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Chapter 492 The Choice of Blood and Trust
Chapter 492 The Choice of Blood and Trust
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Sylvia had always been both a fan of Anneliese’s looks and a supporter of her character.
Seeing her in person, she’s even more beautiful and accomplished than she seems online. And despite all that noise on the internet, she never once bragged about being Mrs. Fullbuster–how rare is that?
And their fates were intersecting in a strange, fleeting way. So when it came to choosing whom to believe, Sylvia trusted Anneliese far more than anyone from the White family.
Anneliese smiled gently. “I’ll try to be as objective as I can.”
As they talked, neither of them noticed a well–dressed lady strolling past the restaurant window. The woman paused and turned to glance inside several times.
She was Judith Royce, a former poker companion of Melanie–someone who used to live under Melanie’s shadow. Now that the Whites had gone bankrupt and their villa was seized, Melanie had been forced to move into an old apartment complex in the suburbs.
Always one for gossip, Judith couldn’t resist calling Melanie right away. “Mrs. White, guess who I just ran into at The Grand Meridian?”
Melanie, wearing an apron, stood amid a pile of shattered porcelain. She hadn’t done her own chores in years and had just dropped a stack of dishes while washing up. The floor was a mess, and Judith’s breezy “Mrs. White” made her fingers tighten on the phone, ready to hang up.
But Judith rushed on before she could speak. “I saw that unloved ‘real daughter‘ of yours–now turned from rags to riches, Mrs. Fullbuster herself! And sitting across from her is a young girl who looks an awful lot like you. Don’t tell me you lost another daughter somewhere out there?”
Judith broke into a laugh, covering her mouth. Melanie, furious, slammed the call shut. Her hands trembled as she bent down to clean, and in her distraction, she nicked her finger on a shard. Tears welled up, slipping down the new lines etched across her face.
But the more she thought about Judith’s words, the more uneasy she became. A girl who looks like me? Could it be…
Heart pounding, she tore off her apron, grabbed her phone, and called Perseus as she rushed out the door.
Back in the restaurant, Anneliese evenly briefed Sylvia on the story of her time with the Whites–neither embellishing nor concealing anything. When she finished, she pulled from
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her bag the property deed for the Maple Bay apartment and the bracelet gifted by Gloria, placing them both on the table.
“These were left to you by your grandmother,” Anneliese said softly. “I’ve already signed the transfer agreement. If you sign too, the house can be transferred to your name today.”
But Sylvia drew back slightly and shook her head. “No, I can’t. I never even met Old Mrs. White. She left these for you, not me.”
Anneliese studied her for a moment, admiration flickering in her eyes. But precisely because of Sylvia’s integrity, she couldn’t keep what didn’t belong to her.
“She gave them to me only because she mistook me for you. They were meant for her real granddaughter, not me. If you feel guilty taking them, just visit her grave more often–she was a kind, gentle woman.”
In truth, Anneliese suspected Sylvia’s decency might have come from Gloria’s bloodline–or perhaps from the loving upbringing of her adoptive parents.
Still, Sylvia shook her head. “But you suffered so much in my place. Selina White even hired someone to hurt you. Let this house be the White family’s compensation for what you endured.”
Anneliese smiled faintly. “That had nothing to do with you. You’re not one of them, remember?”
When Sylvia still hesitated, Anneliese unfolded the contract and handed her the pen. “If you don’t take it, I’ll never feel at ease keeping it. It’ll just sit there empty.”
Sylvia finally accepted the pen but pushed the bracelet back toward her. “I’ll take the house. But please, keep this bracelet as a keepsake. If Grandma were still alive, I’m sure this is what she would have wanted.”
The bracelet had once been clasped around her wrist by Gloria herself, and Anneliese had treasured it ever since. Seeing Sylvia’s insistence, she tucked it back into her bag. “Alright, I’ll accept it then.”
But in her heart, she was already making plans–she’d have Zion purchase another piece of jewelry of equal value to give Sylvia before she left.
With everything settled, Anneliese felt as though she’d finally closed a chapter of her life. A burden she hadn’t even realized she was carrying lifted from her shoulders, leaving her strangely light.
She rose from her seat. “I’ve said all I needed to say. These are the White family’s phone
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Chapter 492 The Choice of Blood and Trust
numbers. What you do with them is entirely your choice–I won’t interfere.”
She slid a slip of paper across the table, but Sylvia didn’t reach for it. “I don’t want to acknowledge them,” she said firmly.
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Anneliese blinked, taken aback by her decisiveness–and quietly moved by her honesty. Sylvial truly didn’t see her as an outsider.
