Chapter 6

For a brief moment, Sean froze in place.

Then, shaking his head hard, he blurted out, "No way! Leyla cares about us too much. She'd never cut ties with us of her own accord."

Before the echo of his words faded, a faint, amused laugh drifted through the air-from Eliana's direction.

Sean's brows knit in irritation as he turned toward her. "Lia, what's so amusing? Don't tell me you're the one who made Leyla leave."

By now, Eliana had figured out Sean wasn't worth the effort. Rather than argue, she kept her focus on the precise motions of her acupuncture work.

Stella should have been awake already. Yet her frail condition delayed her recovery, keeping her under longer than expected. Eliana could only continue the treatment without pause.

Taking her silence as guilt, Sean hurried closer, his face tense. "When you were gone, Leyla took care of Mom in your place. Without her, Mom might not have survived those years. How could you send her away?Even if she stayed, nothing of yours would be taken.So why would you do something like this?"

No matter how long Sean spoke, Eliana didn't even look at him, her concentration anchored firmly to the task in her hands.

The lack of response only fueled his irritation. "Lia,are you even listening-"

"That's enough, Sean!" Carl's voice cut through,and he stepped in, physically pulling Sean to the side.

Fixing Sean with a steady look, he added, "What I told you before was the truth. Lia has no idea who Leyla is-so how could she have been the one to drive her away? If you think I'm lying, ask Jordy." Sean's eyes shifted to Jordy Castro, the butler, after a moment's hesitation, his glare sharp enough to cut.

"Lie to me, and I'll make sure you regret it," he said in a cold, measured tone.

A shiver passed through Jordy at the threat-he knew Sean meant every word.

Still, he straightened and answered, "Your brother's statement is correct. Leyla was the one who chose to cut ties with your family."

Sean's once-firm expression faltered at last. "So it really wasn't Carl or Lia..."

Before anyone could respond, a faint, fragile voice drifted from the bed. "It wasn't them." All three of them turned immediately toward the source.

Stella's eyelids fluttered open, one hand gripping Eliana's tightly while the other pressed against the mattress as she tried to sit up.

"Mom! You're awake! Are you okay?" Carl and Sean hurried to her side almost simultaneously. But Stella didn't spare them a glance-her eyes stayed locked on Eliana, shimmering with tears."Lia...Are you my Lia?"

The sheer joy of seeing the child she'd been separated from for so long broke through her composure, and the tears spilled freely.

Her earlier anger at Leyla had been real, but it wasn't what had caused her to collapse.

The truth was, the moment she saw Eliana,something deep within her recognized her instantly.A mother's instinct needed no proof.

That surge of emotion had been so overwhelming, it had stolen her consciousness away.

Something about Stella's face and the sound of her voice struck deep in Eliana's memory-it felt like she'd heard that voice call her "Lia" a thousand times before.

"1am." For the first time since stepping into the house, a touch of softness melted the cool reserve in Eliana's expression.

Stella's composure shattered in the very next heartbeat. She pulled Eliana into a fierce embrace,her sobs breaking loose. "I've finally found you, Lia..I've dreamed of you every night. Every morning l woke wishing the dream was real. It's my fault-l never should have lost you. Lia, it's all my fault...every bit of it!"

The moment she had yearned for had come-her youngest daughter, her own flesh and blood, was back in her arms.

For years, Stella's longing for a daughter had gone unanswered, even after bearing son after son. Fate had been cruel, allowing her only three short years with her little gir before tearing them apart.

Eliana felt the hot trail of Stella's tears against her neck, her back stiffening at the unfamiliar sensation.

No one had ever wept for her before. The warmth of it seeped into her chest, unsettling and strange, yet quietly stirring something deep inside. Taking a steady breath, Eliana whispered, her voice warm and steady, "No more tears... I'm here now.What's done is done, and none of it is your fault."

Carl's voice followed, light but reassuring. "That's right, Mom. Lia's home. This should be a moment for smiles,not tears."

