“Who’s your husband? Who are your kids? And your daughter—where is she now? We need to meet her!”

Edgar and Elsie nodded with frantic urgency, desperate to see their biological granddaughter with their own eyes. After the nightmare with Karlee—the poisonous imposter who had wormed her way into their lives—they ached to hold their true flesh and blood.

Smiling, Rita thought of Elliana’s clever disguise.

“You’ve already met my daughter today. She’s Dr. Atkinson.”

Once more, Kaleb, Jenifer, Edgar, and Elsie exchanged looks of complete bewilderment. Rita’s daughter was Dr. Atkinson? But Dr. Atkinson presented as a man.

Seeing their confusion, Rita hurried to clarify.

“She’s actually a girl. She disguised herself as a man. She came all the way to Yruzias just to find me, and she recognized me the moment we met. She said my real name is Rita.”

Only then did Kaleb and the others begin to connect the dots. Rita’s faith in this “family” had rested entirely on Dr. Atkinson’s word—there had been no proofs, only trust. True or not, they needed the truth from Milena herself. Despite the Thompson family’s admiration for Milena’s medical skill, doubt began to creep in. Had the doctor’s timely arrival in Yruzias to treat former King Howell been a convenient cover to infiltrate their inner circle?

Once inside the Thompson residence, Milena had seized the perfect moment to expose Amilia as a fraud. Now the sequence of events seemed too convenient, too perfectly timed—moves on a chessboard executed by a master strategist. In short, they felt played.

Kaleb’s expression darkened. Beside him, Edgar’s and Elsie’s faces hardened into granite.

The Thompson family had already endured the ultimate deception—their true daughter swapped at birth and left to wander the world alone. That profound trauma had left them intolerant of lies and manipulation. Regardless of any noble intentions claimed, they despised deception. If Dr. Atkinson truly was their granddaughter, they would embrace her wholeheartedly.

But if this was just another scheme, she would suffer the consequences. Verifying Dr. Atkinson’s claims became their immediate, nonnegotiable priority.

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Resolve hardened Kaleb’s features into something sharp and dangerous. He turned to the butler and issued a command that cut through the room.

“Send someone to fetch Dr. Atkinson immediately.”

His tone carried an unspoken warning. If Dr. Atkinson refused to come willingly, they would not hesitate to bring her in by force. Feeling the sudden shift in the room—the pointed distrust aimed at Elliana—Rita stepped forward, trying to shield her daughter.

“Please, don’t be upset with Elliana. I know her disguise must have been unsettling, but she must have had her reasons.”

“Elliana?” The name caught everyone by surprise, and the tenderness in Rita’s voice made it clear she had already claimed the young woman as her own.

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