Lea nodded honestly. âMs. Marlinie, anyone would be startled if you just showed up out of the blue like that, especially at this hour.â
The woman gave her an apologetic smile as she crouched down to hug Lea. âIâm sorry⦠I didnât mean to scare you⦠Itâs just that your mother sent me a picture of a girl today who looks exactly like my daughter. I had to catch a red-eye flight from M State to see you guys.â
Lea blinked in understanding. The good lady who saved her mom must be Ms. Marlinieâs long-lost daughter.
No wonder her dadâs bodyguards didnât flinch when she came knocking. They recognized Ms. Marlinie, her motherâs best friend.
Bertha sighed at her friendâs rash actions. She first pulled her luggage inside before closing the front door.
âMarlinie, sit down. Iâll get you a cup of water.â
Marlinie stood up and shook her head. âThereâs no need for water, Bertha. I want to meet this Ellinor girl. I need to see her.â
Bertha rubbed her temples. âIâd love to take you to her, but considering itâs 4 a.m., they might think weâve lost our minds.â
Marlinie only then realized the time and flopped down onto the sofa. âOh⦠right⦠I canât scare her;
sheâs a timid one.â
Marlinie was usually elegant and composed, but she seemed like a different person now. She was completely in a daze as she thought about her daughter.
Lea sat next to Marlinie and shook her head. âThatâs not true, Ms. Marlinie. Ellinor is very independent and brave.â
Marlinie looked at Lea. âSheâs independent and brave?â
Lea nodded with certainty. âYes, Ms. Marlinie. The person who risked her life to save my mother was Ellinor. Sheâs not just brave but kind-hearted too.â
Marlinieâs eyes turned red. Tears were welling up in her eyes but not falling.
Her emotions were a whirlwind. After looking at the picture, she had a strong feeling that the girl was her daughter, Pearl.
Yet, after hearing about the girlâs characteristics, she became uncertain.
In her memory, Pearl was extremely shy. She was always hiding behind her brother whenever strangers visited. It took her a while to gather the courage to greet them.
When she was born, she was the darling of the Howard family, so she was always well-protected.
Especially by Balfour, who would always look out for his baby sister. He kept her away from all dangers. He wouldnât allow anything or anyone Pearl disliked to be around.
So, it was hard for her to believe that her innocent and timid daughter had grown into a brave and independent woman.
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When she had entrusted her daughter to an old classmate for a while, she was told that her daughter had fallen ill and passed away. Apparently, they had already buried her.
The Mendoza family hadnât erected a tombstone for her daughter then. They waited for her to decide what to put on it, as they werenât her relatives.
She couldnât bear the thought of her daughterâs suffering and decided to keep her ashes.
All these years, she believed her daughter was dead. She couldnât imagine that her daughter might still be alive.
Why would the Mendoza family lie to her?
Why did they claim her daughter was dead and refuse to tell her where she was? She hated herself for not investigating further and blindly believing them. If that girl really was her daughterâ¦