Lost and Found: Return of My Mysterious Fiancee by KIKI

Chapter 824: So, You Know You're an Illegitimate Child? Luke Gill's gaze turned icy, but the coldness vanished almost instantly, leaving no trace behind. After two seconds of silence, the somber expression on his face faded, replaced by a calmness that was difficult to decipher. His tone, directed at both Tina and Jared, carried a hint of politeness, though its sincerity was questionable.

"Miss Reed, there's no need to sow discord here. Let's get back to the matter at hand. Regarding the Dyer family lawsuit, I understand the representing lawyer is one of your acquaintances. I hope you can persuade him to drop the defense." Finally, they were getting to the point.

Tina raised her eyes slightly, signaling for him to continue.

Luke arched his brow, his expression filled with confidence. "Back then, Miss Reed, you jumped to conclusions aboutbased solely on Elsa's words. Isn't that a bit unfair?" "I admit, I approached the Dyer family with ulterior motives. But before I could act on them, the Dyer family faced a crisis. To be honest, when the incident happened, I even returned to their lab to inspect the batch of medicine in question. Letassure you, the Dyer family's formula had serious flaws. It had nothing to do with me." Hayden let out a cold laugh. "Murderers never admit they're murderers. Mr. Gill, are you so certain because you have evidence?" Nathan's eyes flickered, suddenly understanding why Tina had called them here. "Mr. Gill, if you're truly innocent, why do you keep pestering Tina and Mr. Farrell?" "It's because he doesn't want to provoke Mr. Farrell," Kelly chimed in, unwilling to be left out of the conversation. She stomped her foot, tilting her chin up in an adorably defiant gesture. "The Farrell family is Ashbury's most prestigious household and happens to be my sister's maternal family. Of course, Luke doesn't want to offend you. But speople, clueless about the truth, think they're standing on the side of justice just because they've heard a bit of gossip. Mr. Farrell, she's damaging the relationship between the Farrells and the Bailey family!" As Kelly's words fell, the atmosphere, which had just slightly eased, grew tense again. The grand dining room becso quiet that everyone could hear the sound of their own breathing.

Luke's expression darkened for a moment, cursing Kelly in his heart for being more of a liability than an asset. How could she mention the Farrell-Bailey relationship in front of Jared? Was she trying to make things worse? "I wasn't aware the Farrell and Bailey families had any connection," Jared said coldly, his tone so frosty that even Hayden and the others felt a chill run down their spines.

Ella Bailey instinctively stepped back, her body language and expression making it clear she wanted nothing to do with Kelly.

Luke remained silent, watching the scene unfold with a cold detachment. He relished the thought of stepping over Kelly's metaphorical corpse to climb higher. But Kelly, the center of the brewing storm, remained oblivious.

Without thinking, she replied, "Jared, have you forgotten? The Farrell family and the Bailey family are connected by marriage. Your aunt is my father's wife..." Kelly's voice trailed off as realization dawned on her. By the tshe understood what she had just said, her words were stammering and fragmented, barely audible. But it didn't matter anymore.

Tina could feel the fury radiating from the man beside her. She patted Jared's back in a calming gesture, her icy gaze turning to Kelly, filled with unmistakable mockery. "So, you admit you're an illegitimate child?" "I thought, from the way you were speaking so proudly just now, you actually believed yourself to be a legitimate daughter of the Bailey family." Tina's words were accompanied by a faint smile, but the pressure in the room was palpable. Everyone, except Jared, felt a suffocating weight, their chests tightening as if they couldn't breathe.

"You..." Kelly started, but the words caught in her throat. She wanted to retort but couldn't find anything to say, especially when she saw the terrifying expression on Jared's face. It was as if he had crawled out of the depths of hell.

The sight silenced her further. She opened her mouth to speak, but the words retreated, leaving only a single sound lingering in the air. Desperately, she turned to Hayden for help, but the man looked away before their eyes could meet. Are you kidding me? he thought. Why would I stick my neck out for Kelly? Realizing her attempt at eliciting pity had failed, Kelly gritted her teeth and turned to Ella Bailey for support. "Ella, are you just going to stand there and let them bully me?" Ella raised an eyebrow, her response swift and dismissive. "Don't you have something to say to them? Hurry up and finish. Don't waste my time." "Ella!" "Miss Reed, to be frank, I still have evidence of the Dyer family's crimes," Luke interjected, steering the conversation back on track. He glanced at Ella, knowing she wasn't exactly fond of Tina, then continued, "We won't lose this case." Adjusting his suit, Luke's expression softened into a seemingly kind smile. "You're Ella's siblings by marriage. I don't want to see our family torn apart by an outsider like Elsa. And I certainly wouldn't want Miss Reed's brothers to ruin their reputations over a compulsive liar." His tone was so self-righteous that Tina found it laughable. "Is that so? Then good luck to you, Mr. Gill."

She had no interest in wasting any more tat this farce of a gathering. Linking her arm with Jared's, she turned and headed for the exit. "Uncle, let's go hand take a nap. Just looking at them ruins my appetite "Vared didn't object. As they left, his icy gaze swept over the group, pausing briefly on Ella Bailey. Caught off guard, her expression faltered for a moment before she quickly composed herself, pretending not to notice. "Jared, don't go!" Kelly's voice, soft and desperate, called after him. She rushed toward the elevator, her long legs moving quickly, but she was a step too late. Unable to stop in time, she slammed into the now-closed elevator doors with a loud thud.

The sound alone was enough to make Ella wince in sympathy Hen expression twisted briefly, but she quickly masked it with a look of schadenfreude. "Serves her right."

Her muttered remark didn't escape Luke's ears. He glanced at her, then at Kelly, who was clutching her nose in tears. "You did that on purpose, didn't you?" Ella's heart skipped a beat, but she blinked innocently. "What are you talking about?" "You knew Kelly liked Jared, yet you still brought her here to embarrass herself. Ella Bailey, can you stop being so childish?" "Oh, so this was all part of your plan?" Kelly, clutching her now misshapen nose, stormed over. Her hand shot up, ready to strike.