Where Petals of Vengeance Bloom novel Chapter 474

"Your mother was so heartbroken she couldn’t eat or sleep. To comfort her, I adopted Vanessa—only then did your mother’s spirits finally settle down."

"But Claire, your father never stopped searching for you. For five years, I’ve been looking for you everywhere, and now that I’ve finally found you, I couldn’t be happier."

As Nathan spoke, he inched closer to Claire.

"Claire, darling, will you let your father give you a hug?"

Nathan was a master performer—his teary eyes and trembling voice easily fooled those who didn’t know the real story.

Everyone present only knew that Claire had been adopted from Cresthaven Orphanage by the Tempest family. Most assumed her birth parents had abandoned her simply because they’d wanted a son instead.

No one expected the truth to be so different.

"So Miss Tempest wasn’t abandoned by her real parents—she was kidnapped as a baby."

"That’s right. Poor child, suffering so much from the moment she was born."

"I actually think her birth parents are the ones who suffered the most. Imagine waiting ten months for your baby girl, only for her to be stolen away by some heartless criminal. Any parent would be devastated."

"If you ask me, the Tempests should return Claire to her real family."

"I agree. They’ve only had her for a little over a month—before they get too attached, they should do the right thing and give the child back."

With Nathan’s performance, the entire room was hanging on his every word. Most of the guests began to speak up in support of him.

Some even pulled out their phones and started recording.

Seeing the crowd’s reaction, Nathan was thrilled.

Ha! So what if the Tempest family is powerful? Even they can’t stand up to public pressure.

As long as these clueless fools believed him, Nathan was sure the Tempests wouldn’t dare keep holding on to Claire.

For the sake of reviving the Linwood family, Nathan was willing to do whatever it took.

He turned to Mr. and Mrs. Tempest and suddenly dropped to his knees.

"Of course! Claire’s my own flesh and blood. How could I not love her?"

Mr. Tempest’s smile only deepened.

He raised his hand and snapped his fingers.

"Then let’s see for ourselves just how much Mr. Linwood loves his daughter."

As soon as he finished speaking, the giant screen in the hall flickered to life.

The footage showed a VIP hospital room.

On the bed lay Adah, just after giving birth, so weak she’d slipped into unconsciousness.

Beside her, in a crib, baby Claire slept peacefully.