Elizabeth sighed, "Poor Hans, with his head-in-the-clouds parents, his future's practically ruined!"
Simone chuckled, "No worries, Mom. We still have Carmella and Sabina, right?"
"Mmm," Elizabeth nodded slightly and fell silent.
The television suddenly erupted with noise, announcing that KING had landed. The crowd surged forward, some even wielding baseball bats, faces flushed with fury as if ready for a brawl.
Simone fidgeted with the hem of her dress, imagining Estelle getting mobbed, beaten down, and then dismissed from the scene. That would settle everything!
Ever since they learned of Estelle's existence, there had been this unspoken tension between them.
She had invested twenty years into Carmella, only to find out she wasn't her biological daughter, which left her deeply disappointed.
Before meeting Estelle, she was anxious that the girl might reclaim Carmella and take her back to the barren hills, a place her pampered daughter could never endure.
Yet, she held some hope for Estelle, curious about what her own daughter would be like.
However, upon setting eyes on Estelle, she felt her hopes deflated.
She still remembered that afternoon in a C City diner, an ordinary old man with a girl in a baseball cap at his side, introducing her and Bennett to Estelle – their daughter.
The girl merely glanced at them before looking down, her demeanor icy, lacking any excitement or warmth of recognition.
Bennett called out "Estelle," and she just hummed in acknowledgment.
At first, she thought Estelle's shy demeanor was just because she was from a small place but even back home, Estelle was just as closed off and quiet, a stark contrast to Carmella's bubbly and outgoing nature.
Carmella tenderly offered her dresses and jewelry, but Estelle showed little emotion, leaving Carmella feeling awkward.
Seeing the daughter she had doted on acting so meek and reassuring her that it was okay, her heart ached.
When Estelle returned to J City for school, she came last in the first exam.
The principal called them in for a talking-to, bluntly tossing the report card on the table and demanding Estelle transfer out to avoid dragging down the school's performance.
At the airport.
Estelle and Jonathan's group hadn't even emerged when chaos erupted outside.
Even a celebrity's homecoming didn't incite such frenzy.
But instead of cheers, Estelle was met with jeers and calls for her to leave.
Suddenly, from the VIP passage, a group escorted two old men towards the lounge area. A sharp-eyed reporter recognized them, whispering, "Old Mr. Jarvis from C City!"
"And Old Mr. Quintin, too. What are they doing at the airport?"
Looking beyond, the entourage included familiar faces—the Lamont family patriarch and his wife, the CEO of the James family, Charlie, the newlyweds from the Sampson family, Carson.
The once noisy airport fell into a hush. People all sensed that something momentous was about to unfold.
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: Find me in your labyrinth (Stella and Jonathan)
Why are the chapters not updated regularly? Admin - please keep updating the novel 😓...
Hi admin, kindly update the novel...
Please update...
Please update the novel...
Last updates were 5/28/25. We haven’t had ANYTHING since. I hope all is well with you. Please continue to update this novel. Thank you....
Kindly update the chapters...
Please updates....
Hello, please update further chapters...
Yea! Thank you for the ten (10) episodes updates. You made my day. Be blessed in all your endeavors....
Dear author Lucy, I look forward to the updates and appreciate your writing. When logging in, you have 2654 completed updates, yet remain inconsistent with your daily updates to your readers. Due to my illness during my ongoing treatments, I enjoy reading the updates. I know we all have situations in life that we must deal with, BUT please be considerate and consistent to the readers. There has been too many times when there has been days, weeks and/or months without updates....