Category: The Double Life Of My Billionaire Husband novel (Natalie Quinn and Sebastian Klein novel)

Sebastian had also seen photos of Draco before. The latter did have a pretty face, though Sebastian thought he looked rather effeminate. While it would do wonders for Natalie’s career to work at Draco’s studio, it certainly wouldn’t do her bereaved husband any good.

“Mr. Wesley is a genius in design. I look forward to learning a lot from him.” Natalie’s voice had instinctively turned an octave deeper in the face of Sebastian’s displeasure. In the end, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

“I won’t stop you from achieving your dreams, but… It’s just that, we’ve only just been married, and you’re already making plans to live apart from me. For how long are you going to Leave your husband all alone?”

Natalie gave him a tight and apologetic smile. “For now, it looks like I’ll have to stay in Barnes for a while. Why don’t you come over, honey?”

And so, Sebastian dropped all his work and flew straight to Barnes. He yearned for his wife so much that he could barely hold himself together. He was starved of her, both physically and emotionally, and he feared that if they stayed apart any longer, someone might snatch her away from him.

Early the next morning, Natalie woke up to a call from Sebastian.

‘I’m at the door.”

“It’s only six o’clock,” Natalie yawned.

“You’re way too early, honey.” She stretched and got dressed, and then hurried over to open the door. Sebastian found himself frozen in place when their eyes finally met. He had been missing that bright, loving gaze day and night.

Natalie yawned again and ran a hand over her face. Clearly, she was still sleepy.

‘It’s still dark outside,” she muttered, smacking his chest playfully.

“Why are you here at this godforsaken hour?” Sebastian blinked at her in disbelief.

“Do you even know how long it’s been since we’ve seen each other in the flesh?” he grumbled.

He looked deflated and angry at the same time. Natalie thought it was cute. She hooked her arm around his and smiled up at him.

“Of course, I remember. It’s almost been a week. I missed you so much, honey.”

For sure, Sebastian also missed her like crazy. But he was a mature professional who always remained unflappable even in the worst circumstances. He had no business losing his composure so easily. Sebastian calmed himself before asking in a nonchalant voice,

“Really? I don’t feel it at all.”

With a knowing smile, Natalie pulled at his tie and stood on tiptoe to plant a kiss on the corner of his lips.

“What about now?” Sebastian sighed to keep himself from grinning like an idiot.

“Nope.” Natalie pinched his cheek.

“Don’t push your luck, Mr. Klein.” He chuckled as his hands slowly went around her waist. Sebastian leaned close, and the next thing Natalie knew, he was pressing her against the door and ravaging her mouth.

“Ahem!” There suddenly came a loud cough, interrupting their passionate embrace. Natalie pulled away from

Sebastian away and looked behind him.

Beal and Johanna stood there, staring at them with unreadable expressions on their faces.

With a slight blush of her cheeks, Natalie cupped her face and murmured, “Mom, Dad, it’s…

These days, she eventually grew accustomed to calling Beal and Johanna Dad and Mom. As if nothing had gone down, Sebastian turned around and greeted politely to them, “Good morning, Mr. and Mrs. White.”

What he really wanted to do was strangle himself. His actions earlier must have left a bad impression on Beal and Johanna.

Furthermore, when they kissed just now, he even stuck his tongue in her mouth! Beal and Johanna didn’t really like him to begin with.

Their faces darkened when they witnessed how he kissed their daughter just now.

“You’re in a public space.” Johanna looked at Sebastian up and down with displeased eyes.

Natalie was such a sweet girl while he was a bad influence on her.

“Well, come inside first so we can talk.” Johanna didn’t look very happy, but she knew she couldn’t let Sebastian just wait out here.

After they walked inside, Sebastian proceeded to sit upright on the sofa.

As soon as Natalie walked into the house, Beal asked her to come into the kitchen with him to help him make breakfast. She kept looking in the direction of the living room.

“Stop looking. Your mother will do her best to not give him a hard time.” Beal washed the vegetables and smiled gently at his daughter.

Natalie bowed her head down and said guiltily, “I wasn’t really looking.”

Inside the living room. Johanna said in an aggressive voice, “We just found our daughter who has been missing for the past twenty some years. We want her to stay with us for a while Longer to bond as a family. What do you think about that?”

“Of course, I can understand,” said Sebastian with a smile on his face.

At this time, Lila was yawning as she headed down the stairs. She glanced at the man, who was sitting downstairs in the living room. Her heart seemed to be hit by something huge and it seemed to have stopped beating for a few seconds there. Her face turned red unconsciously. She had seen Natalie and Brandon’s wedding on TV before and she didn’t feel anything back then. She admitted that Brandon was indeed a very handsome man, but at that time, she was still the daughter of the White family. She didn’t feel inferior to him during that time. She had originally thought that her future husband would be someone equally as excellent as Brandon, or someone even more excellent than him. But Lila was very clear now that with her current situation, there was no way someone like Brandon would want to marry someone like her. Natalie used to be a nobody.

How in the world did she manage to marry such a rich and handsome man? Why was she so fortunate? Lila didn’t dare to show her emotions on her face. She forced a smile and headed down the stairs.

“Mom, why are you up so early?”

“I just went grocery shopping with your father this morning. The help asked for a day off today. Your father said he would cook for today. He’s in the kitchen with your sister right now.” Johanna simply sipped on her tea and answered without even bothering to look at Lila. Lila had a smile on her face and didn’t say a word.

Even though she was talking to Johanna just now, she had her eyes fixed on Brandon. He really was handsome. Even in the suit, she could feel that he must have a good body.

When she looked into his eyes, she was captivated by him. He looked just like a king. Sure enough, people would usually only fall for the things that were unobtainable to them. With envy in her eyes, Lila glanced over at Natalie, who was busy cooking in the kitchen. She wasn’t really outstandingly beautiful, so how could she land someone like Brandon? The resentment in her heart was growing stronger and stronger and she was no longer in the mood to look at Brandon anymore. She clenched her teeth tightly and made her way into the kitchen.

“Dad, let me help as well.”

Sebastian was going to stay at the White family house and planned to head back on Sunday night. After breakfast was over, Natalie took Sebastian to see her bedroom. As soon as she walked into the room, she felt someone holding her waist from behind.

Sebastian proceeded to hold her waist with one hand and lock the door with the other. He then threw her on the bed.

With an unnatural flush of her cheeks, Natalie pushed him away and said, “It’s daytime and my parents are downstairs right now.”

What was he thinking? He had acted like a well-mannered gentleman in front of Johanna just now while everyone was downstairs. And now he turned into a savage beast!

The two of them were in such close proximity to each other that they could feel the other’s body temperature.

Sebastian’s Adam’s apple bobbed in his throat and he felt his body growing hotter and hotter. He placed his hands into Natalie’s jeans and could feel her delicate skin underneath them.

He took off his light gray wool shirt and showed off his muscles. His eyes darkened visibly. He rubbed his cheek against Natalie’s own and asked, “Don’t you want to do it?”

They hadn’t had sex for an entire week. Sebastian really missed her a great deal. Natalie’s legs were clamped tightly shut. Underneath her underwear, she was all wet. She glanced over at the closed door and paused for a few seconds

. After that, she lifted her hand and poked Sebastian’s muscles.

“You have to keep quiet. I don’t want my mom to hear us.” Sebastian kissed her on the cheek and caressed her breasts. His voice grew hoarser with lust.

“Yes, ma’am. I have no objection with that.”

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With a frown, Natalie clenched her fists and said unhappily, “I wasn’t trying to…”

As soon as she spoke, Draco looked over and their eyes met. Suddenly, the light of the crystal chandelier seemed to become brighter. Draco’’s eyes lit up and a smile stretched across his handsome face.

“Sorry, everyone. Excuse me.” With an apologetic smile, he walked through the crowd and made a beeline towards Natalie.

