Chapter 907
Oberon looked defeated, letting out a sigh and a self-deprecating laugh.
"The root of the problem lies with the Kelly family. How can I blame anyone else?"
It was Ruby who switched Taylor with the stillborn.
Over twenty years ago, when Ruby had swapped Lillian, Oberon hadn't noticed.
Now, Ruby had repeated her trick, swapping his great-grandson with a stillborn, causing Lillian and Taylor to be separated for so long, leaving Lillian heartbroken and nearly lifeless.
Oberon had initially thought it was the Price family and Daisy who were responsible.
But who would have thought that the root of the issue was with the Kelly family?
He hadn't protected Lillian, bringing her so much danger and pain. Now, he didn't delay Lillian's happiness by playing the elder.
"Grandpa, what are you saying? None of this is your fault. I don't blame you, and Mom doesn't blame you either. I just dreamed about Mom. She said she couldn't let go of you and Grandma all these years. She repeatedly told me to take care of you and Grandma. She entrusted me to you, so you have every right to take care of my matters. Who dares to say otherwise?"
Lillian couldn't stand seeing Oberon so dejected and self-blaming. She leaned in, wrapped her arm around Oberon's, and rested her head on his shoulder, glaring at Jackson.
Jackson crouched down in front of Oberon. "Grandpa, I was just as blind, treating the Price family as good people, for many years. Even if you made mistakes, it doesn't erase mine. Let's let the past be the past. The important thing now is to find Taylor quickly!"
Jackson extended his hand towards Oberon.
Oberon looked disdainfully at Jackson's large hand, not in the mood for a high-five.
Instead, Oberon grabbed Lillian's hand and placed it in Jackson's palm, his dejection gone. "Sit down and talk. Stop showing off in front of me. Seeing you still makes me angry."
Jackson smiled, tightly holding Lillian's hand, and sat down beside her.
He briefly recounted the night's events to Oberon.
"I've mobilized all resources to search in Miracalia. But for Seaspring Valley City and its surroundings, we'll need your help, Grandpa."
Oberon responded gravely, "Do you even need to say that? Lillian, call Ambrose and have him come back."
Taylor was a Kelly family child. Even if Taylor wasn't in Seaspring Valley City, they wouldn't give up searching every corner of the world.
As Lillian called Ambrose, Jackson asked Oberon if he knew of anyone Ruby particularly trusted who could help her hide the child.
Oberon thought for a moment, frowning. "There is someone who might fit that description."
Lillian, having just finished her call, turned around, her expression tense. "Ruby had a nanny named Gemma who took care of her since she was little. Gemma worked at the Lawson Villa for over twenty years. Ruby wasn't favored growing up, but Gemma was like a second mother to her."
"How come I've never seen her?" Lillian asked, surprised, searching her memory but finding no trace of Gemma.
Oberon looked at her. "Five years ago, Gemma had stomach cancer and underwent surgery. Ruby, concerned about her health, gave her a large sum of money, and Gemma's family returned to their hometown. I think it was..."
Oberon frowned, trying to recall where Gemma's hometown was.
"I'll have someone look into it," he said.
"No wonder I didn't know. She left Seaspring Valley City before I came back. But would someone as self-serving as Ruby genuinely care for someone?"
Lillian couldn't help but feel that Ruby's every action was malicious.
"Ruby gave Gemma three million dollars for her retirement. Gemma left Seaspring Valley City quite ostentatiously," Oberon said, tapping the armrest of the sofa.
"Ruby even earned a reputation for being kind to her servants and grateful, which was talked about for a while."
"Grandpa, Ruby hasn't been that high-profile in Seaspring Valley City these years," Lillian said, increasingly suspicious.
From what she knew, Ruby had faced much criticism for being with Kenneth back then.
Ruby had always tried to win Oberon's favor, and she was good at enduring.
She hadn't lived a high-profile life in Seaspring Valley City.
"Lillian's right. Ruby's high-profile departure seemed like a way to tell everyone that Gemma had left Seaspring Valley City and had nothing to do with the Lawson family or her," Jackson said seriously, and Oberon nodded.
At the time, Oberon thought Ruby was just trying to gain a good reputation.
Now, it seemed possible that Gemma had left to help Ruby with some secret matters.
"Grandpa, what do you know about Gemma's family?" Jackson asked, finding Gemma highly suspicious.
Oberon frowned, unable to recall much.
He was old, and most of his attention was on taking care of Flora.
Gemma was just a servant of the Lawson family. He hadn't suspected Ruby before, so he didn't remember much about Gemma's family.
At that moment, Ambrose's voice came from the doorway.
"Gemma is from a rural area in Seaside City. Her husband died long ago, and she raised two sons on her own. Her eldest son is a troublemaker, involved in fights and drinking. There were even rumors that he raped a young maid from the Lawson family, but the matter was hushed up, likely by Ruby. Her younger son is more accomplished, having gone to college and studied abroad. What he's doing now isn't clear."
Ambrose walked in, exchanging a look with Jackson, both understanding that Gemma needed to be thoroughly investigated.
Jackson, having learned this crucial information, couldn't sit still.
He stood up. "I'll go to Seaside City myself."
Gemma and her sons were likely Ruby's hidden connections.
They might be the ones hiding Taylor.
Lillian stood up too. "I'm coming with you!"
She started to head out, but Jackson grabbed her wrist, pulling her close and gently pushing her back onto the sofa.
"Stay here. We don't know for sure if Taylor is in Seaside City."
"But..."
