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Grace surmised that Olivia must have endured terrible mistreatment in theb, and her heart ached for the girl. She thought, ‘Why on earth would the heavens treat such a kind young soul this way?’

Howard felt both distressed and surprised. He realized theb Grace talked about was NecroFlora Labs.

NecroFlora Labs was founded by a cabal of rogue scientists who conduct human–cloning research, develop imntable neural chips, and engineer deadly pathogens. To them, human beings were merely test subjects for horrific experiments.

Howard thought, ‘It is evident how much suffering Ivy has endured.’

Suddenly, Nina’s voice broke the sorrowful atmosphere. She called out, “Dinner is ready.”

Several dishes were arranged on the dining table, each exquisite and visually appealing.

Sean had been hungry for some time and was happily gnawing on a chicken drumstick in his hand.

Howard asked, “Didn’t he eat two bags of snacks already?” He had prepared them especially for Olivia, but in the end, Sean finished them all.

Nina said, “Sean has quite an appetite; it’s normal to eat more when you’re growing.” She then gently pinched Sean’s cheek and said, “If Olivia finds out you snuck so many snacks, she’ll definitely be angry.”

Although Olivia tended to indulge Sean, she didn’t like letting him eat too many snacks, saying they weren’t good for him.

Howard could not eat; his mind was entirely upied with thoughts of Ivy. He asked, “Grace, do you have any childhood photos of Ivy–Olivia when she was young?”

Grace pulled Howard to sit down and said, “Let’s eat first—you can’t fight on an empty stomach. After dinner, I’ll show you the pictures.”

Grace was already seventy to eighty percent sure Howard was Olivia’s brother, yet the final confirmation could wait a few minutes; a brief dy would not affect their schedule, so she suggested they eat first.

Howard wolfed down his food and, still chewing, blurted out, “Can I see it now?”

Grace smiled and shook her head. She set down the bowl in her hand, entered the room, and took out a photo album.

The photo album was small and thin, containing only a few pictures, most of which were of Olivia.

Grace opened the album and set it in front of Howard. She said, “Olivia’s never liked being photographed. Even these few shots were a trade–I had to bribe her with cheese sticks before she’d stand still for the

camera.”

As soon as Olivia’s childhood photos appeared, Howard’s eyes filled with tears. He thought, ‘She’s Ivy–I don’t need a DNA test.

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In the slightly blurry photo, Olivia’s eyes sparkled at the sight of sweets–bright, cager, cheese crumbs still on her cheeks, her hair in two little braids fastened with ribbons Cheney had made. Adorable and a little dazed all at once.

Howard thought, ‘Everyone says ine and Ivy look alike, but they’re nothing alike. Here she is–right here in the photo–my dear sister, Ivy!

He retrieved the photos stored on his mobile phone andpared them with the printed photos. Apart from the difference in clothing, there was no distinction whatsoever in appearance or temperament. He thought, ‘It is indeed her. I found her.‘

Howard felt his eyes grow moist and immediately took out his phone to call Samuel. He found a quiet ce,posed himself, and dialed the phone number of the Summers Corporation.

Before Olivia could be brought home, Howard knew he had to y it safe, so he decided to speak to Samuel first. He thought, ‘There are quite a few in the Summers family who don’t want Ivy back–Dad may feel the

same.‘

The call was transferred through several people before finally reaching Samuel’s office.

Inside the chairman’s office, Samuel sat back in his chair, idly sipping coffee. Remembering Ivy at home was too painful, so he hade to the office just to be somewhere else.

With every operational matter already delegated to Charles, he was now only a figurehead; no one disturbed him.

Just then, David pushed the door open and entered, looking somewhat uneasy. He said, “Mr. Summers.”

Samuel said, “Say what you have to say.”

David reported, “ine is here. She said she wants to apologize for what happenedst time, and she has prepared some soup for you to try.”

Before David could finish speaking, the phone–which had never rung before–suddenly rang.

Samuel answered the phone immediately; never before had he felt so grateful for this call.

On the other end, Howard eximed, “Hello, Grandpa, it’s me.”

Samuel replied, “Hey, what kind of mischief have you been up to this time? Tell me, how much do you need this time?b” /b

He had long since grown ustomed to Howard gallivanting around the world, and he assumed the boy only came looking for him when the fun was over and the money had run out.

Although Howard was yful, his sweet–talking made Samuel quite fond of him.

Howard asked, “Grandpa, is there anyone with you over there?”

Samuel gestured for David to lock the door, then whispered, “Go ahead.”

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The office was well soundproofed and the phone encrypted, making cavesdropping impossible. Utterly devoted to Samuel, David would never breathe a word to outsiders.

Howard said, “Grandpa, hold on. Please don’t be rmed by what I’m about to say. I found Ivy.”

Samuel was momentarily stunned, and his phone nearly fell. He asked urgently, “You found Ivy? Really? Where is she–no, where are you? Is she doing well? Is she eating well?b” /b

Howard replied, “I am in Hirica. She has endured great hardship. Fortunately, she encountered a group of kind people. She hasn’t gone astray.”

He then turned to look at Grace and the others. He thought, ‘Without them, Ivy’s life would ibe /ieven more difficult.‘ He was sincerely grateful to Grace and the others for protecting Olivia.

Samuel said, “That’s good. I’lle right now. I want to see Ivy.”

Howard said, “Grandpa, your health is not good. You have only just returned to Kingtonelle; please do not overexert yourself. Listen to me. In fact, you have already met Ivy–you just did not recognize her.”

Samuel shot back, “Nonsense. If I saw Ivy, how could I possibly fail to recognize her?” As he spoke, he searched his memory for girls he had met who were about the same age as his Ivy.

Howard said, “Ivy is none other than Olivia, the very person who treated your illness.”

He grumbled to himself, ‘Grandpa and Charles are so dense. They’d already met Ivy but failed to recognize her. When I told them Olivia was Ivy, they wouldn’t believe me.’

Samuel’s phone slipped from his hand and thudded to the floor. He stood frozen, mouth ajar, unable to speak for a long moment.