Draco stood in front of Natalie. He was much taller than she had expected, and had a rather affable expression, though it didn’t make him any less manly.

“Excuse me, Miss. Are you Natalie Quinn, the designer who participated in the first show of Seacisco Fashion Week?”

He had to duck his head slightly as he spoke to her, if only to avoid looking arrogant and self-important. He was so tall that Natalie seemed petite beside him, despite her average height. She flushed at his question, both surprised and embarrassed.

“You’re right, Mr. Wesley. But Quinn is no longer my last name by now.”

Draco’s face broke into a smile, his eyes curving into tiny rainbows.

‘I see. I finally get to meet you, Miss White. You’re a lot cuter than I imagined.”

“What do you mean, Mr. Wesley?” Natalie asked, visibly confused.

“You see, I paid close attention to your designs at the Seacisco Fashion Week. I really liked them, but for some reason, they were suddenly removed from the selection. I was abroad at the time, so I naturally had no idea what went down. A friend told me later that you were involved in a plagiarism scandal. How did it go, by the way? Has the matter been solved?” Natalie tilted her head curiously.

“I wonder, Mr. Wesley, why aren’t you asking me whether I did plagiarize another designer’s work or not?”

“A plagiarized work will never be able to earn my appreciation in the first place,” the man said firmly.

“Are you sure about that?” This time, Natalie’s surprise turned up a notch. Draco chuckled gleefully.

“How interesting you are, Miss White. I happen to have a very discerning eye. Besides that, I also have a phone, which allowed me to read about the press statement released by your company.” The two of them chatted amicably, completely unaware that the people around them were staring.

Draco was easy and pleasant to talk to. Natalie felt the tension slowly leave her body.

“Ah, you look more relaxed now,” Draco said with a smile, as if he had meant to ease her worries all along.

“Well, I’m actually not used to this, socializing with the upper-class elites, so I’m sure my stress is justified,” Natalie joked.

“Are you still working for Larson Group, then?” Natalie shook her head.

“I quit because of some… personal issues.” Draco immediately perked up.

“Have you taken a new offer elsewhere?”

“I haven’t decided yet, to be honest. A part of me wants to run my own studio, but I can’t help but feel intimidated. I think I should continue as an employee for now and gain more experience. God knows I need it if I’m to thrive in the industry.”

Natalie sighed wistfully just as the warm, soft light fell on her delicate face. It lent her an innocent and youthful glow. Draco didn’t hesitate to put his offer on the table.

“How about joining my studio? You can work as my assistant and get all the experience you need. You’ll be free to leave once you think you’re finally ready to set out on your own.” Natalie gaped at him in disbelief.

“Mr. Wesley, I-Are you kidding me right now?” Her head was buzzing from the sudden and ludicrous opportunity that fell on her lap Draco’s studio was a much-coveted post for all young designers who wanted to make a name for themselves.

Natalie had never even dreamed of setting foot in that hallowed place.

“Does it look like I’m kidding?” Draco teased, though there was an unmistakable serious edge to his voice. Natalie took a couple of seconds to process his words, and then she grinned.

“Not at all. I’ll be more than happy to work for you. It’s every designer’s dream.” After hearing her exclamation, the young socialites nearby glared at Natalie in shock and envy.

“Great! How about starting next week?” Draco was already taking out his business card and handed it to Natalie.

She was over the moon. Having no reason to refuse this once-in-a-lifetine chance, Natalie nodded and promised to be at his studio the following week. Johanna saw it all unfold from the sidelines. She walked up to Natalie as soon as Draco left and whispered, “Lucky you! It’s a good thing to be in Mr. Wesley’s good graces. You’re definitely headed for a bright future.”

But there was another side to Johanna’s elation over Natalie’s promising prospect. After all, if Natalie worked for

Draco, then she wouldn’t be coming back to Seacisco any time soon. Lila felt conflicted as she watched Johanna and Natalie whispering and giggling among themselves.

Although Johanna didn’t express any dissatisfaction toward her, the woman was obviously very proud of Natalie.

And Lila had to admit that Natalie was truly brilliant, more so than herself.

Natalie was still in high spirits long after she had arrived home. She lay in bed and stared at Draco’s business card, turning it over and over between her fingers.

Then, out of the blue, Sebastian’s glum face flashed in her mind. It suddenly occurred to her that she had been too busy recently to go on video calls with her dear husband. Natalie wasted no time remedying that.

As soon as the video call connected, Sebastian’s scowling face appeared on her screen.

“Have you finally remembered that you left your husband here in Seacisco?” he complained.

“I’m so sorry, honey,” Natalie immediately apologized.

“My mom has been taking me to parties and getting me to meet the local socialites. I get so tired that I pass out as soon as I come home.” Sebastian snorted at that and rolled his eyes.

“You don’t think about how I would feel, do you? You don’t care about me at all.”

It looked like he was becoming a very clingy and needy husband. Natalie had no choice but to cajole him with everything she got.

She even talked sweet nothings to him for several consecutive minutes, until she finally noticed the corners of his lips twitching.

“By the way, I have some good news.” She told him about Draco’s job offer. And just like that, Sebastian’s face darkened all over again. This time, he looked even more sullen and cross.

“You… Are you really planning to work for him?” He spoke through gritted teeth as he tried his best to rein in his jealousy.

Natalie’s parents had spirited her away with no regard for Sebastian’s opinion, and he was still mad about it. In addition, he was all too familiar with Draco, what with the man being a reputable icon in the fashion industry.

After all, the White family announced that Natalie was their biological daughter, which immediately turned Lila into a joke.

With a glass of wine clutched in her hand, Lila sat there rather awkwardly.

She used to be popular at all the parties, but now, she was sitting alone on a bench. As she sat there, she caught sight of a familiar man. Levi Glyn had been one of her craziest admirers.

The Glyn family started from scratch, engaging in the real estate business. Originally, Lila looked down upon them, but no one was willing to talk to her right then. And she didn’t want to be made into a joke here. With a glass of wine in her hand, Lila made her way up to Levi with a smile on her face and said, “Levi, what a nice surprise to see you here. I thought you didn’t like such parties.”

If this was in the past, Levi would have felt overjoyed that she wanted to talk to him. However, hearing her words now, Levi turned around and said in an indifferent voice, “My dad asked me to come here. He said Mrs. White would show up today.”

Lila smiled and said, “Yeah, my mom likes these sorts of events. She usually has a lot of time on her hands.”

Hearing her words, Levi only gave her a perfunctory answer. He simply took a sip of the red wine in his glass and turned his head to check out Natalie.

“Enjoy yourself. I’ll go talk with them now. Please excuse me.” After having said that, Levi made his way toward Natalie. Lila was startled, to say the least.

After that, she could make out Levi enthusiastically introducing himself to Natalie, “Miss White, I’m Levi Glyn, the eldest son of the

Glyn family. It just so happens that we live in the same neighborhood. I heard that it’s your first time in Barnes. If you’re feeling bored and want to hang out, you can call me at any time. I’m very familiar with the city.”

Levi wore the same warm smile he used to give Lila once.

Lila’s heart sank in her chest. She figured that he changed his attitude toward her because she was no longer known as the daughter of the White family. Everyone who had originally wanted to fawn over her had turned to Natalie.

Lila trembled so hard that she almost couldn’t hold her glass. This was the first time that she had experienced just how snobbish people could be. At the same time, she was feeling very resentful toward Natalie. She bit her lip so hard that it bled.

All this should’ve belonged to her, but now, it had all been taken away by that Natalie! While she was burying herself in hatred,

Natalie was talking happily with all the designers and celebrities.

In less than ten minutes, a lot of people were gathered around Natalie, who didn’t even seem to notice it herself.

They all looked at her with flattering smiles on their faces.

