?Chapter 1317:


    The moment she epted the assignment, she would instantly be their sworn enemy.


    When Florrie heard that Christina also shared the surname Jones, her body stiffened almost imperceptibly. She wondered if this was a sign delivered directly from God.


    Florrie had been operating on a powerful hunch, and now this shared name cemented her conviction into absolute certainty. The sheer possibility that the girl standing before her was the missing granddaughter she had sought for years fueled Florrie with an uncontroble surge of excitement.


    She instinctively tightened her grip on Christina’s hand, feeling a profound reluctance to ever let go.


    Ophelia noticed Christina wince slightly and immediately said, “Grandma, you’re squeezing her hand.”


    “Oh!” Florrie cried, instantly releasing her grip with an apologetic, worried expression. “I’m so sorry, sweetheart. I didn’t mean to hurt you.”


    “It’s fine, really. No harm done,” Christina reassured her with a calming smile.


    Noticing Magnus had just arrived, she added, “Excuse me, but the person I was waiting for is here now. I really need to go.”


    “Alright, go ahead. We’ll definitely treat you to a meal another time,” Ophelia promised.


    Florrie watched Christina walk away and, purely on instinct, took a couple of hurried steps forward, an overwhelming urge to follow her consuming her.


    “Grandma,” Ophelia gently tugged on her arm, her brow furrowed with confusion. “What’s wrong? You’ve been acting strangely since this started.”


    Florrie held Ophelia’s hand tightly, her whole body shaking with a mix of nerves and excitement. Her lips moved, but no words came out.


    “Easy, Grandma, just breathe,” Ophelia said softly. Seeing how shaken Florrie was, she grew worried and helped her sit down in their private room.


    “Just now… that girl…” Florrie’s voice trembled, her emotions still all over the ce.


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    Ophelia kept trying to calm her down, and after a few minutes, Florrie finally managed to speak clearly. “She could be your cousin.”


    Ophelia’s eyes flew wide. “Grandma, what do you mean? Do you have any proof? She doesn’t look like Uncle Hurley or Aunt Beth.”


    “But she looks just like my mother,” Florrie said, her voice catching with emotion.


    “Wait—like your mother?” Ophelia blinked, a fuzzy memory of flipping through an old photo album when she was a kiding back to her.


    Now that she thought about it, maybe there was something there—a resemnce she hadn’t noticed before.


    It had been years, and her memory was fuzzy, but the first time she saw Christina, something had clicked. Maybe it was because Christina looked so much like her great-grandmother.


    “Yes, exactly. And when I look at her, I feel something deep… like she’s family. My gut says she’s one of us,” Florrie said, gripping Ophelia’s hand tighter as her excitement returned.


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