Lillian was anxious. Now that they finally had a lead, she wanted to go along.
She felt that staying home and waiting for news would make her restless.
Jackson interrupted her, "You have something more important to do."
"What?"
"You need to keep a close eye on Ruby. Her health is deteriorating, and she's desperate for a kidney transplant. She'll definitely make a move soon."
Previously, Jackson had cut off the kidney source Ruby had found.
Ruby's health was critical, and she urgently needed a new kidney.
Now that she was in police custody, she would be racing against time.
Hearing this, Lillian looked at Ambrose and Oberon. Ambrose would also be searching in Seaspring Valley City, so it made sense for her to focus on Ruby.
She nodded, "Alright, we'll stay in touch."
Jackson ruffled her hair, "Don't worry. If Taylor is really in Seaside City, I'll bring him back safely."
With that, Jackson turned and walked out.
As he left, Ambrose said, "I'll also mobilize our contacts to search all of Seaspring Valley City and recheck the Lawson family."
Oberon waved him off, and Lillian stood up.
"Ambrose, thank you."
But they didn't even know what Taylor looked like, making the search like finding a needle in a haystack.
This only made it more difficult.
Ambrose patted Lillian's shoulder, "We're family. Don't mention it. When we find Taylor, I'll teach him to call me uncle first."
Lillian's eyes reddened, already picturing the scene Ambrose described.
"He should call great-grandpa first!" Oberon chimed in, clearly trying to lighten the mood.
Lillian nodded, "Grandpa, you and Ambrose can forget it. Taylor will definitely call me 'Mom' first. He always got excited when he heard 'Mom' while he was in my belly."
Ambrose smiled and turned to leave. As he reached the door, Lillian suddenly remembered something.
"Ambrose, wait a minute."
Ambrose stopped, and Lillian quickly grabbed her phone.
She unlocked it, scrolled through her photo album, and paused on a picture.
She sent the photo to Ambrose, who heard the notification and opened his phone to see the picture Lillian had just sent.
He enlarged the photo, slightly stunned.
"Is this Taylor?"
The photo showed a chubby little boy, about a hundred days old, with bright, lively eyes that resembled Lillian's.
Lillian nodded, "This photo was created by Jackson using AI technology based on Taylor's ultrasound. It might not be exactly how Taylor looks, but it's better than nothing."
The photo was the one used on Taylor's gravestone.
Lillian had secretly taken a picture of it during one of her visits to Taylor's grave.
She kept the photo in an encrypted album on her phone, occasionally looking at it.
Ambrose looked at the photo again, "Alright, I'll use it as a reference. Don't worry."
He turned to leave, and Oberon reached out.
"Lillian, let Grandpa see it too."
Lillian thought the photo might be useful in finding Taylor, so she took it out of the encrypted album.
She sat next to Oberon and showed him the photo.
Oberon pulled out his reading glasses and carefully examined the picture.
Looking at the beautiful, chubby child in the photo, Oberon gently touched the child's face with trembling fingers.
"This child looks more like our Kelly family. Look at those big, dark eyes and chubby cheeks. He doesn't look like Jackson at all."
Lillian leaned in to look, and Oberon continued.
"Our Taylor is so good-looking. He won't be hard to find. Even though kids change quickly, since this was based on the ultrasound, the bone structure should be accurate. Taylor probably looks like this."
Oberon didn't know if he was comforting Lillian or if he truly believed it, but he lovingly stroked the photo.
His hand trembled, and the photo accidentally swiped away.
Oberon was about to swipe back to the photo when he froze.
Another child's photo appeared on the screen.
A little boy in red overalls and a yellow sweater, wearing a fluffy white hat, was crawling on a mat in the living room, reaching towards the camera like a little turtle.
Those big eyes and chubby cheeks looked just like the photo of Taylor.
"Lillian, who is this child?!"
Oberon's hand trembled, his voice shaking.
"Is this another photo Jackson created?"
Oberon wasn't sure, but this photo seemed more real, not like a composite.
Lillian, who had been looking at the photo with Oberon, was also shocked by the resemblance.
She stared at the screen, her expression uncertain.
"Grandpa, this isn't a composite. This is Logan, the Price family's posthumous child. How could Logan..."
Lillian took the phone from Oberon, quickly swiping between the two photos.
She couldn't help but notice the similarities between Logan and the AI-generated photo, especially the eyes and mouth.
She had never thought about it before, and the AI photo didn't look much like a real person.
This photo had been privately kept by Lillian, never compared side by side.
Lillian hadn't noticed the resemblance.
Her heart raced as she recalled her interactions with Logan.
She thought about Logan's dependence on her and his inexplicable closeness, how she couldn't bring herself to dislike him despite everything.
She always felt a strong urge to protect and care for him.
Lillian's hands trembled, barely able to hold the phone.
"Grandpa, do you think they look alike?"
"Yes! Very much so! Lillian, where is this child now?"
Oberon asked urgently, and Lillian's voice was dry.
"When we came to Seaspring Valley City, Logan was at the Peace Mansion. Grandpa, is it possible? Would Ruby be so kind as to let Taylor be with me and Jackson?"
Lillian couldn't believe it, but she desperately hoped Logan was Taylor.
"Don't forget, the safest place is often the most dangerous. Besides, Ruby might not know you, and Jackson would treat Logan well. She might have thought it would be amusing, expecting you to mistreat the child."
Oberon analyzed seriously.
Lillian gasped, realizing Ruby's twisted sense of humor might have led her to do such a thing.
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