"Uncle, Auntie, it's been a long time," Earl said with a smile to Old Mr. and Mrs. Stone.
The old man nodded slightly.
He gestured for Earl to sit down and then said, "What brings our young guest here today?"
Earl chuckled, "Uncle, there's no need for formalities." He smiled and continued, "Uncle, I won't beat around the bush. The main reason for my visit today is regarding my adopted daughter, who has caused some trouble."
Old Mr. Stone raised an eyebrow, "Oh?"
Earl sighed and then said seriously, "Kendra and I adopted Irene years ago. Kendra had health issues and suffered two miscarriages, so we decided to adopt a daughter from an orphanage. Perhaps we've spoiled her too much over the years, leading her to make such a grave mistake."
The old man paused slightly, squinting his eyes without saying a word.
Honestly.
The Harper family's public declaration that Irene is not their daughter was something the old man didn't pay much attention to.
He was well aware of the online discussions.
Clearly, the Harper family's actions were an attempt to distance themselves from Irene.
Any prestigious family that finds itself in such a situation would likely take the same action as the Harper family—disassociating from a trouble-making daughter is quite standard. Thus, the old man assumed the Harper family's statement was purely driven by practical interests.
What the truth is, everyone knows.
After all, in the world of prestigious families...
It is quite rare for such a mix-up in bloodlines to occur.
But at this moment, hearing Earl's words, the old man was taken aback. He really didn't expect that Irene wasn't actually a child of the Harper family?
Well, that's interesting.
However...
What was Earl's reason for telling the Stone family this?
The old man couldn't help but feel a bit wary.
Earl glanced at the old man and, seemingly unaware of his distancing, continued to smile wryly and said, "By rights, this kind of family scandal shouldn't be told to others, but this time Irene's actions have truly disgraced the Harper family and brought shame to the Stone family as well. So, I won't hide it and hope to gain your understanding, Uncle. The Harper family doesn't wish for such a misunderstanding to create any rift in our cooperation."
How coincidental.
Earl's words were exactly what the old man had been worrying about as well.
The Harper family's gesture of goodwill was unexpected, but it was clearly something beneficial to the Stone family with no disadvantages. So the old man chuckled, sighed, and said, "You're too modest. That girl Irene made a mistake out of impulsiveness, and the cooperation between the Stone and Harper families will continue as before; there's no need to worry about this. However... if it truly is like you said, then she indeed isn't your and your wife's biological daughter?"
Earl nodded: "Yes. Moreover, Lambert's clarification is true, Irene...is indeed the biological daughter of the White Corporation's former madam, Georgia Ross. I won't hide this from you either; actually, Kendra and Georgia are biological sisters."
Now, the old man was completely stunned.
Even the old lady, who hadn't spoken all along, couldn't help but turn her gaze over.
Her eyes were filled with astonishment.
Earl disregarded the old man's and old lady's expressions and continued, "And I came here today because of this." Saying this, Earl's expression began to turn somewhat serious.
...

Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: Rebirth Revenge Is Everything (Ariana)