CHAPTER 212: CHAPTER 212: REUNION WITH SINCLAIR FAMILY OLD FRIENDS

Perhaps it was the police that stirred up the bloody memories from six years ago, but Tanya had a nightmare that night.

She dreamt of her past self from six years ago, carrying a cash box, walking in for a deal with Old Ninth King.

She pleaded with them to release Vincent Hawthorne.

The next scene, a man with a hideous face and a foul smell lunged at her, tearing at her clothes. In reality, she had struggled with all her might, but in the dream, her attacking hand was firmly grasped and broken.

She cried out helplessly and in despair, and just then, she saw the figure of Declan Pierce, exuding a bloodthirsty, fierce aura, walking over.

He pressed Old Ninth King’s head with one hand, and with the other holding a sharp dagger, he slit his throat.

Blood sprayed everywhere.

But Declan simply looked at her and said slowly, "Didn’t I teach you? When you can’t win, complain to me."

Tanya abruptly opened her eyes.

The alarm went off simultaneously.

She sat up and pressed her temples, finding it a bit funny.

It was really ridiculous. She actually dreamed of Declan...

Maybe it was because Declan had been too good to her these days, that she would have such a nonsensical dream.

Could she really expect Declan to come and save her?

She wasn’t that narcissistic.

Add the four words The Pierce Consortium before ’illegitimate child’, and that would be equivalent to setting up a ladder to the clouds.

The current Declan is standing at the pinnacle of the pyramid.

With her, they are people from two different worlds.

Did she really take it seriously when he humorously teased her?

She had already learned the bloody lesson from Vincent Hawthorne, almost lost her life; she didn’t dare to believe in any sincerity anymore.

Tanya washed her face with cold water and fully woke up.

Today is Sunday, the day she looked forward to visiting her grandfather, Horace Sinclair.

Before going out, she deliberately wore that Blood Amber Gourd.

Just stepping out of the elevator, Tanya received a message from Julian Poole.

He asked if she had woken up and what she wanted for breakfast.

He even sent over photos of the breakfast shop, offering a wide array of choices.

Tanya: [No need.]

Julian replied almost instantly: [You’re awake? Do you have any other plans today? If not, there’s a new movie just released that’s pretty good, you should like it. Do you have time to watch? If you don’t want to watch a movie, are you interested in visiting a restaurant? There’s one that will surely match your taste.]

Tanya took a deep breath, replying: [Sorry, I’m not interested in any of it.]

Her refusal was absolute, and whatever Julian’s feelings were at that moment, it showed he was typing, but after a few minutes, he only replied with: [Alright, whenever you’re interested, I’m always available.]

Tanya felt a bit helpless and didn’t reply further.

For adults, not responding is already a rejection.

She thought someone as smart as Julian would naturally understand that.

Tanya drove to the address given by Old Lady Hawthorne.

She did not notice a black sedan quietly following behind...

After driving for almost two hours,

Tanya found the entrance to the nursing home.

As the private detective previously investigated, it was indeed a very inconspicuous nursing home, its gate also very old and rusty.

However, she didn’t see any strict security here.

Tanya pressed the doorbell, and from the security booth beside, a young man with a dark skin tone, sturdy physique, and a buzz cut, looking rugged like he was carved out with a knife, walked out.

He seemed to have been awakened from sleep, with a scowl, and when his gaze landed on Tanya’s face, he clearly paused.

"Hello, I’m here to visit Old Master Horace Sinclair," Tanya said politely. "I am his granddaughter, Tanya Sinclair."

"..." The young man’s chapped lips trembled twice, staring straight at Tanya, he called out, "Little Miss!"

Tanya was taken aback.

Little Miss?

Only the Sinclair family’s older generations would call her that...

"You are?"

Before Tanya could ask for clarification, a deep voice came from behind.

"Mason, who are you talking to?"

Mason... Mason Vance!

Tanya suddenly widened her eyes, looking joyfully at the man approaching.

"Uncle Vance!"

This used to be the old butler of the Sinclair family, Graham Vance.

But twenty years ago, he had clearly left with his son Mason Vance, so why was he here?

"Little Miss!" Uncle Vance recognized Tanya at a glance, overjoyed, he immediately urged Mason Vance to open the door.

Tanya was surprised and delighted, staring at Uncle Vance, now with a head full of white hair, for a few seconds, feeling a rush of heartache.

"Uncle Vance..." she called out, almost in tears.

Uncle Vance awkwardly touched his hair, struggling to hold back tears, and said with a smile, "If I’d known I would see the little miss today, I would have dyed my hair black beforehand."

Tanya broke into a smile through her tears.

When she was young, she didn’t like Uncle Vance’s graying hair. Whenever she noticed it, she’d try to pull it out, naively believing that as long as she plucked the white hairs, Uncle Vance wouldn’t grow old...

"Uncle Vance, why are you here? Where’s my grandpa?"

Uncle Vance sighed deeply and was about to speak when a nurse hurriedly ran over, "Director, it’s not good! Old Master Sinclair is having an episode again!"

