Chapter 724: Chapter 724: Exposed
Eli Sheridan has always been meticulous, fully aware that telling Old Mrs. Sheridan this matter rashly would make her suspect it was just an act to please her.
It’s not her fault, really. Before Cynthia Vaughn came to the Sheridan Family, there had been cases where the lost daughter of the Sheridan Family and Wilder Sheridan were known to be twins.
It’s about deliberately getting plastic surgery to look like Wilder Sheridan and then impersonating a visiting girl.
So Eli Sheridan didn’t explain much and handed over Ann Vaughn’s DNA test report and Cynthia Vaughn’s complete profile to Old Mrs. Sheridan for her to judge the truth.
After Cynthia Vaughn was recognized and brought back to the Sheridan Family, all her information was altered, including her childhood photos and past experiences, all forged.
However, what Eli Sheridan held in his hand was the genuine article.
After Uncle Vance’s explanation, the two points of distrust in Old Mrs. Sheridan’s heart turned into ten points of trust.
Yet she still couldn’t understand how Cynthia Vaughn had managed to impersonate for so long without being discovered.
The answer was written in the investigation report.
After reading the report, Old Mrs. Sheridan realized that the most frightening thing wasn’t Cynthia Vaughn impersonating her granddaughter so long.
——It was the people behind Cynthia Vaughn who helped her deceive the entire Sheridan Family!
"Eli, is this true?" Old Mrs. Sheridan clutched the investigation report, trying hard to calm the turmoil within her heart, "Is it true that Jane was the one behind all this?"
One is the granddaughter she raised, the other she thought was her real granddaughter’s impostor...
These two actually joined forces to pull off such a deception, fooling them all!
Eli Sheridan nodded slightly, his gentle eyes carrying a hint of sarcasm, "Grandma, what Jane did was not just this good deed."
"She collaborated with Cynthia Vaughn to open a store called The Snowbell Clinic, claiming it was independent entrepreneurship but actually to sabotage Sweetie’s Vaughn Clinic." Eli Sheridan squinted his eyes, "Back then, the kidnappers who kidnapped Sweetie and forced her to hand over the recipe for a life-restoring medicine were hired by her. After that, Cynthia Vaughn disappeared and went overseas to a plastic surgery hospital."
Ann Vaughn’s brows furrowed. That kidnapping nearly took her life, and had Cyrus Hawthorne not arrived in time, she feared she would have been long gone cold.
Yet she never expected that since that time, Jane’s methods of dealing with her had been so cruel.
Both Old Mrs. Sheridan and Wilder Sheridan look equally displeased but feel Eli Sheridan has more to say, so they do not interrupt.
"Afterwards, Jane falsely claimed she encountered Cynthia Vaughn by coincidence and noticed her resemblance to Wilder, so she brought her back for verification. The truth was, from Cynthia Vaughn going overseas for surgery and recovery and then returning, Jane was orchestrating everything from behind the scenes."
At this point, Eli Sheridan’s eyes turned completely cold.
"Does Grandma know why Cynthia Vaughn’s leg broke?"
Old Mrs. Sheridan shook her head, not knowing.
"Because she kidnapped Sweetie, beat her, and even caused her miscarriage." Eli Sheridan’s words were sharp as blades, cutting to the heart, "And behind it all, aiding her was—also Jane Sheridan."
Beatings, miscarriage!?
Her granddaughter, whom they should have treasured and nurtured, was persecuted to such an extent, yet they knew nothing!
Old Mrs. Sheridan covered her mouth, her mind suddenly feeling as if the world had collapsed, tears seeping through the gaps between her fingers.
Through blurred tears, she looked at Ann Vaughn, reaching out to hug her, yet afraid of rejection.
"Child, are you... willing to accept me as your less-than-perfect grandma?"
Ann Vaughn stepped forward two steps voluntarily, throwing herself into Old Mrs. Sheridan’s fragrant embrace, "Grandma."
"Good, good!" Old Mrs. Sheridan was so excited she didn’t know where to place her hands, her face trembling, clumsily patting Ann Vaughn’s back, "Grandma’s Sweetie, finally found you—"
Ann Vaughn’s eyes got misty, her heart racing wildly, suddenly overwhelmed with a strong urge.
To tell those who mocked her for being a child of unknown parentage.
She is not a child of unknown parentage.
She also has family, and they love her dearly.
Compared to the heartwarming atmosphere between them, Wilder Sheridan remained frozen in place, unable to snap back to reality.
After a long while, he looked incredulously at Eli Sheridan’s composed face, his tone pained, "Brother, is all this true?"
"Do you think I would joke about Sweetie’s matter?" Eli Sheridan retorted.
From beginning to end, the one who saw through the entire situation was not Wilder Sheridan but Eli Sheridan.
If Cynthia Vaughn had not some remaining value, there was no way he would keep her until the sun rose the next day.
And Jane Sheridan would inevitably have to pay for everything she did.
But Eli Sheridan knew Wilder Sheridan might find it hard to accept these facts, given his good relationship with Jane, but he said no more.
He’s grown up now, with his own moral compass and values.
Wilder Sheridan bowed his head in chaos, fists clenched tightly, his mind a swirl of confusion.
Ever since he discovered Jane instructed the maid to hide a necklace in Ann Vaughn’s bag to frame her.
Recalling the bond from growing up together, he treated her as always, yet there had always been a knot in his heart.
But Wilder Sheridan never expected Jane’s malice and terror had surpassed his imagination!
Plotting to kidnap and murder, orchestrating impersonation and deceit, even causing Ann Vaughn’s miscarriage—
At this moment, Jane’s image in Wilder Sheridan’s mind, like dominoes, suddenly collapsed, a total defeat.
Not even the last bit of affection remained.
...
Night falls.
After finally finishing his work and returning home, Stanley Sheridan discovered that at this usual hour, Old Mrs. Sheridan and the two brothers, who would normally sit around the dining table, were nowhere to be found.
Stanley Sheridan casually handed his coat to the servant, frowning and asking, "It’s dinner time; didn’t any of you inform Old Mrs. Sheridan and the two young masters to come down for dinner?"
The servants exchanged glances, lowered their heads, and replied, "Sir, Old Mrs. Sheridan and the two young masters... are not here."
"Not here? What do you mean not here?"
"Sir, Old Mrs. Sheridan said she wanted to take the two young masters to Viridian Palace for a few days; during these days... please take care of yourself."
Stanley Sheridan: ?
What’s going on?
Why does the Grand Empress Dowager’s tone sound like she’s abandoning him?
Walking behind Stanley Sheridan, Jane Sheridan, who had just returned from the company, curled her lips, a hint of suspicion flashing in her eyes.
Grandma and the Vaughn Family have never had a good relationship. Whenever they met, they treated each other like air.
How did they suddenly go over there?
"Did any guests come over today?" Jane Sheridan asked softly.
The servant shook their head, "Miss, no guests came by today."
"Then let’s eat first, and later we’ll call over and ask." Stanley Sheridan was unsure of the Grand Empress Dowager’s mind for a while, sitting down at the dining table.
Somehow, suddenly, there was a sense of melancholy of being left behind.