?Chapter 1231:


    “What?” both Terence and Nelly barked at once. They jumped to their feet, practically lunging toward the guard. “Say that again! What did she say her name was?!”


    The poor guard stammered, shaking. “She… she said Davina Morris. And that she’s your daughter—”


    Before he could finish, Nelly smacked him across the face.


    “Idiot! Why didn’t you just say that right away?!”


    The guard’s cheek throbbed where Nelly’s palm had struck. Fury coiled in his chest, yet he had to swallow it down.


    Defying a family as powerful as the Murrays was nothing short of suicide.


    “My deepest apologies, Ma’am. It won’t happen again,” he blurted, bowing swiftly in submission.


    “Then go back and bring her here,” Nellymanded coolly.


    “Yes, Ma’am!” The guard straightened at once and rushed to obey.


    Terence’s brows furrowed in disbelief. “I thought she was dead. What’s happening here?”


    Nelly’s lips curved into a smile. “Whether she’s the real Davina or not is irrelevant. As long as we im her as our daughter, she serves our purpose.”


    A calcting gleam flickered in Terence’s eyes as a slow grin formed. “You’re clever as ever, my dear. Since she’s pretending to be Davina, then we’ll let her bear the burden of Davina’s arranged marriage.”


    Content with their deceit, the couple eased back, their nerves untangling.


    To them, truth had no weight—what mattered was opportunity. Real or not, the girl would soon wed Darian Lloyd.


    “You may enter now,” the guard announced, pushing the gate open with a metallic creak.


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    Davina nced at her phone, tapping out a brief message before slipping it into her bag.


    Straightening her shoulders, she stepped into the courtyard, her gaze immediately drawn to the ce where her mother had once tended a sprawling bed of roses.


    But all of them were gone—reced by a shallow pond.


    Near that same spot, there had once been a wooden swing her mother built just for her—a small gift of happiness that swayed withughter.


    Now only a cluster of ornamental trees stood there, silent and unmoving.


    Without realizing it, Davina drifted toward them, her steps unsteady, her mind slipping into the past.


    In her mind, the swing came alive once more—the air filled with sunlight, wind, andughter.


    She could almost feel her mother’s gentle hands on her back, pushing her higher.


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