Dumped Then Claimed By A Billionaire (Nerissa and Owen) novel Chapter 121

Chapter 121

Yes, that’s right.

Even after all these years, Hunter still held onto Nerissa’s childhood clothes.

Hunter had always planned to give Nerissa these keepsakes on her wedding day.

But since he didn’t approve of Nerissa marrying Owen Calloway, he didn’t even show up for the wedding.

That’s also why Griffin Calloway put Dylan and Winifred’s names on the deed of the house that was meant as Nerissa’s dowry.

From the very beginning, Hunter was against it from the start.

So Griffin had no choice but to turn to Dylan and Winifred, since at that time, they stood in as Nerissa’s uncle and aunt in name.

Even at the wedding, Dylan and Winifred acted as Nerissa’s family and served as witnesses.

Hearing Hunter’s words, both Mrs. Berenson and Mrs. Sullivan nodded in agreement. “Mr. Jamison, would you mind grabbing them for us?”

Hunter nodded. “Just a moment, ladies.”

With that, he got up and headed upstairs.

Soon, Hunter walked into the living room with a wooden box in his hands.

The box was small, painted a rich wine red, but its paint was chipped and faded from age.

Hunter then fished a key out of his pocket and unlocked the box.

Inside, on the very top layer, there was a blue padded jacket and a pair of tiny black pants.

Hunter took out the jacket with a smile. “This is the very jacket Nerissa was wearing back then.”

Mrs. Sullivan jumped up from the sofa, her hands shaking as she reached out to take it. “This… this is the outfit I personally picked out for Arie…”

Even though nineteen years have passed, Mrs. Sullivan remembered every single thing from that day.

So clearly.

Back then, it was still chilly in early spring. Just before her son, daughter-in-law, and little Arie left the house, she had made sure to remind her daughter-in-law to put this blue jacket on her granddaughter.

After Arie put on the jacket, Mrs. Sullivan couldn’t help but gush about how fair her granddaughter’s skin was, saying she looked absolutely adorable in that jacket-just like one of those cute little kids you see in traditional holiday posters.

Back then, Mrs. Sullivan never could have imagined that after their goodbye that morning, she and her granddaughter would have to wait nineteen long years before they could finally be reunited.

“And this,” Hunter said, pulling out a pair of tiger-head shoes from the box. “These are the shoes Arie wore

back then.”

Eliana took the shoes and smiled, “Verena, Jessica, Marianne, Joanna, Nancy, Aileen, Chloe-do remember? The eight of us made these together.”

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Back home, there’s a tradition where aunts make shoes for their nieces and nephews.

So, when Charlotte was still pregnant, the eight sisters-in-law all got together and crafted these tiger-head shoes.

“Oh, that’s right! I remember now-I was the one who made the tiger’s ears!” Aileen exclaimed, her voice full of excitement.

Marianne’s eyes shimmered with tears as she added, “And I did the eyes.”

The eight sisters-in-law cradled the little tiger-head baby shoes, studying every stitch with misty eyes. Even though it had been so many years, to them, it felt like it all happened just yesterday.

“And these are the little bracelets Nerissa wore back then,” Hunter said, pulling out a pair of gold bracelets.

When Mrs. Berenson saw the gold bracelets, she immediately stood up. “These… these are the bracelets I gave Arie for her one-month celebration.”

Mrs. Berenson was genuinely stunned-she never expected Hunter would have kept even these after all these

years.

Anyone else would’ve pawned those bracelets long ago.

Back then, life was really hard for Hunter and Nerissa.

That alone proves how much Hunter doted on Nerissa, treating her like his own flesh and blood.

“And these,” Hunter said as he produced a stack of photos, “are pictures of Nerissa from her very first birthday all the way up to nineteen.”

Back then, things were tough-they didn’t own a camera or even a phone with one. So every summer, Hunter would take Nerissa down to the photo studio to get a picture taken, just so he could hold onto those precious memories of her growing up.

Mrs. Sullivan took the photos and passed them around for everyone to see.

Hunter really doted on Nerissa and raised her with so much love.

In the first photo, little Nerissa at one year old was all chubby cheeks and big eyes-absolutely adorable.

At two, her clothes might not have been fancy, but that innocent, happy smile on her face was the real deal.

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By three, she was still all smiles, snuggled up against Hunter like a little dumpling-so cute you just wanted to scoop her up and give her a big hug and kiss.

Next came the photos of Nerissa at four, five… Each one had the date scribbled on the back. They hadn’t been there to watch her grow up, but looking at these snapshots, it was almost like they’d been right there with her, every step of the way.

The Berenson family and Mrs. Sullivan looked through the stack, their hearts heavy, weighed down by regret.

Just like that, they’d missed every single moment of Arie’s life for nineteen years.

Everyone sifted through Nerissa’s childhood things over and over, but there wasn’t a single hint about the crash that changed everything for her family.

Victor glanced up at Hunter. “Uncle Hunter, did Arie have any scraps of paper or anything like that in her pockets back then?”

Hunter shook his head. “No.”

Mrs. Berenson furrowed her brows in worry. “So where on earth did Charlotte go?”