“Miss White, if you need cloth for any of your designs, my company can provide them for you at any time,” a clothing supplier said right away when he heard that Natalie was a fashion designer.

The CEO of a clothing design company said to her, “My company has the very best pattern makers in the world.

Miss White, you can borrow them at any time.” Natalie knew that this was all because she was now known as the biological daughter of the White family.

“All right, I’ll contact you if I need anything.” Natalie answered with a pleasant smile.

Suddenly, a scream sounded out from the crowd, “Look over there! He’s here!”

Everyone looked over to where that person was pointing at, including Natalie. The door of the banquet hall was opened from the inside by the staff members.

The light was a bit dim, but the man who had just walked in appeared very eye-catching. Everyone couldn’t resist but fix their eyes on him.

The man, who was wearing a black suit, looked both elegant and handsome at the same time. A faint mole could be seen on the bridge of his nose and he had charming eyes with the slightest hint of indifference in them.

“Oh, my God! Did he actually, seriously come back?”

‘I thought an international designer of his standing would usually live abroad. The last thing I expected was that he would come back to Barnes.” Natalie had only seen the man everyone was talking about on the cover of fashion magazines and in news articles before.

Like everyone around her, she was very familiar with this highly famous figure. Draco Wesley. He was one of the most influential fashion designers in the entire world. He was a genius when it came to the art of design. His name had been famous for many years now. Practically everyone had more or less heard of him.

He represented the glory of being a successful desi

When Natalie was in high school, she had read an interview he had given.

He pursued fashion design as if it was the light of his life and had never given up on it. At that time, he was still a young man in his twenties. His eyes glowed with sheer ambition and certainty whenever he talked about design. Natalie peered at him and found that the years had given him a gentler and calmer aura than he had when he was a young man. He looked much more mature and composed now.

In just six years, her idol had become the titan of the fashion industry, a force to be reckoned with.

At the age of thirty-two, he had his own fashion brand, W Marks. He had achieved so much in fashion design. In addition to being famous in the fashion industry, he was born into a rich family, and he was handsome and charming. He undoubtedly played the role of Prince Charming in innumerable women’s fantasies.

Natalie covered her mouth. She had looked up at him for many years, and finally, she could meet him in person. She had trouble putting her mixed feelings into words now.

“Mr. Wesley!”

All the women at the party swarmed around him, like bees flying around a beautiful flower.

“Mr. Wesley, can we still manage to obtain reservation for your new collections? I failed to make one, the items were too hot.”

“Mr. Wesley, can we take a picture with you?”

Looking at the crowd with a gentle smile, Draco said, “Of course.”

Natalie stood there, hesitated for just a moment and looked at Draco. It was a rare opportunity for her to meet him. She wanted to say hello to him and ask him some questions about design. Just when she was about to walk over, several women from the rich families who had afternoon tea with her before, Lila’s besties, pushed her unceremoniously away.

“Miss White, please get out of the way! Don’t block our way!”

‘There is plenty of room here,” Natalie looked at them and said, absolutely disgruntled.

“I wasn’t in your way.” A short-haired women pushed her aside and said impolitely, “We were just kindly reminding you not to squeeze in. Mr. Wesley won’t be attracted to ordinary women.”

She added in a tone dripping with haught iness, “There are a lot of excellent women who admire him. You, of all people, don’t stand a chance.”

Just to let you know, I cook delicious eggs and bacon.” Natalie nodded with a smile on her face, feeling a warmth flood through her heart. Like a little child, she followed Johanna into the kitchen. Natalie watched as Johann cracked the eggs into the sizzling pan.

Soon, the kitchen was filled with the aroma of fried eggs.

Johanna then put the bacon in as she asked rather casually, “Why did you stay in instead of going out with Lila to have some fun? You’re not friends with anyone in Barnes. It’s good for you to go out and forge new friendships.”

The aroma of the bacon had a way of intoxicating Natalie. But hearing Johanna’s question, Natalie knew that she couldn’t tell

Johanna directly that she didn’t like Lila’s friends. She simply smiled and replied, “I’ve been searching for jobs on the recruitment website recently. I’ve grown used to working, so I want to continue focusing on my career. Also, I feel a little flustered when I’m out with Lila the whole day.”

In fact, Natalie was telling Johanna the truth. She wasn’t in the mood to hang out with Lila every day. She began working after graduation and had grown accustomed to it. If she suddenly stopped working, she would feel useless and abandoned by the world. Johanna turned off the stove and looked at Natalie for a very long time.

This daughter of hers was just like her. Johanna was relieved to hear what Natalie said just now. Johanna herself was a powerful woman, but Lila was spoiled as a princess and couldn’t bear to live a hard life. Lila happened to be average in ability and was not all that ambitious. They had long stopped expecting Lila to achieve anything in regard to a career. Anyway, there was no need for Lila to inherit the family business. They just wish her happy and healthy.

Knowing now that Natalie was so ambitious, Johanna was really happy to learn that.

“I know that you majored in fashion design and was working as a fashion designer in Seacisco before. I’ve seen your work and found that you are indeed a very talented designer. If you need money or any connections, you can tell me at any time. Our family also has dealings in the fashion industry.” Johanna clutched Natalie’s hand tightly and patted it twice.

“You’re really like me when I was younger.”

“Thank you. If I need anything, I’ll tell you.”

After that, Natalie turned her attention back to the eggs and bacon in the pan. It just smelled so good. Natalie didn’t think too much about her conversation with Johanna. However, Johanna obviously did. She made up her mind to let her daughter establish a business in the fashion circle of Barnes, so that was what she was working on.

Two days later, Johanna received the news that a high-end party was going to be held in the fashion circle soon.

She received the invitation and went to the party with Natalie and Lita, hoping with all her heart that Natalie could make a smashing debut within the fashion design circle of Barnes.

When Natalie saw the invitation Johanna had handed to her with her own eyes, she had no choice but to admit that her mother was indeed a decisive person.

“Mrs. White, to be honest, I haven’t yet decided whether I’ll be working in Barnes or not.”

Holding the invitation in her hand, Natalie didn’t know whether to laugh or cry in response. After all, she had to take a lot of people into consideration, especially Hannah and Sebastian.

Johanna had her own master plan. She secretly hoped that Natalie would stay with her in Barnes for the rest of her life. Besides, the White family was wealthy enough to support Natalie. However, judging by the reluctance on Natalie’s face, Johanna surmised that she must have been thinking about Brandon, the man in Seasisco. He was a good-looking fellow, but Johanna wasn’t fond of him at all.

‘I didn’t say that you have to work in Barnes, but it would be good for you to expand your connections. Barnes may not be as fashionable as Seasisco, but it’s a developed city with a healthy ecosystem of experienced designers to learn and gain knowledge from.” Johanna showed a gentle smile on her face.

Unwilling to disappoint Johanna, Natalie eventually agreed to attend the party.

At the party, Natalie followed Johanna around the hall, meeting all the big shots from the fashion circles because she wasn’t quite familiar with the designers in Barnes.

“This is Mr. Smith. He is the chief designer of the project of redefining women’s clothing that has been popular all over the country recently.”

Johanna was elegant and unhurried, while Natalie complimented her with her gracious and refined temperament. Lila was looking for an opportunity to humiliate Natalie. Since she used to rub shoulders with Barnes’ upper class, Lila had several friends at this party. Mostly daughters from rich families who had graduated from famous design schools abroad.

“Mom, Natalie has just graduated. Don’t you think it’s too soon for her to talk with these experienced designers who have been in the fashion industry for decades?” Lila whispered to Johanna.

Lila pretended to be concerned, but deep down inside, she was just waiting for Natalie to make a fool of herself and get laughed at by these famous designers. After all, in her opinion, Natalie was just a novice, unworthy of public appreciation. Perhaps then

Johanna would come to regret bringing Natalie to this party in the first place.

