Ericâs family⦠Okay, theyâve passed. Itâs hard to tell for Aunt Joanna, though.
David and the rest felt relieved temporarily.
Alexander paused for a moment, his gaze subtly sweeping over Isabella, deep in thought.
Eric was the first to speak up. âIâm sorry, Joanna was supposed to join us today, butâ¦â.
A look of gentleness and embarrassment unexpectedly appeared on Ericâs stern face.
âJoanna is three months pregnant!â
As soon as he said that, the entire room was filled with astonishment and joy over the pregnancy.
Oh my! Uncle Eric and Aunt Joanna arenât young anymore. Yet, theyâre still expecting a child.
As Isabella thought about it, her gaze swept over to David and Selena.
David and Selena shuddered. They were in their fifties and certainly not up to the task. Moreover, they had more than done their part, having had the most children among all the Quirk siblings.
The other siblings could hardly contain their chuckles, Eric said, âA while ago, Joanna had a minor car accident which put her pregnancy at risk. Thatâs why we didnât dare to inform everyone immediately. Sheâs still recuperating. Once things stabilize, Iâll bring her over.â
David and Selena immediately assured there was no need to rush, while Lionel and Marley were overjoyed beyond words.
âJoanna is slightly old to be expecting, so your family must pay extra attention to her. Spend more time with her. You can just visit on my birthday,â said Lionel passionately. After all, this might be the last baby he would see in his lifetime.
Seeing Lionel in high spirits, Dylan suddenly spoke up, âGrandpa, thereâs something you donât know. When my mom got into the car accident, a girl came to her rescue. Without her, who knows what could have happened? She saved not only my mother, but also my unborn sibling. My mother and I feel a deep sense of gratitude toward her, so weâve decided to welcome her into our family as an adopted daughter.â
This abrupt topic caused the entire room to fall silent.
Lionel was also taken aback. âHuh? Is that what happened?â He then turned toward Eric for clarification.
12.16 Chapter 346 The Adopted Girl
girl who saved Joanna. Sheâs a friend of Janiceâs. She is from an orphanage where Joanna had done some charity work, so sheâs deeply grateful to Joanna for that. She used to visit our house occasionally, and Joanna has always liked her. They were together when the incident happene was this girl who risked her life to rescue Joanna from the wrecked car.â
To âUpon hearing this, itâs clear that the child is brave, kind, and grateful,â exclaimed the softâhearted Marley.
Eric, however, said, âI originally wanted to give her a gift to thank herâ¦â
âDad, Mom has already said that itâll be an insult to give the girl money. Sheâs so genuine toward our family. Why canât she become part of our family? I, for one, already consider her as my real sister,â rebuked Dylan.
Eric said, âEnough, letâs not discuss this further. Adopting a child isnât as simple as you think. Later on, Iâll have a serious talk with your grandfather and Alexander.â
Clearly, Eric was not ready to discuss the matter in depth at that moment. His siblings remained silent, leaving the younger ones exchanging glances with one another.
This is strange. Why is Eric being so tightâlipped?
David and the rest, however, thought that Ericâs reaction toward the adoption was quite expected.
Soon, Isabella had also figured it out.
I see! The interests of the Quirk family are closely interconnected. An adopted child would be able to access various benefits from the Quirk family. This is something that even Bennet, who had cheated on his wife, wouldnât dare to think about. After all, it would be encroaching on everyoneâs interests. While nobody would be particularly concerned about the assets that an adopted child would get, Uncle Eric is a cautious and strict person. Heâs not inclined to do things that might cause others to harbor resentment.
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