?<strong>Chapter 996:</strong>


    With a smile, Kelsey said, “I’ve noticed Carrie in the news recently. It’s impressive what she’s done. A young woman making her own way, without leaning on family connections, and bing so remarkable. Honestly, if I were in her shoes, I wouldn’t dare im I could aplish what she has.”


    Carrie, hearing the praise, slowly regained herposure and responded modestly, “Ms. Hinks, you give me too much credit. My efforts are nothingpared to what you’ve achieved. I’m not feeling well today. I think I should head home now. Please continue without me; I don’t want to interrupt.”


    Seeing this, Arion immediately got up and said, “I’ll take you home.”


    Reece interjected, “We’re concerned about you heading back to your apartment alone in this state. Why don’t you stay here and rest for the day before going back?”


    Noticing the shift in focus towards Carrie’s wellbeing, Kelsey said, “Since Carrie isn’t feeling well, we’ll leave you to rest. We didn’t mean to intrude sote, but we came as soon as we received some new information today.”


    Luca, assessing the situation, chose not to keep them any longer. He instructed, “Kody, please show them out.”


    As soon as Kody saw off the Hinks couple, the atmosphere inside the Morrison household grew tense.


    Every eye instinctively turned to Carrie, their concern evident. Jenesis broke the silence first. “There are so many people with type O blood. The odds of it being that rare subtype are slim. We’re probably overthinking this.”


    A heavy stillness settled over the room. Then, after a long pause, Luca spoke up. “Carrie, was your grandmother’sst name Hinks? Because as far as I know, Kelsey’s mother’s full name was Hannah Hinks.”


    Carrie shook her head without hesitation. “No, my grandmother’s name was Gracie Moran.”


    It felt impossible to connect it to the distinguished Hinks family.


    Arion turned to Luca. “Grandpa, have you ever met this Hannah Hinks?”


    Luca’s gaze drifted into the distance, lost in memories from decades ago. “I met her when I was still in college,” he murmured.


    Then, turning back to Carrie, he added, “Back then, Hannah was stunningly beautiful. But more than that, she was gentle, refined—the kind of woman your grandfather would have admired.”


    Jenesis let out a dramatic groan, slumping back into her chair and rubbing her forehead. “Oh my god. Let me try to wrap my head around this insane plot twist. Uncle Josh and Hannah were supposed to be the perfect couple, but instead of living a morous life, they both hid their identities, left their families, and lived as an ordinary couple in some random small town? This is crazier than any soap opera I’ve ever seen!”


    Arion, unfazed by her theatrics, turned to Carrie. “Do you have any pictures of Gracie on your phone? Let Grandpa take a look.”


    Carrie hesitated for a moment before nodding. “I don’t have many photos with her fromter years, but I did take pictures of a few old printed ones. The quality isn’t great, though.” She pulled up an image on her phone.


    Arion leaned in, his brow furrowing slightly. “She must’ve been quite old when this was taken.”


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