?Chapter 743:
She studied him for a moment. There was no calction in his tone, no trace of self-interest—he honestly wanted to help. Her eyes dropped back to the pendant. Silence stretched between them. William didn’t press, just stood there, letting her decide.
Finally, she lifted her chin. “Alright. I’ll go.”
That night, she drove home, her thoughts in turmoil. The next morning, William contacted Karson. By noon, Karson had arranged for a full DNA test—fast-tracked, no expense spared. The results came back before the end of the day. Ste was indeed his granddaughter. A Carter by blood.
When the news spread, the entire Carter family was overjoyed. Karson, who had searched for her tirelessly for years, could finally stop looking. And now it made…
It made sense—why, from the first time they met her, they’d felt an unshakable sense of familiarity. Blood ties, long buried, had finally surfaced…
Karson’s tears streamed freely as he clutched Ste’s hand, his voice trembling with years of longing. “Sylvia… it’s good to have you back. You must’ve suffered so much all these years away.”
Ste’s chest tightened. His raw emotion left her unsettled. For more than two decades, she hadn’t known she even had a grandfather—hadn’t known she belonged anywhere. Now, faced with Karson’s joy, she didn’t know how to respond.
Lance, beaming, reached across the table. “Sylvia, we’ll announce it soon—you’ll finally take your rightful ce as part of the Carter family.”
His words left her momentarily dazed. Her rightful ce? She was really bing a part of the Carter family. Everything felt too sudden, too surreal. She wasn’t ready.
The Carters, however, were swept up in celebration. Even Timothy Carter, Karson’s elusive grandson buried in overseas medical research, sent a rare message: “Wee home.” It appeared the entire family rejoiced at her return. Everyone… except Nina.
When Karson led Ste to the dining table and seated her as the daughter of the Carter family, Nina’s smile froze in ce, brittle and lifeless. Her nails dug into her palm until the sting nearly drew blood. How could she be a Carter? Nobody noticed her stiff posture or the fury simmering beneath her silence.
Lance’s voice filled the room. “From this day forward, Sylvia is one of us. A week from now, we’ll host a banquet and announce her identity. Everyone in Choria will know she’s a daughter of the Carter family.”
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Nina’s chest tightened. Jealousy and humiliation gnawed at her, hollowing her out. The woman she had mocked for having no background was now exalted as a Carter. A true Carter, with status higher than her own. Her pride—her one unshakable shield—was crumbling. She stared at Ste, hatred zing in her eyes.
Nina had always worn her Carter name like armor, certain it would forever ce her above Ste. But now… everything had shifted. Ste’s rise shattered the foundation of Nina’s pride was crumbling. It was unthinkable, like waking into a nightmare where nothing made sense, where the world had tilted against her. And while Nina reeled in silence, another storm brewed elsewhere—when the Walsh family finally learned the news.
When Marc heard it, he nearly choked on his frustration. First, William had seized that project, and Horizon Group had betrayed him. Now, Ste—his ex-wife—had risen higher than he could ever reach. He had called Nina again and again for answers. She hadn’t picked up once. If not for Walsh Group’s solid foundation, their empire might already be rubble. Every move against Ste seemed to backfire, draining him dry. Briggs Group trampled him, Horizon Group betrayed him, and Nina had gone silent. Why was he always on the losing end?
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