Rebirth of Billionaire's Wife - Chapter 374

Chapter 374: She lied to me
“Dad didn’t even come for breakfast this morning. He left for work already,” Eveline muttered, leaning lazily against the seat while staring out of the car window.

They were on their way to J&K International, but her thoughts remained fixated on Jonathan and his absence.

Gabriel stole a quick glance at her, sighing at the sight of her distressed expression.

“I think he’s upset with me,” she said, forcing herself to sit up straight, her gaze expectant as she looked at Gabriel.

“And what makes you think that? Did he say something?” He asked, this time watching her for more than a second.

Eveline pouted. “No, he didn’t. But the way he reacted last evening… it was obvious. He was upset about what I said. I basically questioned my own grandfather’s character.” A tinge of regret laced her voice.

“I should have been more careful,” she murmured, guilt settling in.

Gabriel simply watched her, knowing there was no point in telling her again that none of this was her fault. Yet, she would continue to blame herself, especially now that Uncle Jonathan was giving her the silent treatment.

She continued rambling until their car came to a stop at a traffic signal.

Eveline turned back to the window, absentmindedly watching the outside world pass by until her gaze suddenly locked onto a familiar figure.

She jerked upright, eyes widening with curiosity.

“What’s with that look? You’re like an eager puppy wagging its tail,” Gabriel teased.

She ignored him, still staring intently outside. Finally, she spoke.

“Isn’t that Aunt Michelle?” She pointed toward the retreating figure.

Gabriel followed her gaze, his brows furrowing as he spotted Michelle walking away.

“Did she fly back to Country P? What’s she doing here again?” He asked, exchanging a curious look with Eveline.

Once Michelle was out of sight, Eveline and Gabriel turned to face each other, confusion etched across their features as they tried to make sense of what they had just seen.

Meanwhile, inside Ella’s apartment, Stefan watched as Ella sat in silence, her expression unreadable.

“She lied to me,” Ella muttered, disbelief evident in her tone, though her face remained impassive.

The favor she had asked of Stefan was to track her mother’s whereabouts. She had suspected Michelle was hiding something, and when he finally confirmed that she was still in the same country, Ella’s trust in her mother shattered.

Stefan, too, found it hard to believe that Michelle would deceive them. But the real question was why.

A heavy silence lingered between them until suddenly, Stefan’s phone rang.

“Brother Stefan, why isn’t Ella answering her phone?” Eveline’s voice came through the speaker, laced with concern rather than her usual teasing or playfulness.

It was only then that Stefan realized Ella had left her phone charging in her room while they sat in the living room.

“Pass the phone to Ella,” Eveline added without waiting for his response. He sighed and handed the device to Ella.

“Yes, Eve?” Ella answered, her voice flat and devoid of emotion.

She hadn’t expected Eveline’s next words to catch her completely off guard.

“I saw Aunt Michelle.”

The line went silent as Eveline waited for Ella to respond. But the moment she heard Eveline confirm it, the confusion deepened, making it even harder to comprehend.

It was shocking enough that Michelle had deceived them, but what was even more startling was where she had been staying. It was none other than Jedrick’s house.

***

[Hospital]

“You haven’t said a word since we got here, Jonathan. You literally dragged me away from the breakfast table for this,” Richard muttered in frustration, eyeing Jonathan, who remained eerily silent, staring absentmindedly ahead.

Marcus, too, noticed Jonathan’s lack of interaction and exchanged a curious glance with Richard.

Just as they decided to stop pressing him, Jonathan finally spoke.

“I think Jedrick is my father’s son.”

Richard: “…”

Marcus: “…”

Jonathan watched as the two men gawked at him in shock. But when they exchanged a knowing look, his expression darkened.

“So, you two thought the same thing and yet neither of you ever told me?”

It dawned on him that he had been the only one kept in the dark while everyone else whispered about it behind his back. Even his closest friends had concealed their suspicions.

“Hey, don’t blame us,” Richard defended. “We didn’t want to sound like fools by bringing it up. Besides, didn’t you already hear what others used to say? You took it as a compliment, Jonathan. Don’t turn this on us now.”

Jonathan’s frown deepened as he turned his piercing gaze toward Marcus.

“W-what? I agree with Richard on this! Don’t give me that murderous look,” Marcus stammered, shifting uncomfortably under Jonathan’s scrutiny.

Jonathan said nothing, but the unease in his chest only grew heavier. He felt like a fool for never questioning what others had said in the past. He had dismissed the whispers, never letting them bother him. But now, with Eveline bringing up the topic, everything suddenly felt surreal.

Richard noticed Jonathan’s hesitation and asked, “What makes you think that? I mean, why bring this up now when we had already put it behind us?”

Jonathan looked at Richard, his friend’s curious gaze making his stomach twist with unease.

“Eveline raised a question that made me think. Even Erna mentioned the same thing,” Jonathan said, pausing for a few seconds before running a frustrated hand through his hair.

“But I can’t bring myself to believe that Dad would ever do something that would make him a bad person. He loved Mom very much.”

But then, a thought crossed his mind. There had been times when Gerald blamed himself for mistakes he never truly opened up about, and now those unspoken regrets only made Jonathan more certain that Eveline was right about everything.

“You are right. We all know how much Uncle Gerald loved Aunt Cecelie. But Jedrick’s identity remains a mystery,” Richard said.

“Is there any way we can uncover the truth?” Marcus asked.

Jonathan had tried to find answers to confirm his suspicions, but his father had left no clues, but nothing that could lead them to the truth. It was as if he had buried a secret so deep that he never intended for anyone to uncover it.