Chapter 194
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Owen was lying on his sofa , eyes closed , dozing lightly . When the doorbell rang , he knew immediately it was Arja , and hurried to answer & LAURA medicinal herbs drifted in .
“ Owen , here — two types of ointment . The light green one’s for bruises , the dark green … ” she eyed the scar on his right arm , “ Put that on the scorin help fade it . Use it before bed . ”
He took the jars from her , their fingers brushing for a second – he felt a spark , like a little shock of static
Aria didn’t flinch ; maybe he’d imagined it .
“ Thank you , ” Owen said .
Aria replied , “ I’ll head back . Goodnight . ”
“ Goodnight . ”
In the hospital , Daniel’s expression was grim . “ What’s the Shaw Group’s position ? Are they really going to pull out ? ”
Liam nodded . “ Yes . ”
Daniel said , “ Isn’t Hannah close to them ? Take her over , apologize , and clear things up . ”
Liam’s face tightened . “ Grandpa … Hannah’s still in detention . ”
Daniel frowned . “ What happened ? ”
Liam had no choice but to explain everything that had gone down .
Daniel managed a laugh , though his face was tight with worry. “ She’s got guts , I’ll give her that . ”
Fearing for Daniel’s health , Liam quickly tried to reassure him . “ Don’t worry , Grandpa . If we can get Ms. Olsen involved , Kim won’t pull out of the deal . I’ve already arranged to meet Ms. Olsen’s daughter . ”
At last , some good news – Daniel relaxed a little . “ You don’t need to be here . Get back to the company . ”
Liam had barely left when Bryant rushed in , pale with anxiety . “ Sir – something’s happened . ”
“ What is it ? ” Daniel demanded .
“ A woman named Azalea Harrell came to see us – she says she’s Brendon’s first love and wants her child to acknowledge his ancestry . ”
Daniel was stunned . “ First love ? Child ? ”
Brendon was Daniel’s only son , gone before forty . The Cole family had few heirs – any possibility of new blood made Daniel’s heart race with hope .
“ Bring her in , quickly , ” Daniel ordered .
Bryant soon returned with Azalea .
Azalea explained , “ I met Brendon on a business trip – we fell in love at first sight , had a brief but intense romance . He never told me he was from a wealthy family . My parents wouldn’t let me marry far away , so we broke it off , married someone local and soon got pregnant .
“ We were both from the countryside , never had proper medical checkups , just knew our son’s blood type was B. But just recently , we got a free government screening – turns out , my husband and I are both type A.
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“ The doctor said there’s no way two type A parents could have a type B child . In my life , I’ve only been with Brendon and my heels Gla found out , he was furious and divorced me .
“ I started looking into Brendon’s identity and that led me to the Cole family . This was the jade pendant Brendon gave me back then
She handed over the jade pendant . It was a Cole family heirloom – Brendon had once told Daniel he’d lost it , and Daniel had beaten him for
Daniel’s hands shook as he clutched the pendant , overwhelmed with emotion . Brendon had been type B – he knew this was true .
“ How old is your son now ? ” Daniel asked .
“ Twenty – seven . ”
Twenty – seven – the same age as Liam .
Daniel was halfway convinced . “ Where is he ? Bring him here for a DNA test . If it’s true , I’ll make sure he’s recognized by the family . ”
Talking about her son , Azalea’s face lit up . “ Orlando’s always excelled , won awards , got a scholarship for college overseas . He started a business Masmubia with a friend , and it’s grown a lot . We’re doing better and better . He knows he’s not a Gallagher , and he’s on his way back to Huthailia
Daniel’s thoughts raced . ‘ A businessman ? Must have a good head for it .’
He was both anxious and excited . “ Bryant , set her up with a place to stay . Once her son arrives , bring him straight to me . And get a few of Liam’s hairs , discreetly – don’t alert him . For now , keep this under wraps . ”
“ Yes , sir , ” Bryant replied .