Chapter 3

Earlier, Adley thought such words would instantly set Braylee off into a fit of rage. But to her surprise, she actually smiled at her and answered politely, "Thanks for your concern. We're all doing fine." Failing to provoke her half-sister, Adley raised an eyebrow and continued to mock, "You went from the daughter of a rich family to a homeless bumpkin overnight. Now, you're dressed in cheap clothes and working a menial job. Do you seriously think I'll believe you when you say you're doing fine?" Despite the scorn that laced her taunts, Adley was unable to hide the jealousy that shone in her eyes. The reason for her envy was that Braylee did not look the slightest bit defeated. On the contrary, she thought the way Braylee carried herself now was even more confident and graceful than before. Adley could see how flawless Braylee's skin was even without any makeup on her face. All that combined to make her look even more youthful as there was a sort of inner glow to her. This was the kind of look that money couldn't buy. Even with her heavily made-up face, there was no way Adley would be able to outshine Braylee's beauty. More so, Braylee merely smiled in response to Adley's insults without saying a single word. Her smile was so confident that it made Adley feel profoundly unsettled. "What are you smiling about?" Adley demanded. "Nothing much. I was just thinking about how you should be spending your time on coming up with more designs rather than standing here and taking pity on me." Although Braylee was abroad for the past few years, she had heard about some of the rumors going around the fashion industry - rumors about what Adley had been doing. Looking at Adley, who was currently fuming in anger, Braylee knew her words had clearly hit a sore spot with her half-sister. "You!" Adley yelled while balling her fingers into fists. At the same time, a childlike voice called out sweetly, "Mommy! Mommy!" From the other end of the corridor, two little kids suddenly appeared out of nowhere. It was a pair of twins - a boy and a girl. Hearing her babies calling for her, Braylee did not waste any more time verbally sparring with Adley. She walked past her half-sister and headed toward the children. The younger of the two, Sharon, lunged toward her mother and cooed, "Mommy, Aunt Joyce is looking for you." "Alright. Let's go find her then." Braylee stroked her daughter's soft, silky hair. Holding on to one child in each hand, she led them away from that place. Meanwhile, Adley was staring at the two kids in utter shock as she watched Braylee walk off. It's been a few years since we've seen each other, but she actually has children now? The boy, Connor, suddenly turned around to look at Adley, his dark orbs locking onto hers. That gaze was so intense and familiar that Adley drew in a sharp breath as she came to the realization. His face... looks nearly identical to Cara's! In fact, that gaze of his is exactly the same! Don't tell me these kids are his? The color drained from her face at the thought. She did not expect one night was all it took for Braylee to get pregnant. Right at that moment, a wave of terror and horror was threatening to drown her. If Cara really is their father, their mere existence is a threat to me! No, that can't be true! I have to get to the bottom of this! For a moment, fear and anxiety filled her mind, overwhelming her whole being. She was unconsciously clutching her purse so tightly that her fingers went white as she tried to think of what to do. Spinning around, she was about to chase after Braylee when Penny's shout halted her in her tracks. "Adley, here you are!" When Penny noticed Adley's pale face, she checked in concern, "Are you feeling unwell?" "I'm fine," Adley answered stiffly. She did not want anyone else to know about what she saw earlier. Since Adley refused to speak up, Penny wisely let the topic drop. She then reminded, "Adley, there's a dinner in the city tonight. If we don't leave now, you're definitely going to be late." To get to the city center from here would take around an hour's drive. Hearing that, Adley was visibly unhappy about being ordered around by her assistant, so she snapped, "Since when do you get to decide my schedule?" "Mr. Nikolai is going to be there too," Penny added in an exasperated tone, and Adley had nothing to say in response to that. For the past five years, she had been painstakingly maintaining her image before Cara. Thus, she wouldn't allow even the slightest flaw to ruin everything. After weighing the pros and cons, she eventually decided it was not worth it. She gritted her teeth as she looked in the direction Braylee was heading to. I'll be sure to have my way, Braylee... trust me... I will... A few seconds later, she reluctantly left with Penny.