Although Nathan had brushed off Ashley, Regan found himself liking Nathan more and more. "This young man''s got ambition.''


    He admired men who were self-reliant and independent. Too often, heirs to wealthy families sacrificed their marriages to advance their careers-Regan included. Nathalie might have upset Nathan, but it didn''t dampen her enthusiasm to work hard for him. With a polite gesture, she invited Regan to go ahead. Regan and Ashley moved forward, and just as Nathalie was about to follow, her phone rang.


    Nathan, who was ahead, stopped and turned slightly. He saw Nathalie answering the call, and whatever was said made her face fall immediately. From a distance, Nathalie signaled to Nathan, her voice carrying a rough edge. "Go on. I''ll catch up in a bit."Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org.


    Nathan got the message and continued on, though his mood had noticeably darkened.


    The call was from Greta.


    Greta was sobbing uncontrobly. "Nathalie, Dad''s not going to make it. You need toe and see him onest time."


    At that moment, Nathalie''s heart was a storm of emotions.


    She felt nothing but numb.


    No pain. No sense of revenge. Just numbness.


    "I won''te," she finally managed to say. "He never treated me like a daughter. I don''t need a father. Our paths split a long time ago."


    Then Miranda''s heart-wrenching cries came through the phone. "Nel, your dad regrets everything. You''ve had your revenge, and it''s ruined him. Why can''t you let it go?"


    "He is dying. If you don''te today, you''ll never see him again. How can you be so heartless and not even give him a final visit?"


    Nathalie replied coolly, "Are you finished?"


    Miranda was stunned into silence. Then she broke down, weeping. "Nellie, how did you be so cold? You''re really not my daughter..." Not my daughter?


    Nathalie''s eyes widened in confusion. Was that a slip of the tongue or a deliberate reveal?


    Nathalie said weakly, "When did you ever treat me as your daughter?"


    With spite in her voice, Miranda said, "Nathalie, since you''re so ungrateful, non''t expect me to care about our mother-daughter bond."


    Nathalie felt as if a chill had swept


    through her. She was grateful she no longer fell for their empty words. Otherwise, when their fake family ties shattered, she''d be heartbroken all over again.


    Nathalie hung up decisively. She stood there, a bit lost. It was the height of summer, yet she felt like she was in an ice cave.


    The family warmth she had yearned for as a child was something she might never have had in her lifetime.


    In the end, Nathalie found herself at the hospital. She''s not here to say goodbye to Patrick but to find answers to her lingering questions.


    In the past, she had wondered if she


    wasn''t truly the Brown family''s daughter so she secretly took her mother''s hair for a DNA test, which confirmed their maternal link. After that she med fate for hero parents''ck of love.


    But now, Miranda''s slip of the tongue rekindled Nathalie''s doubts. She thought, ''Maybe she''s only her mother''s daughter, not Patrick''s. That''s why, when her parents divorced, Patrick easilyd away.''


    After all, Patrick was known to be a father who cherished his daughter.