Looking at Ariana Evans, Titus Zane said with a smile, "Mom, you’re right about everything."
"If you think Mom is right, then listen to her. Come back home someday and see your dad and Lily."
When the mention of his sister Olivia Zane came up, Titus Zane suddenly remembered that Nathan Moore said... she had returned to her parental home.
Although he wasn’t particularly concerned about their affairs, he couldn’t help but ask, "Mom, is Lily doing okay?"
After all, they were blood sisters. Despite previous estrangements, he couldn’t bring himself to remain indifferent.
"Sigh," Ariana Evans sighed, patting Titus Zane’s hand tenderly, her expression wistful, "She’s still the same, sitting in a wheelchair all day, needing someone to accompany her whenever she goes out..."
"Mom, I’m sorry," Titus Zane felt guilty about Olivia Zane. If not for her mistake, Olivia Zane would be leading a happy life like anyone else.
"What silly things you’re saying!" Ariana Evans gave Titus Zane a reproachful look. "We are one family, why speak as if we are strangers? It’s not like you did it on purpose." Seeing that Titus Zane’s expression was still uneasy, she hurriedly changed the subject.
"Look at me, just chatting away with you and let the food go cold. Let’s stop talking about this, come on, let’s eat." Releasing Titus Zane’s hand, Ariana Evans put some food into Titus Zane’s bowl.
The four dishes were all Titus Zane’s favorites, which inevitably warmed his heart.
Titus Zane also picked some food and put it in his mother’s bowl, "Mom, you eat too."
"Silly child, just watching you eat makes me happy." Ariana Evans’s eyes reddened with joy again, and she hurriedly wiped her eyes while saying with a laugh, "Look at me, getting old and teary. Your father would surely laugh at me if he saw this."
"Mom, I’ve worried you." Titus Zane smiled, his expression faint, his parents’ marriage was loving, and in thirty years, he never saw them argue. They doted on Olivia Zane, and as for him...
Titus Zane looked down at the rice in his bowl, seemingly casually asking a question.
"Mom, I remember before Lily was born, you didn’t work and were responsible only for looking after me."
His childhood memories were sparse, but Titus Zane vaguely remembered that his mother didn’t work and would often sit on the lawn watching him play. There was a wooden horse on the lawn, with chairs and a small table alongside, and an umbrella set up for shade...
It must have been their own garden.
Ariana Evans’s expression momentarily stiffened while picking vegetables, tensing slightly, but she quickly covered it up and served celery to Titus Zane, reflecting.
"Yes, back then you were my first child, my darling, too precious to entrust to anyone else. So I took unpaid leave to stay at home as a full-time housewife, looking after you and helping your father with cooking."
Titus Zane looked up at his mother, trying to discern any hints from her face, but Ariana Evans sat reflective, her expression normal with no sign of discrepancy.
Titus Zane was confused; his childhood memories were blurry, but his recollection was that his mother should have been a gentle woman, sitting on the lawn watching him play, yet there were no memories of her in the kitchen.
His eyes suddenly widened, as a scene flashed through his mind.
A chubby little girl in a dress sat on the lawn playing with a flower petal-colored ball, not far away, a painting easel concealed the woman’s face...
"Titus, what’s wrong?" Seeing Titus Zane distracted, Ariana Evans called out gently, Titus Zane came back to his senses and looked at the concerned face in front of him, smiled, and shook his head, "It’s nothing, just... my stomach is a bit sore."
It was just any excuse but who knew that Ariana Evans would become so nervous, "Is it serious? Shall we stop eating and go to the hospital with me, get a thorough check-up?"
Ariana Evans was about to grab her bag from the empty seat beside her when Titus Zane called out to stop her.
"Mom, no need to make a fuss. It’s just my period, a little pain now and then is no big deal,"
"As long as you’re okay, that’s what matters." Seeing that Titus Zane didn’t seem to be lying, Ariana Evans muttered to herself as she put her backpack back, picked up her chopsticks, and then raised her head to seriously instruct, "But don’t ignore menstrual cramps. When you have time, you should go to the hospital to get it checked out."
Titus Zane started eating her rice and couldn’t help but complain, "Mom, when did you become so naggy."
Ariana Evans smiled and chided, "This child, always complaining about mom’s nagging as soon as we meet, am I not just concerned about you!"
"Yes, I know you care about me," Titus Zane replied as she put a piece of tender fried shrimp into Ariana Evans’s bowl and said with a smile, "Eat more, then you’ll have the strength to keep nagging."
"This child!" Ariana Evans shook her head helplessly.
They had a joyful lunch, and after finishing, Ariana Evans went back to work at the hospital. Before she left, she reminded Titus Zane over and over to visit home. With no other choice, Titus Zane reluctantly agreed, saying she would definitely visit them one day.
Watching her mother’s white Toyota slowly merge into traffic, Titus Zane took out her phone from her purse.
"... Sister Hua, how’s that matter I entrusted you with... Oh, you got in touch with your friend... Investigating my identity, the entire Zane Family as well as my mother Ariana Evans..."
After hanging up the call and putting her phone back in her purse, instead of hurrying to catch a ride, Titus Zane slowly walked forward along the street.
Going back to the hotel alone didn’t appeal to her, so she decided to take a walk on the streets instead.
The mall is always a woman’s favorite place to spend time.
Titus Zane was no exception, walking alone in the large mall, casually picking up items to check their quality, and trying on different clothes in front of a mirror. Because the items were designer brands, the staff at the counters didn’t say anything even though she just looked without buying.
Before she knew it, the afternoon had passed. She hadn’t amassed many spoils, just settling on two coats.
Carrying two paper bags, she walked out of the store, getting ready to leave via the escalator when a group of people came bustling towards her, heading in her direction.
The man and woman in the middle were particularly eye-catching.
The man was tall and straight, dressed in a black suit tailored to fit, with a neatly tied tie and short hair slicked with hair wax, combed tidily back.
The girl walking beside him was dressed in simple jeans and a hoodie, her long black hair tied into a ponytail swinging behind her as she walked, exuding youthfulness.
The two of them were talking while walking, seemingly enjoying each other’s company greatly.
The few people following behind them must be subordinates or staff members, always trailing closely. Even two men wearing sunglasses were looking around vigilantly as if on guard for something.
To Titus Zane, the man and woman were not strangers; they were Nicholas Croft and Sophie Foster.
Three years and the change in Sophie Foster was truly drastic; she’d transformed from a non-mainstream teen into a pure and youthful girl. It seemed that Nicholas Croft had really put effort into her makeover.
As the group approached, Titus Zane realized it was too late to avoid them and decided to walk forward confidently with her two paper bags. She had already faced the person she least wanted to see, so why not his friend.
Seeing the woman with a distinct European and American vibe walking towards him, Nicholas Croft stopped in his tracks, his astonished gaze containing a flicker of surprise as he looked at the woman coming his way.