Chapter 70: Chapter 70

RYAN

Even after all this time, I still couldn't fully understand what had really happened between my parents, but I suspected that the reason for my adoption was that I was illegitimate, as my father was likely married when I was born. However, things became increasingly murky for me, as Mary never mentioned the child she had given up for adoption, as if I had never existed. Kael seemed unaware of this story, which is understandable, as he was just a child when I was born.

The fact is, even as an active member of the Graham family, I still knew very little about myself. And after Mary began suffering from severe depression, things became even more confusing. Now, Kael seemed to suspect that there was a secret about our mother's past and was seeking answers through an investigative team. This intrigued me greatly, but he didn't trust me to mediate.

However, from the way things were unfolding, he probably hadn't discovered anything significant yet. That explains his constantly somber mood. The other reason is my sister Sarah. Although I don't agree with his actions regarding her, I'm certain he's in love with Sarah and simply refuses to admit it.

I understand Kael in this aspect, as I witnessed up close and suffered in silence seeing how Mary, a woman full of life and joy, deteriorated over the last year. Like Kael, I began to suspect that the excuse of Patrick's separation didn't align with reality and wasn't the true reason for her state.

How was it possible that she had suffered so much from the separation, but the death of her great love didn't have as deep an impact as we all feared it would? There were so many unanswered questions, and Mary's sudden move to Tacoma was yet another one. However, I am determined to unravel that mystery even today.

Now, I'm entering the city and heading towards the destination indicated by the tracker as my biological mother's. As I suspected, Mary was not in the car or the restaurant where the vehicle was parked just a few meters away. Even after half an hour, there was still no sign of her.

I was wearing a cap, sunglasses, and completely different clothes from my usual high-end suit; I was sure that Mary's driver didn't recognize me. When I noticed him heading to the cashier after receiving a call, I did the same a few minutes later. He was probably returning to Seattle, as indicated by the tracking app, and I left him with a ten-minute advantage so that he wouldn't suspect that I was following him.

I assumed that he would meet Mary somewhere in Seattle. I observed that he made a stop at a café a few blocks before the mansion, and I deduced that it was the rendezvous point. I went straight to the mansion, and a few minutes after entering the living room, Mary passed through the hallway, looking weary as if she had come from a long journey, not just a quick trip to a neighboring city, which was exactly what I concluded she had done.

"Hello, dear," she greeted me, trying to convey enthusiasm that wasn't there. "Did you come for some documents, or did Kael ask you to keep me company again?"

I examined the face of the woman I knew to be my biological mother, and my only desire now was to confront her with the truth, to understand why she chose not to keep me, as the fact that I was the child of a married man was not a valid reason for me.

"Just some documents," I lied.

"And how is your girlfriend?" she asked, genuinely interested, as she always was in everything I shared about myself.

"Madison is in the lounge," I told her without elaboration.

"I need you to tell me where that is because I'll be heading there next."

"Of course... Mary."

My instinct was to say, "Of course, Mom," but I couldn't. It wouldn't be at that moment, and I didn't know if I would ever do what my heart was screaming for me to do.

---

Sarah

In my humble opinion, Enrico's strategy wasn't yielding results, something I had warned about from the beginning. However, if he wanted to persist in this nonsense, I wasn't going to try to convince him otherwise.

The truth is, I was even enjoying pretending to date a Formula One driver. Besides enjoying the perks he insisted I have, I discovered that behind the cynical facade and sarcastic demeanor, Enrico was a fun person.

While having breakfast together, Hillary was actually commenting on this fun side of Bianchi.

"I don't understand why he always tries to maintain that jerk facade when he's actually such a sweetheart, isn't he?" she said.

"I believe he doesn't want people to see him as a kind person, Hillary. It wouldn't be good for his image to be labeled that way. You should understand that better than anyone since you're responsible for managing that aspect in the team," I pointed out the obvious.

Hillary sighed as if she were tired of the situation, and I became curious about why she was acting so strangely. After all, she always showed enthusiasm for her job.

"Lorenzo has been so irritable lately!" she explained. "Everyone's talking about it, and he didn't perform well in this week's practice sessions either."

"I talked to Rachel yesterday, but she didn't mention anything about any problem," I commented, finding all of this quite strange.

Hillary looked at me assessingly, and after a moment of contemplation, she decided to speak her mind.

"Most of the team is saying that Lorenzo's bad mood started when he found out about your relationship with Enrico," she revealed, leaving me completely bewildered.

"But that's absurd!" I protested, feeling indignant about these comments. "It's very malicious of all of them!"

I expected Hillary to agree with me immediately, but her expression betrayed something different, and I couldn't contain myself when I realized that she seemed to agree with these absurd ideas.

"You can't be thinking the same as them, Hillary!"

"I have to agree with my colleagues, Sarah," she said, undeterred. "I was with Lorenzo when the news started circulating during Friday's practice, and I can confirm that he couldn't hide his anger."