Trying to rein in her emotions, Stella cupped Eliana's cheeks and leaned in for a closer look.

The dirt on Eliana's skin looked as if she'd walked straight out of a fire, faint smudges shadowing her brows.

Ignoring the grime, Stella brushed her fingertips gently across Eliana's face, clearing away the dirt to reveal her true features.

Those bright, unclouded eyes were exactly as Stella remembered from her own youth. The straight,refined nose came from Louis. And the delicate structure of Eliana's face carried a quiet fragility that stirred a deep urge to protect her. Many admired Leyla for her striking beauty. What most didn't know was that Leyla's adoption from the orphanage had been partly because she shared half of Eliana's features.

If someone with just a partial resemblance was already considered a rare beauty, Eliana herself was beyond compare.

"Lia... you're breathtaking," Stella murmured, her eyes shimmering as a wide smile tugged at her lips,caught between laughter and tears.

To anyone watching without context, she might have looked as though she'd lost her mind.

Only Stella understood the depth of longing she had carried for this moment.

Her fingertips traced lightly over Eliana's features, as though she were committing every line and contour to memory.

For Eliana, the unfamiliar tenderness stirred an uneasy feeling in her chest. Clearing her throat, she eased back just slightly to avoid the touch. "I've already examined your condition. You should still steer clear of anything too strenuous, and don't let your emotions run too high.Rest is what you need most right now."

Moisture gathered in Stella's eyes again. "I'm sorry,Lia. When our family had everything, we never brought you home to share it. And now, when we've fallen on hard times, that's when we find you..."

She hesitated, as if pushing past a lump in her throat."If you-like Leyla-believe our troubles will weigh you down,you can walk away. I won't hold it against you. Just knowing you're alive and healthy would be enough for me."

Such words could only come from a mother with understanding in her heart.

Back when the Murray family thrived, Eliana had never known that comfort. Now that ruin loomed over them,they had no right to demand her loyalty in their hardships. Whatever choice Eliana made, Stella had already decided she would accept it.

"Mom..." Carl's voice broke with urgency. "We just got Lia back. How can you even think of letting her go?"

Stella cut him off with a sharp glare, exclaiming "You've been out looking for Lia and have no idea what's been going on here. This family isn't what it once was. Whether she stays or goes is her decision alone."

Carl swallowed his next words, his eyes flicking nervously to Eliana.

Sean,on the other hand, remained unmoved.

Two decades of separation had dulled whatever bond he might have felt.

In truth, his loyalty leaned more toward Leyla now.

Part of him even wished that if Eliana chose to leave,Leyla might come back. When the silence stretched, Eliana finally broke it."I'm not going anywhere."

She had two reasons-first, the Murray family had not cast her aside, and she wasn't about to turn her back on them now. Second, with the Onyx Syndicate moving to Qidence, she needed a legitimate identity to remain there.

Carl's face lit up. "That's great! If you returned to where you came from, you'd be stuck doing farm labor. No matter how tough it gets here, we'll never let you go back to that."

Surprise crossed Stella's features. "You were really doing farm labor?"

Eliana gave a small shrug. "Something like that."

She had no intention of revealing her full story-not yet.

Fresh tears welled in Stella's eyes. "I never knew you'd suffered that much..."

Had she known where Eliana was, she would have brought her home years ago.

With a light squeeze to Stella's hand, Eliana said softly, "I wasn't suffering, so you don't have to worry."

Truthfully, the cold detachment Sean had shown her earlier had made her think about walking away. But the hope shining in Stella's eyes chipped away at that resolve.

Stella's grip tightened as she nodded, her voice trembling. "You're such a sweet girl..."

A sudden, mocking murmur came from Sean. "Mom,you shouldn't feel too guilty. She seemed to be doing just fine out in the countryside.I mean, how often do you see someone from there with skin that smooth?"

Even beneath the dirt, Eliana's skin was unblemished, soft, and strikingly refined. That was why Sean convinced himself she must have lived comfortably, even away from the family.