"Oh?" Theodore Quinn asked, a hint of curiosity in his voice. "And what did your father send you here for?"
The corners of Chloe Grant’s lips curved into a barely perceptible smile. She shot a direct glance at Clara Grant, then, instead of answering, posed a question of her own. "Uncle Quinn, what’s going on here?"
Theodore Quinn glanced at Clara Grant as well, then smiled. "Oh, today is the first ti your Brother Quinn has brought a girlfriend ho. It’s a formal introduction to the family, you could say. Speaking of which, Chloe, you and Clara are sisters, after all.
"Your father once saved my life, and now your sister is about to marry into our Quinn family. This will make our two families closer than ever."
"Is that so?" Chloe Grant shot Clara Grant a sidelong glance, a smirk playing on her lips. When she turned back to Theodore Quinn, her expression was once again the picture of innocence. "Uncle Quinn, my father sent here today for this very reason."
"Actually, she," Chloe Grant looked at Clara Grant again, her gaze no longer fleeting but fixed, locking eyes with her. "Clara Grant is not my real sister! In other words, she is not my father’s biological daughter!"
Her words left every mber of the Quinn family stunned. Seth Quinn, Theodore Quinn, Sienna Hale—none of them had expected her to say sothing like that.
Theodore Quinn’s gaze turned pensive as he looked at Clara Grant. Sienna Hale, on the other hand, was instantly shocked, her eyes darting between Clara’s and Chloe’s faces in disbelief. "What? You’re saying she’s not a biological daughter of the Grant family? Then... who is she?"
’How could she not be a Grant? Jenna said she had investigated it thoroughly. Clara Grant was the daughter of Cedric Grant and his ex-wife, Skylar Hayes.’
Seth Quinn’s piercing, eagle-like eyes fixed on Chloe Grant, turning instantly ice-cold. He spoke, his voice devoid of any warmth:
"Chloe Grant, have you told so many lies that you get an itch if you don’t spread a new one every now and then? Or was being completely blackballed last ti not enough of a punishnt for you? Do you need to throw you in jail for slander before you’ll finally quit?"
Chloe Grant put on a facade, as if her only concern was for him and the Quinn family. "Brother Quinn, I’m telling the truth this ti. The only reason my dad sent here is because he doesn’t want you, or Uncle and Auntie Quinn, to be deceived by a certain soone. After all, if you marry a woman of such lowly birth as your wife—the future matriarch of the family, no less—what would happen to the Quinn family’s reputation if outsiders were to find out?"
"If you don’t believe , then ask Clara Grant. She should know the truth about her own background perfectly well." As she spoke, she turned to Clara and gave a disdainful laugh. "Isn’t that right, my *dear* sister?"
Watching Chloe Grant’s triumphant expression, Clara Grant subconsciously clenched her fists.
’The mont Chloe Grant started talking, I had a sinking feeling her intentions weren’t good. But I never imagined she would actually drag this out into the open.’
’Cedric Grant... did he really send Chloe here to expose my background in front of the entire Quinn family? Didn’t he have a verbal agreent with Mom when they divorced? She left with absolutely nothing, all so he would keep his mouth shut about my parentage.’
’Now that Mom and I have already left with nothing, he wants to go back on his word?’
’Right. What integrity could a man like Cedric Grant possibly have? Besides, it was only ever a verbal agreent!’
’So the Quinn family wouldn’t be deceived? To preserve the Quinn family’s reputation? Hah. What a sanctimonious excuse!’
’He’d do this for anyone, but he has absolutely no regard for his own wife’s honor?’
’Her heart ached for her mother, having married a man like him!’
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