birth. As your older brother, I truly hope you will formally rejoin our family."

Vesper’s heart stirred. She hadn’t thought that far ahead, but she knew that acknowledging the Whitmans and formally rejoining the family was inevitable.

’But she had been ’Vesper Grayson’ for twenty-six years. She was used to it.’

Seeing her silence, Chadwick softened his tone. "I’m not trying to force a decision on you. Take your time and just follow your heart."

...

「Inside a private room at the banquet.」

Seeing Jared Hawthorne abruptly get up to leave, Noah Monroe teased him with a smile.

"Leaving so soon? We haven’t even finalized the land development deal. Don’t rush off."

Jared Hawthorne said coolly, "You already know my stance. It’ll be fine with you holding down the fort."

With that, he walked straight out, and Leon Quillan hurried to keep up.

As the elevator descended, Leon Quillan said in a low voice, "President Hawthorne, we have a lead on the investigation you ordered. We received a report from M-City. Someone there has seen that mysterious totem before. It belongs to a professional assassins’ organization."

"Keep digging," Jared Hawthorne said coldly, his dark eyes profound. "I want to know the specifics. Who hired them to hunt me down all those years ago?"

"Understood."

The elevator doors slid open, revealing a spacious and dimly lit underground garage.

Just as they stepped out, a shrill, desperate cry for help suddenly echoed through the vast garage, sharp and helpless.

"Let go of me! Help!"

They looked toward the source of the sound.

Two burly men were relentlessly chasing a woman. She was slender, her elegant makeup smeared, and she was running for her life in a panic. She had already lost one of her high heels, cutting a wretched figure.

Catching sight of the two men by the elevator, a flicker of hope ignited in her desperate eyes. She stumbled toward them, falling right at Jared Hawthorne’s feet.

Her slender, pale fingers desperately clutched the leg of his trousers. She looked up, one side of her face red and swollen, her skin streaked with tears.

"President Hawthorne! Please, save me! They’re trying to kidnap me!"

The woman’s eyes brimmed with tears, a picture of delicate helplessness that would move any heart.

"This woman owes us a ton of money and won’t pay up! If you know what’s good for you, stay out of it. Otherwise, we’ll deal with you, too!"

One of the thugs hefted the baseball bat in his hand, his tone arrogant and utterly menacing.

"I didn’t! I don’t even know you, let alone owe you money!" The woman was on the verge of a breakdown, her grip on his trouser leg tightening like a drowning person clinging to a final piece of driftwood, refusing to let go for even a second.

Jared Hawthorne’s stern face remained impassive. His dark, profound eyes lowered to gaze coolly upon her.

"You know me?"

The woman quickly explained through her sobs.

"My name is Sue Linton. I’m an artist signed with President Zane Rivers’s company. I was lucky enough to see you from a distance once when you were visiting President Rivers at the office."

Jared Hawthorne took out his phone and called Zane Rivers directly.

"Do you have an artist named Sue Linton at your company?"

It was noisy on Zane Rivers’s end, and his tone was casual.

"I’ve got a lot of artists. How am I supposed to remember all of them? What’s up? Did she get on your bad side?"

"No," Jared Hawthorne said succinctly. "She’s in some trouble and asked for my help. If she’s your employee, send someone to pick her up."

"Alright, I’ll look into it."

Zane Rivers knew that Jared Hawthorne had always been cold and dispassionate, one to never meddle in others’ affairs, let alone feel pity for a woman.

Vesper Grayson was his one and only exception!

Five minutes later, Zane Rivers called back.

"She is one of my company’s artists. I’ve already contacted her manager, who is on the way," Zane Rivers said, unable to resist a little teasing. "I thought you weren’t doing social events these days? What made you decide to come out tonight?"

"We’ll talk later."

Jared Hawthorne hung up and glanced at Leon Quillan.

Leon Quillan understood immediately. Cracking his knuckles, he stepped forward without a word. In just a few moves, he had both of the arrogant thugs sprawled on the ground.

Seeing that the tables had turned, the two men knew they had picked a fight with the wrong person. They scrambled to their feet and fled in a panic, vanishing in a flash.

"Your manager will be here soon to pick you up. Leon, you stay behind."

With that, Jared Hawthorne got into his car, which then sped off.

Sue Linton remained on the ground, hugging her knees tightly and watching the car drive away, as if she still hadn’t recovered from the terrifying ordeal.