“We’ll take our time.” Matthew knew that they probably found their marriage rather challenging to accept right away and didn’t comment on the matter further.
Then, his phone started ringing again, and he saw Flavian’s number flashing on the screen. “Roni, go ahead and accompany your parents. I’m picking up a call.”
“Okay.” Veronica sprang to her feet and headed for the garden. Matthew held his phone and picked up the call.
“Don’t call me again.” “I’m outside Pinewoods Villa. Can we meet? I know you have kids now. Will you let me meet my grandchildren?” Flavian requested shamelessly.
“Since the day you left, you were no longer my father. Leave me alone!” Matthew hung up immediately and tossed his phone on the table in frustration. Then, he rested his palm against his forehead and massaged it gently as his spirits sank lower and lower.
In the garden, Tony and Daniella pushed the baby stroller while taking a walk with Veronica on the grass. Veronica had asked both nannies to leave them alone, and the Murphys could finally speak their minds now. “Tell me honestly. Where the hell were you guys in the past few months?”
Veronica was caught off guard by the sudden interrogation. So, she instinctively stole a look at Daniella out of reflex, and the latter said disparagingly, “Although we live in the village, we’re not dumb. After you married Matthew, he went missing for a few months, and when he reappeared again, he was a man without an arm. You said that’s not him, and he was off on a secret mission.
So, we know that you two were taking care of something behind the scenes in the past three months. Also, the last time when Crayson brought us to Castron, saying that he would bring us to meet you, it turned out to be nothing but false hope. In the end, it was Thomas who sent us home.
We both know that you have definitely encountered some problems, but our abilities are limited, and we can’t provide you with the support you need. Still, you should let us know what’s happening with you because we’re your parents.” As she spoke, tears started to well up in her eyes. Even though Veronica wasn’t her biological daughter, she still regarded her as her own daughter.
At this point, Veronica knew that she couldn’t sequester the truth away any longer. So, she thought things over before finally saying, “Do you know why Crayson has always been so nice to me?”
“Don’t digress!” Tony reprimanded gently in disgruntlement. Veronica swept her gaze across the yard in order to ensure there were no other servants before saying, “It’s not because of some weird affinity that Crayson had been by my side since I was young. It was because I’m the leader of the hidden clan.”
“Hidden clan? Leader?” Tony had no idea at all what she was talking about. Veronica understood that it was hard for them to believe her with just mere words, so she showed them a video clip from the hidden clan. In the video, Waylen was dressed in the hidden clan’s attire, and Hayley was also in the video. “Look, this is the real Crayson.
His name is Waylen Elrod, and this person is my birth mother, Hayley Elrod.” This sudden, unexpected piece of information shocked the Murphy couple, and Veronica continued, “Hayley was the clan leader, but her position was usurped by someone else. As they were worried that I would be in danger, they decided to hide me away outside of the clan, and my abandonment was also premeditated…”
She told them what happened at the clan briefly and concisely, including Waylen, Hayley, and Tiffany’s deaths. However, she didn’t tell them that Tiffany was actually a clone. Some things were simply beyond their area of acceptance.
After she recounted the whole story to her adoptive parents, she raised her head and saw the shocked expressions that clung to their faces. Eventually, she looked away as her heart ached at their circumstances and how they were treated as mere pawns.
