Chapter 287: The Mystery Came To Light

Carlos Foran was just as stunned as everyone else by Julian’s revelation.

For a moment, he simply stared at the stage.

Of all the things he had expected to hear tonight, Julian announcing that he had a daughter he had never known before about was certainly not one of them.

Yet beneath his surprise, Carlos felt something else...admiration!

He had always known that the Foster family was different.

Julian’s branch of the family was regarded throughout the capital as the very definition of a respectable, almost untouchable family.

Their men were known for their loyalty.

Divorce was practically unheard of.

Traditionally, a Foster man married only once. The only exception was when his wife passed away, after which he might eventually remarry.

And Julian Foster had always been regarded as the perfect example of that tradition. He carried himself like a man who had never once strayed from his marriage.

Over the years, countless women had tried to get close to him.

Some had deliberately sought meetings at his office.

Others had found excuses to appear at social gatherings where they knew he would be present.

There had even been women shameless enough to throw themselves into his bed.

None of them had succeeded.

At least, that was what everyone had believed.

Until now.

It turned out that the only woman who had ever managed to become pregnant with Julian Foster’s child wasn’t a socialite, a celebrity, or the daughter of another powerful family.

She was a village woman who had simply happened to save his life.

Carlos’s eyes narrowed slightly.

Then a realization struck him.

Isobel Lancey was Julian Foster’s daughter.

And that meant, she was Morgan Foster’s half-sister.

Carlos’s thoughts immediately raced further.

Isobel Lancey... Alena Lancey’s cousin.

His expression changed.

So that was it.

Suddenly, so many things that had once seemed inexplicable began falling into place.

No wonder Julian and Morgan had been so determined to keep Alena away from him. No wonder they had interfered so aggressively.

Carlos slowly turned his gaze toward Julian.

The older man stood among his family and closest circle, introducing Isobel with unmistakable pride.

There was no embarrassment on his face. No hesitation. No attempt to conceal her.

If anything, Julian seemed almost relieved.

Carlos couldn’t help but admire him.

How brave.

Julian could have kept Isobel’s identity hidden.

He could have quietly acknowledged her behind closed doors, given her money, arranged a comfortable life for her, and allowed the world to remain ignorant.

Instead, he had chosen to stand in front of everyone and say—

She is my daughter.

He wasn’t afraid of the gossip nor being mocked.

He wasn’t afraid that society would call Isobel a bastard or use her birth against her.

He had chosen to acknowledge her publicly and that was standing up for her.

Carlos closed his eyes and slowly rubbed his temple.

For some reason, Julian’s revelation had struck far deeper than he expected.

If only I were half as decisive as that man...

His thoughts drifted toward Alena.

A faint ache settled in his chest.

If I had been that brave...

He opened his eyes again and looked toward the stage.

Would I have found my own happiness by now?

The question lingered in his mind.

And for the first time, Carlos wondered whether the person standing between him and happiness had never been his family, his rivals, or even fate.

Perhaps—

it had always been himself.

...

Katherine was still standing stiffly beside her mother, Mrs. Hayes, her eyes fixed on the stage.

She looked as though someone had just overturned everything she thought she knew about the Foster family.

"Mom, pinch me. Hurry," she muttered. "I want to wake up from this dream."

Mrs. Hayes glanced at her daughter before giving her arm a gentle pinch.

"Ouch!"

"Katie, it’s not a dream," her mother said patiently. "It’s reality."

"But how could this be?" Katherine whispered, still staring at Isobel. "Why didn’t Kristine tell me?"

"Maybe she didn’t know either."

That explanation seemed to calm Katherine.

She slowly exhaled, then began thinking through the implications.

"Come to think of it..." Her gaze shifted toward Morgan. "If Isobel is Morgan’s sister, then their relationship can only get better now."

Then her brows furrowed.

"But wouldn’t that make things more difficult for me?"

Mrs. Hayes turned to her daughter.

"Why should it?" she asked. "You’re Kristine’s twin."

Her gaze moved toward Isobel, and a faintly cold smile touched her lips.

"If anything, it will be Isobel whose life becomes more difficult."

Katherine followed her mother’s gaze.

"Now that Judy knows about this..." Mrs. Hayes lowered her voice. "Don’t you think she’ll be furious?"

Katherine’s eyes brightened with sudden understanding.

"I agree, Mom. Judy is selfish. She definitely won’t make things easy for Isobel."

The tension in Katherine’s shoulders eased.

For the first time since Julian’s shocking announcement, she felt a little better.

If Judy was going to make Isobel’s life difficult, then perhaps Katherine didn’t need to worry about her sister’s sister in law—or whatever Isobel was to the Foster family—just yet.

Then Mrs. Hayes nudged her daughter.

"Look at your sister. She already looks worried."

Katherine immediately turned toward Kristine.

Sure enough, Kristine was staring anxiously at Kat.

Katherine’s eyes widened.

"See?"

But she had completely misunderstood the situation. Kristine wasn’t worried about Isobel at all.

She was looking at Kat, who had just made a very unfortunate contribution to her diaper.

The baby was squirming restlessly in her mother’s arms, clearly in desperate need of a change.

And there was a problem.

The next segment of the celebration was about to begin—the presentation of special gifts from the guests to the birthday twins.

Kristine’s eyes darted toward the stage, then back to her daughter.

Her expression became increasingly desperate.

Katherine, however, interpreted it completely differently.

"She is definitely not happy about the announcement," she whispered confidently.

Mrs. Hayes gave her a sympathetic nod.

Neither of them noticed the far more urgent crisis unfolding inside Kat’s diaper.