Chapter 393

Anastasia’s eyes were cold and distant as she scrolled through the comments. When she finished, she switched off her phone and set it aside.
“Are you thinking of reconciling with the Brennan family?” Harrison’s voice cut in unexpectedly from beside her.
She blinked, returning to the moment, and nodded. “Yes.”
Studying his expression, she ventured, “Honey, do you not like the Brennans?”
“I don’t,” Harrison replied coolly. “They raised an outsider as their heir and left you out in the cold. Where did that leave you?”
Anastasia gave a bitter smile. “You can’t really blame them. All these years, Grandfather and the others never truly intended Lauren to inherit anything. They still held out hope for me, waiting for the day I’d come around. Lauren was only being groomed as an assistant for me.”
“Then, two years ago, everything changed. After that, the Brennans finally gave up on me for good and officially named Lauren as their successor.”
Logan, sitting in the passenger seat, couldn’t help but ask, “What happened two years ago? I’ve noticed Mrs. Brennan seems… well, she doesn’t like you much. Was she involved?”
Anastasia nodded. “Yes. Two years ago, my aunt miscarried-she nearly lost her life. Everyone believed it was my fault.”
Back then, the Brennans hadn’t been so cold to her. Even after her reputation was dragged through the mud-thanks to Nora and her daughter-they hadn’t given up hope. But then the miscarriage happened. Google seaʀᴄh ~net
She’d been alone with Winni that day. She left to use the bathroom, and when she returned, Winni had fallen-losing her baby, nearly dying in the process.
In that critical moment, Lauren appeared out of nowhere, administered first aid, and saved Winni’s life.
When they investigated, all the evidence pointed straight at Anastasia, painting her as the mastermind behind Winni’s tragedy. From that moment, the Brennans’ disappointment in her turned into utter rejection.
And Lauren? Her perfectly timed arrival and life-saving help made her the family’s hero. The Brennans, grateful and relieved, officially named her the heir to divine healer Cecilia Brennan.
Lauren had always kept her hands clean-never exposing any weaknesses, always innocent and harmless. But the more Anastasia thought about it, the more she realized that, besides Nora and her daughter’s manipulations, Lauren’s shadow lingered behind every rift that grew between her and the Brennans.
Take years ago, for example: even though Anastasia trusted Nora, she would never have turned her back on her own family just because of a few malicious whispers. That first crack between her and her grandfather’s family appeared the day they adopted Lauren.
Originally, the Brennans hadn’t intended to bring anyone home. They’d only gone to the orphanage to pay their respects to the children on Cecilia’s behalf. But there they found Lauren-burning with fever, bullied by the other kids.
As the Brennans prepared to leave, Lauren “accidentally” collapsed right in front of them. Delirious with fever, she clutched a battered old Barbie doll-the very one Cecilia had once given her and through tear-filled eyes, she called out for her “mom.”
When they gently asked who she meant, Lauren, confused yet hopeful, uttered Cecilia’s name.
Later, when she recovered, Lauren acted terrified and humble, insisting she wasn’t worthy to be the healer’s daughter. She’d never had parents of her own, she said, so in her heart, Cecilia had always been like a mother to her…
Anastasia let out a soundless, bitter laugh.