Nora stared hard at Old Maddy to look at his reaction after she voiced the question.
She would never trust a person’s words that easily, so she wanted to determine whether he was telling the truth through his reaction.
What she didn’t expect, though, was that because of the burns on Old Maddy’s face, he couldn’t make any facial expressions. Even his eyes were too small for her to see anything. This made him hard to read.
Old Maddy kept quiet for a while. Suddenly, he asked, “Twins? Triplets? What are you talking about? Didn’t you only give birth to a daughter?”
In Old Maddy’s impression, the daughter of the lady he served had returned and gave birth to a daughter.
How could it have been twins or triplets instead?
Seeing how logical his answer was, Nora frowned. “Uncle…”
“I’m not worthy of having you call me that.” Old Maddy interrupted her and said, “My name is Jake Reed. I am your mother’s subordinate, and you are the young lady whom I now serve.”
Seeing that he had brought up her mother again, Nora asked, “What on earth happened back then?”
Old Maddy heaved a sigh. “Your mother was tricked into doing human research by a mysterious organization back then. When she realized what was happening, she hurriedly ran away from the organization. However, that organization was simply too powerful. In order to avoid implicating your father, your mother staged an elopement and made everyone think that she had betrayed your father. Then, she left New York and went to a small town in California. At that time, she only took me with her.”
Old Maddy’s explanation was simple, but it matched the story that Nora had previously heard.
“And then?” She asked.
“Then, your mother found someone with the last name Smith-Henry Smith, I think-and pretended to marry him. The two of them then lived in secret in California. Do you know why she went to Henry?”
Nora had a guess, but she didn’t say it.
Old Maddy then said, “Because she wanted you to have the last name ‘Smith’. Even if you couldn’t grow up under your real father’s love and care, she still wanted you to keep your real last name.”
It was just like what she had thought.
Her mother must have been deeply in love with Ian back then!
That was why the tiny company she had founded in California was named Idealian Pharmaceuticals.
Nora did not comment on the love between her parents. Instead, she listened quietly.
Old Maddy went on. “But later, she was still discovered by the mysterious organization. Because I had never made an appearance in front of others, she told me to leave and hide somewhere. Then, once you turned twenty, I was supposed to tell you that you must have a baby!”
He continued. “I had no friends or relatives and had been working for your mother the whole time. I didn’t know what I should do during all those years, either. Moreover, I knew that your mother was in danger, so I had only one thought in my mind, and that was to look for your father! The Smiths were strong and powerful. If there was someone who could save your mother, it was your father. But on my way to New York, I encountered people from the mysterious organization. They injured me.”
Old Maddy seemed to be recalling the events from back then. He said, “After that, my mind was in a state of confusion. All I knew was that I had to go to New York to look for your father… but I forgot why I had to do that. I also kept your mother’s order strictly in mind, that was, to tell you that you must have a baby before you turn twenty!”
Nora had been stunned the moment Old Maddy mentioned that she had to have a baby. Upon hearing him bringing it up again, even though she knew that she shouldn’t be interrupting him at this time, judging from his demeanor, he should have already finished the story. There was nothing after that. Thus, she finally couldn’t stop herself from asking, “Why did I have to have a baby?”
Old Maddy heaved a huge sigh. “Because… you would have died if you hadn’t!”
Nora became more confused.
Trueman had also told her the same thing. He had told her that she would have died if she hadn’t had a baby. At that time, she had been dubious about his answer, but Trueman had said that he was telling the truth. Later on, however, she discovered that what he had said was only half-true.
Nora had always wanted to know why she had to have a baby back then. It seemed that, be it her mother or Trueman, both of them had made that choice for her. But… why?
Thinking about this, she asked, “Why?”
Nora knew that the answer would finally be revealed today.
