Chapter 356
Chapter 356:
The rain grew fiercer, its pounding against the roof vibrating through her bones. With the storm drowning out every other sound, Ector didn’t hear the balcony door open. He didn’t realize Fernanda had joined him until her voice cut through the noise.
“Ector, are you worried about Erika?”
Ector, startled, turned his head. “No. Just thinking about something else.”
“No, you’re worried about Erika,” Fernanda insisted, not fooled by his calm exterior.
For a moment, Ector’s eyes flickered with something unspoken before he sighed. “You’ve got me. Erika’s been gone all night. Mom said she didn’t go to any of her friends’ places and didn’t take her phone. I’m worried.”
Fernanda studied him, her gaze steady. “I didn’t know Erika went to see Mayson.”
Erika’s accusation that Fernanda had stolen her credit earlier that day caught Fernanda off guard.
Fernanda had been too focused on negotiating with Vinson for cooperation to know what Erika was up to. No one had told her about Erika’s involvement. Ector nodded, his voice soft but steady. “I know. You handled it well. Erika was just too quick to jump to conclusions.”
“I’ve seen how hard you’ve been working lately,” Fernanda said. “The termination of the Bloom Group deal—it was my fault. Even if I wasn’t wrong, it started because of me, so I feel like I should fix it. The deal with the Turner family… it’s my way of making it right. It’s not for anything else—I just don’t want you to burn out.”
If the fallout from her actions had ended up in Ector’s lap, Fernanda wasn’t about to stand by and let him shoulder the burden alone.
If Robert were in charge of Voligny Company, Fernanda wouldn’t have cared one bit.
Her care and concern made Ector smile, the warmth of it reaching his eyes. “I know you’re doing this for me, and I’m grateful. Thank you, Fernanda.”
Fernanda shook her head and felt that she should be the one to thank Ector. He had always believed in her, no questions asked. Even when no one else did, he trusted her.
Before, he trusted whatever she said, and now he believed her when she claimed not to have known Erika was involved.
Considering they shared different mothers, Fernanda greatly appreciated Ector’s acceptance, care, support, and trust in her.
“Now that I’m living at school, things should be easier around here, right?” Fernanda asked casually.
With her departure, maybe the Morgan family could find some peace again. Ector frowned. “Fernanda, don’t overthink it. This is your home, and you belong here.”
Fernanda’s gaze drifted to the rain, the droplets clattering against the railing. Some hit her face and hands, a refreshing chill sharpening her senses.
“Before I came back, I was thinking about how to handle things with all of you. Should I just pretend everything was fine?” she mused. “And that’s exactly what I did. When I first returned, there were no problems, even though Erika was openly hostile towards me.”
Ector’s eyes darkened, a sorrow reflecting in them like the endless rain outside. “Your mother probably thought the same thing back then. She and Robert assumed I didn’t know the truth about my origins. They even pretended I was their long-lost daughter. But I knew all along. I just never said anything. It wasn’t until your grandmother showed up and revealed everything that the truth came out.”
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