“I trust her,” said Johanna calmly and firmly. Lila’s heart sank almost immediately.

After all, Johanna had never talked about her with such pride and certainty. That realization irked her even more. Mr. Smith, the renowned designer, was a very arrogant man who despised people who tried to win him over with flatteries.

If it weren’t for Johanna, he wouldn’t have spoken to Natalie, but after spending a few minutes with her in conversation, he realized that Natalie had a profound passion for designing, “I remember seeing your work at Seasisco Fashion Week not too long ago.”

“I am honored and delighted to hear that. After all, I’m just a newcomer with still so much to learn,” Natalie answered in a natural manner.

“The smooth fabric was a good choice. It emulated the fluidity of the wind, incisively and vividly.” Mr. Smith raised his eyebrows.

and clinked glasses with Natalie. suddenly, all eyes were on Mr. Smith and Natalie. As they became the focus of the party, everyone walked and joined them in conversation,

Meanwhile, standing in the corner with her fists clenched in anger, Lila watched in awe as she didn’t expect things to work out so nicely for Natalie.

How could this be? How?

It looked like Natalie had all the famous designers, the chief editors of various fashion magazines, and the founders of brands eating from the palm of her hand, Lila gritted her teeth to stop herself from screaming. Natalie was thriving amongst all the talented people around her and yet Lila couldn’t even understand what they were talking about.

With pride in her eyes, Johanna said, “When I see Natalie, I feel like I am looking at my younger self.” Lila felt bitter in her heart. It suddenly dawned upon her that she wasn’t as good as Natalie. Everything about her was superficial, but Natalie had real ability and talent. Natalie wasn’t intimidated by all those big shots and was actually wise enough to control the whole conversation. Natalie was a quiet woman who didn’t talk much, but she could express her ideas brilliantly when it came to something she was good at.

Lila was utterly disconsolate.She also noticed one more important detail.

In the past, handsome men would flock to her since she was the daughter of the White family, but tonight, there wasn’t a single man who came up to talk to her.

Johanna was relieved in her heart to see that Natalie and the other designers were getting along well. She said to Natalie “I’ll go say hi to Mrs. Blake now.”

Lila was ignored in the meantime.

At this sort of fashion party, people usually chatted together in groups. At just a glance, Lila appeared to be isolated and she looked a little embarrassed. Everyone walked past her and proceeded to ignore her.

“If you’re unhappy, just tell us. Don’t keep it in your heart. No matter what happens in the end, we’re still family.”

At the start of all this, Johanna wanted to take the initiative to comfort Lila. But after thinking it over for a while, she thought it would be better to let Lila digest the matter by herself. Lila was no longer a child anymore. She should be able to deal with it by herself. Lila nodded while tears streamed down her face at the same time. She embraced Johanna tightly and said, “Mom, I don’t want to leave you. Even though I now know I have my biological parents, I haven’t seen them for over twenty years. We don’t know each other and I don’t want them back. I’ve always regarded you as my biological parents. I’m crying because I really don’t want to leave you.”

Beal got up and walked over to her. He patted Lila on the back and tried to comfort her.

“Your mother and I never want you to leave us either. If you want to stay, then just continue to live with us. You’re still our daughter no matter what.”

He believed in his heart that Lila’s biological parents were not good people. If she really went back to them, she wouldn’t be able to live a good life in that kind of family.

Lila peered up at them happily. She sniffled and turned to look at Natalie with tears all over her face.

“Then we’ll be sisters from now on, Natalie.” Natalie smiled and said, “Yes.”

“That’s really great.” Johanna was happy to hear that now they were going to be one big happy family. She held

Natalie’s hand and said affectionately to her, “Lila was born a little earlier than you were. That means she’ll be your elder sister from now on.”

After pausing for a few seconds, Natalie opened her mouth to say, “All right.”

Lila smiled and promised Johanna, “Okay, Mom, I’ll go on to take good care of Natalie in the future.”

At first, Natalie thought that this was going to be a happy ending for them, but out of the corner of her eye, she found that the way Lila looked at her didn’t seem to be as friendly as what she showed on the surface. However,

Natalie didn’t say anything in front of Johanna. The last thing she wanted to do was make her sad.

Peal pushed his round-frame glasses back on his nose and had a gentle smile on his face. He placed his arm around Dhanna’s shoulder and said, “Well, it looks like our family is finally reunited.” ohanna turned to look at him, with tears glistening in her eyes. Finally, their family was complete now.

Natalie had just returned to the White family home. Johanna didn’t want her to go back to Seacisco so soon so she vehemently insisted that Natalie stay in Barnes.

“I’m going back to the company for work tomorrow. If you’re bored, you can go shopping with Lila. She has many friends in

Barnes. This is the supplementary card of my credit card. You can buy whatever you’d like.”

Before Johanna made her way to the company, she gave a card to Natalie to use as she pleased.

“Thank you but no, I can’t accept this. You have bought me innumerable things.”

Natalie felt embarrassed to accept such a grand gesture.

Johanna pressed the card into Natalie’s hand and hugged her again, feeling reluctant to leave.

“You’re being too polite with me. Well, I really have to go now. I’ll give you two the time to bond with each other today.”

Lila was positively green with the jealousy that consumed every fiber of her being. She had been longing for a supplementary card for as long as she could remember. However, no matter what methods she tried to employ, Johanna didn’t agree to it.

Now Natalie had made little to no effort yet she was gifted the card. How could Lila not envy her? Lila had a catch-up date with her best friends to enjoy afternoon tea. She had no desire whatsoever to take Natalie along with her. However, since Johanna had asked her specifically to do so, she had no choice but to let Natalie tag along

The place they patronized was a restaurant in a five-star hotel. The desserts of this hotel were well-known, which made it a popular place for many wealthy ladies to spend their leisure time.

“Lila! You’re finally here! Do you know how long have we been waiting for you?”

As soon as Lila and Natalie entered the restaurant, a woman in a sexy slip dress with leopard print pattern stood up and waved to beckon them over. Lila quickly walked over and kissed the woman on the cheeks. She smiled and asked, “What made you stay abroad so long?”

When the woman was about to speak, she saw Natalie standing behind Lila. She raised her eyebrows and smiled,

“Who is this? Why don’t you introduce her to us?”

Lila took a glance at Natalie. She walked behind her and introduced her to her best friends, “This is my sister,

Natalie White. You must have heard of her in the newspapers.”

Of course, these women knew full well who Natalie was. They had read the news about her in the newspaper over and over again. Lila led Natalie to their seats to sit down.

The young ladies made conversations with Natalie from time to time about some mind-numbingly boring topics.

From these conversations, Natalie could tell that these young ladies were all from rich families and had no ambition to strive to make progress. They lived a comfortable life and were waiting for their parents to arrange husbands for them in the future.

Johanna looked into Lila’s eyes meaningfully. “I could see that Natalie was quite nice to you. Did you happen to misunderstand her?”

Lila felt wronged right then. “I have no idea what happened. My best friends and I went shopping together with her.We treated her very considerately. I don’t know why that happened.” Johanna knew Lila very well. Though she was a little spoiled, with regard to morals, Johanna thought she and Beal had taught her a great deal.

“Well, it’s getting late, why not go upstairs and have a rest first? I’ll deal with this matter.” Johanna didn’t bother asking any more questions. She decided she would talk to Natalie first.

The next morning, when Natalie woke up, the servants were preparing breakfast in the kitchen. In Seacisco, she had the habit of getting up early in the morning.

Johanna returned to the house from a morning run outside. Sweat was pouring off her body. The habit of morning exercise gave her a perfect figure even though she was nearly fifty years old.

