To prove she wasn''t just talking nonsense, Nicole grabbed her phone and snapped


    a quick photo of Anneliese and Ellie together, then immediately handed it to Anneliese. "Take a good look for yourself. Tell me I''m wrong."


    Anneliese took the phone, shaking her head with an amused sigh of surrender, but the moment she saw the picture, she genuinely paused.


    There was, surprisingly, a striking resemnce. Whether it was the curve of their eyebrows and eyes, the prominent bridge of their noses, or the delicate lines of their jaws, the simrity was undeniable.


    Seeing Anneliese''s stunned expression, Nicole raised an eyebrow triumphantly.


    "See? I wasn''t making it up. Wait, since the Whites aren''t your real family, then where are they? You really might have some kind of blood rtion to this little girl. Maybe the little girl''s mother is your sister?"


    Anneliese had never met Ellie''s mother, but she felt the child stiffen in herp the instant Nicole mentioned her.


    Ellie immediately drew her body closer to Anneliese and buried her head even lower.


    Sensing the little girl''s sudden distress, Anneliese shot a look at Nicole, silently urging her to stop.


    She sent the photo of herself and Ellie to her own WhatsApp number, returned the phone to Nicole, and gently asked Ellie, "Ellie, who did youe here with?"


    Ellie clearly didn''t want to say, as if she feared that if Anneliese knew, she would be sent away immediately.


    She wiggled her bottom on Anneliese''s thigh, snuggling even closer. Then, she scooped a tiny spoonful of mango pancake into the air and held it right up to Anneliese''s mouth, watching her with big, obsidian eyes that blinked innocently.


    Anneliese chuckled, leaning down to eat the dessert the little girl had fed her. She lightly tapped the tip of Ellie''s nose. "You clever little thing, batting those eyes won''t work. Your dad is going to worry sick when he finds out you''ve run off again."


    As Anneliese finished speaking, she pulled out her phone, intending to look for the contact information Steven had given her before. Yet, before she could dial, the sharp, slightly erratic sound of high heels rapidly approached.


    In the next moment, a familiar and utterly unwee voice cut through the air.


    "Anneliese, why are you everywhere? Have some dignity! Are you really so shameless that you''d use a child this small for your schemes?"


    It was Gianna.


    She was dressed in a vibrant red suit, with equally striking, heavy makeup. Yet, the faint dark circles under her eyes diminished the overall effect of her bright, aggressive look.


    Before, Gianna put on a facade of harmless innocence in front of Anneliese.


    It was clear, however, that the incident with Jessica, which resulted in Anneliese getting her locked up in a police station overnight, had thoroughly fueled Gianna''s hatred. Now, she couldn''t even manage basic courtesy.


    As she spoke, she rushed forward, reaching out to grab Ellie, who was seated in Anneliese''sp, her face twisted in a sneer.


    "Ellie, get over here! What is wrong with you? Why are you eating whatever disgusting things strangers hand you? Have you forgotten everything you were taught? Aren''t you afraid of being poisoned or kidnapped?"


    Ellie obviously had no intention of leaving or letting Gianna catch her.


    The little girl was surprisingly fast. With a twist of her hips and a pivot of her legs, she mbered off Anneliese''sp and onto the couch cushion behind her,pletely sheltering herself on Anneliese other side, out of Gianna''s reach.


    "Ellie!" Gianna shrieked in anger.


    Anneliese raised an arm and shifted her body, using herself to shield Elliepletely.


    With her other hand, she reached out and firmly gripped Gianna''s wrist, stopping her from trying to grab Ellie again. "Gianna, Ellie is terrified of you when you act this cruel Don''t you see that? Or do you, as always simply refuse to acknowledge when people dislike you?"


    Anneliese''s words were clearly loaded with deeper meaning.


    Gianna immediately suspected Anneliese was mocking her for desperately pursuing Zane, a man who clearly didn''t want her.


    Gianna had been nursing a burning resentment ever since Anneliese had derailed her n to ruin Jessica and caused her to suffer the consequences. At this moment, the umtion of old grudges and new insults boiled over simultaneously.


    Furious, she snatched a cup of coffee from the table, intending to ssh it right into Anneliese''s face.


    Anneliese, with one hand gripping Gianna''s wrist and the other shielding Ellie, had no time to stop her.


    As Anneliese instinctively turned her head, bracing herself for the humiliation of being drenched in coffee, she heard a sharp gasp of surprise.


    It was Gianna''s own startled cry. Anneliese turned and saw that the entire cup of coffee had been spilled down the front of Gianna''s own chest.


    Nicole, who was now holding a dessert te out and had managed to block every drop of coffee from hitting Anneliese, met Gianna''s. murderous re with apletely innocent expression. "I just had reflex We were ying a ridiculous game yesterday where I had to blo?k things. Total ident, do you buy it?"


    Gianna was shaking with rage, on the verge of a full-blown scream. "Gianna, what in the world is going on here?" came someone''s question.