Chapter 4 Finding Dad
Helena's words made a lot of sense, but Julianna still had no intention of searching for the twins’ father.
What happened that night was traumatic for her. Over the years, she had considered finding the truth, but her investigations always led to dead ends. She kept these struggles to herself, not wishing to burden Helena further.
While the two women were preparing lunch, they heard Nancy say, "Mom, Uncle Kevin is calling."
After drying her hands, Julianna took the phone from her daughter and answered it by the living room window.
Kevin's resentful voice said, "You finally decided to answer, Julianna. Do you know how worried I've been? I was about to come find you if you didn't answer."
Julianna wasn't interested in his complaints. "What's the matter?"
"I've gotten news that the Oli Group has officially acquired Eisen Jewelry. If everything goes according to plan, your job may require you to work in Billy City."
Kevin knew she was against returning to Billy City, her birthplace.
"Help me submit my resignation to the company. I don't want to go back to work there."
It was hard for Julianna to leave where she had lived for over 20 years. However, this decision was not made on a whim. She considered it once she heard the Oli Group might buy Eisen Jewelry.
Firstly, it was because of the twins. Because the Wilson family has a lot of power in Billy City, they would be criticized if they went back there. Even her father would be upset with the twins.
Since she had promised to give them the best life, she would not go back. Secondly, she did not want the children to discover what happened.
Kevin understood Julianna's decision, but the reality was that she had no choice but to return, even if she did not want to.
"It sounds easy for you not to go back, but Elvis has been looking for you. If you stay in Shako Town any longer, he will find out and come after you."
Elvis was the president of the Oli Group. Kevin had always wondered what Julianna had done to elicit his relentless pursuit.
The news made Kevin wonder if Elvis knew Julianna's whereabouts, so he bought Eisen Jewelry.
Julianna frowned. ‘Is he going to find me so soon?’
"I understand. Then I'll go back,” she relented.
Kevin was taken aback. "Are you sure? If you're determined to go back, I'll help you arrange everything, but the Wilson family will find out. Are you sure you want to do this?"
Kevin needed a clear answer before making plans because he feared Julianna would change her mind.
At some point, there was no way out. It would not be much different if she went back now or later. She would still have to face the family either way.
"I will go and talk to the two of them," Julianna answered. Kevin agreed and hung up.
After dinner, Julianna went to her study to work.
The twins did not come out of their rooms. "Did you hear that? Mom is going back to Billy City. Grandma Helena said that's where Mom grew up. Our father should be there too, right?"
Nancy clung tightly to Herman's arm as her eyes were fixed on the computer screen. Herman's small hands rapidly typed on the keyboard, with lines of code appearing on the screen.
Her head spun from watching, and she did not understand what her brother was doing. She also wondered if he had heard what she said.
"Hermy, did you hear me? Mom is going back. Should we go find Dad?"
He stopped typing and turned to Nancy. "Mom is going back for work, Nance. Finding Dad is up to us. Grandma Helena said Mom doesn't want to bring up Dad. If she does, it’ll make her unhappy."
Nancy felt a bit sad. She did not want to make her mother unhappy, but she also wanted to find her father.
"Okay, but Hermy, what are you doing now?"
Herman continued to type on the keyboard without responding to Nancy's question. She did not fuss and just sat beside him.
After some time, Herman pressed the enter key. The computer screen, which was filled with code, suddenly changed.
Nancy leaned closer to the screen, but Herman pushed her back.
"Mom said if you get this close, you'll go blind," Herman said mercilessly.
Nancy huffed, then stared at the computer screen. But after a while, she realized she did not recognize many of the words. She looked to her brother for help.
"I made a search software based on our appearance and the clues we know. It's meant to find people who could be our father," Herman explained.
He studied for a week to create the software, and thankfully, it worked. However, there were hundreds of people on the computer screen.
Nancy stared at the photos. Her eyes were tired, and she had no idea which of these men was their father.
"I don't know either, but I think it might be this person," Herman said, pointing to one of the men after sliding the mouse back and forth.
Nancy leaned in to look at the photo, finding him quite handsome and a match for her mother.
"His name is Elvis?" Nancy looked up at Herman, wondering if this man was their father.
"Yes, his appearance matches ours best, and he has a good background. Elvis is not your average person, and Oli Group is a leading company in Billy City. He matches Mom as well," Herman said.