Chapter 41
“It’s really Lilibeth,” Sophia breathlessly mumbled under her breath. She wiped the tears from her eyes with the handkerchief Philip had handed her.
“We finally found her after twenty–four years,” her husband whispered, Tears clouded his vision as he surveyed the woman in the photograph. He, too, wanted to cry, but he stopped himself from doing so. He had never tried before, and he wouldn’t cry now in front of a stranger.
“Look how beautiful she is, Philip.” Her voice cracked as she stared at her daughter, who had been missing for twenty–four years. She felt like crying again, but she swallowed the lump in her throat and pushed the tears at bay.
“Indeed, she’s beautiful,” her husband agreed with a tender smile on his lips. Philip was a man of few smiles. His smile was Eke a diamond–rare and expensive but now, for the first time in his life, he was smiling from ear to ear. “She has your phoenix eyes and heart–shaped face,” he added proudly.
Sophia and Philip both stared at the woman with soft and angelic features in the photograph. She possessed a stunning, serene face that could make anyone look at her twice. The photograph was a stolen shot, but it still captured her beautiful smile.
stunning woman. Twenty–four years had been ripped
In their minds, Philip and Sophia both wished they had witnessed their only daughter grow into a stunnin from them, and the guilt of not finding her sooner hung heavy on their hearts.
“What did her parents name her? What kind of life did my daughter live? Did she finish college? What course did she take? Is her family well–off? Is she married? Did a man break her heart?” Sophia excitedly blurted out. Philip had to lay a hand on her shoulder to calm her down.
“One at a time, love, Philip told her. “Don’t give him a hard time.” He added, trying to suppress a smile from forming on his lips.
The private investigator thankfully glanced at Philip before turning his attention back to Sophia to answer her questions.
“Her name is Lily De Silva, Her family owned a business and a large house, but their business went bankrupt, and her father fell ill, so they had to sell their house and everything they owned to pay for his hospital bills. Unfortunately, he passed away, leaving his family dirt poor and drowning in debts. Lily was taking Hotel and Restaurant Management when her father died, so she dropped out of college to pay their debts and support her mother, who Thad fallen ill too.”
Sophia and Philip looked at each other with sad expressions. Philip comforted her by holding her hand.
The private investigator cleared his throat to capture their attention. As they looked at each other, the couple returned their focus to him.
“Lily De Silva works at La Paraiso Hotel as a restaurant server. She has been working there for five long years.”
Sophia and Philip exchanged surprised glances. This time, they both looked astonished. La Paraiso Hotel was their nemesis, one of their biggest competitors in the hotel and restaurant industry. Who could have thought that their missing daughter would end up working on their enemy’s turf?
Hearing that Lilibeth was working for the Bradford family was a tremendous surprise to them. However, the next words the private investigator revealed: made their eyes widen, and their jaws dropped to the floor.
“Lilly De Silva is secretly married to Greyson Bradford, CEO and owner of La Paraiso Hotel,”
Sophia ungraciously jolted out of her seat in shock, and so did Philip.
“The fates must have been playing a joke on them, Sophia thought, still trying her best to recover from shock and disbelief.
The Bradfords had been their family’s enemy for decades. Their grandfathers were once friends, Sophia recalled with an intense dislike for the family, remembering how the Bradford family severed their ties by ripping the Phoenixes off with the hotel they once shared ownership of Underhandedly, the Bradfords took the rights and ownership of the lotel and made it their own illegally.”
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