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“Rebecca?” Gary hesitantly asked as the call connected.

Stacey paused before inquiring. “Why are you calling?”

Hearing her voice, Gary also paused. After a silence, Gary spoke up, “Rebecca, I heard that you are a daughter of the Carter family. Are they planning a reunion banquet for you?”

Stacey opened her mouth to respond, but no words came out in the end.

Gary also felt awkward. But thinking of his company, he eventually revealed his purpose. “Rebecca, no matter what, it was the Mitchell family that raised you. Could you provide us with an invitation to the Carter family’s banquet?”

Upon hearing that the Mitchell family wanted an invitation to the Carter family’s banquet, Stacey felt a sharp pang in her heart, almost as if ants were biting at her.

“Will you call me if I’m not the Carter family’s daughter?” Stacey asked, masking her pain.

This question left Gary speechless,,

“Rebecca, even if you don’t care about us, could you please, for the sake of your aunt, give the Mitchell family a chance?” Gary cautiously asked.

Stacey opened her mouth. The refusal at the tip of her tongue, but she didn’t know how to say it.

“I need to consult my mom about this. I can’t decide on my own,” Stacey cautiously stated after much deliberation. She didn’t want to agree, but she didn’t know how to refuse either. She feared rejecting the request would upset Cynthia.

Gary breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing her response and quickly agreed, “Okay.”

The call wasn’t lengthy, but after it ended, Stacey was left feeling uneasy. She never expected her foster father to call her, especially in such a subservient and cautious

manner.

Through her upbringing, Stacey had limited communication with her foster father, Gary. Most of the time, Janet always found ways to bully her, while her foster mother, Karen, often criticized and belittled her to protect Janet. Gary

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mostly remained silent in the face of these situations. Stacey knew that his silence. was a form of complicity, allowing Janet and Karen to mistreat her.

Now, seeing Gary’s submissive demeanor, along with his mention of Cynthia, Stacey found it difficult to refuse his request directly.

Carrying on with her filming, Stacey eventually called Cynthia in the evening.

In truth, she had already sent an invitation for the reunion banquet to Cynthia, along with her new husband Xavier, but had omitted inviting other members of the Mitchell family. Stacey had no desire to maintain any connection with the Mitchell family anymore.

Cynthia was delighted to receive Stacey’s call, but after a brief chat, she understood the purpose behind Rebecca, or rather Stacey, making the call.

A few days ago, when Stacey sent the invitation to Cynthia, she had shared her story of acknowledging her connection to the Carter family and changing her name with Cynthia’s support and joy in learning about it.

During their video call, Cynthia, looking at her non–biological niece, tenderly said, “I’m fine, Rebecca. Let’s forget about it. I’ll call you Becky from now on. The past is in the past. Just focus on being Stagey, or being Becky in the future. You have no obligation to the Mitchell family. If you don’t want to deal with them anymore, then don’t.”

Stacey hesitated. “Cynthia, will this make you uncomfortable?”

Cynthia smiled. “Don’t overthink it. I don’t represent the Mitchell family. Your relationship with them, good or bad, has nothing to do with me, and certainly doesn’t affect our bond.”

If Cynthia were only in her twenties, she might have defended the Mitchell family. But now, being older and having lived most of her life, she deeply understood that since the day she got married, she was no longer a part of the Mitchell family.

Her ex–husband Flynn cheated on her, and even abused her, yet the Mitchell family never protected her. Instead, they advised her to endure it because Flynn’s company had significant business ties with the Mitchell Group, bringing immense benefits to the family. If she divorced Flynn, the Mitchell Group would incur significant losses.

The Mitchell family asked her to endure for the sake of the Mitchell Group and

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their interests. Trusting them naively at that time, she didn’t want to burden her birth family or affect the Mitchell Group, so she endured silently. Subsequently, she suffered from depression, fell ill, and at no point did the Mitchell family. comfort or care for her.

She remembered the medical bills of forty thousand dollars. Janet could easily. spend tens of thousands on a dress or a bag, and the sofa in the Mitchell family’s living room was valued at 120 thousand dollars each. Yet, Cynthia’s surgery required only forty thousand dollars, and not a single person from the Mitchell family voluntarily stepped up to offer her that amount. They didn’t even tell her to do the surgery.

Only the seemingly clueless Rebecca, who had no blood ties to the Mitchell family, used her marriage to cover the forty thousand–dollar expense for her surgery, urging her to live well, because only by staying alive, there is hope.

Since that time, she understood. In reality, she had lost her birth family long ago, leaving her all alone.

Sacrificing herself for the benefit of the Mitchell family and enduring Flynn all along was just plain foolish. She came to her senses, deciding not to consult with the Mitchell family, and instead divorcing Flynn directly before seeking medical treatment abroad.

During her treatment overseas, Rebecca frequently called to check on her. When others from the Mitchell family called, they only questioned her about Flynn’s divorce. They accused her of playing the victim, saying that Flynn suddenly terminated many partnerships without warning, causing significant losses to the Mitchell family. They even persuaded her to return and remarry Flynn for the sake of the Mitchell family.

Stacey attentively observed Cynthia’s expressions. Noticing the genuine concern in Cynthia’s eyes, Stacey knew that she cared about her and didn’t care if the Mitchell family would be affected. However, Stacey was still somewhat uncertain. “I…”

“Becky, I’m pleased that you rediscovered your biological parents and realized how much your family truly loves you,” Cynthia interrupted Stacey, speaking earnestly.

As Cynthia spoke, her eyes welled up with tears. She briefly lowered her head, took out a tissue to wipe them away. When she raised her head again, a smile graced her face. “Becky, in the past, you reminded me to live well, because only by staying alive is there hope. Now, I have some advice for you.”

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“You must cherish everything you have, treasure those who genuinely love you, and not waste a single moment on those who do not. It’s not worth it,” she said.

Cynthia’s words seemed to strike a chord within Stacey, dispelling her doubts, worries, and unease. She knew that Cynthia spoke from the heart.

“Alright, I understand. Thank you, Cynthia!” Stacey beamed, looking at Cynthia with happiness. She felt incredibly fortunate to have such a wonderful aunt like Cynthia.

“Silly girl.” Cynthia gazed at Stacey with a mixture of envy and happiness.

She envied Stacey for having a good fate and being able to reunite with her families, who loved her deeply. But she was also happy to see Rebecca, after enduring so many hardships, being loved by so many families once again and living a happy life..