The matter of her family background was a sensitive issue for Natalie, so she was grateful for the other woman was consideration
But she sensed no malice from Johanna, so after a moment’s hesitation, Natalie decided to answer her question.
“l was adopted by the Quinn family. As for my biological parents, I’m sorry, but I’m afraid I have no idea who they are.” Her voice instinctively quieted down as she spoke, and the words fell heavy between them.
Johanna’s face immediately changed. A mix of complicated emotions flashed across her eyes.
“Are you saying that you’re adopted?” she asked urgently, as if to confirm a crucial truth.
Johanna suddenly got overly emotional, which had a way of overwhelming Natalie, who then said in a gentle voice
“Yes, it’s true. I was adopted by the Quinn family.”
Tears started to well up in Johanna’s eyes. She patted Natalie’s shoulder and went on to ask, “How did the Quinn family adopt you?”
Natalie shook her head. Her memory of it was long gone. Besides, she didn’t want to recall such sad memories from her childhood, so she had been deliberately avoiding thinking about what happened in the past.
At the same time, Johanna had nothing to do with her. Why was she asking so many questions? Natalie was feeling a bit confused about what was going on.
“Mrs. White, if there’s nothing else you’d like to talk about, I have to go now.” Natalie thought that there was no more need to say anymore to a stranger. More tears welled up in Johanna’s eyes. Her hope, which had been long lost, was now back again. She clutched onto Natalie’s hand and smiled lovingly at her.
“I’m sorry, Natalie. I must’ve scared you just now. I was being too overly emotional.”
Seeing this, Natalie proceeded to sit down again and said in a resigned tone, “I can’t remember what happened that day in the past clearly. I’ll have to think it over.”
She tried her best to recall the past. She had no idea why this lady suddenly burst into tears, but she had a feeling she might feel better if she told her something.
“I don’t know exactly where it was they found me. But I’ve heard my adoptive father say that I was picked up by an acquaintance of his in Barnes. At that time, there had been an earthquake that turned the whole city into chaos. Many people were seriously hurt, leaving behind a lot of orphans and I happened to be one of them, I suppose. That friend of theirs heard that they wanted to adopt a child. That was why he sent me to them.”
After having said that,Natalie was lost in thoughts.She had never even talked about this with Sebastian before, but now she was telling it to a woman she had just met for a few minutes.
Hearing this, Johanna’s face turned extremely pale and her whole body shook. She covered her face and suddenly burst into tears, unable to hold in her excitement.
Natalie had no clue what was going on. She patted her on the shoulder and tried to comfort her, “Mrs. White, what’s the matter?”
Johanna took out a handkerchief from her bag in her hand and proceeded to wipe her tears. She looked up at Natalie again with a serious expression on her face and said while sobbing at the same time, “Twenty-three years ago, when my daughter was born in the hospital, there was an earthquake. It was such a chaos and I mistakenly took someone else’s daughter home. Over the years, my husband and I have always been looking for our real daughter but never managed to find her. Not long ago, I saw on the news of your marriage with Brandon Larson. I noticed that you look a lot like my husband and me, so I came here to see you.”
Natalie was shocked and didn’t know how to feel. She looked at Johanna with a faint smile on her face and said, “Maybe this is just a coincidence. Things like this happen in the world.”
Johanna wiped away her tears. After that, she argued, “I didn’t make a mistake. I just knew it. I’ve been having a familiar feeling ever since I saw you. Families are linked by blood, you know? I believe that. I really think that we’re family.”
Natalie also had the feeling that Johanna was familiar and kind. From what Johanna said, that might be true. After all, everything from her age, appearance, and her story all matched that of Johanna’s daughter.
Noticing the panic and hesitation in Natalie’s eyes, Johanna held her quivering hand and asked cautiously. “Natalie, would you like to undergo a paternity test with us?”
Natalie averted her gaze hesitantly, not knowing what to say. Her first instinct was to doubt it. She scared that she’d only be disappointed if it turned out that they weren’t res related. But this was the closest she had ever gotten to find her real parents.
“O… Okay.”
In the end, she had no reason to refuse. Ever since she had cut off all ties with the Quinn family, she only had one person left in the world that she considered family-Hannah. She had been hoping she could find her biological parents
Of course, the rich ladies had overheard their conversation. Surprise, shock, and embarrassment were written all over their faces.
How could this be? The plain charity party had unfolded so dramatically. The rich ladies quickly looked away awkwardly, knowing full well that they had just been insulting Natalie moments earlier.
No one dared to say even one more word.
They had all mocked Natalie for being born into a low status, but now, it was revealed that she might be the daughter of the White family.
“Wonderful! I’ll book an appointment at the hospital soon. Give me your number, Natalie. I’ll call you as soon as it’s settled.”
Johanna’’s face lit up with undisguised joy and excitement. She couldn’t even take her eyes off of Natalie. What a beautiful girl!
She had liked Natalie ever since she first saw her on TV.
After chatting for a while, she started to feel sorry for the girl. The way Natalie talked about her foster parents was very cautious yet gloomy. It was clear that the Quinn family didn’t treat her well.
‘lll call my husband as soon as I get back. He’ll definitely be thrilled!” Johanna added with a bright smile, clutching her purse tightly Natalie couldn’t help but reciprocate her excitement. She immediately looked around the hall, searching for Sebastian.
Sebastian had been talking shop with a businessman that had just arrived. As soon as he turned his head, he found that Natalie was gone.
Luckily, Sebastian was a tall man who stood a head above the crowd. It didn’t take long for him to spot the petite figure at the other end of the hall.
Sebastian strode over to her and pulled her into his arms in a warm embrace. Nibbling her earlobe playfully, he asked, “What’re you up to, Miss? Want me to accompany you?”
As he spoke, he buried his face in her neck. As he breathed in her scent, he was a bit turned on, and his hand wandered to her lower back.
Natalie instantly blushed. They were in a public place! She gently pushed him away and said with a giggle, “Stop it! Anyway, there’s something I wanted to tell you.”
Seeing that Natalie’s eyes were slightly teary, Sebastian’s expression darkened.
“Who bullied you?”
