Yara looked at the man before her, Walden Wells. Her face shared a striking resemnce to his-the contours, the features, all of them carried his shadow.


    But she didn''t address him immediately. She just stared.


    Walden stepped closer, taking her in all at once as if he couldn''t believe she was real. She wasn''t the kind of beauty that stopped a room, but he didn''t need a second look to know it-she was his.


    Sometimes, the connection of blood was just that miraculous.


    "My girl" Walden''s voice suddenly choked with emotion. He reached out and took Yara''s hand. At sixty-five, nothing makes a man feel young again like finding out he has a daughter out of the blue.


    It felt like a gift from heaven. Just when he was at his most desperate and


    vulnerable, he had been given a daughter, granting him new hope and sce for the rest of his life.


    At that moment, a ck car drove unimpeded through the gates outside. Vanessa had arrived.


    She was wearing a ck formal dress and had carefully applied natural-looking makeup. She was here to have lunch with Walden and to solidify her position.


    "Miss Shannon, Mr. Wells is with a guest," an assistant stepped forward to stop her. Vanessa''s expression soured. "What guest? Am I not allowed in either?"


    In the eyes of Walden''s staff, Vanessa was already considered the future Mrs. Wells, so no one would dare to stop her without good reason.


    "Well-"


    Before the assistant could exin, Vanessa had already strode into the main hall. But as soon as she reached the entrance, she saw Walden tightly gripping a strange girl''s hand. A middle-aged woman stood beside them. Then, Walden pulled the girl into a tight hug.


    Vanessa''s smile froze on her face. Had Walden found a new me?


    And one who was so in in both looks and demeanor? His taste was terrible!


    Confident that her presence could push aside any woman vying for Walden''s attention, Vanessa smiled slyly. "Walden, are you with a guest?"


    Walden was still immersed in the emotional reunion with his daughter. Vanessa''s sudden interruption made him frown in displeasure.


    He turned to her, his usual warmth~~~ gone from his face. He cleared his throat, Vanessa, I have something very important to attend to today You should go home."


    Vanessa''s smile stiffened. But Walden had been the one to invite her to lunch.


    "Walden, didn''t you have your assistant ask me to lunch? And who is this-?"


    Yara turned to look at Vanessa,


    instantly understanding the beautiful


    woman''s rtionship with her


    biological father. Her expression


    darkened, and she puffed her hand back from his grasp.


    "My mom and I are leaving."


    She already felt like a stranger to her biological father. Now, seeing his social circle, she disliked him even more. In her twenty-six years of life, she had never felt a shred of warmth from him. Being suddenly asked to acknowledge him, even if he was wealthy, didn''t sit right with her.


    Walden saw his daughter''s reaction and immediately shot a look at his assistant. "Escort Miss Shannon back to her hotel."


    Vanessa let her voice go soft and pleading. "Walden..."


    Walden''s gaze turned sharp, a clear warning. "Vanessa, go home. I need to be with my daughter now."


    Daughter?


    Vanessa stared in disbelief at the woman Walden was holding onto. She looked about the same age as her. Where did Walden Wells suddenly get a daughter?


    The immense shock and panic drained the color from her face. She stared at the girl, feeling all her ns and ambitions about to go down the drain.


    "Miss Shannon, this way, please," the assistant said, gesturing for her to leave.