Day Fifty-Four…
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Jane was still lost in her own thoughts when Mr. Hiroshi spoke again. "You look like your mother when she was still young. Are you surprised?"
Jane took another look at the picture. Since she had been used to seeing Abigail's face in the mirror for the past few weeks, she had forgotten about her real appearance.
As she watched the photo closely, she could now see her resemblance with Abigail's mother, who might also be Mr. Hiroshi's late wife.
'What a great coincidence…' Jane told herself.
She tried to put the pieces together. According to the Yan Family, Abigail had an older sister and they lost her. They believed she was already dead.
'Perhaps, the dead elder sister of Abigail is the person Mr. Hiroshi is looking for. If he is Abigail's father, then why is he not aware of Abigail's existence?' Jane felt like she was having a headache trying to figure out the connection between Mr. Hiroshi to the Yan Family's daughter.
"What is my mother's name?" Jane asked him directly.
"Alyssa… that's your mother's name." There was a loving look in his eyes as he mentioned his wife's name.
Jane gasped and her eyes widened when she heard that. It was confirmed! Alyssa was Mr. Hiroshi's wife and Abigail's mother. She was a member of the Yan Family.
"Pa… Do you know if I have a younger sibling?" Jane asked him expectantly.
But to her disappointment, Mr. Hiroshi shook his head. "No. You are my one and only daughter. Why?"
Jane contemplated for a moment. She wasn't sure if Abigail was Mr. Hiroshi's daughter or not. She could feel the profound love he had for Alyssa, so she didn't want to hurt Mr. Hiroshi by telling him that Alyssa had another daughter.
"I am wondering if you got separated from my mother…"
Mr. Hiroshi sighed deeply before answering her. "When you were four, your mother discovered my secret… that I lied about my identity. So she left me while bringing you with her."
Mr. Hiroshi paused for a moment as he reminisced about the past. "At that time, I thought it was best for both of you since I received several death threats from my enemies."
"Furthermore, I gave your mother time and space to accept who I was. But I never expected that it was the last time I would see your mother. I regretted it so much. I should have begged her for forgiveness and asked her to stay by my side."
"It was my fault…" Mr. Hiroshi had been blaming himself for all these years.
'Wait… what if Alyssa was pregnant when she left Mr. Hiroshi…'
Jane started to do a mental calculation of Abigail's age and Mr. Hiroshi's daughter's. 'If his real daughter was four when his wife left while pregnant, Abigail might be a newborn when Jane Rielle turned five. If his daughter is 27, then Abi will be… 21 years old. Their ages coincide with each other. Abigail might also be Mr. Hiroshi's daughter!'
Seeing the sad look on Mr. Hiroshi's face, Jane patted his back to comfort him. "Don't be too hard on yourself, Pa. It's not your fault. If you have to blame someone then blame the culprit and the mastermind."
"I… I felt so miserable… I lost your mother. And I wasn't able to reconcile with her… I don't know if she had forgiven me or not… Did she die hating me?" Mr. Hiroshi showed his vulnerable side to Jane. The old man shed tears in front of her for the first time. He was still in pain whenever he thought about his late wife.
Jane could only hug him, trying her best to console and comfort him. "My mom… I think she had forgiven you. She loved you… Pa… stop blaming yourself. I'm here for you. I'm alive… and together… we will hunt those people who caused my mother's death!" Jane said those words with conviction.
"My daughter… don't get involved. I don't want you to get hurt. I want you to know that your father is not an ordinary man… I'm a member of an organization called Sawada Clan. We are infamous in the underground world. This is my real identity… the reason why your mother left me. I don't want to hide it from you. You can hate me… you can blame me…" Mr. Hiroshi just wanted to be honest with his daughter. No more secrets. He already learned his lessons in the past. Hiding something would only plant distrust between them.
Meanwhile, Jane appreciated how truthful the old man was to her. She could feel his fatherly love and his sincerity. 'Abigail is so lucky if he is her real father. How I wish to have a loving father like Mr. Hiorshi. Too bad… I'm just pretending to be his daughter.'
"My daughter… do you want to come with me to my Country? We still have lots of catching up to do…" Mr. Hiroshi wanted to spend more time with her and compensate her for the past few years he was not by her side. He wanted to give her all his love, pampered her, and spoiled her.
As much as she wanted to spend time with this old man, she couldn't do that. She had a mission to do and she was running out of time. If she failed to win Nathan's heart, she would die instantly.
"Pa… I can't leave Country M for the meantime… Honestly… there is someone I like… and I need to gain his affection first. I promise… once I succeed, I will come with you to Country M!"
Mr. Hiroshi didn't know how he would react when he heard that. "Why did I suddenly get jealous? I have a competition now. I feel like that guy is more important than me…" Mr. Hiroshi pouted his lips, putting on a pitiful look.
Jane could only let out a soft chuckle. She didn't mean to hurt Mr. Hiroshi's feelings. She just wanted to be honest with him.
"Who is that guy? Introduce him to me. If he doesn't want you, I have ways to make him like you. I'll kidnap him!" Mr. Hiroshi suggested a crazy idea making Jane laugh once more.
"Okay, Pa. I'll ask your help if there is no improvement in our relationship. I'm still testing the water." Jane reassured him. "I'll introduce him to you once we become an official couple."
Mr. Hiroshi bobbed his head. "Alright. I won't interfere with your personal life. But if you need my help, just tell me. Okay? I'm your father. I'll give you everything!"
Jane smiled at him, feeling grateful. "Thanks, Pa. I will keep that in mind."
"By the way, How long are you going to stay here in Country M?" Jane asked Mr. Hiroshi. She planned on asking Nathan's help to confirm her suspicion. If possible, she wanted to connect Mr. Hiroshi to the Yan Family and Abigail.
"I've waited for this moment… so I'll grab this opportunity to spend time with you. Since you can't come with me to my home country, I'll stay here with you. Is that okay with you?"
Jane's eyes sparkled with delight when she heard that.
"Okay, Pa. I would love that!"
For some unknown reason, she was happy to be with Mr. Hiroshi. She would treat him like her real father and she would act as his real daughter.
'But wait… why do I look like Abigail's mom… and to think about it… Abigail and I also have some similarities…'
The source of this c𝓸ntent is fr𝒆e(w)𝒆bnovel