The floor was tiled with celadon. Dolores felt like she was walking on cotton, she felt light and she didnât feel safe. She didnât know what was in store for her.
The closer she got to the truth she sought, the more nervous she became.
She didnât know if this was a good thing or a bad thing.
They entered a large courtyard and their footsteps echoed everywhere.
The echoes bombarded her heart. A woman was standing in front of a long, narrow table. Her back was to them. Her hands were clasped and she appeared to be praying.
A large red door with engravings was wide open.
Kevin patted Doloresâ shoulder as they reached the door, motioning for her to wait next to it. Dolores nodded as she understood what he meant. She stood there and did not move forward.
Kevin stepped over the high threshold and entered the house.
âHow dare you come to see me?â The woman sounded slightly angry.
Dolores flinched at the sound of her voice, this woman really was Victoria.
Dolores clenched her fists at her sides.
Who exactly was Victoria?
Her head was full of questions and no one was giving her answers at the moment.
Kevin stood behind Victoria and looked at the center. The memorial plaques of the Forbis Family ancestors were laid out in a row on the long, narrow table.
âI canât let the craftsmanship that has been passed down for generations in the Forbis Family die like thisâ¦â
âYouâre wrong!â cried Victoria. She turned around and said, âDid you know that we were the ones who made the promise in the first placeâ¦?â
Then she noticed Dolores standing by the door. He paused.
Her voice was trembling as she said, âYou, why are you here?â
She turned and looked at Kevin, âIs this the heiress you speak of?â.
The blood in his face drained from his face and his face turned green. She breathed in and out hurriedly and her body was shaking as if she was going to pass out the next second.
âYes,â Kevin said as if he hadnât realized Victoria was angry. He said firmly, âYou canât tell your son your secret, but can you at least tell your daughter-in-law? I thought you wanted her to inherit the craft of making watered gauze since you gave her our familyâs jade bracelet heirloom. You wouldnât want the Forbis Familyâs watered gauze to disappear from the face of the earth too, would you?â
Dolores raised her hand and looked at the jade bracelet in her hand. Didnât this belong to the Nelson Family?
Didnât Victoria say that what she had given her was originally her grandmotherâs?
Why did it become something from the Forbis Family?
Victoria frowned. Her pretty facial features looked slightly fierce, âYou know youâre going to get him in trouble like this?â
âI know, but I canât just let the Forbis Family disappear without a trace, just like that.â
Kevin didnât back down. He stepped forward and grabbed his sisterâs shoulder with both hands, âIâm getting old and I wonât have much time left. I never wish for much, but I donât wish to see the Forbis Family go down like this, without a trace.â
Victoria clenched her fists at her sides, âStill, you shouldnât keep it from me and decide on your own!â.
Kevin turned around and stood with his back to her, âIf I had told you before, you wouldnât have agreed. You donât care about the Forbis Family anymore anyway, all you care about is your son and your husband.â
The more she talked the angrier she got, in the end, she questioned her sister sternly as she looked at her, âYou donât care about the Forbis Family from the beginning, and you only care about the Nelson Family, donât you?â
Victoria closed her eyes. She was trying to calm her runaway emotions and didnât want to let them out.
When Kevin called her and told her he had found someone to inherit the trade of making watered gauze, she got angry and rushed over. She never would have thought it would be Dolores.
âDonât be so angry, itâs like this now and thereâs no turning back,â Kevin calmed down a bit and his voice softened, âI know youâve suffered over the last few years too. Even if no one else realizes it, I do. I think the heavens are giving us this opportunity, heâs set it up for us. Your daughter-in-law is even a fashion designer, this is fate!â. Victoria couldnât retort anything.
It sounded convincing, but they still had to keep their initial promise.
She couldnât even bear to think about what was going to happen if they were found out.
âI think I should leave you two alone, you must have something to say to each other as in-laws. Iâve cleaned the room in the west wing, you can stay there tonight. Call me when you need me, Iâll be in the front yard.â Then he left and as he passed Dolores, he put his hand on her shoulder, exerting some force as he said, âAsk her anything you want to know.â
He looked back at his sister, âYour daughter-in-law is great. Sheâs a quick learner and sheâs beautiful. Iâve seen her children, they look like Matthew. Although she canât reveal her identity, thereâs nothing to be sorry about.â Kevin sighed and felt helpless about the past.
Dolores got a lot of information from their conversation, but she still didnât know the whole story.
At this point, she had a lot of questions for Victoria.
But she was interrupted by Victoria the moment she opened her mouth. Victoria looked exhausted. She looked like she was about to faint due to the sudden change of situation. âLet me rest a bit.â
Victoria was wobbling as if she had lost energy in her feet. She couldnât stand. Dolores came over and helped her, âIâll help you to the west wing room.â
Kevin mentioned that the room was clean. Victoria could rest there.
Victoria was really tired, she clung to Doloresâ arm. They left the lobby and headed for the room.
When Dolores opened the door, she was shocked, The room looked like a modern girlâs room. The walls were painted in pink and light colors and there was a white princess bed. The curtains had bows and there was a round, feminine-looking dresser in the room. The closet was full of dolls.
Every corner of the room was lovingly decorated.
It was clean, but Dolores could tell that no one had lived here for a long time.
Victoria also felt surprised the moment she entered the room. She felt melancholy: âThis was the room my father arranged for me. He wanted to remind me, to never forget the Forbis Family and how well he treated me.â
Not only that, but he was also telling her to keep passing on the family trade no matter how risky it was.
As it was passed down for generations.
She was from the Forbis Family.
And it was her duty.
Dolores helped Victoria up onto the bed and put a pillow behind her so she could lie down comfortably.
Victoria took Doloresâ hand, motioning for her to sit up.
Dolores obeyed and sat down on the bed.
Victoria looked at Dolores as she took her hand, âYou must have a lot of questions for me.â
Dolores nodded without hesitation, she first made a guess, âAre you Matthewâs birth mother?â.
This was her guess from overhearing Victoria and Kevinâs conversation, but she wasnât entirely sure.
Victoria looked at her and paused for a long moment as if wrestling with herself in her head. Finally, she nodded and gave Dolores a firm answer, âYes.â
Dolores took a deep breath. What had happened in the past that Victoria couldnât even tell her son that she was his mother?
What had happened that they couldnât acknowledge each other?
As a mother, she knew how a mother felt about her children.
She knew that Victoria had probably suffered a lot.
âCan you tell me what happened?â Dolores looked at the jade bracelet in her hand. She planned to tell Victoria how she met Charles: âWhen I was in danger, a man named Charles White rescued me. He saved me because he recognized the bracelet and thought I was his daughter. He said he did it because his foster father told him to. His father is Nathan White, I guess you must know him too.â
.
.
.