She Quit Her Family and Found Herself novel Chapter 18

"I understand, Uncle Bertram. I promise I'll work hard."

Bertram smiled and patted her hand affectionately. "Of course I believe in you. If you ever need anything, all you have to do is ask."

Coming from him, that was basically a blank check. With his full backing, Nadia would have a golden parachute in whatever she chose to do.

"Heh."

A cold, mocking scoff shattered the wholesome family moment.

Caspian stood up from his chair. At six-foot-three, with broad shoulders and a lean waist, he immediately cast a massive, intimidating shadow over the room. "It's too suffocating in here. I'm going out for some air."

He directed the comment entirely at Bertram, not even sparing Nadia a glance as he turned toward the door.

Seeing him leave, Nadia scrambled to her feet to follow. "Caspian, where are you going? Let me come with you."

Caspian stopped dead in his tracks at the door. He turned around, staring down at her with lethal coldness. "Sure. I'm actually in a foul mood right now and feeling like punching something. Come on."

Nadia physically recoiled, terrified by the sheer menace in his voice.

"Caspian, she's just trying to be nice," Bertram scolded gently, stepping in to defend her.

Caspian's brow furrowed, his narrow eyes flashing with intense irritation. "Isn't she here to visit you? Why is she trying to follow me? Keep playing happy family without me. I'm leaving."

Without another word, he yanked the door open and walked out, refusing to waste another second on her.

Nadia stood frozen in the middle of the room, her face pale, her hands gripping each other nervously. She looked like a fragile, helpless victim.

But beneath that pitiful act, her mind was screaming with toxic rage.

His brow furrowed sharply, his tone dropping into absolute disgust. "She has nothing to do with the Sterlings anymore. Why are you even bringing her up? Nadia, you listen to me. You are the true Sterling. You are the brightest star in this family. Do you understand?"

"Yes!"

Nadia broke into a relieved smile, wiping her tears. But her mind was still spinning.

Her uncle was obsessed with bloodlines and legacy. The second he found out Hulda was a fraud, he ruthlessly threw her out onto the street. So why on earth had he adopted Caspian and kept him around for all these years?

Unable to hold back her curiosity, she blurted out, "Uncle Bertram, why did you adopt Caspian in the first place? Did you know his biological parents? Who were they? And when he disappeared from the family for those few years, where did he go? Was he looking for them?"

She desperately needed to know. Given the Sterlings' immense power and Bertram's status as a billionaire patriarch, there was no logical reason he would adopt a random boy and give him the family name unless there was a massive, undeniable secret behind it.

There was definitely something dangerous about Caspian's true identity.