Real Heiress: Flash Marriage With Boyfriend's Uncle - Chapter 65

Chapter 65: Shattered her world

“What’s the report, Roger?” Lucius asked, his tone sharp yet calm.

“Boss, there’s no hospital record of Madam’s birth, nor anything on Orabela either. It seems neither of them were born in this city,” Roger reported confidently.

Lucius leaned back in his chair, eyes fixed on the gleaming nib of his fountain pen. “In that case, we’ll need to take a different approach.”

Roger hesitated for a moment before asking, “What should we try next?”

“A DNA test,” Lucius responded, raising his eyes to meet Roger’s.

“I’ll need to gather samples from their home for that,” Roger suggested thoughtfully.

Lucius gave a slight nod, his voice firm. “I trust you’ll handle it with precision.”

Roger hummed softly, his expression filled with determination as he assured Lucius, “Don’t worry, Boss. I’ll take care of it.” Then, with a sudden shift in tone, concern crept into his voice. “By the way, Boss, about last night… did you tell Madam that you almost got shot?”

Lucius chuckled, setting the pen down on the table with a soft clink. “You think I’d tell her something like that? What do you want her to do, disown me?” His tone was light, but there was a trace of seriousness behind his words.

Roger furrowed his brow, still worried. “I thought Madam had started warming up to you, Boss.”

Lucius sighed, his gaze softening as he thought of her. “She’s got a gentle heart, Roger. Her life’s already riddled with enough problems—I’m not about to burden her with mine.” There was a pause before he added, more quietly, “She doesn’t need to know about the dangers I face.”

Roger nodded, understanding the unspoken weight behind Lucius’s words. “I get it, Boss. You always think about her first.”

Their conversation was cut short as the office door creaked open, revealing Layla stepping in with a file clutched in her hand. She offered a polite smile to Roger, who returned the greeting before excusing himself from the room.

“Lucius, could you take a look at this?” Layla asked, holding out the file as she approached the desk.

Lucius glanced up, a slight smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. “I’ll get to it… later.” His response was casual, his focus not yet shifting to the document she offered.

Layla placed the file gently on his desk, just as the landline phone on her own desk began to ring. She quickly moved to answer it, lifting the receiver to her ear.

The receptionist’s voice filtered through the line. “Ma’am, Miriam Rosenzweig is here to see you.”

“Hmm.” She put the receiver down and turned to Lucius, only to hear his voice, already knowing the situation without her saying a word.

“Go on,” Lucius said, leaning back in his chair with a knowing look. “Talk to your stepmother. Just don’t let her get to you.” His voice carried both a piece of advice for her and a note of concern.

Layla straightened, her eyes flashing with determination. “I won’t,” she declared firmly, bracing herself for the encounter ahead.

~~~~

Miriam sat rigidly in the plush sofa chair of the private room, her posture immaculate, her hands resting lightly in her lap.

When Layla entered, Miriam couldn’t help but notice a new air of authority around her stepdaughter.

The transformation was striking—Layla seemed more poised, more confident, than ever before. It was clear that her life had changed dramatically after the marriage.

Miriam made a motion to rise, but Layla’s calm voice stopped her. “Please, stay seated, Madam.” Her tone was polite, but firm.

Layla took a seat directly across from her, her movements controlled and deliberate. After a brief moment, she asked, “Would you care for something to drink?”

Miriam shook her head slightly, offering a faint but sincere smile. “No, thank you. I’m just glad you made the time to meet with me, Layla.”

There was a brief pause before Miriam cut straight to the heart of the matter, her eyes searching Layla’s face for answers. “Why didn’t you tell us about you and Roderick?”

Layla had anticipated this moment for some time. She had been preparing herself for this conversation far longer than Miriam likely realized.

“Because Roderick wanted to make the announcement himself,” Layla replied smoothly, her voice steady and devoid of emotion.

Miriam swallowed, her earlier composure faltering as she prepared to speak again. Her eyes grew misty, and she hesitated, as if the words themselves were too heavy to say. “When did you find out about…?” Her voice trailed off, and her gaze dropped to her lap, trying to summon the courage to finish.

Layla’s response was calm but laced with an underlying hurt. “The day Lucius’s marriage proposal came for me. Orabela suddenly declared that Roderick had proposed to her.” Her words were honest, revealing the pain she had long kept hidden.

Miriam’s fingers clenched into tight fists, her knuckles turning white. A wave of shame washed over her, and an unsettling sense of déjà vu hit her. She knew this situation all too well. It wasn’t just a betrayal of her stepdaughter; it brought back memories of her own past. How different was this from when she found out about Darius’s affair with Seraphina?

The memory was as vivid as if it had happened yesterday. She had been nine months pregnant, on the brink of giving birth, when Darius, her husband, had shattered her world. Without warning, he announced that he had been involved with another woman—Seraphina—from the very beginning of their marriage. The devastation of that moment had scarred her, leaving her feeling helpless and betrayed.

And now, her own daughter had caused a similar kind of pain. Miriam’s heart ached with the weight of her own guilt. She had never imagined that her blood, her own child, would repeat the same cycle of deception. .

Layla, seeing the sudden shift in Miriam’s expression, grew concerned. She recognized the storm of emotions that flickered across Miriam’s face—guilt, regret, sadness—but she decided not to bring up the painful memories they both shared.

She had long ago learned that sometimes silence was more comforting than words. Instead, she sat quietly, watching Miriam with a quiet understanding, her gaze softening as she chose to let the past remain unspoken between them.

Miriam, meanwhile, fought to keep herself together, her voice now barely a whisper. “I never thought… my own child would do something like this.”

“You always knew what Orabela was doing. You just chose to remain silent because I’m the illegitimate daughter and in front of your daughter, my words meant nothing to you or anyone in that house,” Layla declared.