Chapter 626
No.1
The mountain clinic's conditions were heartbreakingly primitive.
When Madam Zade went into premature labor, there wasn't even a proper hospital bed. She lay on a rough wooden plank in the rural health center. Weak from childbirth, she couldn't get basic nutrition, let alone produce milk.
The newborn's face turned blue from hunger, its cries as faint as a kitten's.
Fate intervened. Another family named Young was staying at the clinic, their daughter-in-law having just delivered a healthy baby boy with more than enough milk. Madam Zade offered all her valuables, begging for just a few drops.
The Youngs' kindness brought tears to one's eyes. They refused payment and took Madam Zade into their humble home. They brewed ginger tea, stewed chicken, even shared half their own child's food.
But tragedy struck.
On the fifth night, Madam Zade hemorrhaged violently. The clinic staff scrambled to stop the bleeding, but it gushed like floodwaters. The county ambulance took six treacherous hours through a storm to arrive.
No.2
When the infant was left with the Youngs, no one anticipated the storm would trigger a mudslide.
By the time Vincent Sullivan reached the provincial hospital, his wife hovered near death. The mountain roads had been obliterated by landslides.
Three months passed before the roads reopened.
Madam Zade wept endlessly in her hospital bed. Old Mrs. Sullivan's curses stung worse than the antiseptic: "Jinx! Can't even keep track of your own child!"
When travel became possible again, Vincent got tied up with a company crisis. He sent his closest friend Hugo Lee in his stead.
Hugo returned cradling a frail, undersized baby.
Madam Zade's trembling hands received the child, her tears splashing on its sallow face. Old Mrs. Sullivan suddenly shrieked: "This bastard looks nothing like our Sullivans!"
No.3
Ironically, the same grandmother who hurled the cruelest insults would later spoil Xavier Stapleton rotten.
To ease tensions, Vincent bought a duplex villa. But the old woman constantly demanded her grandson's company, eventually taking Xavier in permanently.
Meanwhile, the real Young heir was chopping firewood in the mountains.
Roman Young stood on stools to cook at age five, worked the fields by seven. His only refuge was the village's leaky schoolhouse—books his sole sanctuary.
During middle school entrance exams, he knelt before the principal: "Let me study, and I'll stay in the top three." The principal saw a spark in the skeletal boy's eyes.
The day his university acceptance letter arrived, the entire village celebrated.
But fate is cruel. During his senior year, his adoptive parents confessed a devastating truth on their deathbeds. They sought their biological son to live in luxury, unknowingly inviting death to their doorstep.
No.4
When Xavier met the elderly couple, their mirror-like faces made him tremble. Worse yet, Hugo Lee reappeared unexpectedly.
The former accomplice now studied everyone with icy calculation.
Hugo Lee's hand trembled slightly as he gripped the teacup.
He still remembered the day Vincent Sullivan handed him the infant. His mind had been preoccupied with an upcoming business deal, barely registering the bundle in his arms.
"Old Lee, do me a favor—take the baby to my wife," Vincent had said, clapping his shoulder. "I can't get away right now."
He'd given a distracted nod, accepting the swaddled child without a second thought.
Who could have predicted...
No.5
"That Roman couple deserves to die!" Hugo suddenly shattered the teacup against the table, sending shards flying.
Xavier Stapleton stood nearby, his face ashen.
"Uncle Lee, what do we do now? Roman Young already—"
"Keep your panic in check," Hugo sneered. "We've kept this buried for over twenty years. A little longer won't matter."
His eyes narrowed, recalling the scheme he'd orchestrated.
First, Xavier had appeased the Roman couple with priceless antiques. Once the fools left Kingsbury in high spirits, Hugo immediately reported a burglary to the police.
"Stealing cultural relics carries severe penalties," he said darkly. "Enough to break them in prison."
No.6
Xavier swallowed hard. "But Roman Young is now—"
"Silence!" Hugo snapped. "If you hadn't bungled this, we wouldn't be in this mess!"
The office door burst open.
Vincent stood in the doorway, flanked by a tearful Madam Zade and... Roman Young.
A paternity test report slammed onto the desk.
"Hugo Lee," Vincent's voice was glacial. "Care to explain?"
Madam Zade rushed to Roman, her trembling hands cradling his face. "My child..."
No.7
Evelyn Sinclair quietly stepped aside.
She checked her watch and signaled to Old Lin.
"Mr. Sullivan, the truth is clear now," she said softly. "I must excuse myself—there's urgent business."
Vincent followed her out. "Let me see you off, Ms. Sinclair."
In the parking lot, his gaze lingered on the understated Maybach.
"Thank you." Evelyn opened the car door. "Regarding Xavier's situation—"
"I'll handle it," Vincent said grimly. "I'll express my gratitude properly another time."