Chapter 724: "I’ve Finally Found You.
Chapter 724: Chapter 724: "I’ve Finally Found You.
Lucy Summers’s eyes flew wide with shock and disbelief.
’Are Mom and Dad lying to me?’
’But why would they do that?’
Mindy Lynn suddenly had a thought and added, "Or maybe your parents didn’t lie. Maybe you were switched at birth at the hospital, like in the novels?"
She thought this was a very real possibility, her tone growing a little excited. "Lucy, what do you think?"
"I..." Lucy bit her lip and shook her head. "That’s probably impossible. My biological sister, the one who came to find me, said I was snatched by human traffickers when I was three."
"Huh?" Mindy frowned, suddenly at a loss for words.
She actually had her suspicions but didn’t dare say them out loud, afraid of hurting Lucy.
But even if she kept quiet, Lucy could guess what she was thinking.
She wasn’t a child switched at birth. She was a child snatched by traffickers. There was only one possibility—her parents had bought her from them.
Lucy’s fingers clenched tightly. She was too heartbroken to speak.
Mindy didn’t know how to comfort her and could only sit with her in silence.
After a while, Lucy’s phone, which was resting on the table, rang.
She glanced at the screen. It showed an incoming WeChat call from Renee Jennings.
Lucy hesitated for a few seconds before picking up the phone and answering the voice call. "Renee."
"Lulu, where are you right now?" Renee asked softly.
Lucy said, "I’m having a meal with my friend."
Renee: "Can you send me your location?"
Lucy paused, a hint of confusion in her voice. "Renee, what... what do you mean?"
Renee explained, "We’ve come to Jaelara. We’re at the airport now. Could you send us your location so we can take a taxi to find you? Is that okay?"
"Huh?" Lucy said in surprise. "You came to Jaelara again?"
They had just returned to Zenvia from Jaelara last night, and now they were back in Jaelara!
"Yes." Renee chuckled. "Is now a convenient time for you? It’s fine if it’s not."
"Hold on a second." After saying that, Lucy muted her microphone and looked at Mindy. "Mindy, my biological sister wants to come see me. Would you mind meeting them?"
Hearing this, Mindy immediately shook her head. "Of course I don’t mind. But I can also make myself scarce. You don’t have to worry about me."
"It’s okay, it’s okay. I’ll send them the location and have them come find us." Lucy unmuted the microphone and said, "Renee, now’s a good time. I’ll send you my location."
The voice call ended. The next second, Lucy sent her location, and Renee immediately hailed a taxi.
The car sped along. The forty-minute drive felt exceptionally long at that moment.
"We’re here, miss. You can just scan the code to pay," the driver said, pulling over. "Don’t forget your belongings when you get out."
"Thank you." Renee paid by scanning the code.
They had been dropped off right at the restaurant’s entrance.
"Is this the place?" Michelle Fuller asked.
Renee checked. "Yes. Let’s go in."
The three of them entered the restaurant, and a waiter greeted them enthusiastically. "Welcome! A table for three?"
"Sorry, we’re looking for someone," Renee said with an apologetic smile. She glanced around and quickly spotted Lucy. "Over there."
Lucy had seen them too and stood up awkwardly.
Seeing this, Mindy quickly stood up as well.
They had chosen a table for two, which was clearly not big enough for five people.
Renee glanced at the dishes on the table and said with a smile, "Are you two full? Or would you like a change of pace?"
"We’re good with whatever," Lucy replied.
Mindy also nodded. "Right, anything’s fine."
Renee’s lips curved into a smile. "I saw a cafe across the street. How about we go sit there?"
"Okay." Lucy obediently agreed, secretly stealing glances at Sheryl Sawyer, who was standing beside them.
Yesterday, she could face her calmly. Today, it felt awkward.
As they neared the counter, Lucy, holding the menu, said, "I’ll go pay first."
"No need," Michelle Fuller said with a grin. "I already paid."
"Oh?" Lucy blinked, flustered, and quickly said, "How much was it? I’ll transfer you the money."
"It’s fine." Michelle waved her hand. "It wasn’t much."
"But I feel so bad..."
"Don’t worry about it. You’re Sheryl’s sister. You’ll have plenty of chances to treat me in the future."
Lucy opened her mouth but didn’t know what to say.
Renee looked at Michelle, a hint of exasperation in her eyes. "Lulu, Michelle is my friend. She’s pretty blunt, so please don’t mind her."
"Not at all, not at all." Lucy shook her head quickly.
The cafe wasn’t crowded. Renee chose a corner table, scanned the QR code on it with her phone, and passed it to the space between Lucy and Mindy. "You two see what you want to eat or drink first."
Lucy and Mindy were already full, so they each just picked a drink.
After placing the order, Renee put down her phone. Her gaze fell on Lucy and Mindy, a gentle smile touching her lips. "Are you two classmates or coworkers?"
"We were coworkers, but we became friends," Lucy explained. "We don’t work together anymore."
"I see." Renee nodded. "That’s a bit like Sheryl and me."
Michelle Fuller snorted softly. "Yeah, yeah, yeah. So I’m the only one without coworkers, is that it?"
Renee raised an eyebrow. "Alright, Michelle, don’t be upset. When we get back to Zenvia, I’ll find you a job so you can experience what it’s like to be a wage slave."
"You don’t have to be so serious..." Michelle said quickly. "Let’s just talk about something else."
As her words fell, the table was plunged into silence.
Renee pursed her lips and gently broke the silence. "Lulu, did you see the results of that report?"
In an instant, all eyes turned to Lucy.
"I saw it." Lucy felt her ears grow warm, but she tried to act calm.
Sheryl Sawyer looked at her, her eyes welling up with tears again despite herself. She choked out, "I finally found you."
Lucy met Sheryl’s gaze, which was filled with complex emotions. She said hesitantly, "Sister Sheryl, my head is a mess right now. I don’t know what to do."
"It’s okay," Sheryl said in a gentle voice. "Now that I know for sure that you’re my Sweetie, and that you’re safe and sound, I’m relieved."
She wouldn’t rush Sweetie to acknowledge her, nor would she make any other demands.
"Thank you," Lucy murmured. After a few seconds of hesitation, she couldn’t help but ask, "Sister Sheryl, can you tell me about when we were little?"
"Of course." Sheryl found some childhood photos in her phone’s album. "This little girl is you. Back then, you’d say you were three years old, but you always held up two fingers..."
"You loved playing hide-and-seek with me. Every time, while I was still pretending I couldn’t find you, you’d impatiently run out to find me, calling out in your cute little voice, ’Sister, I’m wight hewe...’"