Fake Heiress Reborn Drops Masks Finds Family (Noelle and Sebastian) novel Chapter 559

"Forget it. If we can't figure it out, there's no point obsessing over it right now." Noelle stood and pushed aside the cold plate of food. "Just stay careful from now on. Don't stay alone with her for too long, and don't eat or drink anything she gives you."

Lucas nodded, then suddenly remembered something and lowered his voice. "Oh, right. I've been asking around these past few days. Guess what I found out?"

Jasper glanced at him. "You actually managed to find something?"

"Don't sound so shocked." Lucas shot him a glare before leaning closer to Noelle. "I uncovered a huge secret. Christine and Sebastian's mother used to be best friends."

Noelle's hand paused.

"Back then, Sebastian's mom, Vivian, was adopted by the Pattons and raised on the island. She, Christine, and Floyd all grew up together. They were really close."

Lucas lowered his voice even more. "Later, Vivian ran away from the island and never came back. Christine stayed behind and never married. Eventually, she became the head of the Duncans. I heard Vivian kept sending her letters after she left, and Christine saved every single one. She never lets anyone see them."

Jasper frowned. "If that's true, then Christine and Vivian must've been incredibly close. Sebastian's her best friend's son, so if we ask her for help, maybe—"

"Not necessarily." Noelle cut him off calmly. "People call each other best friends all the time. Doesn't mean it's real. Some of the cruelest people are the ones smiling right in your face. If she truly cared that much about old ties, Sebastian's been trapped on this island for years. How could she not know?"

Lucas thought it over and slowly nodded. "So we still stay cautious?"

"Very cautious."

Noelle stood and brushed the dust from her clothes. "Don't mention Christine to anyone for now. If she wants another treatment session, I'll go, but we keep our guard up."

"You're still going?" Lucas blurted.

"Yes," Noelle replied calmly. "If I don't go, how am I supposed to figure out what she really wants?"

…

The Duncans sent someone to invite her again.

This time, it wasn't Gavin, but an unfamiliar young servant. His attitude was even more respectful than Gavin's. He lowered his head slightly and handed over the invitation with both hands. "Ms. Kain, Ms. Duncan's wrist has been acting up again today. She was hoping you could come for another treatment."

Noelle accepted the invitation and followed him out.

This time, they took a different route.

The servant led her through the front courtyard, around the main hall, through a small garden, and down a long covered walkway before finally stopping in front of a gate.

Beyond it stood a dense grove of bamboo. The stalks stretched high overhead, thick enough to block out most of the sky. Wind whispered through the leaves with a soft rustling sound, like hushed voices drifting through the dark.

"Ms. Duncan is inside." The servant stepped aside respectfully.

The woman in the photo was Sebastian's mother.

Vivian Patton.

Christine had been mourning Sebastian's mother this whole time.

"Today would've been her birthday."

Christine lowered her eyes to the photo, her voice so soft it almost sounded like she was speaking to herself. "We grew up together. She was two years older than me. Whenever other kids picked on me, she was always the one who defended me. She was fearless. There was nothing she wouldn't dare to do. When she escaped the island, I couldn't stop her."

She paused, her voice dropping even lower. "After that, she never came back. On this island, anyone who betrays the families and runs away becomes someone people pretend never existed. You can't talk about them openly. So I can only remember her in secret here. Even the candle can't stay lit too long in case someone notices."

Noelle watched Christine's reddened eyes and the way her trembling fingers carefully tucked the photo back behind the bamboo, and something inside her shifted slightly.

She didn't seem to be acting.

The grief on her face looked painfully real, like the sorrow of someone who had missed an old friend for so many years it had become part of her. Have we misjudged her from the start?

"Ms. Kain, let's begin the treatment." Christine wiped the corner of her eye and extended her wrist with a faint smile. "I'm not really myself today, so sorry for the trouble."

Noelle said nothing. She slipped a needle from her sleeve and began the treatment.