Chapter 480 Shane meets Patricia
Charles didn't conceal his actions, recounting his deeds in great detail. "I did it on purpose. They didn't believe you back then, letting Grace walk all over you. The same thing happened at the jewelry design competition. If it weren't for me swaying public opinion, they would've downplayed Grace stealing your design. And now, they have the nerve to come looking for you in Ivara City. I just wanted to prank them."
"You little troublemaker! I don't have time for this now, but oh, just wait. I’ll deal with you later." Patricia grabbed her car keys and hurried out the door, leaving the four children in Martin's care.
When she arrived in the Ellenstein Villa District, the sky had already turned dark. The Kochs, planning to contact Patricia the next day, were about to leave for their hotel. As they stepped out the door, they ran into Patricia, who was hurrying toward them.
Patricia was stunned to actually find them here. She had called Riley that morning to inquire about her grandfather's health, only to be told that he hadn't awakened and remained comatose. Yet, here he was in front of her in the evening, appearing to be in good spirits and recovering much better than she had imagined.
"Grandpa... are you feeling better?" she asked.
Seeing Patricia again, Shane was overwhelmed with a sense of surreal relief. It had been a close call. By a mere hair's breadth, he had almost been separated from his granddaughter forever.
Thankfully, fate had other plans.
Noticing Shane's emotional struggle to speak, Ariel said, "Grandpa woke up some time ago, but he wanted to surprise you, so he made us keep it a secret."
Tears instantly welled up in Patricia's eyes as she approached Shane and held his hand tightly, her voice choked by emotion. "Grandpa, do you have any idea how worried I was? How could you keep this from me? If I had known you were awake, I would have come to see you immediately."
Shane let her clutch his left hand, his right gently patting the back of hers. "You just came back to Ivara City; I couldn't bear to have you travel back and forth. What mattered most was that I wanted to see where you grew up. And... and your mother..."
"Oh, my mother..." Patricia looked back at the darkened sky. "It's already night; it wouldn't be appropriate. Tomorrow, let's visit my mother's gravesite."
The word 'gravesite' pierced Shane's heart sharply. He was unable to hold back his tears, which moistened the corners of his eyes.
Noticing his distress, Patricia asked with concern, "Grandpa... what's wrong?"
With a choked voice, Shane asked, "Could I... could I see some of your mother's belongings, if there are any left?"
Patricia nodded vigorously. "Yes, yes, of course. I've kept all my mother's cherished belongings in the study on the second floor. Shall I take you there?"
Shane nodded desperately, eager for any connection to his daughter. Patricia and Ariel each took a position beside Shane, steadying him as they guided him up the staircase to the second floor.
Patricia dragged out an old suitcase filled with her mom's keepsakes, saying, "After my mom lost the battle against her depression and took her own life, my dad burnt all her stuff. I fought to save these items. It's not much; just some of her photographs, a hairbrush she used, a few towels, and the clothes she wore."
By the time Patricia finished speaking, she had already opened the suitcase and pulled out one of her mother's photos to hand to Shane. "These are a few of the remaining photos; my father destroyed the rest," she said.
Shane took the photo, his hands shaking. Craning their necks, Ariel and Jeremy peered at the picture. Catching a glimpse of the familiar face, they both caught their breath.
It was undoubtedly Elise.
Elise had left home in her twenties, and although years had passed since the photo was taken, they recognized her at first glance.
Before the devastating fire at the Koch residence, there were many photos of Elise at home, chronicling her life from infancy until her twenties. Grandpa would often spend his time rocking in the chair on the balcony of his second-floor study, flipping through family albums. All that remained after the blaze was a single group picture on Grandpa's desk, featuring Elise as a teenager, back in junior high.
With his hands wrinkled by time, Shane tenderly caressed the face in the photo as tears blurred his sight.
Despite having learned the truth, the moment Jeremy saw the picture, he couldn’t help but say, "Is this... is this really your mother?"
Patricia nodded. "Of course. Why would I show you someone else's picture claiming it's my mom?"
Jeremy's eyes reddened suddenly; he clenched Patricia's hand in agitation.
Patricia frowned slightly, sensing the impropriety, and was about to pull her hand away when Jeremy, stumbling over his words, blurted out, "Patricia, I had no idea... it's you. No wonder... no wonder you felt so familiar from the moment I first saw you. It’s all because of this."
Confused, Patricia looked toward Ariel, her eyes asking for clarification.
Ariel, though stirred, quickly explained, "Patricia, your mother is our aunt. She's Grandpa's youngest daughter, Elise."
Patricia's mind went blank; she thought she had misheard. Tilting her head, she asked, "What did you just say? My mother is Elise?"
Ariel nodded and said, "Yes. Although Elise left when we were very young, we have many photos of her at home. We've seen them since we were kids; there's no way we're mistaken. You are definitely Elise's daughter."
After a brief moment of stunned silence, Patricia let out a snort of laughter. "No way, you've got to be kidding me. My mother's name was Isabella Laurent, not Elise. You can find people who look alike; you must be mistaken."
Her mother was born and raised in the city of Ivara. How could she be Elise?
Ariel looked just as confused. She couldn't understand why their names were different either.
Then Shane said in a hoarse voice, "That's because her mother's last name was Laurent. Isabella Laurent," he pronounced thoughtfully, "She must have changed her name after she left the Koch family."
Pausing, he choked up and said, "She must have hated me so much, she wouldn't even use the name I gave her. She probably never forgave me until her death."
Patricia was dumbstruck, struggling to process the shocking revelation. "So, I'm Elise's daughter. But what about Grace? Who is she? Didn't you guys have a paternity test done?"
It was too bizarre, too incredible, just too unbelievable. How could something like this happen?
Shane clutched a photograph to his chest as if his daughter was still alive. "We had a DNA test at the paternity testing center when we found Grace, and it was a match. We waited outside the whole time and even went to several testing facilities; there seemed to be no mistake."
Patricia was even more puzzled. "Then how..."
Shane continued, "But a while ago, I secretly got a paternity test done with her hair, and the result was not a match."
Patricia frowned. "Her blood matched but not a hair?"
Shane nodded. "Yes. It's strange to me, too. I don't know where the problem lies."
A daring idea took root in Patricia's mind, growing wildly and uncontrollably. The more she thought about it, the more terrifying it seemed.
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