<b>Chapter </b><b>357 </b>
From the back hall came an elderly man, full of vitality, supported by a cane. His steps were steady.
This was Timothy, the head of The Yuncey Family, soon to be 88 years old. Despite his age, his hearing and sight were still sharp, exuding <b>an </b>aura of authority and wisdom that could control and perceive everything.
Behind him walked his first wife, Rachel. Though she was elderly, her demeanor was still dignified and exuded the grace of a matriarch.
These two were the soul of The Yuncey Family. On the surface, Timothy held all the power, but much of the actual control behind the scenes was orchestrated by Rachel.
“Grandfather, grandmother, I’ve brought someone you may not know. Her name is Caitlin, and she is Eleanor’s granddaughter,” Dous introduced them to the elderly couple.
After Timothy and Rachel sat down in the high hall, they began to assess the young woman before them. Caitlin had a graceful figure<b>, </b><b>a </b>refined face, and a cool, detached aura that, at first nce, reminded them of Eleanor in her younger years.
She was Caitlin?
Eleanor’s granddaughter?
“Oh? You say you’re Eleanor’s granddaughter? Do you have any proof?” Timothy asked, his eyes revealing a hint of suspicion and surprise.
Caitlin took out a family heirloom, the Yuncey Family jade pendant, which had been passed down by her grandmother. “Here is the heirloom left to me by my grandmother, Eleanor.”
As soon as Timothy saw the pendant, his emotions surged. His hands trembled as he looked at the old item, his eyes welling up with tears. “This is truly Eleanor’s! Look, Rachel, it’s Eleanor’s!”
Rachel took it from him, inspecting it carefully, and nodded, “Yes, it’s hers!”
“Ah, I can’t believe it. After all these years, Eleanor has descendants… I never knew,” Timothy said, regretfully clutching his chest.
Watching the old man tearfullyment, Dous tried to console him, “Grandfather, don’t be too upset. Caitlin’s return has fulfilled a wish of yours, hasn’t it?”
“Yes, yes, Caitlin! It’s so good that you’vee back. What’s happened to your grandmother?” Timothy wiped away his tears and asked eagerly.
“My grandmother passed away many years ago,” Caitlin replied, collecting the pendant and calmly watching the drama unfold.
The Yuncey Family must have known that her grandmother had passed away long ago. Otherwise, how could ck Hawk have orchestrated his long–standing plot?
Since it was all a performance, Caitlin was curious to see how long they would continue pretending.
“Ah? No… Eleanor…” Timothy’s voice cracked as he continued pretending, adding to his portrayal of a grief–stricken brother mourning <b>his </b>sister. If Caitlin hadn’t already seen through everything, she might have been convinced.
“Alright, stop grieving. Eleanor may be gone, but Caitlin is here, representing her!” Rachel gently urged Timothy, signaling him <b>to </b><b>st </b>exaggerated disy.
“Yes! Caitlin, I’m your great–uncle! I’m so happy you’vee back!” Timothy looked at Caitlin with a lock of genuine joy, treating <b>her </b>like family.
Rachel observed Caitlin once more before asking, <b>“</b>Caitlin, how did you suddenlye to Departure City<b>? </b><b>You </b>didn’t send any notice Your grandmother never contacted us over the years, and we thought she had disappeared without a trace.”
Caitlin carefully emphasized, “My grandmother only told my mother about our family’s background before she died. After my mother’s ident, I learned the truth and decided toe here to meet my rtives. After all, my grandmother was the true heir to <b>The </b><b>Yuntey </b>Family. If she were still alive, this would be her home.”
Caitlin’s words struck a chord, letting them all know that she was not just a distant rtive. She was the rightful heir, not just someone casually visiting.
Indeed, her statement caused the expressions on the faces of everyone present to stiffen. Timothy’s lips twitched slightly<b>, </b>but he <b>didn’t </b>speak. He just stared at her.
Rachel, still maintaining her calm demeanor, said, “Regardless of the circumstances, this is The Yuncey Family. Since you’ve returned, you should stay here for a while. I’ll have someone prepare a room for you.”
Her tone subtly reminded Caitlin that, while she may be Eleanor’s granddaughter, she was still an outsider to The Yuncey Family<b>, </b><b>who </b>were
the true masters of this house.
Rachel called for an older maid, Madam Zhou, to prepare a room for Caitlin. But just as they were about to leave, Carmen and her parents
entered.
Seeing Caitlin in the main hall, Carmen’s anger immediately red, and she couldn’t suppress it any longer.
“Caitlin? How dare youe here!” Carmen shouted.
Hearing the woman’s outburst, Caitlin turned her head.
With a dark expression, Carmen stormed in, confronting the family. “Grandfather! Grandma! Don’t you know? This woman! She disrupted our Fragrance Garmentsunch today, embarrassed me and my brother, and made us apologize publicly!”
“I’ve heard about this,” Timothy spoke slowly. “Caitlin’s actions were inappropriate, but she’s just returned to The Yuncey Family. She’s family and should be treated as such.”
Rachel, always practical, added, “Yes, she’s a rtive. We should be hospitable.”
Carmen, furious, turned to Timothy and said, “Grandfather, you know how much work we put into theunch event! She ruined everything and even made us apologize in front of everyone! How can we let this go?”
From Carmen’s words, Caitlin gathered some important information. The truth was, Timothy must have known about theunch event’s situation, and he had condoned it.
Why?
Why had Timothy allowed Carmen and the others to hold aunch event without producing the real Fragrance Garments<b>? </b>What was their
true purpose?
Caitlin quietly mulled over these questions, all the while maintaining a calm expression, watching Timothy closely to see <b>how </b><b>he </b><b>would </b>respond.
<b>ople </b><b>who </b><b>exposed </b>“Enough! It’s fine, don’t worry too much. Theunch event failed, but it’s a lesson learned. It’s better that <b>it </b>was <b>our </b><b>o </b>the fake Fragrance Garments, rather than outsiders finding outter<b>,</b>” Timothy sighed, his voice a mixture <b>of </b><b>frustration </b><b>and </b><b>understanding</b>.
“Caitlin, since you’re Eleanor’s granddaughter, maybe she passed on the knowledge of Fragrance Garments <b>to </b><b>you</b><b>. </b><b>You </b><b>should </b><b>be </b><b>humble </b>and learn from Caitlin, alright?” Timothy advised Carmen with a tone of both authority and affection.
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