Chapter 129 Is Adrian Hawthorne Lydia’s Daddy?

Chapter 129: Chapter 129: Is Adrian Hawthorne Lydia’s Daddy?

This possibility drew a sudden, bitter laugh from Evan York.

Even though his sister had not yet returned home, the marriage agreement between the two families was a solid reality. Her disappearance was not the York family’s fault, but if the Hawthorne family failed to keep their promise, he would absolutely never stand for it. He knew perfectly well that with his sister’s fate unknown, it was indeed unreasonable to make Adrian Hawthorne just wait. But his loyalty lay entirely with his sister. Even knowing it was unfair, he was completely incapable of putting himself in Adrian’s shoes. He didn’t care if he was being unreasonable; he only knew that his sister couldn’t be wronged.

"I’m going out to take a look." Evan slammed his wine glass down.

The Hawthorne family had never mentioned anything of this sort regarding Adrian. The sudden appearance of a daughter was a matter whose truth remained to be verified.

"Mr. York, don’t be impulsive. Perhaps it’s a misunderstanding?" Stella Sutton hastily tried to persuade him. Looking at Evan’s reaction, she could tell he was one step away from picking a fight with Adrian.

Julian Sterling also looked over, his low, cold voice possessing a sobering effect. "The Hawthornes are no ordinary family, and Adrian has never been known for acting absurdly. Even if they couldn’t wait for the York family’s daughter to be found, they would definitely discuss breaking the engagement beforehand, rather than backstabbing you by having children behind your back."

But one thing was certain.

Julian’s dark eyes deepened as he glanced in the direction Adrian had left. Adrian bringing this matter up publicly with Evan and the rest of them today was definitely not unintentional.

This served as a reminder to Evan. He also understood Adrian’s character. If he were the type of man to mess around, this engagement wouldn’t have lasted until now.

"At the very least, I need to know where things stand." Evan turned and walked out.

Stella felt she had been fed a massive amount of information today. She turned to look at Julian. "Should we go out and take a look?"

Julian set down his wine glass. "Yeah."

-

Sophie Winslow parked the car in the lot.

Lydia had already opened the door and gotten out on her own. Sophie let her be, as the security here was reliable enough to put her mind at ease. Just then, a subordinate from the lab called. Sophie unbuckled her seatbelt and sat in the car, keeping a close eye on Lydia’s movements while on the phone.

Until she saw Adrian’s tall, straight figure appear. Only then did she completely let Lydia go to him.

Adrian’s pace wasn’t fast.

Evan and Julian walked one after the other to the hotel’s Roman pillars. Julian wasn’t exactly interested in other people’s affairs, but he wanted to make sure Evan wouldn’t act impulsively.

Just as they strode over, a tender, sweet voice drifted into their ears from not far away.

"Daddy!"

Julian’s long legs suddenly faltered for a second. His gaze shifted toward the source of the sound. A small figure was panting heavily as she scurried up the steps. Immediately after, Adrian half-squatted and picked up the little girl who had thrown herself at him.

The whole sequence was incredibly swift. Julian finally got a clear look at the face of the little girl in Adrian’s arms.

Lydia.

Lydia Hawthorne.

He silently murmured the name.

Coincidentally, Lydia was very happy to see Adrian after a long time and called out again, "Daddy, you must be tired from your flight!"

That word, "Daddy," nailed itself into his eardrums. The brilliant smile on the little girl’s face, the dimples at the corners of her mouth fully revealing their true shape—it was so sweet one couldn’t look away, yet it also harbored an inexplicable sense of familiarity.

Julian stared at Lydia’s face. For no reason, it felt as though something had struck him in the chest. He knew Lydia was a Hawthorne child, but he had never imagined she was Adrian’s daughter. The feeling was like pure instinct, subconscious, impossible to break down.

Evan also watched this scene, rooted to the spot. Earlier, he had thought it might be a misunderstanding, but seeing a real, living child with his own eyes, his brain completely forgot to react, leaving him with an ashen face.

Reacting faster than Evan was Julian. His eyes turned slightly cold, and he lifted his leg to head in their direction.

Sophie, who was just about to step out of the car, noticed Julian. Her expression darkened. She hadn’t expected Julian to be here too. She stopped abruptly and rebuckled her seatbelt, secretly rejoicing that she hadn’t gotten out earlier thanks to the phone call. Otherwise, bringing a child to find Adrian late at night was already highly unusual. With Julian’s sharp intellect, he would probably sense something was wrong.

She minimized her presence. So much so that when she saw Julian wanting to head toward Adrian and Lydia, she grew even more anxious; after all, he would easily see her inside the car.

Just as her mind was racing, a voice suddenly broke the tension.

"Julian, wait."

Stella had taken barely two steps when her ankle gave out. Thrown off balance by her high heels, she immediately clutched Julian’s arm. "I twisted my ankle. Take me back inside first."

Julian turned to look at her. In that brief window, a vehicle started up below. When Julian looked back, Adrian had already gotten into the car with the child. The car seemed eager to drive out of the area, not even giving them time to react.

In the car, Sophie had actually witnessed Stella twisting her ankle; she was only able to drive off because Julian was momentarily distracted. She almost had to thank Stella for her timely affectation, which always managed to draw a man’s tender attention. It had given her the perfect window to escape.

The car sped off into the distance.

Evan’s chest heaved, and he laughed in exasperation. "Daddy? It can’t possibly be someone else’s daughter calling him Daddy, right?"

Stella, complaining of foot pain, leaned her entire weight against Julian, never letting go of his arm. "Not necessarily. It happens often abroad. Besides, couples might call each other that as a kink."

Julian gave her a sidelong glance. The car was long gone, causing him to frown.

Evan still hadn’t recovered. "I was careless and let someone pull a fast one on me! Adrian actually has a daughter this old! He had a child with someone else years ago!"

The marriage contract between the Hawthorne and York families was well known in upper-class society; it was no secret. What he couldn’t accept was that Adrian had never intended to wait for his sister from the very beginning.

Looking out into the dark night, Julian asked, "How are you so sure your sister is somewhere around Kingsford?"

Speaking of this, Evan couldn’t help but think of the York family’s past. Years ago, his mother had broken ties with the York family and left with his sister, who wasn’t even two years old at the time. Later, news of his mother’s death arrived, and all traces of his sister vanished in Kingsford. She disappeared without a trace, as if she had evaporated from the face of the earth.

Over the past two years, he had been circling Kingsford in his search. Even his grandmother, an old woman who disliked socializing, had frequently appeared in public over the years. What was it all for?

"I’m not certain. It’s just a feeling," Evan said, his temper flaring. "But I need to get to the bottom of Adrian’s social circles. Even if the engagement is broken off, it has to be the York family who initiates it. I’m going to find out exactly who this woman is—who gave her the audacity to steal the York family daughter’s fiancé and bear his child."