Chapter 449

Elissa was taken aback. Did that mean the Wilkinson family wouldn't show Marcia any favoritism, regardless of her identity?

As the thought crossed her mind, Elissa felt a gentle gaze on her and turned to see Suzanne Jensen being wheeled out by a maid. It was clear Suzanne had been crying, and her composure was still fragile, but the look she gave Elissa was soft and serene. It held a silent, reassuring power that gradually calmed Elissa's frayed

nerves.

Marcia and Maya stared at each other, utterly bewildered by this turn of events.

Maya turned to Laurel, a beat too late. "Laurel, if she really is Vera, would you truly be willing to do this?" She had assumed that the Wilkinsons, in their desperation to find their lost daughter, would have welcomed Marcia with open arms, ready to spoil her to make up for all the years of suffering. Now, it seemed the entire family was nothing but a bunch of hypocrites. First, they insisted on a DNA test, and now they were talking about sending Marcia to the police station. Everyone knew the police wouldn't show up at the patriarch's birthday banquet unless they had solid evidence. The Wilkinsons were intelligent people; they understood that a single word from them could make this all go away, yet they refused to protect Marcia.

Laurel's brow furrowed in disapproval. "It doesn't matter who she is. If you break the law, you face the consequences." Her tone was final, making Marcia's face turn pale.

Maya appealed to Suzanne. "Mom... you're the one who wanted to find Vera the most. Now that she's back, we can't just hand her over, can we?" If Marcia went to jail, all her efforts would have been for nothing.

By now, Rowan understood the

situation perfectly. He let his fingers gently drum on Elissa's shoulder. drym

"I'm not sure the final decision in this case rests with the Wilkinson family," he said nonchalantly all but stating that since the matter

involved Elissa, he would intervene if he sensed any injustice.

The Murphy family might not be as powerful as the Wilkinsons in Cresthaven, but if they got involved the Wilkinsons could no longer. controb the outcome. The two

families had always been allies, so a conflict of interest had never arisen before.

Watching him defy her family to protect Elissa, Suzanne's first reaction wasn't anger, but a surprising sense of pride. Elissa's affection for this young man hadn't been misplaced.

"Rowan, you can rest assured," Suzanne said, her voice steady. "The case will be handled exactly as Laurel said. Justice will be served." Her words were for Rowan, but also for Elissa.

Before she had left the study, she had been overwhelmed, her mind

reeling from the possibility that Marcia was Vera. She had been torn, unsure if she should protect her. But in the end, her path became clear. She would let the DNA test and the police determine the truth. If the test confirmed Marcia was her daughter, she would do everything in her power to make amends for the past, but that compensation would not come at the expense of someone else—especially not Elissa. For some reason, the very thought of that made her heart ache.