Chapter 46

Stillness pressed in on the hospital room, as heavy as a sealed crypt.

Leland's frown deepened. After a long pause,he answered, "I've sensed for a while that Rylie was hiding something,but she's been treating you and Nicolas for years. If she really belonged to the Owens,wouldn't they have claimed her long ago? Why would they let her live with us all this time?"

Tessa gradually calmed down. "If that's not the case,then where did she get all that money to buy us these precious medicines? Did she secretly embezzle funds from our company?"

Leland shook his head, weariness in his tone. "These prescriptions cost tens of millions, Mom. If she'd funneled it out of the family accounts, Dad and Nicolas would have caught on long ago. The only explanation is that Rylie's truly exceptional - her medical expertise is world-renowned, respected even at Aetheris Pharmacy."

He remembered running into Rylie at Aetheris and thinking that she had followed him there. Now, he realized that she must have been there for business -as a consultant, or perhaps even as their advisor.

Regret hit hard as Leland realized how many chances he had missed, how easily he had been led by Stacey's rumors.

Tessa was stilI trying to process it all. "But she's so young! How could she be a medical expert?"

Their eyes met. Leland managed a rueful smile."If there's any hope for you and Nicolas, we'll have to swallow our pride and ask Rylie for help. An apology might go a long way."

In the past, a word from them could have prompted Rylie to help, but now Leland understood that Rylie had grown distant and might not be willing to assist.

Jaw clenched, Tessa refused to yield. "You want me to apologize? After all those years of raising her? She owes us! She should be the one thanking me and doing all she could to help us!"

Leland just sighed. "Let's not fight about this now. In a few days-"

He was cut off by Stacey's panicked voice over the phone. "Leland, do you know what's happening with the three-hundred-million-dollar project? The Owen family was supposed to hand it to the Dury family-now something's wrong! Fred won't even return my calls!"

Leland was momentarily speechless. "What do you mean? The deal fell through?"

Stacey's voice was thin with panic. "Yes! Fred said the Dury family put up at least half their fortune as collateral for this project. Now Owen Group has announced that Dury breached the contract, and their deposit has been confiscated. Leland, what's happening?"

With Fred tying up so much of his family's resources,the loss of this project spelled disaster for the Durys.

Leland's complexion paled. "You just got engaged to Fred, and our family invested in Dury shares so we could get a piece of that three-hundred-million-dollar project. If this falls apart now, the fallout will hit us too..."

Stacey was growing frantic. "What should we do?I tried talking to Dad, but he's locked in his office,hasn't said a word or answered my calls in days."

"He's probably aware of everything already." Leland's mind was racing-he was the only one left to act,the only one with any chance of salvaging things. He'd have to get in touch with Fred and see if the damage could be undone,

The moment Stacey realized that Leland was planning to approach the Owens, she chimed in, "Take me with you, Leland. I promise not to make a scene- I just want everyone to know I stand with the Kirk family,and I'lI support you no matter what."

Something in Leland eased a little. "Alright. We'll go together."

Fred, meanwhile, had suffered a breakdown after his confrontation at Owen Group. By evening, he was admitted to the hospital for psychiatric care. He spent his lucid moments muttering, "There's been a mistake.This isn't real. It can't be."

Neither of Fred's parents had the faintest clue what went wrong during his visit to the Owen Group's subsidiary, but their worry only grew.

As the Kirks prepared their visit to the Owen family,Tessa-legs aching-allowed herself to be helped by Stacey and joined the group.

When they arrived at Serenity Manor, the servants quickly informed Kendrick. He had no interest in dealing with them directly and left everything in Deandre's hands.

Leland and Kenneth Dury, Fred's father, went on ahead to speak with Deandre, while the others were shown around the manor's gardens by a group of attentive servants.

Just before he left, Leland turned to his mother and sister. "Mom, Stacey, remember-we're meeting Mr.Deandre Owen with Mr. Dury. This isn't just any prominent family. Mind your manners and try to leave a positive impression."

Tessa gave a brisk nod. "Don't worry, I know what's at stake."

Meanwhile,Rylie was preparing for the charity gala Paola had mentioned earlier. She'd arranged for a trusted assistant to bring over a jewelry box from her private collection, and the delivery was now waiting at Serenity Manor's front door.

Inside the box was a rare treasure she'd picked up at a discreet auction-an heirloom from a royal lineage,elegant and timeless, valuable without being flashy.

A servant knocked lightly at her bedroom door and said, "Miss Owen, there's a package for you at the entrance that needs your signature."

"Alright, I'll be there," Rylie replied, stepping out of her room with an easy stride, only to run right into Tessa, Stacey, and Fred's mother, Octavia Dury. The three of them were being escorted through the hall.

They stopped in their tracks, startled by the sight of her.

Stacey, taking in Rylie's plain clothes, couldn't stop herself from blurting out, "Rylie, don't tell me you've ended up as a servant for the Owen family!"

Tessa's gaze flickered to the elderly woman dressed in a servant's uniform standing near Rylie. Stacey's words suddenly made sense. Tessa examined the woman closely, and her demeanor softened in relief.

This must be Rylie's biological mother, she thought

A strange sense of reassurance settled over Tessa. No matter how skilled Rylie was, there was no way she could be the Owen family's real daughter. Perhaps her medical talents had gotten her into Aetheris Pharmacy's good graces, but at the end of the day,she was just following her birth mother around as a servant.

In Tessa's eyes, Rylie's position here looked even bleaker than what she had endured with the Kirk family.

Despite the look of sympathy plastered across Stacey's face, her thoughts mirrored Tessa's completely.

She remarked, "Rylie, is it hard working here? This isn't the Kirk house, you know. Here, you can't do as you please. You'd better follow the rules and stay out of trouble."

The servant by Rylie's side seemed startled and offended by the comment, ready to jump in with a correction, but Rylie addressed it first. "You really don't need to worry about me."