Chapter 4  

Norah gritted her teeth quietly as her resentment of Nicole grew even more.

Sean was really busy. He headed back to his office right afterward.

Gloria dragged Nicole into a room that faced east on the second floor. The corner of Nicole’s mouth twitched when she saw everything inside the room was rose pink, very girly.

“We don’t know what you like, but thinking that you are also a girl, we asked Norah for advice, and she chose many things here for you.” Gloria’s eyes were filled with tenderness when talking about Norah.

“Ahem.” Daniel was afraid that Nicole would think too much and quickly signaled to Gloria.

Gloria came to her senses and became cautious when she spoke. “Do you like it?”

Nicole had never been picky about these things. Just that things were a little over the top for her, but she still accepted their kindness. “Thank you.”

Gloria was relieved that her daughter still liked it, so she followed up and continued. “Those gifts on the table are from your other brothers. They have all gone to work and school today, usually not coming back often. So, they have left the gifts here in advance.”

It was so heartwarming to know that her brothers still had her at heart, Nicole thought.

Gloria was afraid that Nicole did not know how to use the facilities in the room, so she showed her how to. After that, she sat Nicole down on the bed with an avuncular look on her face. “This is your home, so please feel at ease. If you need anything, just tell me, okay?”

With her mother holding her hand, Nicole once again felt the closeness of this mother-daughter relationship. It felt a little uncomfortable, but it was also heartwarming. She could not help but nod her head awkwardly. “Thank you, Mom. Thank you, Dad.”

Daniel had said nothing, but he immediately broke out in a smile when Nicole called him Dad.

The two chatted for a while, and then they left Nicole alone so that she could rest up.

Nicole now felt extra relaxed lying in the bathtub.

She had always wanted to install a bathtub at her grandmother’s house but was afraid that her grandmother would be worried, thinking that her money came from an unknown source. So, she really had not gotten the chance to do it even though she had the money.

She could not take care of her grandmother anymore after coming to San Joto, but at least, she did not have to hide her identity anymore.

After taking a bath, it was not yet dinner time. Nicole planned to take a stroll outside to familiarize herself with the environment and make her work easier in the future.

But before she could leave, a maid approached and invited her to the living room.

As soon as she came downstairs, she saw an old man sitting on the sofa.

Daniel saw Nicole and immediately beckoned her over to sit down. “Nicole, this is your grandpa.”

Nicole had been living in a small town, but she had come into contact with many people, especially those from the upper social class.

The old man looked over seventy, but was still in good health. He had that authoritative persona typical of a patriarch of a family elder in him.

Nicole bowed her head slightly as she greeted Mr. Riddle Sr. with respect. “Hello, Grandpa.”

“Hmm.” Mr. Riddle Sr. responded, then studied Nicole carefully before retracting his gaze.

“She really looks like Sean and other brothers. I asked you to do a DNA test previously, but you didn’t listen.” Mr. Riddle Sr. did not mention who, but there was no difference from saying Norah’s name aloud. Yet he did not care but continued, “Since the real one is back now, when are you going to send the fake one away?”

Nicole was startled slightly. It looked like Mr. Riddle Sr. did not like Norah.

“Dad, what you said will hurt Norah dearly.” Gloria could not bear to hear that.

Mr. Riddle Sr. did not look at her. “If it were not for her, my granddaughter would not have lived out there for so many years. Our family has raised her for so many years, and we have never asked her to pay back. How can it hurt?”

Mr. Riddle Sr. knew what he was talking about, and that made Nicole respect him.

Daniel saw Norah’s awkward expression and said, “Norah, why don’t you return to your room first?”

“Okay.” As reluctant as Norah was, she did not want to stay here and get humiliated, so she hurried back to her room.

“Dad, Sean is in the midst of searching for Norah’s parents. She will be sent back to her parents once we find them.” Daniel tried to reassure Mr. Riddle Sr.

Mr. Riddle Sr. frowned. “Are you still keeping her at home if you can’t find her parents?”

Gloria was stunned for a moment, looking in a pickle. “Dad, I know that you are kind to us, but Norah has lived with us for so many years. I don’t want her to leave without a home.”

Nicole looked at Gloria, whose sincere expression told her that Gloria was a kind and soft-hearted person.

Mr. Riddle Sr. hesitated for a moment but still said resolutely, “Three months, at most three months, she must be sent away. I don’t want people to laugh at the Riddle family that we have raised children for others.”

Daniel understood Mr. Riddle Sr. 's concern and nodded. “Dad, don’t worry. I will find Norah’s parents soonest.”

Mr. Riddle Sr. nodded.

Meanwhile, no one noticed Norah was hiding in the corner upstairs, staring at Nicole angrily.

Mr. Riddle Sr. had never liked her from the beginning. Now that Nicole was back, she became a complete joke.

She would definitely make Mr. Riddle Sr. realize that she was a thousand times better than that country girl.

Mr. Riddle Sr. looked back at Nicole. The longer he looked, the more he liked her. After all, she was his biological granddaughter. When the other old guys talked about their granddaughters next time, he could finally join them and talk about his precious granddaughter.

“I heard you went to high school at Great Oak. How was your academic performance?”

“Dad, the quality of education in small towns is no way as good as ours here, so don’t put pressure on her.” Knowing Mr. Riddle Sr. was a straight talker, Gloria came to Nicole’s defense, afraid that the question was too hard for Nicole to handle.