Chapter 3

She seemed unable to accept this fact, her voice involuntarily rising.

"Twenty years ago, at the orphanage entrance, I was the one who stopped your parents..."

She stopped mid-sentence, suddenly cutting herself off, as if even she found that past behavior too shameful to mention.

I watched her awkward expression, my heart utterly cold.

Of course I remembered. I remembered every single look of disgust, every word of loathing.

I remembered how she had personally pushed me away, severing all my illusions about love and family.

But I would pretend not to remember.

I pretended to think hard, then put on an expression of sudden realization.

"Oh—" I deliberately drew out the sound. "So it was you."

I looked at her with an innocent smile.

"I'm really sorry, but that was twenty years ago. It's been too long—I forgot ages ago."

"After all, I have so much important research to do every day. How could I have time to remember such trivial matters?"

Patterson's face instantly turned ashen.

Trivial matters? In her view, that had been the pivotal event that determined my fate.

This hurt her more than outright insults would have.

She gritted her teeth, saying unwillingly, "Stop playing dumb!"

"Aren't you harboring a grudge against me because I prevented the Williams family from adopting you back then?"

"Now you want to find an opportunity to get revenge on me and Wilson?"

I finally couldn't hold back a scornful laugh.

"Miss Patterson, aren't you being a bit too full of yourself?"

I dropped my smile, my eyes turning cold.

"Revenge on you? Are you worth it?"

"Come to think of it, I should actually thank you. If you hadn't been so determined to stop them back then, how would I have had the chance to become Mr. Johnson's grandson?"

"How would I have my current achievements?"

"So I should be thanking you—how could I possibly hate you?"

Every word I spoke was light and breezy, yet each one stabbed into Patterson's heart like a knife.

She was left speechless, her face alternating between red and white.

"Johnson? Stop spouting nonsense!"

She immediately sneered.

"You think just because your surname is Johnson, you're related to the Johnson family?"

"Stop dreaming. Someone like you could never step through the Johnson family's door!"

Just as she finished speaking, a black Bentley silently pulled up beside us.

The door opened and an elegant, distinguished woman stepped out.

She walked quickly to my side and naturally draped a coat over my shoulders.

Without even glancing at Patterson, she gently ruffled my hair.

"Holmes, why haven't you left yet? Grandpa's getting impatient."

Only then did her gaze fall on Patterson.

"Holmes, who's this?"

I hooked my arm for Jones to take, smiling brightly.

"Nothing, just a patient who came in today. We chatted for a bit."

Patterson completely froze in place.

She looked at me and Jones's intimate gestures in disbelief, then at the luxury car that proclaimed its owner's status.

She wasn't stupid. She of course recognized Jones, the eldest princess of Johnson Corporation.

She also of course knew that Jones had a younger brother who was treasured by the entire Johnson family.

She just never dreamed that brother would be me.

Images from her past life uncontrollably surfaced in her mind—that boy who always followed behind her, timidly calling her Patterson.

And now, that boy was smiling radiantly as he offered his arm to another woman.

While she stood there dazed, I had already gotten into Jones's car.