Chapter 102
Chapter 102
In the evening, at Rose Manor, the night descended, and the stars twinkled, suspended on the dark blue curtain. The moonlight spilled onto the colorful roses, and the night breeze carried the fragrance of the roses, which came in waves.
After lunch. Joseph drove Emma and Ava out shopping, leaving only two servants and Sherri in the villa. The servants were all busy with their own tasks.
The servants and bodyguards in the Manor were all well-trained to listen only to what they should hear and automatically filter out what they shouldn’t Once they left the estate, they wouldn’t say a word more than necessary. This was a primary requirement for anyone working in the Manor. Every servant had to sign a confidentiality agreement upon entering the estate, and if they leaked any information about the manor, they would bear legal responsibility Compared to other jobs outside the estate, the salary for working at the manor was several times higher than that of an ordinary household.
As a result, many of the servants who entered the Manor had no desire to leave. The beautiful environment and high salary made it difficult to resist.
Sensing her best friend’s sense of loss today, Natalie helped the two children take a bath and put them to sleep before heading to Sherri’s room.
Pushing the door open, Natalie saw Sherri standing by the window, lost in thought. Sherri didn’t even notice her come in. Natalie walked over and put her arms around Sherri’s shoulders, standing next to her. “Are you feeling down? Why didn’t you help Ruby take a bath tonight?”
Sherri curved her lips, and her eyes revealed a touch of sadness and reluctance. “Once I leave. I may not be able to wash her every day. She’ll have to get used to having you around.”
Before entering the room. Natalie had guessed this was the reason. Since Ruby was born, no matter how busy she was, Sherri always put aside her work and personally bathed and put Ruby to sleep. Natalie also remembered the first time Ruby called her “Mommy, she hid in her room crying. She witnessed Sherri’s disappointment when Ruby grew up and started calling her “Mommy Sherri.”
In fact, no one taught Ruby to call Sherri “Mommy Sherri.” Jasper came up with it, and as she followed it, then it became a
habit for her.
In private, Natalie had taught Jasper and Ruby many times also to call Sherri “Mommy,” but only Jasper changed his way of addressing her. Ruby continued to call her “Mommy Sherri
Natalie comforted Sherri by holding her shoulder and saying. “Don’t be sad. Ruby is your child, and no one can take that away from you. Even though she calls me Mommy, you know in your heart that she still prefers to be close to you. I put her to bed at night, but before sleeping, she always looks for you. This blood relationship cannot be changed just by her calling you Mommy Sherri’ or calling me Mommy”
Seeing that Sherri Landor was moved by her words, Natalie continued, “Joseph bought me a house, and I’ll be keeping it. When we return to Athana, you can come live with us. It’ll be our home with two kids. Remember, it was you who suggested that we should go for walks together when we are old. It hasn’t been long yet, and you’re already thinking of going back on your word. You’re not going to despise me as a divorced woman, are you?”
Sherri was stimulated by Natalie’s words, and her gloomy mood dissipated a lot. “Who despises you? Who goes back on our words? You’re still single, and you have plenty of pursuers. There are people who are wooing you even when you’re pregnant Just look at your contact list and the number of men who want to become your child’s fathers”
After joking around, Sherri became serious and said, “I’m just feeling a bit sentimental because I’ll be leaving tomorrow. And once I go back. I won’t be able to see Ruby every day, which makes me feel a little sad”
Natalie sighed in relief as Sherri began joking around again. “We’ve come through the toughest times together, and we’ll find solutions to whatever comes our way in the future too. Don’t worry so much. As you can see from my example, on my second day in Sapphire City, I was unexpectedly forced to take a paternity test. That same night, I found my mother’s relatives Looking back, it all seems incredible, but the DNA results prove that it wasn’t just a dream. When one door closes, another opens.”
Sherri chuckled and said, “Can you be any more melodramatic?
“Ive shown you my most tender ude for your sake.”
Natalie remembered their first day in Sapphire City, where they were busy looking for their dormitory, arranging the beds, and organizing their belongings. They slept uneasily that night, and the next morning, they ran into Joseph in the hallway of the training center
Natalie recalled the first time she met Joseph, her first impression of him was very positive. He was a gentleman, polite, and his tone even had a sense of urgency when he asked her, “Can you do me a favor!”
Natalie didn’t refuse such a polite request, so she politely replied, “May I ask what you need help with?”
Joseph said firmly. “A DNA test.”
Natalie was so surprised that her mouth could fit a tomato. She swallowed and said. “Are you serious? Is it common for people to take paternity tests at the Sapphire City training center?”
Joseph paused for a moment and said, “You could say that.”
