Chapter 742

Chapter 742:
That way, she could pursue the truth about her adoptive parents’ accident without feeling guilty and keep her distance from him.
But with him acting this way, she felt confused, not knowing how to deal with him.
Loving him meant dealing with his connection to the people who might have killed her family. Not loving him felt impossible when he was willing to go against his own family for her.
Her heart felt trapped in a painful struggle.
Stella’s eyes drifted to the far corner of the room, where a small wooden chest sat half-forgotten under a veil of dust. Her adoptive mother had always kept it tucked away, the kind of box reserved for things too sentimental to throw out. Something—she couldn’t quite explain what—pulled her toward it. Kneeling, she ran her fingers over the rough, dusty lid, brushing it clean before lifting it open. Inside lay a jumble of old clothes, worn with time, a few yellowed photo albums, and some small trinkets. Her hand moved deeper until it hit something solid at the bottom. Curious, she pulled it out—a small object wrapped in a faded blue cloth. Unwrapping it, she froze.
A white jade pendant lay in her palm. Smooth to the touch, finely carved, with a crane etched in delicate detail on the front. She turned it over. A single word was engraved on the back—Carter. Her heartbeat quickened. This jade pendant… She had never seen it before. It definitely wasn’t her adoptive parents’ style — the jade was too fine, too valuable. With her knowledge of jewelry, she knew it wasn’t something anyone could just buy, even with money.
She looked up sharply at William, her eyes questioning, searching. The moment his gaze landed on the pendant, his expression changed. He stepped forward in quick, deliberate strides, taking the pendant from her hands as though it were a delicate relic. Tilting it toward the light, his eyes narrowed at the carved word.
“This…” His voice was low, tinged with disbelief. “This is a pendant that only members of the Carter family’s direct bloodline would have. The crane, the script—it’s the mark of Karson’s lineage. I’ve seen one exactly like it at Karson’s house.”
Karson often invited him over to his place, so he knew the pendant well. During those visits, William had seen an identical pendant and had asked out of curiosity. Karson had explained the significance of the mark. Afterward, he’d sighed and said, “As long as my granddaughter has the pendant, no matter how long it takes, I will find her.”
The words jolted Stella. A Carter family heirloom? Here? In her adoptive parents’ home?
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“Home?” Her mind spun. She remembered seeing a photograph of Karson in the pocket watch, and back when she first met him, she hadn’t been afraid of him; if anything, there had been an odd sense of familiarity. But the Carter family…? She had never dared to imagine any link. All she’d wanted was to uncover the truth of her past.
Her gaze returned to the pendant in William’s hand. Could it be…? Was there something about her origins she’d never been told? If not, why would her adoptive parents—ordinary in every way—possess something that tied directly to one of the most influential families she’d ever heard of?
William’s voice cut through her thoughts. “This is the Carter family’s possession. Stella… you might be the granddaughter they’ve been looking for all these years.”
Her eyes widened, suspicion flickering. “Mr. Briggs, you can’t be serious. Me? The Carter family’s granddaughter?” Her mother had never mentioned anything. As far as she knew, there was no connection. But William’s gaze didn’t waver.
“Don’t you want to know if you have blood relatives out there? This pendant wouldn’t be in the hands of anyone outside their immediate family. If you don’t believe me, come with me to meet them. See for yourself.”
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