Chapter 797

Steven's brow furrowed slightly as he reached into his pocket, pulled out a

handkerchief, and tossed it right at Jonathan's chest. "Wipe your face," he muttered.

Jonathan caught the handkerchief, wiped the corner of his mouth, and replied smoothly, "Thanks, brother."

Hearing that sudden shift in address made the irritation and stifled frustration in Steven's heart even harder to ignore.

If Anneliese really was his sister, she hadn't even had the chance to be properly spoiled and protected by her own family before being charmed away by this man.

It was a deeply depressing and regrettable realization.

"Don't push it," Steven said in a low, somber voice. "Did you get them? Give them to me."

Jonathan finally raised his other hand. Three long strands of hair were wrapped around his index finger.

Steven reached out and took them with utmost gravity.

Though the hair was weightless in his palm, it felt like it carried the weight of the world; his fingertips trembled ever so slightly.

He stared at them for a few seconds before closing his palm.

He looked up at Jonathan and said, "Don't tell her yet..."

"Don't tell her!"

To his surprise, Jonathan spoke at the exact same time, saying the exact same thing.

The "her" in question was, of course, Anneliese.

Jonathan didn't want her to know yet because he knew how much the White family disaster had affected her. She had no enthusiasm left for finding her biological parents; in fact, she was borderline resistant to the idea.

Until they had a confirmation, he didn't want her riding an emotional rollercoaster, especially if things didn't turn out the way they hoped.

Steven's reasoning was largely the same.

Not only did he want to shield Anneliese for the time being, but he was also determined to keep Wendy in the dark.

Years ago, the trauma of the kidnapping and the loss of her daughter had left Wendy with deep psychological scars. It had taken her years after the divorce to slowly emerge from that grief.

On the surface, she seemed fine, but Steven knew his mother had never truly made peace with his sister's "death."

If Anneliese truly was his sister, it would be the greatest miracle imaginable. But if they were wrong giving Wendy that surge of hope only to snatch it away would be a cruelty too great to bear.

Furthermore, if Anneliese was indeed his sister, it raised dark questions: Who was the stillborn infant from back then? Who had orchestrated the swap, taken his sister across the country to Baytree, and discarded her? Every threat had to be neutralized before His sister could return home in a blaze of glory and absolute safety.

His sister would never be hurt again.

Currently, their enemy was in the shadows while they were in the light. Perhaps he could use these strands of hair as bait...

Steven gently rubbed his thumb against the hair in his palm, his eyes darkening with intent.

"By the way-keep a close eye on Anne these next few days," Steven reminded him as he tucked the hair safely into his pocket.

Jonathan had already planned as much.

He intended to have bodyguards shadow her discreetly so she was never alone, and he would rearrange his own schedule to be by her side as much as possible until the dust settled.

Jonathan nodded, then cocked an eyebrow at Steven. "What's with the 'Anne'? It's not too late to go back to calling her sister until the DNA results are in."

He isn't even confirmed as her biological brother yet, Jonathan thought, so why the sudden intimate nickname?

Steven shot a look back at Jonathan and let out a soft snort.

You smug b*stard.

Once he had that DNA report in hand, he would be her brother-in-law by blood. He'd see how he'd handle this kid then.

Jonathan couldn't possibly be arrogant enough to think he was a flawless husband.

From the perspective of Anneliese's real family, Jonathan still had plenty of room for improvement.

The Fullbuster family hosted Wendy's family for dinner, but Steven left early.

He told Wendy he had urgent work that couldn't wait.

Wendy knew that since it was the start of the year, he was indeed swamped. He had only come to the Fullbusters because of the mess Gianna had made which had

already forced him to push back

several meetings.

Wendy didn't suspect a thing. Only Jonathan knew that Steven couldn't wait a single minute more now that he had those samples.

Ellie had napped in the afternoon, so she was sitting at the table with rosy cheeks.

As they ate, one of her small hands was secretly clutching the hem of Anneliese's shirt.