“Good morning, Mrs. White.” When Natalie saw Johanna walk in, she nodded at her. Even though Johanna and Beal were her biological parents, Natalie still felt a little awkward around them and could not make herself call them Mom and Dad for now.

“Mom” and “Dad” were both unfamiliar and awkward phrases to her still. When she lived with the Quinn family, she seldom called George and Lauren Dad and Mom. Wiping the sweat off her forehead, Johanna was startled.

“I’m not your boss, why are you still calling me “Mrs. White”?”

She then glanced over at the empty table, covered her stomach with her hands, and winked at Natalie.

“Breakfast has yet to be served. Why don’t we go to the kitchen to check? You haven’t had the chance to try my cooking, right?

Natalie chuckled helplessly. “Sebastian, you’re so childish.” She explained, “I’ve been so busy at the banquet. People have been taking my photo all day long. I really didn’t have the time, honey.”

Being called “honey” instantly dispelled the gloom in Sebastian’s heart. He sighed and secretly scolded himself for being so soft.

“Okay. I forgive you. When are you coming back? I miss you.”

Natalie blushed slightly, feeling warm in her heart. “I left yesterday. It’s only been a day, Sebastian.”

Before Sebastian could say anything, Natalie heard her name being called. “Natalie? What’re you doing here? The party’s far from over.”

Johanna noticed that Natalie wasn’t in the hall so she went out to look for her. Natalie quickly said goodbye to Sebastian and then hung up the phone. Johanna dragged her back to the party. Because both Johanna and Beal felt guilty for the lost time, they wanted to make it up to Natalie in one go. They spent every waking minute with Natalie, buying her all kinds of things. Johanna in particular was very excited. She would take Natalie out to go shopping, and always end up buying all the things she laid her eyes on.

Their shopping spree was all very exhausting for Natalie. Natalie’s parents were so immersed in the excitement of getting their real daughter back that they completely forgot about Lila, who had locked herself in her room sulkily.

Lila leaned against the door, trying to listen in. Hearing the raucous laughter downstairs, she grew even angrier. She threw herself on the bed and tears fell out of her eyes again. In the past two days, there had already been a lot of news about Natalie.

Some news outlets even compared her with Natalie.

There was gossip saying that she was not as beautiful as Natalie. Some even accused her of stealing Natalie’s life.

“Why me?” More tears streamed down Lila’s face. She threw her phone onto the ground, her eyes wide open and furious. She wanted nothing else but to grab hold of Natalie’s neck and strangle her.

A few days ago, she was still the only daughter of the rich and powerful White family in Barnes, but now she suddenly had turned into some sort of imposter. Lila couldn’t wrap her mind around it. She was extremely unwilling to accept it. She even began to believe that what Johanna and Beal did was extremely unfair to her.

They announced to the world that Natalie was their biological daughter. Obviously, this was a huge insult to her.

Lila’s phone then rang.It happened to be a call from one of her best friends.

“What’s going on? Who’s that Natalie girl? Why did you suddenly become your family’s adopted daughter?” Lila had a splitting headache and shouted angrily at the phone, “Stop yammering about Natalie! Just hearing her name makes me very angry!”

“So the matter’s true. Where are you right now? Are you at the White’s house, or your biological parents’ home?” It seemed like her best friend only cared about Lila’s status.

Lila almost became crazy. She learned straight from Johanna that her biological parents were just ordinary people. She had been treated well by the White couple for so many years. It was impossible for her to go back to her real parents and live a hard life!

“Don’t worry about it. My dad and mom said that I’m very much still their daughter.” Lila smiled awkwardly and lied through her teeth. She knew clearly that even if she stayed in the White family shamelessly, she would only be an adopted daughter. She was no longer the legitimate daughter of the White family and staying due to that would be very embarrassing indeed.

According to the sounds downstairs these days, she figured out that Beal and Johanna treated Natalie very well.

Her best friend tried telling her words of comfort over the phone.

‘That’s really great. Your parents must be tolerant of you.”

Are they? If they were really tolerant, they wouldn’t have taken Natalie back and let Natalie take away everything that was truly hers.

Thinking about this, Lila felt that it was extremely unfair to her. She resented that God was unfair toward her. At first, He gave her the identity of the daughter of a rich family that everyone envied, but suddenly took it all back.

She hung up the phone with a downcast expression on her face and cried for several days in her room. She cried at night deliberately. The noise of the party downstairs in the daytime was so loud that even if she cried aloud, nobody would be able to hear her.

However, though she had been crying for a few days straight, no one came to see her except the servants who came to deliver her something to eat every day. Lila had a feeling that if she did nothing but cry, she would be forgotten by Beal and Johanna pretty soon. She finally calmed herself down and began to think about her next plan of action.

Lila would never go back to live a hard life with her biological parents. That was why she decided to stay with the

White family. After all, she had a close relationship with Beal and Johanna for over 20 years, which Natalie didn’t have. Furthermore, she had been well educated since she was a child, so she must be much better at her demeanor than Natalie. She could still win Beal and Johanna’s love back. It would only be a matter of time before they saw the light.

After mulling everything over in her head, Lila finally left her room.

This was the first time she had taken the initiative to go out of her room in the last few days. She headed down the stairs and could make out her parents watching a TV drama in the living room with Natalie. Lila could see that Johanna was moved to tears by the scene in the TV drama. She was wiping her face as she held Natalie.

‘It’s obvious that the heroine in this drama is so pitiful.”

Natalie comforted her with a warm smile on her face.

‘This is just a TV show. It’s all fake. This kind of thing never happens in real life.”

Beal peeled the oranges for them as he said, “Your mother happens to be a very sentimental woman. Whenever she sees a baby being taken away from their parents in a drama, she’ll go on to cry hysterically.”

Johanna placed a piece of orange into her mouth and glared daggers at Beal.

“Stop blowing my cover in front of our daughter.”

The family was sharing a moment of intimacy right then. Lila felt that she was intruding on their moment. She endured the bitterness in her heart and went over calmly to them. Her eyes were red and swollen and her face was wet with tears.

“Mom, Dad, what TV drama are you watching? Your discussion of itis so intense.” Hearing the sound of her voice, Beal and

Johanna turned their heads around. Seeing the pitiful look on Lila’s face, they began to pity her.

Johanna quickly pulled out two pieces of tissue from the table, got up, and made her way over to comfort Lila.

The woman’s eyes and brows were somewhat similar to that of Natalie’s. They both looked smart and charming, but there was a hint of arrogance in the woman’s eyes. Johanna frowned immediately when she saw the girl.

‘Lila! You have to put on a coat whenever you leave the house! It’s January now—the coldest time of the year!” Lila pouted and threw herself into Johanna’s arms, acting very much like a spoiled child.

“Mom, I just wanted to see you sooner. The servant told me you were finally back, so I came as fast as I could. What have you and Dad been up to these days? I didn’t see you at the office.”

She peeked at Natalie and asked curiously, “Who’s that? You never bring strangers home.”

Johanna placed her hands on Lila’s shoulders and pushed her away firmly. With a hardened expression, she said, “Let’s talk inside. Dad and I have to tell you something important.”

Lila frowned. She obviously picked up on Johanna’s indifference to her. Something was definitely off.She took a sidelong glance at Natalie before nodding and following her mother inside the house.

“What?! Impossible! Is this a prank? Mom, Dad, you can stop teasing me now.”

Upon hearing the whole story, Lila immediately sprang out of her seat indignantly.

She couldn’t accept the cruel truth. In the span of mere minutes, she had become a child who was brought home by mistake instead of the esteemed daughter of the Whites she was a moment eallier.

Johanna picked up the cup of tea on the table and took a sip. She was afraid that Lila would blame herself if she told her that her parents had switched the babies out on purpose, so she just said that it was all a big mistake.

“Tell me you’re joking!” Lila’s eyes suddenly brimmed with tears.

Her carefree life was about come to an end.

