Chapter 226: A sapphire pendant

Words : 1161 Updated : Sep 29th, 2025

Chapter 226: A sapphire pendant Anne’s breath hitched as her thumb hovered over the precious gemstone. She recognized it. This was her pendant, the one she had cherished as a child until it had been snatched away from her. She still remembered how Lorie had torn it from her neck, claiming it as her own, wearing it ever since like a trophy. Anne looked up at her father. "Why are you giving this to me now? It was with Lorie." Paule’s eyes were shadowed with regret. "Because I’m finally giving it back to its rightful owner. This pendant was with you the day I found you on the street. It was yours then, and it’s still yours now." His shoulders sagged under the weight of guilt. "I should have returned it to you years ago. But when I saw how happy Lorie was to have it, I... I couldn’t bring myself to take it from her. Part of me was selfish. So I stayed silent." He paused. "I thought maybe, one day, when she lost interest, I’d return it to you. But then Patricia gambled it away. When I found out, I was furious. I did everything I could to get it back, and I did." Anne listened, heart pounding. "My plan was to give it to you on your twenty-first birthday," he said with a tinge of sorrow. "But then the accident at the factory happened, and I fell into a coma." He nodded toward her hand. "Now, I’m finally doing what I should have done long ago." He looked deeply into her eyes, his tone turning even serious. "I need to tell you something important. There is a secret about that pendant." "A secret?" Anne’s brow furrowed in surprise. "What kind of secret?" Paule gestured toward the gem. "Look closely. It’s not just a piece of jewelry. There is an initial carved into it."ƒrēewebnoѵёl.cσm Anne brought the pendant closer as she tilted it toward the light. On the back was a single carved letter R. She gently traced it with her thumb, her heart fluttering with questions. "It looks like it was specially made," Paule said softly, watching her. "Something meant just for you." Anne lifted her eyes to him. "How can you be so sure?" she asked, confusion laced with curiosity. Paule’s expression shifted, growing serious. "Because something happened recently... someone came to me. Your real family is looking for you." Anne blinked, taken aback. "What? Are you telling the truth?" Paule nodded slowly, his gaze steady. "Your biological mother and brother are trying to find you." The words hit her like a jolt. Her chest tightened with excitement and anticipation. Her fingers instinctively curled around it. "My biological mother?" she repeated, stunned. "They came to me," Paule said quietly. "They had your childhood photo with that pendant around your neck. They showed it to me, hoping I could help. They wanted to see you, to speak to you." He trailed off. "Before I could say anything, Patricia appeared and chased them away," he murmured regretfully. A powerful wave of mixed feelings surged through Anne. All this time, she had believed she was alone in the world, that her real parents were long gone. But this new information ignited hope within her. "They are really looking for me?" she repeated breathlessly, her voice cracking with emotion. "Do you have their number? Please, Papa, I want to talk to them. I have to meet them." Seeing the spark of joy in Anne’s eyes, Paule felt his chest tighten. A bittersweet ache settled in his heart. He was happy for her, but a part of him didn’t want to let her go. She had been his daughter in every way that mattered. He had raised her, protected her, and loved her like his own. And now, the thought of her being swept away by a family she didn’t know unsettled him. But he wasn’t selfish enough to stand in her way. No matter how much it hurt, he knew she deserved to go back to her real family. Still, a shadow of fear lingered in his mind. What if someone from that mysterious past brought danger to her door? What if old enemies came crawling out of the dark and ruined her life? "Papa?" Anne’s voice snapped him from his spiral of worry. "Do you have their number?" He blinked, meeting her eager gaze. He nodded and reached into the drawer beside the bed, pulling out a sleek business card. "This is your brother’s contact," he said, handing it to her. "He gave it to me when we met. You can call him." Anne took the card, her hands trembling slightly with anticipation. But the moment her eyes scanned the name, her smile faltered. Nathan Granet—the CEO of Oriental Hotels and Resorts, one of the most powerful names in the country’s hospitality industry. Her eyes widened in disbelief. Her mind raced. She had seen the name of the hotel in magazines, on television, and in news articles. Her brother turned out to be influential, respected, and untouchable. But what surprised her the most was the surname ’Granet’. Could it be that the Granet family was her real family? Clutching the card tightly, Anne stared at it with questions in her mind. "There is something I need to warn you about," Paule said gravely, breaking through Anne’s whirlwind of thoughts. She looked up and found his eyes filled with unease. "When I first found you... you were lying by the side of the road, covered in dirt. I couldn’t just walk away. I took you in. But back then, I assumed your family would be searching for you. So I went to the police, told them everything." He drew a slow breath, then began, "I thought they’d find your family soon, that someone would come looking for you. But months passed. No one came. Eventually, the police gave up and closed the case, marking it unresolved." Anne listened to him carefully, trying to understand what he meant by that. He nodded toward the business card in her hand. "Nathan claimed you were kidnapped back then, that his mother fell into depression afterward, and that he had been searching for you ever since. But if that’s really the case, why didn’t anyone ever show up at the police station to report you missing? And honestly, you didn’t seem like a kidnapped child. It felt more like someone had intentionally left you behind, abandoned, like you were unwanted." Anne’s stomach twisted. "Abandoned?" she echoed with disbelief. "Yes. There were no signs of force on your body. Think about it. Why would kidnappers leave you all alone like that? If it were really a kidnapping, they would’ve taken you somewhere, demanded a ransom. But instead, you were found on the roadside, completely alone, as if someone had thrown you away. That doesn’t line up with the usual story of a kidnapping."

Chapter 226: A sapphire pendant

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