Frankie closed her eyes, nodding with a sense of relief.


    "So, are you here because of him?"


    Nathalie''s expression turned somber. "Everyone says he''s just a puppet,cking feelings, without a soul. Frankie, tell me, when heughed and chatted with you, did you ever feel happiness?"


    The matriarch''s face hardened, and after a long pause, she finally said, "He''s just a puppet. You should know that every action and word is programmed by the person behind him. Nathalie, you shouldn''t develop feelings for him."


    Nathalie countered passionately, "He''s such a wonderful person-so dutiful, so kind, so cheerful... When he talks to us, there''s genuine affection in his eyes. Tell me, what programmer could create a puppet so real and full of emotion?"


    Frankie responded, "That just means the programmer behind him is very skilled."


    Nathalie hesitated, then asked, "Do you know who created Nathan?"


    The matriarch shivered involuntarily. Her worst fear hade true.


    "I... I don''t know."


    "And where is your grandson?"


    The matriarch said nothing.


    Nathalie pressed on, "I mean your actual grandson-Nathan?"


    The matriarch''s face went pale.


    Nathalie held her gaze, refusing to let her look away.


    After a long silence, the matriarch


    sighed. "I don''t want to keep this et


    from you. The Nathan you knew was created by my daughter, Kelly."


    Chelongs to


    Nathalie''s eyes widened, and she shook her head in disbelief. "That can''t be true. Aunt Kelly''s been gone for nearly twenty years."


    "I''m not lying My daughter Kelly was a genius, passionate about robotics from a young age. She got married but it wasn''t a happy marriage, so she left the Rond family with her child. Tragically, the child died due to neglect. Kelly med herself for not being a good mother, so she created this puppet in her child''s likeness. She was the child''s mother and poured all her love into it. This puppet is incredibly advanced, with synthetic skin and realistic skeletal and vascr systems. It can grow taller and heavier each day ording to the programmed data and even hit puberty at the right age. Details like skin tone and male characteristics were meticulously designed by my daughter. The only missing piece was the blood; she hadn''t developed a fluid quite like


    human blood before her ident."


    Nathalie sat there stunned, struggling to believe that her Nathan was a robot capable of growing naturally.


    Frankie looked at Nathalie calmly. "Is there anything else you want to ask?"


    Feeling defeated, Nathalie asked, "So, there''s no way to bring him back?"


    Frankie nodded. "Unless my daughteres back to life."


    Thest bit of hope vanished from Nathalie''s eyes. Tears streamed down her face as she choked out, "Regardless, I''m grateful to your daughter. She gave me the greatest gift"


    The matriarch said nothing.


    Nathalie stood up. "Madam, please stay out of the Stewart family''s issues. You''re


    not opposing me; you''re opposing your own daughter."


    Frankie caught the underlying message in Nathalie''s words.


    Was Nathan the mastermind behind Nathalie''s attempt to reim power in the Stewart family?


    Frankie''s hand trembled beneath her sleeve.


    With those words, Nathalie turned and left without looking back.