Chapter 235: My Existence Is Meant to Make You Happy
Gemma thought he was acting weird.
But she didn’t ask.
Cops had a lot of things they couldn’t talk about. Some questions just weren’t worth asking.
When she stepped out of the police station, the sun was just right.
A gentle breeze lifted the loose strands of hair on her forehead, bathing her features in golden light–radiant, delicate, breathtaking,
The car door swung open. Cassius stood beside it, waving her over.
White shirt, black pants, tall and lean–his silhouette stretched long against the car in the afternoon sum.
Gemma smiled and walked toward him.
“What are you doing here?”
She had a tracker on her, bodyguards nearby, and she was literally at a police station–one of the safest places around.
There was nothing for him to worry about.
Cassius stepped aside, letting her get in first.
The car was warm, the heater set at the perfect temperature.
She took off her coat and settled in, only to find a document in front of her.
She hesitated, then glanced at Cassius.
“What’s this?”
Just skimming the first page, she could tell it was an investigation report on some family.
She wasn’t sure if she should look through it, so she decided to ask first.
Cassius, ever calm and composed, looked at her with an unusual softness in his eyes.
“A report on the Dolton family–the wealthiest in S City.”
Gemma blinked. “???”
Why would she need to know about them?
A family like that was so far out of her league she wouldn’t cross paths with them in this lifetime.
Even being by Cassius’s side, at best, they might acknowledge her out of respect for him.
And even then, Cassius might not carry enough weight for that.
So reading this file was basically just staring at someone else’s luxury lifestyle
She didn’t want to torture herself with envy.
Cassius placed the file in her hands and explained in a low voice.
N.L. City.
“They’re on their way to N.L City.”
“To see you. For a paternity test.”
Gemma flipped through the pages. “S City has excellent DNA testing facilities too–wait, Who did you just say?!”
Her voice cracked on the last five words.
Then, she froze.
Cassius pulled open a drawer, took out a bottle of water, and handed it to her, clearly expecting her to need a moment.
She took it, but didn’t drink.
Her brain had completely shut down.
The car was silent the entire ride back to the estate.
She was still frozen when they arrived.
Candy trotted over, circling her feet.
Noah launched himself into her arms, snapping her out of her daze.
“Gemma, what’s wrong? Do you not recognize me?”
Noah was dressed in a full riding outfit. His instructor was already waiting; they were about to head to the stables for practice.
The little guy had put on some weight recently–healthy, energetic, brimming with confidence.
“You look ten times cooler than before!‘ Gemma said with a smile, her emotions still in chaos but her expression perfectly composed.
She bent down and pinched his chubby cheek.
Setting
14.26
Chapter 233: My Existence Is Meant to Make You Happy
Soft, squishy, irresistible.
She pinched again.
Noah clapped a hand over his face.
“Gemma! You’re trying to turn me into a pancake!”
She burst out laughing. “That’s a lucky face!”
‘Really?”
His eyes lit up. “Then pinch me a few more times! I wanna get rich!”
“You little money–grubber.”
She humored him, giving his cheeks another light squeeze.
Noah bounced on the spot, thrilled.
When his riding instructor called for him, he grinned.
“Gemma, I’ll come find you after class!”
He was so excited, he ran off with his arms and legs moving in sync, like an overenthusiastic little pony.
Gemma, “…”
The brief distraction lifted some of the weight from her chest.
She took a deep breath and walked inside.
Cassius was sitting on the couch, flipping through a medical journal.
“You read these too?”
He nodded. “It’s always good to learn more.”
She sat across from him.
“Do you have time? I want to talk about this file.”
Cassius closed the book and got straight to the point.
“Do you want to acknowledge them?”
Gemma’s heart clenched.
Cassius had said he’d help her find her birth parents, clear up her past.
She’d assumed they’d be local farmers, or maybe working–class city folks.
After all, her hometown was poor–wealthy people wouldn’t have gone there.
But this report had hit her like a truck.
If it were just an ordinary family, she could decide however she wanted.
But the Doltons?
That wasn’t up to her alone.
The Doltons of S City were on the same level as the Ravens of N.L City–except they had centuries of history behind them, making them even more deeply rooted and powerful.
Their family members dominated medicine, finance, tech–big names who could shake up the entire city with a single move.
And the woman she was supposedly related to?
The current Dolton patriarch’s daughter.
Which meant she had three uncles–titans in their fields. If they so much as stomped a foot, S City would tremble.
Her mother was missing. Her father? A complete mystery.
That part she could process, given time.
But then…
Out of grief, the Doltons had adopted a girl–Abigail Knight.
Abigail had long since married, had a daughter, and started a fashion empire. In S City, she was untouchable.
And her daughter, Kaiya, was raised by the Dolton grandparents, doted on by her three uncles, treated like royalty.
Online, people wrote entire novel series based on her as the ultimate “spoiled little princess.”
For the Doltons, everything seemed perfect.
Which meant her sudden existence? Didn’t really change anything for them.
The elderly Doltons were coming to N.L. City, and at the last minute, Kaiya had insisted on joining them. Her third uncle, worried, had come along
as well.
Setting
1426 C
Chapter 285: My Existence Is Meant to Make You Happy
“I don’t know.”
Gemma exhaled slowly, the weight in her chest growing heavier.
“I don’t know if finding me is their obsession or their wish.”
If it was an obsession, whether she accepted them or not wouldn’t make much difference.
If it was a wish then she was truly a Dolton, meant to inherit her mother’s legacy.
She didn’t care about their wealth.
But if the elders had that in mind, someone in the family wouldn’t be happy about it.
Was Kaiya really just tagging along out of curiosity?
Was her uncle really just escorting them for safety?
She couldn’t help feeling uneasy.
*Cassius,” she murmured, “do I really get to choose for myself?”
