BuzzNovelAlessia’s words left the three of them in heavy silence.
The issue they’d been so unwilling to face-one they’d pushed to the back of their minds-had been dragged into
the open by Alessia’s bluntness, and now an uneasy mix of emotions washed over them.
“If I've offended you, | apologize,” Alessia said, her gaze flickering as she sized up their reactions. She shrugged,
palms up in a gesture of indifference. “Just forget | asked.”
“Lessie.” Brendan's voice stopped her as she started to rise from he at.
Alessia didn’t reply, waiting quietly for him to continue.
“We're not accusing you of anything,” he said, forcing a rueful smile. “We just kept avoiding this because we
didn’t want to admit we'd failed as parents. But now that things are as they are, we need answers.”
Karen nodded, her eyes rimmed with red. “Was it all a misunderstanding, or...” She trailed off, taking a shaky
breath.
“We don’t know exactly when lleana learned the truth about her birth, but | started noticing a change in her after
she started middle school,” Karen said. A mother always notices first when something's off with her child.
“At the time, we chalked it up to normal growing pains-she was a teenager, after all, suddenly interested in
fashion and appearances. We didn’t think much of it. But as the years went by and our family fortune began to
dwindle, her demands only grew. If anything went against her wishes, she’d throw a tantrum...”
Her eyes were clouded with grief. Karen could still picture Illeana’s first steps, the first tshe called her ‘Mom’,
her first day at school-it all felt like yesterday. Yet now, those memories seemed to fade like mist, as if they'd
never really happened at all.
Where had it all gone wrong?
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtKaren's heart ached, but she had no choice but to accept the truth staring back at her.
“So, the turning point was middle school?” Alessia’s detached tone stood in stark contrast to their emotion.
“Yes,” Brendan said. “After Ivan was born, she becfixated on standing out,
1/2
13:12
Chapter 153
maybe because girls are more sensitive at that age. We gave her more leeway, spoiled her a bit. Back when we
were all in middle school, Ivan was constantly sick, so most of our attention went to him. We thought maybe
that’s why Illeana started acting out...”
“When did the problems at the company start?” Alessia asked, suddenly sounding like a detective piecing
together a timeline.
“Three years ago,” Brendan said.
“That's right,” Zachary added. “Right after we graduated from eighth grade, that summer.”
“Things just changed too fast,” Brendan continued. “The business couldn't keep up with the times. We started
losing clients. Meanwhile, the Tate family adapted, innovated, and soon they left us in the dust. We tried
everything to save the company, but after three years, we had to declare bankruptcy.”
Brendan seemed almost at peace as
he spoke about those years. He yas
middle-aged now Yeldseen
SHoEesD ai Tailire, but his family
was safe and healthy, and that was
enough. The content is on
novelenglish.net! Read the latest
chapter there!
I . ]
The strange thing is, even after she
knew our finances were in trouble, it
was like Ileana was determined tb
2 1c
SHUeez ry last drop of value from
3 , q
us. She didn't hold back—in fact, her
demands just got more and more
» .
outrageous. The content is on
novelenglish.net! Read the latest
chapter there!
Disappointment colored Zachary’s words. He couldn't believe the little sister he'd always doted on could be so
calculating.
Alessia tapped her fingers on the
table, each tap echoing rege
. I
tense silence, The Sukoinér a ter
n .
elghth grae..” she said thoughtfully.
ey A
Did Illeana do anything... odd, or act
”
out of character, around then?” The
content is on novelenglish.net! Read
the latest chapter there!
The three exchanged uncertain glances.
“We weren't hmuch during that time,” Zachary finally admitted. “We didn’t really
notice.”
As soon as he finished, Karen's eyes widened as if a memory had just resurfaced. She reached over and tugged
at Brendan's arm.
Visit our social media platform to read fascinating stories every day and connect with the community!