Beal and Johanna felt bad when they saw that Lila was about to cry.

Pretending to be relaxed, Beal walked up to Lila and patted her shoulder comfortingly.

‘Lila, we only told you this because we think you deserve to know the truth. We won’t interfere with your choice. If you want to remain our daughter, you can stay as our adopted daughter. Natalie was lost to us for too long. We have to take her back into our family.”

Lila gritted her teeth, looked at Beal angrily, and spat, “If you really cared about me, you wouldn’t have told me the truth.”

Without waiting for a response, she stumbled and turned around to storm off. Suddenly, her eyes met Natalie’s. This woman had stolen her parents.

After giving Natalie a hard look, Lila ran to her room. The minute she was gone, Beal and Johanna sighed. They knew that the truth would hurt Lila, but they had no choice. Natalie was a little worried about her new sister.

“We should go to her. What if she go to extremes?” “Don’t worry. Lila just needs time to accept the truth. Just leave her alone for now.” Johanna waved her hand dismissively. She knew Lila well. Their priority now was to announce to the public that Natalie was their long-lost biological daughter.

‘I’ve asked a maid to prepare your room. You can use this one for the time being.” Johanna personally escorted Natalie to her designated room.

The decoration was quaint and a little old-fashioned, but there were many plush dolls in it, which gave the room a strange and funny vibe. Looking at all the plushies, Johanna smiled awkwardly, “I didn’t know what you’d like, so I ended up buying all these dolls…”

In Johanna’s mind, Natalie was the baby she had lost all those years ago. They were practically strangers to each other now.

Natalie looked at the dolls and chuckled softly. “I’ve never had so many toys before. Thank you, Mrs. White.”

For now, she couldn’t bring herself to call Johanna “Mom’” yet. Seeing that Natalie didn’t seem to have a problem with the room,

Johanna breathed a sigh of relief and smiled happily.

“I won’t force you. Just take your time. Well, you just stay here and make yourself comfortable. Your father and I have discussed, and we have decided to hold a big party for the announcement as soon as possible.”

“There’s no rush…” Natalie said falteringly, trying to stop Johanna. She wasn’t used to her new status as the daughter of the White family, but Johanna and Beal couldn’t wait to tell the world.

Noticing the embarrassment on Natalie’s face, Johanna reached for her hand and said sincerely, “You are our daughter. You’ll have to get used to it one day. Your father and I were talking and… We were hoping to have your surname changed. Since the

Quinn family has nothing to do with you now, you don’t have to keep their surname anymore.”

Natalie nodded. She didn’t care about the Quinn family name anyway now that she married to Sebastian.

All of Barnes’s upper class was in an uproar the next morning. The White family had just announced that their daughter, who had been missing for over twenty years, was finally found. Johanna revealed Natalie’s identity to the public and changed the latter’s surname to White.

The White family invited all the celebrities and influential people in Barnes to their dinner party.

That night, they all gathered in the White Cloud Club.

The security of this banquet was strict, and Johanna specially ordered that no stray entertainment reporter was allowed inside.

Those kinds of reporters tended to cover nonsense. She didn’t want her daughter to be scrutinized on the Internet, so she took all the necessary precautions to avoid it.

It was the first time Natalie had attended such a grand party. And she was under the spotlight. Johanna introduced her to many esteemed guests.

Throughout the entire night, Natalie heard countless names.

“Is it tiring?” Seeing the exhausted look on Natalie’s face, Beal gave her a slice of cake, feeling sorry for her. Over the past few days, Johanna had taken up all of Natalie’s time. Beal felt a little sad that he hadn’t had a good talk with his daughter yet. Natalie subtly rubbed her aching ankles.

She was wearing a pair of 3-inch heels tonight. She forced a smile and said, “I am fine. Mr. White, your wife is awesome. She’s still so energetic even after chatting with all these rich people.”

Beal looked at the energetic Johanna in the distance and smiled.

“Let me tell you a secret. Your mother actually hates those rich ladies and often speaks ill of them. The only reason why she still talks to them is to keep up with the latest gossip.” Natalie couldn’t help but chuckle. Beal held a finger to his lips and winked at her.

“Don’t tell her I told you her little secret, or else she’ll kick me out of the bedroom tonight.”

Natalie nodded and promised him solemnly.She suddenly envied Lila. Growing up in such a loving family, she probably had a very happy childhood and youth.

Beal had only chatted with Natalie for a few minutes before he was surrounded again by many guests. Natalie didn’t want to disturb their talk, so she retreated to the yard. She took this opportunity to call Sebastian.

“Guess who’s calling?” Natalie said sweetly.

“Let me guess. It’s my wife, isn’t it? It’s been a whole day since you last talked to me. I thought you were too busy having a good time in Barnes and forgot all about me,” Sebastian said in a pouty voice.

He sounded almost resentful.

Natalie could tell that her parents loved Lila very much. Speaking about her, Beal and Johanna exchanged embarrassed glances.

“We hate Lila’s real parents. They took you from us so that their daughter could be raised by a rich family. If it weren’t for the kind soul who took you in, you might’ve died in the streets. You were separated from us for over twenty years because of this evil couple… If none of that happened, you would’ve been raised as the daughter of the White family. You wouldn’t have had to suffer so much with the Quinn family.” As she spoke, Johanna looked at Natalie with guilt and pity.

Fortunately, her dear daughter had grown up to be a wonderful young woman. Otherwise, she would’ve destroyed the couple who kidnapped Natalie. After some slight hesitation, Johanna continued, “Your father and I have been thinking. It’s true that Lila had inadvertently stolen your life, but she’s innocent. She was still a baby at the time. It wasn’t her fault her parents swapped her out with you. Besides, we love Lila, and we would never be so cruel as to kick Lila out now that we’ve found you. But we want to listen to what you have to say on the matter.”

Obviously, Johanna was partial to Natalie.

Maybe it was because Natalie was her real daughter, or perhaps it was because she had grown incredibly fond of the young woman.

Whenever they met, Johanna found herself wanting to give Natalie the whole world.

After mulling it over for a while, Natalie realized that she didn’t want much. She just wanted to be with Beal and Johanna, her biological parents.

“You raised her. I understand that it’s difficult for you to let her go. Let’s just say… I have a sister. Besides, I already feel lucky that you found me. I never would’ve thought of asking for anything more,” Natalie concluded with a gracious smile.

Indeed, she didn’t want much.

She just wanted her loved ones to be safe and sound and for those close to her to be happy and healthy. Now that she was reunited with her parents, she felt more than content.

In fact, in her eyes, her life was already perfect.

But Natalie’s words only made Johanna feel guiltier.

What on earth had her daughter gone through to become so sensible? At home, Lila was always spoiled. Whenever she was met with any displeasure, she would complain.

“Is that really what you want?” Johanna pressed her worriedly.

Natalie nodded firmly.

‘I’ve never met Lila, and she didn’t do anything to hurt me. I don’t hate her. I wouldn’t mind if Lila remains a White. We can be sisters. I’m already more than happy to have found you. I doubt Lila’s presence will be an obstacle to our relationship. Mom, Dad, you’ll always be my parents.”

Hearing this, Sebastian’s expression darkened.Natalie was the victim here. She didn’t have to be so generous.

“Natalie, you’re too considerate,” Beal said with a sigh. He and Johanna were happy to see that Natalie had grown up to be such a sensible young woman.

After all, they didn’t want to abandon Lila. She might’ve been a little arrogant and domineering, but she was still their daughter, albeit not biologically.

But Johanna was partial to Natalie. She looked at her husband firmly and said, “We need to tell Lila the truth when we get back:

that she’s not our biological daughter, and that Natalie is. Then, we can make an announcement to the public. We have to bring

Natalie back as the daughter of the Whites.”

