Seeing the unwillingness still in Sienna Thornton’s eyes, he gritted his teeth and added, "Your existence, and the past between your mother and , none of these affect in any way. My only worry is that Ian Grant might resent you once he knows about you. I’m afraid he might harm you. So, even though I knew for the past year that you are my biological daughter, even though I dread of acknowledging you, of hearing you call ’Dad,’ I held back because I feared it would put you in danger."
Saying this, his eyes reddened: "I originally decided to acknowledge you this New Year and bring you back to the Thorne Family. But last month, that case suddenly ca up. Although the police declared you not a suspect, I couldn’t acknowledge you at such a critical mont..."
Sienna Thornton quietly watched him, her eyes gradually turning cold.
Quentin Thorne closed his eyes and said, "If that case had truly been a murder, that would have been different. Once the real culprit was caught, your suspicion would be completely cleared. But the issue is the case turned out to be an accident, yet the victim’s family insists it was murder! If the public were to find out now that you are my daughter, there would inevitably be all sorts of negative rumors. Your na would forever be associated with an unjust case erased by power! If I were just an ordinary father without any background or identity, I would’ve acknowledged you the mont I found out about your existence last year. But my identity could bring trouble to you in so matters. I’m afraid to burden you...do you understand?"
After saying this, Quentin Thorne actually shed tears: "During those 48 hours you were at the police station, your dad’s eyes never closed once."
Sienna Thornton was extrely shocked.
She had always assud that Quentin Thorne looked down on her for being involved in Nina Sinclair’s case, thought she was disgraceful and a hindrance to him, so he was unwilling to acknowledge her.
She was even afraid to hear from Simon Forrester that she was soone her father disdained. So, even though she knew Simon Forrester might know more, she didn’t dare to ask him, choosing to play dumb instead.
But now, Quentin Thorne told her he was afraid he was the one who would burden her...
Sienna Thornton didn’t know how to describe her feelings at that mont; she was in turmoil, she even wanted to forgive Quentin Thorne because he spoke so sincerely, even shedding tears in front of her.
She tried to awaken the resentnt towards Quentin Thorne within her to stay clear-headed. She pondered for a long ti about what Quentin Thorne hadn’t done yet, what he still owed her.
She finally thought of sothing, but instead of feeling relieved, a sense of loss ca flooding back.
She asked him, "You said a year ago you didn’t dare to acknowledge because you were afraid your wife would harm ?"
"Yes."
"Then why aren’t you afraid now?"
"...Because I have leverage over Ian Grant now. If she harms you, she’d be dood herself." As Quentin Thorne said this, a barely detectable sinister look flashed across his face.
Sienna Thornton was shocked, never imagining Quentin Thorne would threaten his own wife for her sake. She thought their family of three was harmonious and happy.
At this mont, all the resentnt she had built upon Quentin Thorne knowing of her existence yet not acknowledging her was completely washed away by his actions to protect her from harm by his wife.
She was just like any child lacking a sense of security due to parental neglect. No matter how much they cried before, they would run into their parent’s arms with a grin when the parent offered a hug and said, "Daddy was busy, but now I can be with you."
She really wanted to forgive Quentin Thorne now, but at the sa ti, she felt awkward, like a child who, after crying loudly for a toy denied by their parents, finally got it, but reluctantly.
She admitted she truly felt awkward, pouring all her awkwardness into acknowledging Quentin Thorne this lifeti.
Seeing her remain silent for a long while, Quentin Thorne gently called, "Annie? Do you not believe in Daddy?"
"No," Sienna Thornton shook her head. "I just need so ti to process."
"Okay, that’s fine. Take your ti to process it. In the anti, I’ll brew so tea." Quentin Thorne felt a weight lift off his shoulders.
While they were talking, the water kettle on the table had already boiled over, with steam rising vigorously.
Quentin Thorne picked up the kettle to brew so tea leaves.
Sienna Thornton watched his familiar movents, then looked up at his gentle smile, his clear and bright rimless glasses, and his high-quality woolen Zhongshan suit jacket, thinking that this father was not entirely what she had imagined...
She had previously had a vague idea about her biological father, guessing he might be a high-ranking official, perhaps a university professor, or engaged in legal work, an experienced lawyer, maybe even the owner or partner of a law firm, or perhaps an official in a prosecutorial office.
She didn’t expect her biological father to be Quentin Thorne, an authority in the judicial field.
.
Sienna Thornton later asked Quentin Thorne why he had left the pregnant linda Linton back then. Quentin Thorne explained in detail how he returned to Wrayhaven to lay things out with his parents and the Grant Family, expressing his intention to marry and take responsibility for his girlfriend in Wrayhaven. His parents then confined him, so by the ti he returned to Wrayhaven six months later, he couldn’t find linda Linton anymore.
These tilines coincided with the story linda Linton told of being driven out by her family at four months pregnant, having no choice but to marry into the Raines Village hundreds of kiloters away.
She believed Quentin Thorne returned to search for linda Linton; otherwise, he wouldn’t have known about linda Linton being driven out by her family.
Additionally, since Mina Thorne indeed was seven months younger than her, she also believed Quentin Thorne only married Ian Grant after failing to find linda Linton.
Quentin Thorne told her a lot about the 1990s. She wasn’t naïve; she understood Quentin Thorne’s intention was for her to understand why he couldn’t persist in looking for linda Linton back then.
If she had lived a privileged life, she might not comprehend Quentin Thorne’s predicant back then. But since she herself ca from Wrayhaven, she understood that if Quentin Thorne had persisted in looking, apart from being caught by the Thorne family, he might have lost his life to wild boars while searching for linda Linton.
Arguing about who was right or wrong in past events no longer held any significance.
linda Linton’s tragic fate involved elents of the era, responsibilities of the Thorne Family elders and Linton Family elders, and also her own as a daughter who shouldn’t have been born.
As children, we can’t so easily resent our parents.
Like when she returned from the United States, bought a house in Brimfield, and wanted to take linda Linton with her, but linda couldn’t bear to leave the children she had with Felix Raines. She would rather endure Felix Raines’ abuse than leave the Raines Village.
She was furious, trying everything—persuasion, even threatening to sever the mother-daughter relationship—but what could she do facing the family-loyal linda Linton? Could she really cut ties with her? She couldn’t, and so when linda Linton was seriously ill, she still felt like she was losing everything.
Now, knowing her biological father was Quentin Thorne, facing a Quentin Thorne who fell short not only back then but also now, what could she do? Refuse to acknowledge him and live with this regret for life? She couldn’t; she hoped Quentin Thorne would make up for what he owed her and linda Linton, for the fatherly love she lacked all these years.
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