"Grandpa, how dare I do something illegal? Besides, how did you know I caught Lillian?"
After Nicole finished speaking, she suddenly realized that Alison was Edwin's bodyguard.
Alright, she couldn't hide it from him. She was in a difficult situation.
According to Edwin's words, he wanted her to hand Lillian over to the police, but the police might not
be able to get any information from Lillian. Moreover, there were uncertainties. If she ran away, it would
be difficult to catch her again in the future.
If she didn't hand her over to the police, Edwin wouldn't agree.
It was really difficult for her.
"Grandpa, can you stop worrying about these things? By the way, you haven't told me what happened
to that pair of tiger-toed shoes that Grandmother left behind. Do they belong to my mother?"
Nicole hurriedly changed the topic.
Edwin was shocked suddenly.
"Why are you asking about this?"
"I'm curious. The little box is in my bedroom. No, it's in my mother's bedroom. Who else could it be if it
wasn't my mother's? But if it was my mother's, why did grandmother lock it up? Besides, what is
grandmother like? I rarely hear her from you."
Nicole asked several questions.
Edwin pulled a wry face.
"You've asked so many questions. Which one should I answer first?"
"Answer whichever you want."
Ashley handed the peeled apple to Edwin.
Edwin felt pleased. He felt that this apple was the sweetest among all the apples he had tasted in his
life.
"You little clever girl, Zoe is really like you."
"After all, that's my daughter."
Nicole was proud.
Edwin sighed, lost in thought.
He whispered, "Those tiger-toed shoes aren't your mother's."
"Whose is that?"
"Your aunt."
"What?"
Nicole was shocked.
"Didn't I just have only an aunt? She's Tim's mother, Martha. Why is there another aunt now?"
Edwin placed the apple on the coffee table, and a trace of sadness flashed through his eyes.
"Back then, your grandmother was pregnant with twins. When she gave birth to your aunt, the terrorists
found them and kidnapped the child to threaten me to release their leader. I was really in a dilemma. I
am a father, and that is my first child. I don't want her to be harmed at all, but I am also a soldier. I
cannot harm the national interest for the sake of my own children. While I was hesitating, the terrorists
fired on the newborn baby."
As he said that, Edwin was close to tears.
"She was so young, like a kitten, and before I could look at her, a mist of blood filled my eyes. Your
grandmother fainted. Our snipers killed the terrorist in time. The paramedics began to carry out the
rescue. Your grandmother gave birth to your mother fifteen minutes later, and the child has been in the
operating room. "
"Doctors said the chances of the child being rescued were slim, but they were all trying their best. After
eleven hours of the operation, when the child was pushed out, her face was deathly pale. The doctor
said there was hope for the child if she could make it through the night. I sat right in front of her. She
couldn't cry or laugh. Even her breathing was weak. She was small and soft, but also pale and weak.
Your grandmother was bleeding heavily in the middle of the night and was sent to the emergency room
again. After I heard the news, I quickly rushed over. I swore that I wanted to take a look at your
grandmother, but at that time, my eldest daughter disappeared. "
Edwin bit his lower lip in sorrow, trying his best to suppress it.
Even though so many years had passed, this matter still stuck in his throat, almost suffocating him.
Nicole hurriedly patted Edwin's back gently. She comforted him and said, "Grandfather, don't be sad."
Edwin waved his hand and continued, "Perhaps that's when the relationship between your
grandmother and I broke down. The child she had risked her life to give birth to was lost by me. My
eldest daughter was not killed by the terrorists, but she was lost by me. I don't know if she's alive and
where she is. At that time, your grandmother seemed to have gone crazy. As long as she felt better,
she went out to find her eldest daughter. However, this child seemed to have disappeared from the
world. There was no trace of her. We even searched all the dead babies in the hospital, but there was
still no news of her. A year passed like this. On Audrey's birthday, your grandmother made two pairs of
tiger-toed shoes and locked one of them in the cabinet. After that, she never mentioned the lost eldest
daughter again, as if she had never given birth to that child. I thought she would slowly recover, but
apparently, I was wrong. "
When he thought of how his wife treated him coldly every time he came back from his vacation, Edwin
felt especially sad.
He was also sad to lose the child, but at that time, he was still young and felt that his wife was
unforgiving since she always wore a long face, which made him more and more reluctant to go home.
