Ghost Exorciser: The Oust Fake Heiress Strikes-Chapter 401: Dinner

Turning toward the young man beside her Lana softened her tone, "I am sorry for arriving late, if I had paid more attention maybe she would have..."

"No need." The young man said calmly, "She was tired of her life. Maybe if she truly needed money... she would have contacted you directly."

Lana chuckled bitterly.

The young man was trying to sugarcoat his words but the reality was... just like Mr. and Mrs. Almond, Lana too was unreachable to Nanny.

How desperate must have she felt? Maybe she had contacted Lana but... Lana busy with her own problem didn’t pay attention to her...

"Let’s go." Lana didn’t continued to drag the subject.

She hadn’t degraded to the point where she would cry in front of a young boy to look like an angel and pretend that she was remorseful.

The dead are gone and the living needs to respect the wishes of dead.

Inside the house, completely unaware, Mr. and Mrs. Almond sat down heavily on the worn sofa, their faces pale.

Mrs. Almond’s voice trembled slightly. "What should we do now...? Should we go to her and ask for help?"

Mr. Almond frowned deeply, his expression hardening. "We don’t have any other choice."

He exhaled sharply. "Besides... we’ve already done her a favor in the past."

Hearing that, both of them seemed to regain a fragile sense of resolve.

Meanwhile, Lana had already left.

By the time they arrived at her mansion it was already evening.

Lana walked in without slowing down. "Lucy, prepare a room for him."

"Yes, ma’am."

Lost in her thoughts, Lana continued walking, her mind still tangled in the contents of the letter. It wasn’t until they reached deeper inside the mansion that she suddenly paused.

She turned slightly, realizing something. ’I didn’t even ask his name...’

Looking at him, she spoke, "What’s your name?"

The boy looked at her with a faint hint of disdain, his gaze almost questioning. ’Now she thinks it’s important?’

"My name is James."

Lana nodded once. "Alright, James. For now, get some rest. I’ll handle everything else."

James didn’t respond much, simply giving a small nod. There was a clear lack of trust in his eyes... toward her, toward all adults.

Once he left, Lana moved quickly.

She entered her room, shut the door, and immediately took out the letter again. Her fingers moved swiftly as she grabbed a lighter.

A small flame flickered to life, its warmth brushing against her skin as she carefully passed it beneath the paper.

Slowly... hidden words began to appear. Her eyes sharpened.

The uneven spot beneath the word family revealed itself completely, letters forming one by one. "Gladio."

Lana’s pupils shrank slightly. ’The Gladio family...’

She leaned back slightly, her expression turning serious.

That family was infamous. A powerful lineage known for their spellcasting heritage, and more importantly... They never allowed illegitimate children to exist.

A memory surfaced in her mind. A piece of news from her previous life... something she hadn’t paid much attention to at the time.

Five years from now, it would be revealed that the Gladio family had an illegitimate child... one with a special identity.

And that information... was never released by any official news outlet.

Rather, it was the illegitimate child of the Gladio family himself. He had openly admitted it.

"I am an illegitimate child," his voice had echoed in that distant memory, steady yet carrying a faint edge of exhaustion. "So I had to fight... with everything I had... just to make sure I didn’t get killed."

Even though he never mentioned the family name directly, everyone had already connected the dots. There was no mistaking it.

The Gladio family. A powerful lineage... and a ruthless one. They had indeed tried, again and again, to eliminate that illegitimate child.

Lana slowly sank back into her chair. Her fingers trembled slightly as memories from her previous life surfaced, one after another.

’Lucian... helped him back then...’

Her eyes dimmed. She remembered it now.

There had been a time when that boy... no, when James... had visited them. He had stood quietly in the corner, his presence almost unnoticeable, yet his gaze had lingered on her.

And then... In a voice that had felt unfamiliar, almost distant, he had spoken.

"If you ever need my help... just let me know."

At that time, she hadn’t thought much of it.

’Was that... a crush? Or perhaps just a passing curiosity?’

She had dismissed it so easily. But now... A bitter smile tugged at her lips.

’So it wasn’t curiosity... It was responsibility.’

A quiet, suffocating ache spread through her chest. Her eyes turned slightly moist.

’If I hadn’t come today...’

James would have left that place. He would have walked into the ghost zones alone. Her fingers tightened unconsciously.

In her previous life, she had never known how harsh his life truly was.

He had spoken about it once in an interview.

He had gone from one ghost zone to another, surviving through sheer will and countless near-death experiences.

Every step he took had been a gamble with his life, every victory paid for with pain and sacrifice. He had eventually become a top spellcaster... but not without a cost.

There had been people who sacrificed for him along the way. Even though he never mentioned her...

Lana understood. ’It must have been unbearable...’

She remembered another line from that interview, one that she had once ignored so casually.

"There were times... when I was so hungry... I ate raw meat... because I couldn’t afford anything else."

Back then, she hadn’t felt anything hearing it.

Now... her chest tightened painfully.

’He was waiting for me... all along...’

And she never came. Taking a slow, shaky breath, Lana closed her eyes.

’Not this time. In this life... I won’t ignore him.’

At the dining table, the atmosphere was completely different.

Warm light spilled across polished surfaces, the rich aroma of various cuisines blending together, seafood, western dishes, Chinese delicacies, each plate carefully prepared and arranged.