Chapter 207
Kelly was already a sobbing mess, with used tissues strewn all over the floor, utterly heartbroken.
Seeing Aiden burst out, Kelly flinched and immediately ducked behind Javon.
Javon shivered under Aiden’s icy glare, feeling utterly wronged and helpless.
“Aiden…” Kelly choked out between sobs.
But Aiden didn’t even glance at her. Instead, his gaze shifted to the side.
Russell showed up with Baz, the man they’d met in Endver City last time, carrying some fruits and a bouquet.
Baz approached with a gentle and refined demeanor. As he smiled, a deep dimple appeared on his left cheek. “Hello, everyone,” he greeted warmly.
Baz was the man the Shelton family hated most back then.
He had eloped with their treasured daughter, but when Elsie fell gravely ill, he stood helpless. Despite all his efforts, he ultimately lost her forever.
Russell quickly stepped forward and greeted, “Hello, Mr. Walker! I’m here to see Valerie. Valerie, I came to see you!”
Afraid Aiden might refuse, he shouted in?
the ward, then dashed inside with the flower and fruits.
Aiden shot him a glance before turning to Baz. “Come in.”
Baz offered a heartfelt smile. “Thank you.”
”
Russell slipped into the room. Spotting Valerie, he clicked his tongue and said, “Man, what kind of rotten luck is this? You just can’t catch a break, can you?”
Valerie also felt she was really jinxed. “How did
you know?” she asked.
“Adrienne told me,” Russell set the fruit basket on the table. “Seriously? You got hurt and didn’t even tell me? Some friend you are!”
Valerie said, “Just a small wound, it’ll heal in no time. No need to make a big deal out of it.”
Russell gave a soft huff, then noticed Valerie was looking behind him.
Baz’s expression grew complicated as he looked at Valerie. He said, his voice tinged with mixed emotions, “Hello, Mrs. Walker.”
Valerie gave a faint, polite smile. “Hello.”
Baz set down the gifts he’d brought. “My name is Baz Holden,” he introduced himself.
Russell quickly introduced, “This is a highly successful
I entrepreneur. He heard you were injured and wanted to check on you. You actually met at my
grandma’s party last time. Do you remember?”
“Yes,” Valerie responded vaguely.
‘Honestly, I barely know him. What’s he doing here?‘ Valerie wondered.
Russell circled around the topic for quite a while before finally asking, hesitantly, “Valerie… I heard you grew up in an orphanage. D anything from when you were little?“.
Valerie instinctively glanced at Baz.
‘So this is why he came,‘ she realized.
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Chapter 207
“Why do you ask?” Valerie smiled faintly. “I’ve mostly forgotten about my childhood”
“Have you been in the orphanage for as long as you can remember?” Baz asked, a tremor of excitement in his voice.
Valerie glanced at him and said, “Mr. Holden, did you come here today because you’re interested in my background?“
Baz had no intention of hiding it. With a wry smile, he said, “To be honest, you look a bit like my wife.”
He paused, then added softly, “My late wife.”
Valerie’s heart skipped a beat as she instinctively looked over at Baz.
Baz took out his wallet, opened it, and showed a photograph. “This is my wife,” he said softly.
It was an old photograph, grainy and a little out of focus, yet it had a dreamy, nostalgic beauty all its own.
In the photo, Baz looked much younger than he does now. Beside him stood a beautiful young woman with a radiant, sweet smile, her happiness unmistakable.
She was beautiful, dressed in a lovely floral dress and a wide–brimmed hat that was fashionable at the time.
Her features alone bore a striking resemblance to Valerie, easily sixty to seventy percent alike.
Valerie froze, her eyes widening in disbelief.
Kelly gasped in astonishment, “Valerie, this woman looks exactly like you!”
Aiden glanced at the photo, surprise flickering in his eyes.
They really do look alike,‘ he thought.
Seeing her reaction, Baz’s face softened with a gentle smile. He said, “I also have a photo of her by herself.”
Baz took out another photo from his wallet. In the picture, the woman lay in the snow, a faint, serene smile on her face, gentle and elegant.
Seeing her like this, Valerie thought in shock, ‘She looks even more like me in this photo.‘
Valerie’s heart raced as she looked at Baz. “What do you mean by this?” she asked, her voice a
bit unsteady.
‘Could he think I’m the child of the woman in the photo?‘ The thought struck her suddenly, making her heart clench.
A bittersweet ache welled up inside her, shock and disbelief washing over her all at once.
Baz carefully put away the old photograph, his eyes brimming with nostalgia. “My wife would have been forty–two if she were still alive. We fell in love at sixteen, and back then, to escape the arranged marriage and family pressures, we eloped.
“When she was twenty, she fell gravely ill and needed a kidney transplant. Back then, I was young and stubborn, too proud to swallow my pride and ask my family for help. It wasn’t until her condition worsened… that I finally gave in and told my family. But by the time I brought them home, she was already gone.”
Though his words were brief, Valerie felt a sudden pang in her heart.
Aiden frowned.
Baz’s voice choked up with emotion. “I’ve never seen her again since then. Mrs. Walker, if I may ask… how old are you?”
“Mr. Holdon,” Russell quickly cut in, “Valerie’s almost twenty–one.”
Baz’s eyes lit up faintly with hope, yet at the same time, his heart clenched painfully.
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Chapter 207
Baz thought, his heart aching, ‘If Valerie really is our child, how could she have been so cruel as to keep even her existence from me? Back then, she was already so emaciated. How did she manage to give birth alone and keep the baby healthy?‘
Kelly’s eyes widened in astonishment. “Valerie, could you actually be Mr. Holden’s daughter? The resemblance is uncanny! If I didn’t know better, I’d totally mistake her for you!”
Valerie’s heart twisted as a wave of confusion, helplessness, and disbelief washed over her. She murmured under her breath, “How could this be
All these years, she’d waited for her birth parents. Deep down, she truly longed for them.
Valerie thought, ‘But when it comes to Mr. Holden, I don’t feel anything special. To me, he’s just a complete stranger
Baz watched her reaction, eyes filled with trembling hope. He said gently, “I know this assumption sounds incredible. But apart from genetics, I really can’t explain why you resemble my late wife so much. Mrs. Walker, if you’re willing, may we take a DNA test together?”
Valerie was momentarily at a loss.
“Val, it seems very likely! Why not give it a try?” Kelly suggested.
Valerie glanced around at everyone’s expectant faces, then finally nodded.
Meanwhile, at the Shelton family residence,
Colette said, “Valerie isn’t even twenty–one yet. If she really is Elsie’s daughter…”
Jack said, “We’ve already failed Elsie once, we can’t let her child suffer the same fate. I am determined to bring her home, and the share of the Shelton family inheritance that rightfully belonged to Elsie must go to her child, no matter what!
“But what if she isn’t?”
“It has to be! Look, this child is the spitting image of you when you were young…”
Juliette listened to the voices coming from the study, her fists clenched so tightly her knuckles turned white, eyes blazing with murderous intent. Moments later, she slipped away quietly into the shadows.
AD