Therefore, he volunteered to go on a mission and leave the house even though he didn't have to.
When he learned that his wife was pregnant again, he realized that he had been cuckold by her, but he
couldn't complain.
Thinking back to this past, Edwin felt that his heart was about to break.
Nicole never expected to hear such a thing from Edwin.
She comforted Edwin and asked, "Haven't you looked for the aunt in all these years?"
"Yes, but I don't have a clue! Back then, the conditions were limited, without any surveillance cameras
or something like that. We don't even know who took the baby. At that time, it was unknown if she could
survive. I pulled many strings, but I didn't get any news. I think your grandmother was also in despair in
the end, so she stopped talking about this child, and your mother did not know that she had a twin
sister."
Edwin seemed to have aged ten years at once.
In the past, when he was young, he was able to withstand it, but now that he was old, every time he
thought about it, he felt pain.
Nicole didn't know what to say, so she could only pour a glass of water for Edwin.
She was a woman, so she knew how painful it was for a woman to give birth to a child.
The child was not killed by the terrorists, but was lost in the hospital. How could she not hate him?
At that time, her grandmother might hate her grandfather's identity as a soldier.
However, she already married him and could not complain. She could only hope to find her child.
However, the disappointment that day after day had finally turned into despair. Perhaps, she was also
disappointed with Edwin.
Nicole suddenly felt a little sympathetic to her grandmother.
She had never seen her grandmother before, nor did she know what she looked like. At this time, she
really wanted to see her grandmother.
"Grandpa, do you have a picture of grandmother at home?"
"No, when she left with Martha, she took away all the things including photos about her, even half of
our wedding photos. She was determined when she left me. She probably didn't want to have anything
to do with me in this lifetime, right?"
In the past, he always felt that his wife had wronged him, but now when he thought about it, he was
sorry to his wife instead.
Nicole was somewhat disappointed, but she did not force it.
Family was a matter of fate, and could not be forcefully demanded.
Nicole and Edwin were both silent.
Because of this past event, Edwin was a little exhausted. With Steve's help, he went back to his room
to rest, while Nicole sat in the living room, sighing and rejoicing.
Luckily, she married Samuel after he retired. Otherwise, would she have to endure the same choice as
her grandmother?
When she thought of her child being taken hostage by terrorists, Nicole felt bad.
She thought of Lucas.
He was bent on the army. Would he face such a problem one day in the future?
Nicole felt that she was overthinking. She shook her head hurriedly and shook those out of her mind.
When Alison came in, she saw Nicole sitting on the sofa with a depressed expression. She couldn't
help but ask, "Mrs. Green, what's wrong with you?"
Nicole was slightly shocked before she remembered something and said, "In the future, don't tell my
grandfather about my affairs."
"But he is my commander."
"I'm your immediate superior now."
Nicole thought that all soldiers were so stubborn.
Alison was a little hesitant, but she still nodded under Nicole's threatening gaze.
"I'm warning you. I don't lack people around me. I keep you because you were introduced to me by my
grandfather. I was afraid that he was worried so I agreed, but I only want loyal people. Think about it. If
you want to stay by my side, you have to do what I said. Or you can ask my grandfather to find another
job for you. I don't want anyone who isn't loyal to me."
Nicole's words weren't very pleasant. She knew that her words were a bit sharp, but since Alison could
tell her grandfather about such a big matter as Lillian's capture today, she was likely to say anything
else in the future.
There were a lot of things she needed to do in the future. Not all of them were legal. After all, Edwin
was old. Sometimes, Nicole would rather hide something from him to avoid the trouble.
Alison did not expect Nicole to treat her like this, nor did she expect her to be so strict. Now, she had to
make a choice. Should she choose the commander or Nicole?
"I know, Mrs. Green." She said almost without thinking. "I'll listen to you from now on."
"If my grandfather asks you, just say you don't know, or just give him a light answer. My grandfather is
not an idiot. He will know your attitude, and he won't make things difficult for you anymore."
"Alright."
Alison nodded.
"What did you want to tell me just now?"
Nicole rubbed her forehead and asked.
Only then did Alison remember.
"Yes, Ernesto called and said that Country F had already sent Melissa on the plane and asked us to
pick her up. However, I don't think the journey will go smoothly."
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