After Max stormed out with Ronald, my apartment felt eerily silent. Having finished their duties, the cleaning crew lined up beside the couch, awaiting my orders. It felt odd being waited on like this, so I suggested, "Maybe you guys can head out? I think I''ve got everything


    covered


    here."


    They exchanged puzzled looks before one of them informed me with a polite smile, "Mr. Collins instructed us to stay with you at the apartment."Original from N?velDrama.Org.


    I frowned slightly, ufortable with the arrangement, but decided to change clothes and head out anyway.


    "Ms. Floyd, where are you going?" one of them dared to ask.


    "What, did Mr. Collins send you to keep tabs on me? Do I need to report my whereabouts now?"


    I had nned to visit Gabrielle to discuss some matters concerning my parents. The servants didn''t dare respond. However, as I opened the door, I found Gabrielle standing there, looking as if she was on the verge of falling apart.


    "ire, I''m so sorry." She pulled me into a hug. "I just found out what ude did to you, and I''m here to apologize on his behalf, okay?"


    I stayed rigid in her embrace, not moving or speaking. Knowing ude, she wouldn''t have told Gabrielle aboutst night. How did Gabrielle find out?


    "ire, I know I pushed you to marry ude, and I was wrong." Her tears were worrying, so I led her inside to sit down.


    Gabrielle continued, "ire, I know ude has wronged you, but please don''t punish him. Hisw firm is facing a huge crisis. If he can''t get through this, all his years of hard work at establishing Crestview Metropolis''s topw firm will have been for nothing. Do you understand how hard it was for him to build that from the ground up?"


    I looked at her, my brows furrowed, as she seemed toe to ask for my help for her son.


    But what could I possibly do?


    "Mrs. Hart, his firm''s troubles aren''t because of me." I tried to pull away from Gabrielle''s grasp, aiming to sit further away, but she clung tighter.


    Gabrielle blurted out, "The Hilton family."


    I was confused. "The Hilton family? I have nothing to do with them."


    "No, you do, ire. The Hart family


    has been hiding something from you


    for years. Gabrielle added, "When t


    n was alive, he left 2% of the sharesto me, asking me to adopt you into the Hart family name."


    I was getting more confused by the minute.


    "When I recklessly married ude''s father, who had nothing, and ude was born. When ude was fifteen, the Hilton family came for us, wanting to separate us, and sent your parents to fetch me. As they were taking me away, ude''s father chased after us, and there was an ident. Being the good souls they were, your parents tried to save ude, which led to an explosion. ude survived, but your parents and ude''s father did not."


    My heart stopped for a moment. So, everything ude had said was true.


    "It was a huge scandal at the time, and wanting to avoid fallout, the Hilton family gave me 2% of the shares, iming your parents were just bodyguards for the Hart family unrted to the Hilton family. We were too grief-stricken to consider the impact on you, so you were left in an orphanage until the media found out and sted the Hart family for being ungrateful. ude was starting his career at


    twenty-two, so we had no choice but to bring you, a ten-year-old, back to the Hart family."


    I struggled to breathe, fighting back tears. I waspletely overwhelmed by the shock and horror of it all.