Chapter 213: Chapter 213: Another Daughter
The old couple had already eaten dinner. Knowing Alice York was coming tonight, they had been sitting in the living room, waiting quietly.
The sound of a car engine came from outside. The old man was the first to stand up, craning his neck to look out.
The old woman asked in a small voice, "Is that our Little Girl?"
"Hold on, I’ll go take a look."
Having just endured a kidnapping, the old couple was on constant alert. They peeked through the window first, and only after seeing Alice York and Wyatt Sterling arrive did they open the door to welcome them.
"Grandpa, Grandma!"
Seeing the old couple walk out of the house, Alice York let go of Wyatt Sterling’s hand and rushed over to them in a few quick strides.
The old man looked Alice over carefully and said, "Little Girl, you’ve gotten thinner."
Alice York’s tears turned to laughter. "I was on a diet."
"Losing weight with what little you have on you? You’ll be thin as a rake," the old woman teased, patting Alice’s hand before taking it in hers. "Come on, let’s talk inside."
"Okay."
Alice York wiped away her tears and cheerfully followed the old couple into the house.
Wyatt Sterling looked a little annoyed. ’Now that her grandparents are here, she’s completely ignoring me. Unbelievable...’ With a silent step, he followed them inside.
The small courtyard wasn’t in a remote location. Its advantage was that it backed onto a scenic area, a quiet retreat from the city’s hustle and bustle. The disadvantage was its high rent, but that was pocket change for Wyatt Sterling. All that mattered was that the old couple could live comfortably and in peace.
"You must have been so scared, weren’t you?" Alice’s worried gaze darted between the two of them, her heart filled with guilt.
The old man huffed proudly and declared, "At my age, I’ve seen more than my fair share of things. A little trouble like this is nothing. We weren’t scared."
The old woman chimed in, "That’s right."
Alice couldn’t help but smile. The situation had been incredibly dangerous, but her grandparents were deliberately speaking in a lighthearted tone so she wouldn’t worry.
But soon, the old man’s expression grew serious. He said to Alice, "Little Girl, you don’t need to worry either. Your grandma and I are both okay, and we’ll stay that way."
The old woman gently squeezed Alice’s hand. "Don’t overthink things. As long as you’re happy, your grandpa and I are happy too."
Her words brought a sting to Alice’s eyes.
Standing by the window, Wyatt Sterling glanced back. He saw the old couple sitting on either side of Alice, and he figured they had an endless amount of catching up to do.
Alice composed herself and asked her grandparents, "Do you know who the people who kidnapped you were?"
At her question, the old couple exchanged a look, then both shook their heads, their expressions grim.
’No, that reaction... there’s no way they don’t know!’
’If Grandpa and Grandma really didn’t know, they wouldn’t have such solemn expressions.’ Just then, the words Trey had told her echoed in her mind.
"——We should have shut you up for good back then." Alice repeated the phrase in front of her grandparents, watching their reactions closely. "That’s what those people said when they took you, isn’t it?"
The old man immediately shook his head. "It all happened so suddenly. I was too busy protecting your grandma. I didn’t hear them say anything."
Alice turned to her grandmother. "Grandma, what about you? Did you hear them?"
The old woman looked as if she wanted to say something but was holding back.
Seizing on her grandmother’s hesitation, Alice gripped her wrinkled hand. "Grandma, you heard it, didn’t you? You heard them say those words, right?"
She asked twice, but in the end, her grandmother still shook her head. "It was a frantic situation. I was terrified. I didn’t clearly hear anything they said."
The expressions on their faces made it difficult for Alice to tell whether they were telling the truth.
But a part of her subconsciously thought, ’Grandpa and Grandma wouldn’t lie to me. If they say they didn’t hear anything, then they really didn’t. If they don’t know, they really don’t know. There’s no reason for them to deceive me.’
She let the topic drop, not pressing them any further. Instead, she brought up the matter of the household registration booklet.
The old couple exchanged a look, both giving a wry smile. Then, the old woman called out to Wyatt Sterling’s back, "Wyatt."
Wyatt turned and walked over.
His gaze fell on Alice. ’Are they done talking?’
"Wyatt, ah..." The old woman stood up, a smile on her face, but her tone was tinged with apology. "Her grandfather and I would like to have a heart-to-heart with our Little Girl. Would you mind... giving us a little privacy?"
Worried that Wyatt might be displeased, the old woman phrased her request very gently.
The old man stood up then as well, his expression also apologetic. "We know you care for our Little Girl, but there are some things we can only say to her. We hope you can understand."
"You two don’t have to be so formal with me. I’ll step outside." Sensing Alice’s gaze on him, Wyatt looked at her. He didn’t say anything else before turning to leave, pulling the door shut behind him.
Alice’s gaze lingered on the door long after he’d left, until her grandmother waved a hand in front of her face. "He’s gone, and you’re still staring."
Alice pulled her gaze away, a small smile playing on her lips.
"Little Girl, about what you want to know..." Before she began, the old woman’s biggest fear was that Alice wouldn’t be able to accept the truth. But the words were already on the tip of her tongue, and she had no choice but to push forward.
"Let’s start with the serious illness Mindy had all those years ago." After some thought, the old woman decided this was the most fitting place to begin.
Alice was stunned just by the opening sentence. ’I never knew Mom had a serious illness!’
"Twenty years ago, Mindy was in a passionate, tumultuous relationship. They were constantly breaking up and getting back together. In the end, it led to Mindy developing depression. Her condition became so severe that she made countless suicide attempts."
"That man was truly cruel. He flat-out refused to get back together with Mindy and just walked away." As she spoke, the old woman’s eyes and face hardened with hatred for that scoundrel. Even after so many years, she could never forgive the man who had hurt her daughter.
Alice listened quietly, not interrupting. A conclusion was already forming in her mind. ’Grandpa and Grandma hated that man so much that they told me he was dead.’
And all this time, she had believed her father had passed away.
"Your grandpa and I watched over Mindy day and night. We were terrified that if we let our guard down for even a second, she would do something foolish. But that wasn’t a permanent solution. We could protect her for a time, but not forever. Mindy had to find a way to move on and start her life anew. And then... the turning point came."
At this point, both of her grandparents turned their gaze to Alice.
Alice already knew the answer. "She was pregnant with me?"
The old couple exchanged a glance, then nodded.
Alice said, "That scoundrel treated her so badly, and she developed depression because of him. The best thing to do would have been to get treatment and let go of the past, not stay trapped and give birth to a child who wasn’t wanted."
"How could you not be wanted? Mindy wanted you, and we wanted you," the old man said, his face breaking into a wide smile.
Alice was deeply moved.
She had been conceived under such terrible circumstances; she could have easily been seen as a burden. Yet her mother was determined to give birth to her, and her grandparents eagerly awaited her arrival. The scoundrel of a father didn’t matter anymore. The only people who mattered were the ones who had always cared for her.
"So what happened after that? Why did I go from being your maternal granddaughter to your paternal one?" This puzzle remained unsolved, and Alice was desperate for an answer.