At that time, Natalie couldn’t help but think to herself that this was quite an unusual way of entering a new company. Normally, new employees would have interviews and tests, but at the Sapphire City Training Center, they took paternity tests instead, which seemed to be quite common.
Reluctantly, Natalie agreed to his request. After all, it was just a matter of drawing some blood, and she also hoped to find her own relatives.
She quickly agreed and seized every possible opportunity.
After the blood was drawn, Joseph politely and apologetically said. “I’m sorry to trouble you. Could you wait with me for a little while? The results will come out soon because it’s our own research facility, and we have VIP status, so it’ll only take three hours.
Natalie asked in confusion, “You just said that newcomers have to undergo a DNA test. Is that true?”
Joseph retorted, “Not everyone. Whenever I thought were necessary.”
Natalie was silent for a moment, thinking to herself that over the years, the center must have conducted numerous tests on people from all parts of the country who came to receive training. She couldn’t help but wonder if they were all being tested for the purpose of finding lost relatives.
This was…
“Did you… lose your family? This was the only reason she could think of at the moment to pull a stranger like her for a DNA test so openly
Joseph did not answer. Instead, he chose to remain silent. “Rest for a while.”
Natalie could sense the sadness on Joseph’s face and began to suspect that something had happened in his family, resulting in the loss of loved ones.
After waiting for three hours, Natalie’s buttocks had gone numb, and she was about to stand up and stretch when four people suddenly appeared in front of her. They included a middle-aged man, a middle-aged woman, and a slightly playful young girl, all of whom were tearful and looking at her.
Joseph handed a piece of paper to the middle-aged man, who only took a quick glance before bursting into tears. It was the first time Natalie had witnessed such an emotional scene, and she couldn’t help but feel overwhelmed. Please don’t cry like this. Can someone tell me what’s going on?” she asked, feeling as though she had just been diagnosed with a terminal illness instead of taking a paternity test.
This scene was a little like a farewell party before death. It was terrifying
The middle-aged man took a step forward, but Natalie instinctively stepped back. It was the middle-aged woman who held her emotional husband back and spoke softly, “Your name is Natalie? Hello, we are from the Turner family in Sapphire City. The paternity test report shows that we are related by blood.”
Natalie’s mind went blank. Did she find her relatives in the corridor?
The woman continued. “Don’t be afraid. This is your uncle, Daniel Turner, and I am your aunt, Emma Wilson. They are your cousins Joseph Turner and Ava Turner.”
Natalie began to remember Daniel. He had asked her about her parents at a bidding meeting before, but she didn’t know at the time that her mother was an orphan.
It turned out that fate had reunited long ago. Blood relations were really sticky.
Natalie felt a bit overwhelmed and didn’t know how to handle such an emotional situation. Although she had imagined countless scenarios of finding her lost relatives, this was not one of them.
Daniel had lost the business-like demeanor he had at the bidding meeting and was now like a joyful child, tearing up one moment and laughing the next. “Do you remember me? We met in Athana, and I thought you looked a lot like your grandmother at the time.”
Of course, Natalie remembered. She nodded.
Ava came over and hugged her, saying affectionately, “Natalie, don’t be afraid. We’re not bad people. Mom and Dad have been looking for your mother for so many years, and I can’t even remember how long it’s been. Grandpa and Grandma set a family rule that finding you guys was our top priority. Nothing is more important than that. Grandma passed away with regrets because she never found you. Now that we’ve found you, you can’t leave our sight. You must come home with us.”
Ava was naturally affectionate and clung tightly to Natalie’s bent arm, afraid of losing her again.
Joseph noticed her discomfort and said, “Why don’t you come with us to our home first, and we can talk more slowly there? The purpose of this training center was to find you guys.”
Natalie felt an indescribable mix of emotions – happiness, joy, and gratitude. It turned out that her mother was not unwanted but lost by accident. Her family had even established such a large training center just to conduct paternity tests and find her. She couldn’t believe how much effort they had put into finding her.
If she were to tell people that the primary purpose of the Sapphire City Training Center was to conduct paternity tests and find lost family members, they probably wouldn’t believe her. It was such an extraordinary story that it seemed almost unbelievable.
That evening, Natalie returned to Rose Manor with Sherri and listened to the Turner family’s story for hours. Later, she learned that the Turners were the wealthiest family in Azureland.
After Natalie’s mother’s birth, Natalie’s mother was taken away by her grandfather’s secretary in cahoots with outsiders. Since there were no surveillance cameras at the time, it was impossible to trace her whereabouts.
In addition, the Turner family was not that powerful in the past.
This led to the current situation, and it was said that Natalie’s grandmother had blamed her grandfather for their entire lives. Her grandfather had left with a sense of guilt, while her grandmother had passed away with regrets.