Charlotte’s situation was different from Nerissa’s.

Back then, Nerissa was just a baby-barely three months old-while Charlotte was already an adult.

If Charlotte was still alive, she would’ve found a way to contact us by now.

Mrs. Berenson hugged Nerissa tight, tears streaming down her cheeks. “My poor Arie, you lost your parents when you were just a little thing. But it’s alright now-you’ve got me, your other grandma, your uncles and aunts, and thirteen big brothers. My precious Arie, from now on, you won’t have to suffer even a bit!”

Victor and the others jumped in right away. “Mom, don’t worry! As long as we’re here, nobody’s ever going to make Arie suffer. If anyone tries, they’ll have to answer to us first!”

“Grandma, we’ve got her too!” Oliver, Silas, and the rest of the brothers chimed in.

From now on, all of them would be there to protect their youngest sister, no matter what.

Nerissa looked up at Mrs. Berenson, her eyes blazing with resolve. “Grandma, don’t worry. Dead or alive, I’ll find my mom-I won’t stop until I do.”

“Alright, Arie, alright,” Mrs. Berenson said, her eyes misty with tears. “I believe in you.”

*****

Kindowen.

After getting the call from her mom, Anna wasted no time-she booked a flight and flew straight back to Kindowen.

Outside the Sullivan family’s front gate, Luna was waiting for Anna.

“Mom!”

Just then, the family car pulled up and Anna hopped out. She was about to say something, but when she noticed the butler nearby, she ran straight to Luna, grinning from ear to ear. “Mom, is it true? Did we really find my sister?”

The butler, Mr. Potter, had been with the Sullivan family since he was a young man. He was fiercely loyal to Mrs. Sullivan, so Anna knew she had to be extra careful not to give anything away in front of him-especially

now.

“That’s right, Anna,” Luna nodded with a bright smile. “Your grandma’s already found Arie.”

“Really? Where’s Arie? Where is she now?” Anna asked eagerly.

“Your grandma went to pick her up and bring her home,” Luna replied, squeezing her daughter’s hand. “Come on, Anna, let’s head inside-I’ll fill you in on everything.”

“Okay!” Anna nodded and followed Luna inside.

Before long, the two of them arrived at their courtyard.

Once they shut the door behind them, Anna’s whole vibe changed in an instant-her gaze turned icy and calculating, like she’d flipped a switch. “Mom! What the hell is going on? Didn’t you say Ariel was dead? Since when do dead people just come back to life?”

Luna couldn’t make sense of it either.

Ariel was dead-there was no doubt about it!

But now, she’s suddenly turned up again.

Luna narrowed her eyes. “I heard it was the Berenson family who found her. You’ve been over in Minttown for ages-didn’t you notice anything weird going on with them?”

“No, nothing,” Anna said, giving her head a little shake.

Luna gently tucked a strand of hair behind Anna’s ear and asked, “By the way, Anna, how’s it going with Dawn?”

“It’s going pretty well. He seems to like me a lot, he’s just a bit shy,” Anna replied, a faint blush creeping onto her cheeks at the mention of Dawn. But then, as if something else suddenly occurred to her, she quickly added, “Mom, this isn’t the time to talk about Dawn!”

“Ariel’s back-she’s totally going to steal everything from me! What am I supposed to do now? With her here, I’m not the only heir in the Sullivan family anymore!”

Anna was both furious and panicked.

She never in a million years thought Ariel would ever be found.

After all, she’d been the Sullivan Group’s heir for so many years-how could she possibly accept having her

place stolen by Ariel now?

“Anna, don’t stress,” Luna said, easing her daughter into a chair, her voice sweet but her words cutting. “I checked-Ariel’s nothing but a country nobody now. No degree, no skills, and she’s already divorced. Total damaged goods! She’s not even worth your pinky.”

As Luna finished, her eyes glinted with scorn.

Divorced?

Damaged goods!

When Anna heard those words, her eyes widened in disbelief and disgust. “Seriously? She’s already divorced? But she’s only nineteen!”

Luna’s lips curled into a scornful smirk. “People from those backwater towns, no education, always rushing into marriage and having kids before they even know what’s what.”

“Mom,” Anna shot her a skeptical look. “Are you sure she actually got married?”

Luna had already dug up everything about Nerissa’s background, just in case she tried to take what was Anna’s. “Of course! She’s from one of those minority groups, so she could get hitched at nineteen-and I dug up her divorce papers at City Hall myself!”

Ugh, seriously?

Anna just rolled her eyes, even more unimpressed now.

Married and divorced at nineteen? What a total loser!

That’s just nasty!

Like, how could someone like her even be related to me?

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The more Anna thought about it, the more grossed out she got. She just couldn’t stand the idea.

Luna narrowed her eyes, her tone full of scorn. “Someone like her, a total lost cause-even if your grandma drags her back, she’s just dead weight. Anna, she’ll never measure up to you!”

“So in the end, you’re the only one who can hold the Sullivan Group together. Even if Ariel is the real granddaughter, she’ll always be stuck playing second fiddle to you!”