Too Late to Hold Me Back novel Chapter 385

"You mean Fiona?"

Sebastian was in his study reviewing corporate files, but the name made him freeze.

"You don't know who Fiona is?"

"Of course I know her. She was the broke college student your mother took pity on. Her family fell apart during her junior year, and she couldn't even afford to eat. Your mother felt sorry for her, gave her cash, and found her a part-time job. Later, your mother pulled strings to make Fiona her personal assistant."

Sebastian grabbed a cigarette and lit it, taking a long drag. "Your mother kept Fiona by her side constantly. I was at Aethelgard University getting my master's back then, so I only saw them on weekends. When your mother married into the Mercer family and moved to Melvion City, she took Fiona with her."

He exhaled a cloud of smoke. "Fast forward to when you were born. Our mother was hospitalized with an illness, so I happened to have free time and went down to visit Lacey.

"Before she left for Melvion City, she told the family she was pregnant with twins. But when I saw her at the hospital, her stomach looked like a normal, single pregnancy. I even asked her, 'Are you sure it's twins?' She just laughed and said the doctors confirmed it. I was a guy; I didn't know anything about obstetrics, so I took her word for it."

"Did you see Fiona around the time I was born?" Mira asked. If Fiona was her mother's best friend and subordinate, she should have been there.

"Never saw her once," Sebastian replied. "Lacey mentioned Fiona was out sick during that period."

"But it ate at me. I couldn't sleep. The more I looked at that older baby, the more my gut screamed that something was terribly wrong.

"One night, while Lacey was sleeping, I quietly snipped a few strands of hair from both babies and your mother. I handed them to my assistant to run a private DNA test.

"The results confirmed my worst fears. The older baby had zero genetic connection to Lacey.

"I knew a massive conspiracy was unfolding. But your mother had lost a lot of blood during the surgery and was incredibly fragile. I was terrified the shock would literally kill her."