Johanna held her daughter’s hands and looked at her face intently. Natalie looked so much like her when she was younger. “If I don’t do this, it will be too unfair to you. You’ve suffered enough.”

Beal supported Johanna’s decision, but he was a bit hesitant. “Lila’s a spoiled child. She has never experienced any setbacks in her life. If we tell her the truth now, I’m afraid it will be a big blow to her.”

Johanna sneered icily. “Do we have to make Natalie suffer because of her inability to cope? We’re not abandoning Lila. She is still our daughter and we will still treat her the same way. Anyway, somebody’s going to be unhappy either way. And I’d rather it be

Lila than Natalie. We owe Natalie too much. It’s her turn to be spoiled.”

In Johanna’s youth, she had become famous in Barnes for being a decisive and sharp-tongued female entrepreneur. She was still that same fierce woman even after decades.

‘If Lila finds out she’s not our real daughter, do you think she’ll look for her biological parents?” Beal asked warily.

Johanna looked at Beal as though she was looking at an idiot. “We’ve spoiled Lila for years. Do you really think she’ll go looking for her real parents?”

Beal fell silent and didn’t say anything more.

Natalie couldn’t help but look at her mother with awe. She was quick-witted and sharp-tongued, and she spoke with a certain authority.

Sebastian also found that Johanna was much smarter than he had imagined and that she was very sensible.

Natalie, on the other hand, was naive and innocent. With a mother like Johanna looking after Natalie, at least she wouldn’t be easily cheated in the future.

Later, Beal and Johanna temporarily took residence in Sebastian’s villa.

The two of them then discussed and made arrangements to take Natalie back to Barnes, intending to publicly announce that she was their biological daughter.

They were engaged in a heated discussion and didn’t even think to ask Sebastian for his opinion. Rather, they just ignored his presence.

Natalie looked at Sebastian questioningly. “You haven’t talked much today.”

Before, Sebastian had made it clear that he wouldn’t let her leave him.

Sebastian sighed helplessly. He smoothed Natalie’s hair and said gently, “What can I do? You’ve finally found your biological parents. I would never want to get in the way of that.”

In fact, he had already made up his mind. He would let Natalie go back to Barnes with her parents. The Larson Group could expand to Barnes so that Sebastian could relocate there in the future.

Anyway, Natalie was his wife now. She would never leave him.

Natalie’s face lit up and she smiled at Sebastian sweetly. She pinched his cheek and said, “Then I’ll go to Barnes. Visit me often, okay?”

Sebastian couldn’t help but chuckle. He kissed the corner of her lips when Beal and Johanna were looking away and held her in his arms. ‘I will, my dear wife.”

That night, Natalie went back to Barnes with her parents. Bernes was known as the capital of ancient culture. Unlike Seacisco which was a developed, urbanized city, Barnes carried with it a long history of cultural heritage. The White family’s mansion sat quaintly in the middle of a classical-style garden. The mansion was huge, and the stone sculptures flanking the grand door gave a glimpse at just how rich and powerful the Whites were.

“Your grandfather lived in this house. I wanted us to move out before, but your father didn’t agree. He’s too sentimental.”

Johanna noticed that Natalie kept looking around the mansion with wide eyes, so she thought that Natalie didn’t like it.

“If you want to live in an apartment or a villa, we can move out.”

Natalie waved her hand quickly.

“No, it’s okay. I’ve never lived in a place like this before. I’ve only ever seen it on TV. Now that I’m actually standing in it, I just wanted to take a closer look at its details.”

Johanna looked around the mansion alongside Natalie and her expression softened. With a loving smile, she said gently, “It will all be yours in the future. You’ll have plenty of time to look around.”

“Mom, what on earth are you saying?” A sweet voice interrupted the conversation between Natalie and Johanna Natalie turned in the direction of the voice. A woman ina pink floral dress and a pale grey sweater was standing in the yard.

“George and Lauren adopted me and it was also true that we had some issues, but that doesn’t matter anymore. I’ve cut ties with them.” Natalie wiped the tears on her face.

She still wasn’t used to the idea of her biological parents.

Johanna hugged Natalie tightly and said, “It’s okay, my child. If you don’t want to talk about it, then don’t.”

Johanna stroked Natalie’s hair gently. Her heart ached at the sight of her daughter crying.

With a small smile, she said, “Okay. Anyway, the past is in the past. I have a good life now. I’m married to a wonderful man.”

She looked at Sebastian affectionately and added, “My husband treats me very well.”

Only then did Beal and Johanna turn to look at Sebastian seriously. They knew that Sebastian was the president of the Larson Group, but they just didn’t really care. Even the CEO of such a successful corporation was a nobody in their eyes.

“We can see that he is… nice to you.” Johanna smiled, but the smile didn’t reach her eyes. Truth be told, she had been thinking about Brandon, and he was a thorn in her side.

They finally managed to find their daughter after all these years, but she was married. That was absolutely unacceptable! No matter how excellent this man was, Johanna still felt like he was taking her daughter away from her all over again.

And for that, she didn’t like Sebastian one bit. Beal probably harbored the same thought for he had been cold fo Sebastian ever since they met. Sebastian knew what was on their minds, but he knew it wasn’t the right time to bring it up, so he just smiled helplessly

Frank, who was standing in front of them, found the scene interesting.

Now that Sebastian had such difficult in-laws, he was bound to have a hard time in the future. Gradually, Natalie calmed down. But many things plagued her mind. The most pressing question was: how could she have been replaced back then?

This was the last thing that Johanna wanted to talk about. She had been depressed for years, knowing that her daughter had been replaced. She even considered taking her own life, but Beal had stopped her. The White family had a lot of connections in Barnes. They had asked anyone and everyone they could to look for their missing daughter, but there was no sign of her.

Gradually, Johanna came to believe that she would never reunite with her daughter. Beal, on the other hand, didn’t lose hope and suggested they search in other cities. After all, Barnes was a metropolis and lots of people came and went every year, so it was possible that their daughter wasn’t in Barnes anymore. Now, they finally found her-their long lost daughter.

Johanna looked at Beal hesitantly. Beal didn’t say anything and gave her a reassuring look.

Holding Natalie’s hands, Johanna bit her lower lip nervously. She took deep breaths, but she was so emotional that she couldn’t squeeze a single word out.

Finally, Beal looked at Natalie and sighed heavily.

“When you were born, there was an earthquake of unprecedented magnitude in Barnes. The whole city was in chaos. The hospital collapsed, and all the expecting mothers and infants were trapped inside. Your mother, who was staying in a VIP ward at the time, was moved with the other mothers during the evacuation. The situation was a complete mess at the time and she had no idea that you were replaced. Later, when we did find out, we investigated the matter and found that a couple took advantage of the chaotic situation to replace you with their daughter and took you away.”

Tears rolling down her cheeks, Johanna lowered her head guiltily and covered her mouth with the handkerchief in her hand. In between sobs, she said, “It’s all my fault. I wasn’t able to protect you. If! did, you wouldn’t have been replaced. You were born without birthmarks. I didn’t get to see you clearly because I was too weak and therefore didn’t memorize what you looked like.”

Beal hurried to comfort his wife.

“Don’t blame yourself. All babies look alike when they were just born. It’s difficult to tell them apart.”

Natalie patted Johanna’s hand, too.

“You’ve found me now and that’s what matters. Truth be told, I never wanted to look for my biological parents before. I always thought that they had deliberately abandoned me.”

Now that she knew that Johanna and Beal never meant to lose her, she didn’t feel unwanted anymore. Johanna threw her arms around Natalie and wept tears of jay. Natalie had grown up to be such a gentle and considerate young lady.

“I’m so glad we found you, my child. My life would’ve been meaningless otherwise.”

Natalie could keenly sense that her mother really cared about her. Thinking of the baby who had taken her place, she asked, “How is the girl now?”

