Free Web NovelChapter 286: Chapter 286 The Taylor Family’s Lost Heiress
Samantha readily took the pendant from the neckline of her dress. Still under the mistaken impression that Grace admired it, she added generously, “If you like it, you’re welcome to keep it for a few days.”
To anyone listening, however, the phrase keep it for a few days sounded less like a loan and more like an outright gift.
Grace paid no attention to her words.
The instant she saw the jade pendant in its entirety, her breathing became ragged.
Her eyes trembled.
It had been more than twenty years since she had last seen that pendant.
She had obtained it only after spending three full months praying before the Buddhas, chanting sutras, observing a vegetarian diet, and asking a revered master to bless it through continuous recitation before it was finally given to her precious granddaughter.
And now...
Grace looked at Samantha once more. Her voice trembled, though she forced herself to suppress the overwhelming feeling of having found something she had long believed lost.
In a stern voice, she asked, “Where did you get this pendant?”
She instinctively rejected the possibility that seemed so obvious before her.
Samantha ran her fingers over the jade before replying slowly, “I’ve had it since I was a child. When I got older, I was afraid I might accidentally damage it, so I kept it at home.”
“Grandma?”
James stepped forward. Although Grace appeared composed on the surface, he could tell she was on the verge of losing control. As he moved to support her, his gaze fell on Samantha.
He noticed the jade pendant as well.
His expression changed instantly, and he stared at Samantha in stunned disbelief.
Ryan didn’t move any closer.
He simply stood beside a nearby banquet table, quietly observing the situation unfold.
Grace, however, remained visibly tense. “That’s impossible. This pendant belongs to my granddaughter. How could it be in your possession?”
As Grace’s words fell, ripples of shock spread through the small gathering.
Rose looked up in surprise.
If the Taylor family’s heirloom was in Samantha’s possession, it opened up countless possibilities—including one that immediately surfaced in everyone’s mind.
Could Samantha be the Taylor family’s missing child?
The possibility struck everyone at once.
Even Trevor’s gaze darkened, and his brow twitched almost imperceptibly.
Alicia was so startled that she unconsciously tightened her grip on Rose’s arm. It wasn’t until Rose looked down at her that she realized what she had done.
She quickly apologized in an embarrassed whisper and gently rubbed the spot she had squeezed.
Rose understood how the Taylor family must be feeling at that moment.
She simply shook her head, choosing not to make an issue of it.
Meanwhile, Ryan stood quietly off to the side, slowly swirling the wine in his glass as he watched them.
His expression remained unreadable.
He neither interrupted nor participated in the conversation, simply observing in silence.
As soon as Grace finished speaking, Samantha’s face lit up with surprise. Clutching the pendant tightly, she exclaimed, “What? How could that be...?”
“My sister’s jade pendant was specially commissioned by our family and custom-made exclusively for her. It’s one of a kind,” James said, his expression unusually complicated as he struggled to suppress the shock and doubt churning inside him. “Yet yours... is exactly the same.”
He simply couldn’t believe it.
That pendant was actually in Samantha’s possession.
He took a slow, deep breath, trying to steady himself.
Just then, Daisy stepped forward from behind, her face filled with guilt and helplessness.
“Dr. Grace, I know you find this impossible to believe. You may even think it’s just a coincidence, but... this jade pendant belongs to the Taylor family.”
Everyone turned to look at her.
Samantha herself appeared utterly bewildered.
“Mom? What are you talking about?”
Daisy took Samantha’s hand, tears welling in her eyes as she looked at Grace.
“Because Sam is... the child Mrs. Taylor took away all those years ago.”
Grace swayed slightly.
Her lips trembled.
James’s expression instantly turned icy. “Mrs. Hill, you’d better take responsibility for what you’re saying. Everyone knows about the problems Samantha and the Hill family are facing right now. If you’re fabricating a story just to get yourselves out of trouble, the consequences will be far beyond what you can bear.”
He continued coldly, “And from what you’re saying, you’ve known the truth all along, yet chose to keep silent until now?”
His heart pounded violently.
