Chapter 1121
Cornelia had once toyed with such a notion, but sheâd shot it down before it even look full shape. When Alfredo dropped that bombshell, Corneliaâs mind went blank, speechless.
Alfredo kept going. âYour grandpa Walter died young, and youâve never seen his face. You guys donât even have a single photo of him at home, right?â
Cornelia didnât respond. Alfredo was spot on. Sheâd never seen her grandpa, and there were no photos of him at home. All she knew about him were stories from her grandma.
Cornelia vaguely remembered that every time her grandma brought up her grandpa, her mood would turn sour. Hence, she gradually stopped broaching the topic.
Cornelia always thought her grandma felt grieved when talking about grandpa because he died young due to illness. So when she grew up, she hardly ever mentioned grandpa in front of grandma, and grandma rarely initiated any conversations about him either. Could there be some skeleton in the
closet?
Alfredo answered Corneliaâs question, âI had people look into it. Your dad Hawthorne and your uncle Robison were both raised singleâhandedly by your grandma. Thereâs no Walter.â
So if grandpa didnât exist, where did her dad come from?
Cornelia blurted out, âNo way! Absolutely no way!â
Alfredo said, âYouâre smart. I think youâve figured it out.â
Cornelia didnât respond. Indeed, all the pieces seemed to fit if she thought about it.
Alfredo didnât give Cornelia time to ponder. He pulled out a report from behind, âThis is a test report I had done after seeing you this morning. It confirms youâre indeed a Duran.â
Again, Cornelia didnât respond. With one thing after another coming out of left field, she was at a loss.
Alfredo continued, âThis is something only you and I know. I donât want a third person to find out. Can you promise me that?â
Cornelia asked, âWhy?â
Alfredo went on, âMy brother, suffering from the loss of his wife and child, has been living like a zombie for decades. Now heâs finally found something else to hold onto, finally able to face the loss of his family. I donât want him to know the truth. If he knew his wife had died recently and heâd spent so many years looking for her, heâd crumble.â
Cornelia got it, but she had more questions, âHow can you be so sure my grandma was Grandpa Duranâs wife?â
Alfredo said, âThereâs a picture of your grandma when she was young in Augustineâs room. You can take a look.â
Cornelia asked, âIf you donât want Grandpa Duran to know about me, why are you telling me?â
Alfredo said, âIâm telling you the truth to put your mind at ease. Iâm willing to recognize you as my granddaughter, and all of Augustineâs wealth will be yours. No one can contest that as long as Iâm around.â