Chapter 1778:


    “Completely stuck,” Santos agreed. “He can’t even see his own daughter, and the woman he wants to marry won’t give him the time of day. Of course he’s suffering.” Alban sighed again. Even silence apparently wasn’t enough to protect him from his own family.


    He opened his mouth, thought better of it, and closed it again.


    “Henrik,” Colette said, leaning forward with a hopeful expression. “What if we simply happened to apany you today? Just a brief visit. We wouldn’t stay long.”


    “Wonderful idea,” Santos said, adopting a cooperative tone that was clearly calcted. “We won’t cause any trouble. We promise.”


    Henrik thought it over, weighing it against everything he had carefully established over the past week. He concluded there was little risk.


    “Fine,” he said. “You maye. But say nothing unnecessary. I have managed things precisely, and they have no idea what I’m actually doing.” He said it withplete confidence.


    He had no way of knowing that Christina had already worked it out. She was simply letting him believe his approach was working, watching with quiet interest to see where it would lead.


    Henrik had tried his best to maintain a neutral expression during his visits, but it never held for long. The moment Adide looked at him, everything softened. She already had himpletely.


    “We’ll be perfect,” Colette promised, barely able to contain herself as she gripped Santos’s arm. “Not a word out of ce.”


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    “Eyes open, mouths closed,” Santos confirmed, nodding with great conviction.


    They were finally going to see Gillian and Adide face to face, and the anticipation was almost more than either of them could manage with dignity.


    Alban stood there watching them prepare to leave, and the effort of not asking toe along was considerable. He kept his expression neutral and his hands still, while internally he was counting every second.


    Once at the hospital, Santos and Colette forced themselves to wait two full hours before they felt it was appropriate to knock. Even then, it cost them something.


    The moment they stepped through the door, their eyes went directly to Adide, and stayed there.


    The longer they looked, the more certain they became. She was Alban as a small child — the resemnce was striking, even through the features she had inherited from Gillian.


    “You must be Adide,” Colette said, keeping her voice warm and measured, holding out a soft teddy bear. “We brought this for you. We hope you’re feeling much better soon, sweetheart.”


    They had originally intended to bring something far more substantial, but had thought better of it — arriving with an extravagant gift would look suspicious and raise questions they weren’t ready to answer. The teddy bear was carefully chosen and deliberately understated.


    It took everything Colette had not to unsp her jewelry on the spot and press it all into her granddaughter’s hands.


    Adide didn’t reach for the teddy bear immediately. Her eyes moved to Gillian first.


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