Chapter 542 A Family
Ruth started playing the victim card in front of Sophia, and Sophia could barely keep from cracking up.
Celeste, David, and Colin from the Blackwoods were all ears, not giving a damn if Ruth was spewing lies or not; they bought it hook, line, and sinker, hating the Browns even more.
They used to be so nice to Patricia.
"The Browns totally deserve to bite the dust!" they cursed under their breath.
As the evening rolled in, Jennifer dragged herself home, beat.
She'd been swamped all day. Celeste wasn't feeling great, so Jennifer didn't want to dump more problems on her, taking all the decision-making on her own shoulders.
Now that everything was finally sorted, she and Celeste could chill and enjoy the holiday.
Jennifer had been so wrapped up with stuff at Fusion Dynamics Corporation that she had no clue about the drama at home.
She had a hunch David and Colin were up to something, but hadn't had the time to dig into it.
Before stepping inside, Jennifer thought, no matter how late it got, she’d wait for David and get to the bottom of it.
But when she opened the door and saw a house full of people, she was momentarily thrown but then grinned.
"What’s the occasion? Sophia and Aunt Ruth are here too."
"It’s a good day, Jennifer, come over here," Celeste called out.
Jennifer was the only one in the Blackwoods still in the dark.
Hearing Celeste’s cheerful voice and seeing the usually serious David with a big smile, and Ruth grinning like a Cheshire cat, Jennifer walked over, puzzled.
"Come on, call her Aunt Jennifer," Celeste said, pulling Sophia along.
Sophia looked up at Jennifer and obediently said, "Aunt Jennifer."
Jennifer was floored and thought, 'Isn't Sophia my goddaughter? Why is she calling me Aunt?'
David walked over, placing his hand on Jennifer’s shoulder, and said with a smile, "You’ve been so busy lately that I didn’t get a chance to tell you. We found out Patricia isn’t Susan’s daughter; Sophia is."
"What?" Jennifer’s voice went up an octave in shock. After a moment of stunned silence, she glared at David. "You’re just telling me this now? David, am I still your wife or what?"
David was taken aback and thought, 'Oh crap!'
"No, no, no, listen to me," David said anxiously, trying to explain as he held Jennifer’s hand.
Jennifer shook him off and glared at him. She then turned and warmly took Sophia’s hand.
"I don’t care whose daughter you are; you’re my goddaughter. Don’t call me Aunt. Call me what you always have, now and forever."
Jennifer accepted the news quickly. After all the crap Patricia had pulled, Patricia had long lost her place in Jennifer’s heart, ready to be blown away like a feather in the wind.
On the flip side, Sophia’s place in her heart had only grown.
Now that she knew Sophia was her niece, Jennifer was over the moon.
This was a truly happy moment for everyone.
David thought for a moment and then said to Sophia, "Since you’re still Jennifer’s goddaughter, don’t call me Uncle anymore. How about..."
Celeste shot David a look and cut him off, "Knock it off!"
David zipped it.
Jennifer continued happily, "Sophia, call us whatever you want. From now on, whether in name or by blood, we’re your closest family. We’re one family."
Colin jumped in, "Yeah, it's just a title. We're all family now."
Seeing everyone so caring, Sophia felt all warm and fuzzy inside.
The doorbell rang, and Colin went to get it. Gabriel showed up with three kids in tow.
Betty had whipped up dinner, and Celeste, not wanting to let Sophia out of her sight, chatted with her in the living room.
David and Jennifer listened in, and the three kids sat close to Celeste and Sophia.
Celeste wanted to see photos of her daughter Susan.
Sophia's face scrunched up a bit. "I had an album, but it got torched in the Harbor Bay fire."
Celeste had asked the Browns for photos before, but they said Susan wasn't into taking pictures and didn't leave many behind.
Celeste's wish was dashed again.
"But I think there are a few left at The Lancaster Manor," Sophia remembered. She had left some old stuff, including photos of her parents, at The Lancaster Manor.
Celeste's eyes lit up.
"Can you bring them tomorrow?"
"Sure thing."
Hearing Sophia mention the Harbor Bay fire, Colin's brow furrowed slightly. He seemed to remember something but didn't want to kill the vibe, so he kept it to himself.
Today was the day the Blackwoods officially welcomed Sophia. During dinner, Celeste still held Sophia's hand.
After dinner, Sophia was about to say goodbye, but Celeste didn't want her to leave and wanted her to stay the night.
However, Sophia's three kids also wanted to be with her. Celeste wanted to keep them all, but the rooms weren't ready. She didn't want Sophia to stay in Patricia's room, so they'd have to redo everything first.
So, they couldn't stay.
Celeste felt a bit bummed.
She hadn't expected that one day, Sophia's three kids would truly become her family.
Ruth noticed Celeste's thoughts.
"Celeste, let Sophia bring the kids over tomorrow. The New Year is coming. On the last day of this year, come to my place for dinner. My house is big, and when The Blackwood Manor is done next year, let Sophia and the kids stay with you for a while."
Celeste was instantly cheered up by Ruth's words and held Ruth's hand.
"Alright, it's a deal."
In the end, Celeste reluctantly saw Sophia off.
The Blackwood Manor finally quieted down. After a day of wild emotions, Celeste was wiped out. Jennifer helped her lie down, and Celeste immediately crashed.
Colin went to the study to find David.
"Dad, when Sophia mentioned the Harbor Bay fire, I thought it was just an accident. But now, something feels off."
David raised an eyebrow, "What's off?"
"On the day of the fire, someone took Sophia and tried to kill her. But when the cops showed up, the bad guys had split, leaving the case unsolved."
"Back then, we didn't know Patricia was a fake. Now, I think the fire and the kidnapping might be tied to the Browns."
"We were getting ready to come back to the country then. The Browns must have been scared Patricia's cover would be blown, so they wanted to off Sophia."
David's hand clenched hearing this.
But this was just Colin's hunch. Even if they thought the Browns were behind it, they needed proof to nail them.
"Find out the truth."
A flash of ruthlessness quickly passed through David's eyes.
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