Logically, finding his long-lost sister should have filled him with overwhelming joy.
Yet the moment he heard Samantha might be that sister, his first reaction was an inexplicable sense of rejection.
The conflicting emotions—like ice and fire colliding—instantly darkened his expression.
Only then did Ryan cast James a quiet glance.
He studied him thoughtfully for a moment before calmly setting down his wine glass.
Daisy stepped forward, tears streaming down her face. “I’m not lying!”
She pulled Samantha closer. “My father, Jack Riles, worked as a butler for the Taylor family for five years. He was one of many butlers employed there. You can verify that.”
Grace’s thoughts drifted back more than twenty years.
She had always possessed an exceptional memory.
There had indeed been a butler named Jack Riles in the Taylor household.
Daisy continued, wiping away her tears. “I never intended to keep this secret forever. Back then, I lived with my father at the Taylor residence for several years. That’s how I became acquainted with Mrs. Taylor, and eventually we became friends.”
“I never wanted to reveal this secret, but I’ve run out of options. I had no choice but to come to you, Dr. Grace, for the child’s sake.”
“Please... save the Taylor family’s daughter.”
Hearing those words, Grace’s expression grew even more solemn, and her lips pressed into a tight line.
Because Daisy’s so-called last resort had everything to do with her.
Samantha stared at her mother in astonishment. “Mom? What are you saying? I’m not your...”
Daisy gently wiped away Samantha’s tears.
Her own voice broke with emotion. “I’m the one who’s hidden the truth from you all these years.”
“You’re not my biological daughter.”
Samantha stood frozen in shock.
James hadn’t expected Daisy to reveal something like this.
Instinctively, he looked toward his grandmother.
Grace’s chest rose and fell as she silently waited for Daisy to continue.
And Daisy did.
“Back then, when Mrs. Taylor left with the child, she came to me for help. Before she passed away, she entrusted the child to me and made me promise never to send her back.”
“To conceal Sam’s true identity, I even changed her age, making her a year older.”
“If it weren’t for everything that’s happened recently, I never would have revealed the truth.”
As she spoke, she stepped forward and dropped to her knees before Grace, sobbing uncontrollably.
“Dr. Grace, I’m begging you... please save Sam.”
“She’s about to be expelled from NYU and publicly disciplined. That would destroy her future.”
“You only need to say a single word, and this matter can be resolved.”
“She’s your own flesh and blood.”
Rose silently watched the scene unfold.
An indescribable anger surged through her chest.
She couldn’t quite explain why.
But it was obvious that Daisy and Samantha were trying to use Grace’s compassion to save Samantha—to preserve her degree at NYU.
Worse still, they were turning the tables, making it appear as though Rose had pushed the Taylor family’s long-lost daughter to the brink of ruin.
With only a few carefully chosen words, they could drive a wedge between Rose and Grace.
Grace took a deep breath before fixing Daisy with a piercing stare.
“Everything you’ve said still requires scientific verification. The Taylor family will conduct a DNA test before reaching any conclusions.”
“At this moment, I cannot give you an answer.”
Daisy showed not the slightest hesitation. “Everything I’ve said can withstand scrutiny. As for a DNA test, Sam is more than willing to cooperate.”
She wiped away another tear. “If it weren’t for everything that’s happened recently, I never would have revealed the truth. I would have treated Sam as my own daughter for the rest of my life, protecting Mrs. Taylor’s child on her behalf...”
The revelation caught everyone completely off guard.
The banquet hall was on the verge of descending into chaos.
Just then, Alicia, who had remained silent the entire time, quietly murmured, “Doesn’t... doesn’t that mean Miss Hill and Mr. Robinson are the ones who are actually engaged?”
[ Writer’s Note: Don’t worry, things weren’t going to move in Samantha’s favor. From the movement Rose’s identity was revealed as Aster, Samantha’s doom is set. Just wait and watch how her every plan fails. As for Ryan, if you pay attention closely, you will knew Ryan has a big hand in Samantha’s doom. After all, he was the one who introduced Max to Samantha.]
