It was early in the morning the next day when Austin visited the Sinclair Residence with Jeanie. They
were getting along well at first, but when they talked about where Elise should belong in the future, Robin
and Laura started to take on less friendly behavior.
The atmosphere was tense for a long while, then Austin broke the silence.
“Mr. and Mrs. Sinclair, you have taken good care of Elise all these years. However, she must return to
where she came from. She has Anderson’s blood running in her veins, and no one can change that. We
wish for her to come back to us, but it doesn’t mean that she has to cut off ties with the Sinclairs. We just
want to fill in the missing parts of her life. I hope you can understand.”
Robin nodded, for there was nothing wrong with Austin’s words. However, when he thought of Elise’s
lonely return home yesterday, he wasn’t quite willing to let go.
As soon as Elise left their line of sight, they wouldn’t know of her sufferings or anything that happened to
her among that den of snakes.
Laura cut to the chase as she said right out, “Mr. Anderson, according to what I know, your second
daughter isn’t easy to get along with, correct? How can you guarantee that Elise would be safe when she
goes over to your place?”
Austin nodded. “I understand your concerns, but Elise is our biological daughter. She has gone through
so much suffering, so we’ll give her all the love we can when she returns. We’ll take extra care of her,
and we’ll treat her way better than her other siblings.”
“A sensible calculation.” Laura refused to believe him as she asked, “The Sinclairs have everything that
Elise needs, so if she continues staying here, she would be the only precious daughter of the Sinclairs.
However, if she returns to the Andersons, she’ll have to compete with her other siblings and counter all
the plots they’ll pit against her. She’s better off remaining as she is!”
“I… am afraid that’s not possible,” said Austin. “I have already sent orders to prepare the ceremony
where she would be recognized as an Anderson. Soon, the whole city, even the whole country, will know
that Elise is my daughter. If she continues to stay outside, people might think that we’re treating her
unfairly.”
“It’s a matter within the family, so you shouldn’t care about what others think. In the end, you’re just trying
to benefit the Anderson Family.” Robin waved his hand. “That’s enough talking. You cannot have Elise,
and that’s final!”
The atmosphere was tense once again, and Joshua took the opportunity to barge in on the conversation.
“Dad, why are you so stubborn? Elise is just a child you picked up, and she’s not even a real Sinclair.
Now her own family is coming to take her back, and they have every right to do so. Why are you holding
on to her so firmly? You have taught me to be a good person, but now, you’re just like a bad guy who has
taken someone else’s belongings and hidden them!”
“Be quiet!” Robin reprimanded, “You have no right to speak here. Just the sight of you drives me mad, so
get lost!”
“Stop telling me to get lost! I’m your only son, and you can’t just dispose of me when you feel like it!”
Joshua retorted. He couldn’t care less about his pride. As long as he stuck around with the Sinclair
Family, its property would fall into his hands, eventually.
“You… You b*stard!” Robin was so worked up that he was at a loss for words. He hit his cane on the
ground, which produced two heavy and muted knocks. Seeing this, Austin knew that his chance had
come.
“Mr. Sinclair,” Austin stated, “I know I shouldn’t talk about the circumstances in your family, but I can see
that Elise won’t be entirely happy even if she stays here. Since it’s the same on both sides, it’s only
reasonable that she stays with her biological parents, yes?”
As he spoke, he looked toward Joshua, as if hinting that with Joshua’s presence, this family would still
have its fair share of troubles.
“You don’t have to worry about me!” Elise suddenly walked in from the side door. The look in her eyes
was cold, and it roused feelings of guilt within certain individuals.
She walked in and looked around at the people gathered in the room, then she raised her voice and
announced. “Since everyone’s here, I’ll say this one last time. No matter how my identity changes, as
long as Grandpa and Grandma are alive, I will forever stay with the Sinclairs. This decision will not be
swayed by any person or any matter!”
“Yoyo, I mean, Elise, please calm down. Your father means well; he just wants you to have a part of the
family. You know well that it belongs to you in the first place!” Jeanie was a little anxious because she
didn’t want to lose her long-lost daughter again soon after finally finding her.
Jeanie didn’t care about anything else; she just wanted to be with her daughter. Elise looked at Jeanie
calmly, but she didn’t say anything.
Just then, Austin’s phone suddenly rang. He frowned as he unlocked his phone, immediately jumping to
his feet when he read the message he received. Jeanie leaned over to look, but Austin quickly turned off
his phone and put it in his pants pocket.
“Who is it from?” Jeanie asked. She knew something was up from the way Austin reacted.
“Nothing, just some spam mail.” Austin steeled his expression as he spoke.
With that, he looked toward Elise, frowning and hesitating. Then, he finally said, “Since you wish to live
with them, we’ll let you have your way. However, we still expect you to be there for the ceremony. This is
your responsibility, all right? I’ll be waiting for you, Yoona.” He strode out as soon as he finished his
words.
When Austin stepped out of the hall, Elise’s cold voice rang behind him. “There’s no need to wait. I have
no interest whatsoever in the Andersons. I welcome your visits, but I will never go to you.”
Austin turned around to glance at her. A million emotions rushed through his head, but he stayed silent
till the end and left without looking back.
Jeanie, however, was less willing to leave. She looked at Elise and clasped her hands together, saying
humbly, “Yoyo, if you don’t want to go back, can I stay here with you? I don’t know what’s wrong with
your dad. He still refuses to chase Faye away. I really don’t want to stay another second in that house!”
“Sure,” Elise responded calmly.
Outside the Sinclair Residence, Austin sat in the car and took out his phone. He had a complicated
expression as he stared at the scandalous photo of Matthew and Elise in bed.
Elise was engaged to Alexander. If this photo got out, Alexander would still be fine, maybe get joked
about for a while, but Elise would face far worse consequences simply because she was a girl.
He was more worried that the owner of this photo would leak it during the ceremony.
Now, he could do nothing but cancel the marriage between Alexander and Elise. Hence, even if this
incident was leaked, they could claim that it was just young people in love. Then, when everything blew
over, they could make a statement to clarify the situation, so they wouldn’t be affected too much by the
chaos.
At that thought, Austin dialed Alexander’s number again.
Alexander was checking the proposal for the wedding, and he immediately picked it up when he saw that
it was a call from Austin. “Mr. Anderson, I think we’re still a long way from the deadline we agreed on,”
Alexander said.
“I had a change of mind,” Austin said. “Elise will not be marrying you.”
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