?Chapter 253:


    “Sister?” Thea’s thoughts scrambled in shock, and a ripple of confusion swept through the assembled guests. Could that mute woman with the blue mark on her forehead—so unremarkable until now—really be the long-lost eldest daughter the Hubbard family had recently found? No way! That was unthinkable! Absolutely out of the question!


    Thea’s mind tly rejected the notion that she had just messed with Elliott’s sister. She stood frozen, her eyes round with shock and denial.


    The crowd’s whispers rippled out in a dozen directions, buzzing with confusion and curiosity.


    “What is happening right now? Is one of those two women actually Mr. Hubbard’s sister? Which one is it supposed to be?”


    “Did you juste over? Guess it’s thedy standing next to Rose. She has to be the Hubbard family’s long-lost daughter.”


    “She doesn’t really look like Mr. Hubbard, though. Maybe they each take after a different parent, or maybe the resemnce just skips a generation…”


    Katie, pulled into the crowd by her brother, had initially believed Elliott had eyes only for Thea. She’d felt a twinge of jealousy but still wanted to help Thea shine in front of him. Now, her bold facade copsed. Cold dread washed over her, leaving her trembling from head to toe. Her hands turned mmy, and she struggled to stay upright.


    Elliott’s quick switch-up left Katie floored. In hindsight, she realized she had almost found herself tangled in Thea’s mess, nearly putting herself in danger of angering the notoriously influential Hubbard n.


    Word was, the Hubbard family would stop at nothing for their lost-and-found daughter,vishing her with everything she wanted since her return. Anyone who crossed Eloise would be asking for disaster.


    Instead of sticking around, Katie melted into the crowd, wiping her brow and silently praying no one remembered how she’d badmouthed Eloise earlier. Letting Thea take the brunt of the me seemed like her only shot at staying out of trouble.


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    A shaky voice rose from Thea, defiant to the end. “You can’t be serious, Mr. Hubbard. She’s your sister? This is a joke, right?”


    Thea scrutinized Eloise, convinced there was no family resemnce, certain the Hubbard family had been duped. Doubt gnawed at her. Had the Hubbard family weed the wrong girl into their family? The very thought kept her clinging to denial, unable to ept she’d actually targeted the real Hubbard heiress.


    Elliott’s reply was cold and final. “No one knows my family better than I do. She’s my sister, and that’s all there is to it.”


    Elliott turned to the assembled crowd, his face giving nothing away as he delivered his statement. “Effective immediately, any rtionship or agreement between the Hubbard family and the Reed family is finished. Completely over.”


    Shock rippled through the room, the weight of Elliott’s words settling heavily over everyone. Clearly, Eloise had major pull in the Hubbard family. For the Hubbard family, cutting ties with the Reeds was a price they seemed more than willing to pay.


    Grant and his wife,te to themotion, arrived just in time to hear Elliott’s promation—and looked as if they might faint from the shock.


    Fury zing in his eyes, Grant rounded on Thea. “You fool!” he roared, bringing his hand down hard across her cheek in front of everyone.


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