Belated Moonlight: He Regretted Only After I Left-Chapter 64: She Is the Donovan Family’s Heiress (Bonus - )
Stella’s body stiffened almost imperceptibly for a moment.
She slowly turned around, looking at Jasper with a complicated gaze.
She could hate Jasper’s indifference, resent his favoritism, and completely erase him from her world.
But she couldn’t harden her heart entirely against that ’debt of gratitude’ for saving her life.
That was the faith and light that had sustained her for five whole years.
Even though this light had now become cold and piercing, that initial gratitude still existed.
She closed her eyes, and when she opened them again, only a weary resignation remained in her eyes.
"Jasper, what exactly do you want?"
Jasper looked at her finally willing to look him in the eye, and his heart felt like it was gripped by an invisible hand, the pain making it almost impossible to breathe.
He knew he was despicable, shameless.
Using a favor he didn’t deserve to hold against her, to bind her.
He had never hated himself more than he did now.
But... he had no choice.
As long as he could keep Stella by his side for even a second longer, he would do anything...
Even if it meant continuing to play the role he had stolen.
"I know I didn’t do well before, that I let down your... feelings."
Jasper’s voice was dry and hoarse, each word seeming to be forced out from his throat, "But... for the sake of saving you back then... give me another chance, let me make up for it, okay?"
He had used all his strength just to say these words.
Rationality screamed at him to stop, to tell him that this was drinking poison to quench thirst, that it was pushing her further away.
But emotion dragged him towards this abyss of no return.
He stared at Stella, as if awaiting her final judgment.
Stella saw the near-humble pleading in his eyes, and her heart felt like a jar of bitter herbs had been knocked over.
She took a deep breath, suppressing the annoyance in her heart, "Jasper, I am grateful for your life-saving grace. But that’s different from feelings."
She paused, "I don’t need your compensation. I just hope... that in the future, we can be ordinary colleagues again, each going our own way."
After she finished speaking, she no longer looked at Jasper’s face as it turned gray in an instant, turned, and walked into the office, closing the door.
Jasper stood frozen in place, like he had been hit with a binding spell.
A sharp pain emanated from his internal organs.
She didn’t want his compensation.
Even... even his shameless life-saving grace didn’t work.
Going our own way...
"Hah..." He let out a broken whimper, raised his hand to press tightly against his aching heart, staggered back, and leaned against the cold wall, barely able to support his shaky body.
How did he and Stella come to this point?
What exactly should he do for Stella to forgive him?
...
On the other side, Grace ran out of the Serene Law Firm crying.
She didn’t understand why Jasper had become so ruthless!
He used to care so much about her, even leaving Stella on their wedding day to find her...
It was all her mother’s fault, making her give in repeatedly, leading to the situation today!
She hailed a taxi and directly reported the address of the temporary apartment she and her mother, Audrey Quinn, were staying at.
The car arrived quickly.
Grace paid the fare, eyes red, and took out the spare key to open the apartment door directly.
She called out tearfully, "Mom!"
No one responded. 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢
She frowned in confusion and instinctively headed toward the master bedroom on the second floor.
The door to the master bedroom was tightly closed.
Just as she was about to lift her hand to knock, there came some unusual sounds from inside...
It sounded like... suppressed breathing, and the faint sound of bodies colliding...
Grace’s heart jumped, she held her breath and secretly pressed her ear against the door—
"... You naughty ghost... be gentler... hmm..."
It was her mother, Audrey Quinn’s, voice!
Full of flirtation and abandon she had never heard before!
"What? Weren’t you just complaining that I wasn’t putting enough effort? Now you know to beg for mercy?" A man’s teasing voice followed closely.
Grace felt like she was struck by lightning, rooted to the spot, her mind going blank.
At this moment, the noises inside seemed to stop.
Grace was scared out of her wits and instinctively wanted to hide, but it was too late.
The bedroom door was suddenly pulled open from the inside!
She saw a man casually draped in a robe, his belt loosely tied, revealing his chest, with beads of sweat still on his face.
When he saw Grace, he was initially stunned, then instead of showing any panic from being caught, he slightly curled his lips.
"Oh, it’s Grace." The man’s tone carried a kind of discomforting intimacy, "What? Here to see your mom?"
This man...
Grace’s pupils suddenly contracted!
It’s... it’s Philip Donovan?!
Shane’s second uncle!
He and Mom...
Audrey Quinn also hurriedly followed out, wrapped in a robe, and seeing Grace at the door, her face changed slightly, "Grace?! Why... why are you here?!"
Grace looked at the disheveled pair in front of her, at her mother’s undisguisable panic and guilt, and how could she not understand what had happened...
Philip Donovan examined Grace’s face, which bore a considerable resemblance to Audrey Quinn when she was young but even more beautiful, and smiled, "Since you’ve caught us, there’s no point in hiding it."
He took a step forward, his gaze descending loftily on Grace, "Grace, call me Dad."
"..."
Grace’s eyes widened suddenly, as if she had heard some absurd fantasy, her lips trembling, unable to utter a word.
Dad... Dad?
Philip Donovan... is her... biological father?!
How could this be?!
Audrey Quinn instinctively wanted to stop him, "Philip! What are you talking about?!"
Philip gave her a puzzled glance, "What’s wrong with you? Why are you so jumpy?"
Audrey forced a laugh, lowering her eyes to hide the panic in her gaze, "I... I just think it’s too sudden..."
Philip chuckled softly, reaching to embrace her, "You’ve both been wronged before; don’t worry, from now on... I’ll make it up to you both."
The Donovan Family bloodline...
The Donovan Family’s young lady...
These words seemed to have magic, instantly dispelling all of Grace’s shock, humiliation, and anger, replacing them with an indescribable elation and huge sense of vanity!
She... she is actually a daughter of The Donovan Family?!
The Donovan Family, whose mere footstep could cause a tremor throughout the entire business world?!
Doesn’t that mean she has become Shane’s... sister?!
No, that’s not right.
Shane is the eldest grandson of the Donovan Family’s main branch, and she is the daughter of the second branch...
But that doesn’t stop her from becoming a true heiress!
All the grievances and reluctance she felt before seemed to find an outlet at this moment!
She knew it!
Grace was born to be superior!
She was born to enjoy the best of everything!
Who is Stella?!
What is she worth?!
Seeing the rapidly changing emotions on her daughter’s face, Audrey Quinn’s heart skipped a beat. She hurried forward to grab Grace’s hand, lowering her voice, and admonishing urgently, "Grace! This is no small matter! You mustn’t announce it! Do you hear?!"
Philip also restrained his smile, his tone turning more serious, "Your mother is right. The situation within The Donovan Family is more complicated than you think. Until Dad has fully gained control, your identity must be kept secret, otherwise... it could bring disaster to us all!"
However, at this moment, Grace, overwhelmed by "Donovan Family Heiress" status, couldn’t hear these warnings.
She is of the Donovan Family bloodline!
The rightful Donovan heiress!
Why should she hide it?!
She should return to The Donovan Family openly, and enjoy everything she was meant to have!
Make those who once looked down on her kneel at her feet, trembling!
Especially Stella!
She must make that woman pay a thousandfold for today’s humiliation!
