Love And
CHAPTER 287

Chapter 287

Holding the phone, Stacey hurried over to Patrick and Debra. She quickly clicked on the photo and showed it to them. Both Debra and Patrick were stunned when they saw the image. “You found her so quickly?” Debra exclaimed, her surprise evident in her voice. However, her smile slowly faded because the girl in the photo was clearly no ordinary person. Patrick’s smile also vanished, especially after he read the message sent by Hayden. After a moment, Debra couldn’t help but say, “Maybe it’s just a resemblance?” She pondered, ‘If that girl is from an ordinary family and not married, we’ll do our utmost to help Charlie win her over. But if she’s truly who we think she is… she is out of our reach!

Patrick added, “Charlie and Claire met during university. If she’s studying here, she likely isn’t the heir to Jones Group.” This explanation seemed reasonable. After all, why would the heir of Jones Group come to study in Zentiscape?

Stacey couldn’t help but interject, “But she is in Yowhayton.”

At this, everyone fell silent again. The location indeed seemed a bit too coincidental. After a moment of thought, Patrick turned to Stacey and asked, “Becky, could you reach out to Hay to see if he has more details on Kelly?”

Stacey quickly agreed, replying, “Okay.” She picked up her phone and texted Hayden. He received her request and promptly agreed to help. However, it would take some time to gather the information, so they had no choice but to wait. The news about Kelly left everyone uneasy.

They wondered, ‘If the girl Charlie likes is truly the heir to Jones Group, his chances of winning her heart seem slim. If that’s the case, could Charlie end up single for the rest of his life?‘

Charlie had secluded himself in his room for several hours, eventually stepping out. The household was bustling with numerous children, with whom Charlie had developed a deep bond due to his affable and playful demeanor. As soon as he appeared, the children swarmed around him enthusiastically. Charlie, always quick to engage, crouched down and embraced several of them in his arms. Had there been only one child, he might have lifted them immediately. However, with the multitude of children around him, it was impossible for him to carry them all without causing a commotion of disappointed cries; such was the conundrum of his popularity among them.

Three days later, the atmosphere turned somber as Hayden’s message arrived. Kelly was not raised within the Jones family. She was the offspring of the Jones family’s eldest son during a visit to Zentiscape with his then girlfriend. Typically, Kelly’s background would preclude her from being a legitimate heir; however, a severe internal conflict had eradicated all direct descendants a few years prior, leaving no clear heir. Unexpectedly, the direct line introduced a girl from Zentiscape as the last remaining descendant. A paternity test confirmed her as the legitimate daughter of the eldest son, establishing her as Kelly Jones, the sole heir to the Jones empire.

However, the final part of the file mentioned Kelly’s current marital status. She was 34 years old, single, and unmarried. With the current precarious situation of the Jones family, it was imperative for Kelly to marry and produce heirs promptly. Nevertheless, she staunchly refused to marry, which exacerbated the tensions within the Jones family. The branches mocked the direct line, predicting their eventual downfall due to the lack of heirs, while even openly supporting Kelly’s decision to remain unmarried. Other supporting families expressed dismay and urged Kelly to fulfill her duties by marrying soon.

“Why hasn’t she married yet?” Stacey queried, unable to contain her curiosity. The question lingered in the air as everyone’s gaze shifted between Stacey and the file, pondering the implications,

“I’ll go talk to Chuck,” declared Debra, picking up the file as she made her way toward the garden. The news had cast a shadow over their expectations, and Stacey, after a brief hesitation, decided to follow Debra.

In Carter Villa’s garden, where playground equipment had been installed for the children’s entertainment, Charlie was thoroughly enjoying his time with the young ones. As Debra approached, carrying the important documents, she observed Charlie engaging with the children and sighed softly. “Chuck, can we go upstairs to talk about this?” she requested.

Charlie paused, turning to face her. As soon as he noticed the document in Debra’s hand, Charlie realized it must be

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Chapter 287

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something connected to him, or more specifically, to Claire. His thoughts immediately raced, ‘Did they finally manage to track her down? Judging by Mom’s expression, it doesn’t look good. Could it be that Claire gotten married?‘ These

thoughts brought a wave of bitterness crashing over him. Despite this, he forced himself to flash a bright smile. Having spent years in the entertainment industry, Charlie had honed his acting skills to perfection. No one in the Carter family could penetrate his carefully constructed facade.

He continued to ponder, ‘Honestly, this isn’t such a surprising turn of events, is it? I’m 35 now, and Claire is 34. Most people our age are already married, and many have children by now. Claire… she might be living a blissful life right now, right?‘ With these thoughts swirling in his mind, Charlie followed Debra back to the room, maintaining his smile. Meanwhile, out in the garden, the group of kids who had been watching Charlie couldn’t help but want to follow him as he left. However, Stacey stepped in to stop them, staying behind to entertain the children and ensuring they wouldn’t disrupt the conversation between Debra and Charlie.

Debra led Charlie to the door of the room, and then turned to face him. Seeing his smiling face, she sighed deeply and said, “Stop pretending.” Despite Charlie’s flawless acting, she was his mother, and she could see right through him.

Charlie glanced at her, and the carefree smile that had adorned his face slowly began to fade. It transformed first into an expression of bitterness before finally settling into a smile that attempted to convey his best wishes. “Is she married?” he asked.

“No,” Debra replied bluntly, unwilling to leave Charlie in suspense any longer.

Charlie opened his mouth to tell Debra to stop investigating and to leave Claire’s life undisturbed, but he caught himself before the words could escape. His eyes widened in disbelief. “What did you say?”

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