“Her name is Lila. She lives in Barnes with us now. Your mother and I didn’t know that she wasn’t ours at first, so we raised her as our own.” Beal sighed.

After all, the baby girl had looked a lot like baby Natalie. Beal and Johanna had no idea that the girl they raised wasn’t theirs.

It wasn’t until Lila had a blood test that they realized that something was wrong. Beal’s blood type was A, and Johanna’s was 0, while Lila’s was B—there was no possible way she was their biological daughter. So they secretly conducted a paternity test and found out that indeed, Lila wasn’t related to them by blood. They launched an in-depth investigation into the matter. That was when they found out that their baby had been replaced amidst the chaotic aftermath of the earthquake.

“People can be really evil. Even the clothes and wristbands on the two babies were switched, so it obviously was not just a simple mistake. I knew what my baby was wearing and that was why we took that girl with us.” Johanna sneered angrily. Just thinking about the evildoers who had stolen her daughter made her want to tear them to pieces.

It was because of them that she wasn’t able to see her own child in more than twenty years. Lila, on the other hand, had been treated as Johanna’s and Beal’s biological daughter for years. They loved her deeply and by the time they realized the mistake, it was too late for them to leave her. Thus, they continued to treat Lila as their own while secretly looking for their real daughter.

A few years ago, they had managed to track down Lila’s biological parents, but the evil couple had abandoned Natalie as a baby and had no idea where she was. With her lips pursed, Natalie asked warily, “Has Lila met her biological parents?”

‘Lila is still with us. She has no idea that she’s not our biological daughter…” Johanna sighed heavily.

These problems were not easy to solve.

Natalie shook her head and said seriously, “Sebastian, I may have found my biological parents.” She then told him the whole story.

If it turned out to be true, then of course Sebastian would be happy for her…

“It sounds a little too good to be true,” he said after thinking about it for a while.

“But if it was Mrs. White who brought it up, it could be true. She wouldn’t prank you. The White family is just as powerful as the Larson family used to be, so she shouldn’t have any ulterior motives. I suppose there’s nothing we can do but wait for the results of the paternity test.”

The waiting game was always the hardest.

Sebastian sat with Natalie in one of the corridors of the hospital.

It was mid-January by then and still a bit cold. Johanna wore a dark green maxi dress with a white cashmere coat on top. Her eyes kept darting between Natalie and the man next to her as they waited.

Brandon Larson. She had seen his face in their wedding photos on the news, but she didn’t like him very much. Brandon was indeed a handsome man, but Johanna didn’t think that was a good thing. Rich, good-looking men more often than not turned out to be playboys. And Brandon was rich, handsome, and successful. He had to be a scheming person, right?

On the other hand, Natalie was a kind and lovely girl. She could easily have been played by Brandon.

But now that she, Johanna, was here for Natalie, she would never let Brandon bully Natalie.

Sebastian could sense the hostility in Johanna’s eyes whenever she looked at him, but considering how she might be his mother-in-

law, he could only politely nod to her. Whenever their eyes met, it was hard to tell which one of them was the dominant one.

Soon, a man with glasses and in his mid-fifties arrived. He looked like a well-read gentleman.

“Jo, I’m sorry I’m late. Traffic was so heavy on the way here.” The man wiped the sweat on his forehead and apologized sincerely. He wasn’t that handsome.

In fact, he looked pretty plain. But his eyes were bright and had a certain look of wisdom to them.

Johanna’s eyes flitted to the man. Although she was scolding him, her eyes were gentle.

“How could you be late for something as important as this? I’ll deal with you when we get home!”

“I’m really sorry, Jo. I swear to God that I left early! Can you not punish me today? You just punished me recently…” The man tugged at the corner of Johanna’s clothes like a little kid.

Obviously, Beal white, a business whiz in Barnes, was a hen-pecked husband.

The second Natalie saw him, she instantly recognized his eyes—because they looked exactly like hers. While Beal was trying to butter Johanna up, he noticed Natalie’s intent gaze.

At a glance, he felt that Natalie had the exact same temperament as Johanna’s. And he had also noticed Natalie’s eyes.

He rubbed his hands excitedly and walked up to the girl.

“You must be Natalie, am I right? Nice to finally meet you.”

“Nice to meet you too, Mr. White.”

For some reason, Natalie suddenly grew nervous. Sebastian had just managed to calm her down, but now, she couldn’t help but want to cry again.

“You look a lot like Jo when she was young. How old are you? You should’ve graduated from college by now, right? Where did you study? Do you have a job now? Do you want to work in Barnes?”

Beal was so excited that he kept firing questions at her, one after another. Seeing the way Brandon’s arm was tightly wrapped around Natalie’s shoulder, there was a flicker of annoyance in

Beal’s eyes. “Mr. Larson, do you mind giving us some space?”

Beal had no clue what Natalie saw in her husband.

Sebastian was a little stunned, but he obliged and walked away to give the two a chance to talk. Seeing that Natalie looked a bit flustered hearing all these questions, Johanna patted Beal’s shoulder.

“Give our daughter some time to think before you ask more questions!” Beal scratched the back of his head and smiled sheepishly.

“Okay, okay. We can talk later. Let’s do the paternity test first.”

Sebastian and Johanna had decided prior to do the paternity test at Frank’s hospital.

And to err on the side of caution, Johanna had also sent another blood sample to their own hospital in Barnes.

After the paternity test was done, the Whites asked Frank nervously, “When will the results come out?”

Frank took off his mask and said calmly, “Today.”

“Oh, my God! That’s great!” Johanna exclaimed, holding Beal’s hand excitedly. “I don’t want to go home and come back later for this. Let’s just wait here.”

Of course, the obedient Beal agreed.

“We should wait as well.” Sebastian knew that his wife was feeling extremely anxious now. She wasn’t a talkative person to begin with, and she usually fell completely silent in important situations like this.

“Okay,” Natalie said softly, her hands trembling slightly. It wasn’t until late afternoon when Frank approached them with the report.

‘The results are ready. Please follow me to my office.”

‘The result of paternity test has proven that Natalie is indeed your biological daughter.”

In fact, when Frank first saw the match rate between the two was as high as 99.8%, he couldn’t help but be in awe of Sebastian’s wife. The White family was considered one of the most influential families in the country. They had the most contacts the most resources, and the most enterprises.

Although the Klein family in Seacisco was by no means weak, it was not as influential as the White family. They had become so strong thanks to years and years of accumulated businesses and connections. Few families were as influential as this one.

As Frank continued to discuss the results of the paternity test, Sebastian noticed that the Whites had been looking at Natalie for quite a while with tears in their eyes.

Beal stood up first and stumbled over to Natalie, throwing his arms around her clumsily.

The middle-aged man disregarded any semblance of dignity and burst into tears. Afraid that she might frighten Natalie off if she broke down as well, Johanna simply stood aside and simply patted Natalie on the back, covering her mouth with a handkerchief as she sobbed.

Natalie, on the other hand, was stunned. Finally, the sounds of her parents’ sobs brought her back to reality, and she too couldn’t help but burst into tears. They had finally found each other after so many years. They had only met their daughter once before, tight after she was born. Naturally, Beal had a lot to say to his daughter, with whom he had lost contact ever since.

“How have you been all these years, my dear child? I’m so sorry. Your mother and I weren’t able to find you until now. This is all our fault.” Beal took off his glasses and wiped them with the hem of his shirt. When he put them back on, his eyes were still tearful and red.

“I heard that the Quinn family adopted you.”

He had investigated the Quinn family before he came here. Although the Quinns were not that big a family, they were well-off. At the mention of that particular family name, Johanna’s nostrils flared in anger.

“There is not a single good Quinn,” she snorted.

After all, judging from the way Natalie spoke of her adoptive family, she didn’t have a good time with the Quinn family.