Chapter 106
“Ms. Jones, you must be starving. Come and eat, Rachel said. She had already prepared the cutlery for Cynthia and brought her a bottle of juice.
Cynthia sat down without hesitation and said, “It looks delicious
Cynthia put a piece of braised short ribs in her mouth. After chewing a few times, her eyes widened in amazement. She said, “It’s especially delicious. This is the best braised short ribs I’ve ever had”
It was indeed delicious. Better than Jonathan’s cooking.
A smile appeared on Rachel’s face. She said, “Shirley doesn’t like my cooking. She always says no matter how nicely I make it, it still tastes of poverty” Rachel sighed after saying that. But slie quickly realized how inappropriate her words were at that moment, Rachel’s face turned awkward.
Cynthia, however, smiled without a trace of care. She said, “I’ve dined at all the high–end restaurants in Roncrity, but none have served food as good as yours.”
A warmth welled up in Rachel’s heart.
The two of them began eating. Rachel was obviously being cautious with Cynthia, not even daring to put food into her bowl, merely urging her from time to time to eat more.
Cynthia drank two bowls of mushroom soup. Today, she was full. Putting down her cutlery, Cynthia said, “Thank you. I’m really satisfied with this meal.”
Rachel was visibly delighted too. She said, “As long as you like it you’re welcome to come over anytime you want more.
Cynthia’s expression slightly changed. Cynthia looked calmly at Rachel, who quickly thought she had said something wrong She hurried to explain, “You don’t have to come if you don’t want to. I’m not trying to build a connection with you.”
“May I ask you a question?” Cynthia asked.
Rachel looked at Cynthia and said, “Go ahead.”
“Why was I swapped with Shirley? Why did you abandon me?” Cynthia asked.
For the past three years, Cynthia had investigated Rachel a lot. She had a very good reputation among neighbors, friends. and even her employers when she worked as a housekeeper. In everyone’s eyes, Rachel was an extremely kind, caring woman, one who faced hardships with resilience and optimism.
Why would such a woman abandon her child? Was it really because of the grudges of the previous generation? Or revenge against Selena? Or did she want her daughter to live a wealthy life? Cynthia had thought of many possibilities.
Rachel lowered her head, remaining silent for a long while, fighting back tears. Just as Cynthia thought she would not get an answer, Rachel finally looked up and said, “You may not believe this, but I never intended to swap you and Shirley. I didn’t even know anything about the baby exchange.”
Hearing that, the heavy weight in Cynthia’s heart finally lifted. Yes, she had considered that possibility too. There was also another possibility.
Cynthia said, “Was it Dennis then? He swapped me and Shirley, without telling you.”
Rachel’s eyes
filled with tears. She had never told anyone about this, except Shirley, who didn’t care. What she cared about was being replaced from her identity as the daughter of a wealthy family, and having her bright future destroyed by Rachel and Dennis.
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Chapter 100
That was why Shirley hated them both deeply. From the moment she learned she was the daughter of the Jones family, she wanted to sever ties completely.
Rachel nodded and said, I
“Both you and Shirley were born in Hinonious Maternity Hospital, a high–end private hospital could only give birth there because I worked as a nurse there, and the kind–hearted director allowed me to give birth for free. However, the day you two were bom, chaos erupted in the hospital. The originally high–end hospital was in disarray, and many staff were sent out for other tasks, giving Dennis a chance”
Rachel continued. “He worked as a security guard there and was familiar with the layout. Using his position, he turned off all the surveillance cameras. Due to a shortage of staff, only one nurse remained in the newborn nursery. Taking advantage of the time when she was bathing other babies, he swapped you and Shirley’s 11 bracelets.”
At this point, Cynthia understood everything. Cynthia asked, “Swhen did you find out?”
Rachel replied, “Shirley attended a private high school in Betric. At that time, she got into trouble, and someone kicked her abdomen with a high heel, rupturing her spleen. She had to undergo emergency surgery. During the blood transfusion, I saw the report showing her blood type as B. But both Dennis and I are type A. How could two A–type parents give birth to a type–B child?”
Cynthia’s pupils suddenly dilated at that information, her eyes showing disbelief. She asked, “Both you and Dennis are type AP
Rachel nodded and said, “Yes, Dennis and I knew each other from childhood as neighbors back home. When we got married, we had a premarital check–up that showed we were both type A
Inside, Cynthia felt a storm raging. She had a rare AB Rh–negative blood type. Genetically, two type A parents couldn’t possibly have a child with her blood type.
Cynthia tried to calm herself. She continued, “So, you knew that Shirley wasn’t your biological daughter since her high school days?”
Rachel replied, “I initially thought it was an accidental swap at the hospital, but then Dennis admitted that he deliberately exchanged the Jones family’s daughter with ours. He intended to swap them back once they grew up so he could benefit from both. It didn’t matter to him whether it was his biological child or the one he raised. He just wanted to treat both kids as cash machines.”
“So, after learning the truth, you didn’t tell Shirley, did you?” Cynthia asked.
Rachel sighed deeply and said, “I was conflicted back then, so I didn’t tell her right away. I thought it had been over ten years, and you both had your own lives by then, so reversing things might not be for the best. Moreover, considering Shirley’s personality, if she found out she was actually from a wealthy family, she would leave me without a second thought. I guess I had a bit of selfishness too.”
Rachel’s eyes darkened as she said, “But I have received my retribution.
Cynthia knew what Rachel meant by ‘retribution.” When the truth came out, Shirley left for the Jones family, just as predicted, and cut all ties with her. She even refused to testify in court, though she knew Rachel was defending herself. which led to a life imprisonment. Shirley’s indifference was indeed the consequence of Rachel’s own actions.
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