Tanya’s heart tightened, she couldn’t care about anything else and hurriedly said, "Quick, take me to him!"

The nurse was confused, looking towards Director Vance. Seeing him nod, she turned to lead the way.

Tanya followed closely, but the further she went, the more familiar everything around her became, until the familiar villa, garden, and lawn appeared before her... Tanya’s hurried steps gradually slowed down.

——The Sinclair Family.

This was the ancestral home of the Sinclair Family, where she was born and spent her happiest times twenty years ago!

It had been completely relocated here!

Tanya’s whole body trembled uncontrollably, as if her entire soul had been touched, the old times buried in her memory vividly came back to life right before her eyes!

She covered her mouth to stop herself from crying out.

And the figure of her grandfather, Horace Sinclair, sat under the sycamore tree at the gate.

Seven years... he had aged a lot, his back hunched, his head full of silver hair.

He stared fixedly in a direction, eagerly waiting for someone who hadn’t come home...

"It’s Alzheimer’s disease. Every time the old master has an episode, he comes here to sit." Uncle Vance walked to Tanya’s side with infinite sadness and said, "Anyone who gets close will agitate him, so we can only wait for him to slowly regain clarity on his own."

Uncle Vance looked at Tanya with a heavy heart, "The old master is waiting for the young miss to bring you home from school."

Tanya saw the peppermint candy clutched in her grandfather’s hand and finally burst into tears.

Alzheimer’s disease.

Makes people slowly forget themselves, forget the present, yet remember some distant yet significant moments...

"Hey!" The nurse saw Tanya walking towards the old master, reached out to stop her, but was held back by Graham Vance.

Tanya slowly walked over and squatted in front of her grandfather.

The old man’s unfocused gaze gradually settled on her face.

"Who are you?"

Tanya was overwhelmed with tears, suppressing her heartbreak, and softly said, "Grandpa, I’m Tanya."

But he no longer recognized her.

"You’re also called Tanya? My granddaughter is called Tanya too." The old man smiled, looking at the peppermint candy in his hand, "This is Tanya’s favorite peppermint candy, you can’t find it anywhere else, I made it myself."

Tanya’s tears fell in large drops. She reached out her hand, "Can I try one? I really like peppermint candy too."

The old man hesitated for a moment, then gently placed the candy in Tanya’s palm. Having been clenched for too long, the sugar coating under the wrapper had started to melt.

Tanya unwrapped it and put it in her mouth.

A bitter freshness spread across her tongue...

Tanya sat with the old master for a long time until he, physically unable to endure any longer, drifted into sleep, and several caregivers carefully came forward to carry him back to his room.

Tanya stood at the doorway, watching her grandfather lying on the bed. The man from her memories who could support the entire Sinclair Family now curled up like a helpless infant.

Tanya turned her head to wipe her tears, and a dark hand extended a clean handkerchief to her.

She looked up to see Mason Vance standing in front of her, scratching his head with his other hand, "Little Miss, this one is new, clean."

She smiled and said, "Thank you."

Graham Vance came over, walking slowly, and Tanya only then noticed he had a prosthetic leg.

"Uncle Vance, what happened to your leg? And why is there a house here identical to The Sinclair Family’s? Why is Grandpa here?"

Tanya had a head full of questions.

Before Graham Vance could speak, Mason first angrily cursed, "Isn’t it that bastard Sean Lynn! My dad couldn’t rest assured about you all, so he secretly returned to The Sinclair Family home and just caught Sean Lynn rummaging through the official seal and house deed, and then..."

"Enough!" Graham Vance frowned, interrupting, "All old grudges."

That beast Sean Lynn!

Tanya said in a low voice, "Uncle Vance, for your leg, I will give you an explanation!"

At this moment, Graham Vance saw in Tanya’s face the shadow of Charlotte Sinclair from back then, the little miss had grown up, increasingly resembling the young miss back in the days.

But the biggest difference between mother and daughter were their eyes.

The young miss’s gaze was too gentle, yet the little miss’s was much more resilient.

Graham Vance began to talk about the reasons he and Mason had come here.

"It was four years ago that someone paid to hire the two of us here. By the time we arrived, this place was already built. And the old master was already starting to have episodes."

Graham Vance glanced at Horace Sinclair on the bed and sighed, "At first, he could still be clear for half the day. But when he was, he’d shut himself in the laboratory. Later on, his days of clarity grew fewer and fewer..."

Tanya slightly frowned.

So, someone built a house identical to the Sinclair Family ancestral home and brought over the Sinclair family’s elder?

"Uncle Vance, do you know who hired you?"

Graham Vance shook his head, "I don’t know, that person has never shown up, only an account that regularly transfers funds to maintain this place. In these four years, no one has disturbed here. To be honest, little miss, you’re the first visitor."

Tanya thought of what the private detective had said earlier, it seemed this place had indeed been specially protected.

But only she could enter...

Who could it possibly be?