Chapter 40 Turning Ashen
His gaze was too piercing, and it made Elsa instinctively turn her body to the side. “Colt, why are you staring at me like that?”
Colton’s gaze fell on the birthmark on Elsa’s arm, his eyebrows slightly furrowed. The events of the past surfaced in his mind, and he suddenly asked, “How did you manage to escape back then?”
Startled, panic entered Elsa’s eyes as she said, “Haven’t I already told you? It was a kind–hearted passerby who happened to save me by chance. If it weren’t for him…”
After gazing at her intently for a while, Colton finally nodded.
Only after Colton left did Elsa collapse onto the bed, biting her lip harshly without making a sound.
After spending a day in the office, Francesca returned to the apartment with her two children, only to unexpectedly catch sight of two figures.
“Mr. Dakota! Mrs. Dakota!” Lukas and Luna exclaimed with immense joy as they rushed forward. Meanwhile, Francesca looked on with a surprised expression.
“What brings you here?”
Braxton and Flora were a married couple who had been employed by the Shelley family for many years. Ever since Francesca was discovered and brought back, they had been by her side, assisting her in every aspect of her pregnancy, childbirth, and child–rearing.
However, they had never lived in Francesca’s home country before. Not wanting them to leave their homeland, she hadn’t extended an invitation. for them to accompany her. To her surprise, they made the decision to
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Chapter 40 Turning Ashen
come on their own.
Flora chuckled as she hugged the two children, saying to Francesca, “The kids can’t do without our care.
She examined Francesca from head to toe and immediately furrowed her brow, saying, “I knew you wouldn’t eat properly on your own. You’ve lost weight.”
Francesca was at a loss for words but felt a mixture of emotions. Having returned to her country, she had actually gained some weight, so how could anyone say she had become thinner?
Still, she was delighted by their arrival. “It’s so great that you guys come! Just saying, but we won’t be staying here today.”
could
Coincidentally, Francesca had already made plans to move to another villa, and she saw this situation as an opportunity to carry out her plans ahead of schedule.
The children were overjoyed in the new environment, and in no time, they were pulling their little suitcases upstairs, leaving Braxton to hand a suitcase to Francesca.
His expression carried a touch of solemnity, and with a hint of guilt, he apologized to her, saying, “There is indeed something wrong with these toys. This is an oversight on my part.”
Francesca’s heart skipped a beat. She had considered that Lacey might cause trouble, but she never expected her to be so ruthless as to target the two children.
She accepted the box from the housekeeper, curious about its contents. Inside, she found a collection of seven or eight toys, ranging from stuffed animals to robots and Barbies. At first glance, they appeared to be
ordinary toys.
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Chapter 40 Turning Ashen
Francesca even took some out herself but didn’t find anything unusual.
As the housekeeper pressed the hidden buttons on the toys, a disturbing revelation unfolded. Each toy began to tell dark and twisted stories, depicting children who were abandoned by their parents and met tragic ends. Even the Barbie doll uttered a haunting line, “Your mom doesn’t want you anymore, you poor thing.”
After hearing all the stories, Francesca’s face turned ashen.
No wonder Lukas and Luna secretly snuck back into the country. No wonder they’ve been clinging to me lately, and were even asking to go to the office with
me…
Francesca quickly ran up the stairs and tightly embraced the two children who were chattering away.
Though Lukas and Luna didn’t understand what had happened, they obediently returned the hug.
“I’ve learned about the stories the toys were telling,” Francesca said after taking a deep breath and meeting the gaze of her two children. “You both mean the world to me, and I want you to know that no matter what challenges we face, I will always be there for you. I promise you both, with all my heart, that I will never, ever abandon you.”
Despite understanding that the words spoken by the toys were mere fiction, Lukas and Luna were still young and vulnerable–unable to completely shake off the unease that had settled in their hearts. However, as they listened to their mother’s heartfelt assurance, a profound sense of relief washed over them. They tightly embraced Francesca with tears. streaming down their faces in silence. At that moment, the weight that burdened their young hearts was lifted.
Seeing the children cry made Francesca feel increasingly distressed, but she didn’t show it on her face.
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Chapter 40 Turning Ashen
After calming the two children down, Francesca earnestly told them, “You can always come to me if you have any problems. I’m here to listen and help you. Don’t keep them bottled up inside.”
Lukas and Luna nodded solemnly.
After going downstairs, Francesca looked at the butler who was still waiting in the hall, and asked, “I remember that Lacey is currently trying to gain Felix’s support, right?”
In the Shelley family, the principle of leadership by the capable has always been upheld. Initially, Lacey was positioned as a strong contender for inheriting the family’s assets. However, Francesca’s arrival disrupted this established dynamic.
It was quite clear that Anthony held her in even higher regard.
Naturally, Lacey couldn’t possibly give up on her many years of planning so easily, so she constantly found ways to oppose Francesca.
However, Francesca never thought that she would resort to such a dirty
trick.
The butler nodded. “Before we set off, Ms. Lacey even sent an emerald sculpture to Mr. Felix.”
Francesca sneered. “Since she has exerted herself so nauch, how can I not extend a helping hand to her?”
Francesca then took out her phone to make a call to her assistant Andrea, who was in Astoria, and gave her a few instructions.
Braxton looked at her curiously, “Ms. Shelley, what are you…”
Francesca didn’t hide anything and said to Braxton, “There’s a rare pink. emerald discovered near the border recently, measuring about half the
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Braxton was taken aback.
Felix indeed held a certain degree of influence in the Shelley family, but he didn’t like to meddle in family affairs. Instead, he had a penchant for collecting emeralds.
In order not to let him squander the family fortune, Anthony even restricted his spending. Now that the pink emerald had been found, he would definitely go after it. It would cost a fortune, and the only one who could lend him a helping hand would be… Lacey.
“Grandpa has mentioned more than once how much he despises Uncle Felix’s obsession with emeralds. If he ever finds out that Lacey bought an emerald for Uncle Felix…” Francesca said, sneering.
She had initially chosen not to confront Lacey, but it had become evident that the more she tolerated her, the more Lacey took advantage of the situation.
With that thought in mind, Francesca decided to give Lacey a significant surprise and show her that she couldn’t be underestimated.
Braxton looked at Francesca with contentment.
After all these years, the young lady has finally grown up and become a qualified hunter. He was sure Sasha would be very happy to see this.
Meanwhile, Colton had received the results of the investigation regarding Francesca.
“Cynthia Shelley?”
Colton’s brows furrowed as he turned his gaze to Timothy, who confirmed the information with a nod. “Yes. Once Ms. Beckman returned from
Chapter 40 Turning Ashen
abroad, her family located her and brought her back to the Shelley family.”
“What about the Beckman family?” Colton furrowed his brows as he quickly skimmed through the information.
The incidents of the Beckman family were not covered up much, and those familiar with them also knew about the previous relationship between Karen and Sasha.
However, Karen lied about giving birth to a child after Sasha passed, so no one could have imagined that Francesca would actually be Sasha’s daughter.
Only then did Colton understand why Francesca had asked him for the Beckman family’s IOU earlier. It turned out that it wasn’t to help the Beckman family but to use it as leverage.
“I remember we still have some business with the Beckman family?” Colton looked at Timothy, who nodded in agreement.
“Let’s stop it,” Colton muttered.
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