Chapter 571

Rex's train of thought didn't surprise Rowan in the slightest.

Rowan nodded meaningfully, playing along with his logic. "So, what do you think about my match with Elissa?"

"What do you think?"

Seeing that Rowan wasn't genuinely planning to marry Maya, Rex let out a long breath of relief. He shot him a sideways glance while eating his breakfast. "You practically raised her. Who would dare say you're not good enough for her?"

When the day came for them to truly go public with their relationship, Rex feared there would be far more voices claiming Elissa wasn't good enough for Rowan.

After all, high society only cared about family background and wealth.

No one would bother to consider that during Rowan's most lonely, helpless moments, it was little Elissa who had stayed right by his side, refusing to leave him.

Hearing this, Rowan arched an amused brow. "Really?"

"Has someone been running their mouth?"

Rex furrowed his brows, instantly looking like a fiercely loyal friend ready to go to war.

"No one has said anything yet."

"Good."

Rex knew it hadn't been easy for him and Elissa to get to where they were today. Out of respect for the breakfast Rowan had personally cooked for him, Rex patted his chest confidently. "With me around, no one will ever dare say a word. You just enjoy robbing the cradle in peace."

Otherwise, he wouldn't mind teaching anyone who gossiped a harsh lesson on Rowan's behalf.

Didn't these people know it was a sin to ruin a good match?

Rowan nodded, looking pleased. "I feel much better hearing you say that."

Then, he smoothly changed the subject back to the main point. "You still haven't told me what that Jade Pendant actually looks like."

After finishing a steaming plate of food, Rex's defenses had completely melted away. He picked up his phone and started scrolling through his photos. "I'm pretty sure I've shown you before."

Rowan had a vague memory of it as well. "Yeah, that's why I wanted to see it again."

"Here."

Rex found a photo from Vera's second birthday party.

The indoor heating had been on full blast, so the little girl was only wearing a beautiful princess dress. She was being held lovingly by her family, surrounded like a precious star, and the Jade Pendant rested perfectly against her delicate neck.

Her flawless, rosy little face featured large, bright eyes that sparkled like dark jewels.

She had a cute, perky little nose and her chin was tilted up slightly, looking every bit the proud little princess.

Rowan took the phone. The moment his gaze fell on the screen, he froze in sheer shock.

In an instant, he superimposed the little girl on the screen with the memory of the young girl from his past.

He didn't even need to look closely at what the Jade Pendant looked like anymore.

"Weren't you looking at the pendant? Why are you staring at my sister?"

Rex was weirded out by Rowan's intense gaze He reached over and zoomed the photo in directly opto

the Jade Pendant. "Look here. Stop staring at my sister!"

"Right."

Rowan snapped back to reality, but he felt a heavy, painful lump lodge in his throat.

If Elissa really was the youngest daughter the Wilkinson family had been

desperately searching for all these years...

Then what were all those agonizing hardships she had endured growing up?

Rowan forced a tight smile. He glanced at the Jade Pendant on the screen, feeling the cruel irony of fate.

Rex was starting to get creeped out by his strange expression. "Why are you making that face?"

"Your sister..."

Rowan thought back to the very first time he met Elissa at the funeral parlor and gave a genuine, honest assessment. "She's quite cute."

In the photo, she was a proud, vibrant kind of cute.

When he first met her, she had been a pitiful, sweet, obedient kind of cute.

They were clearly the same person, yet somehow, in just a few short years, she had undergone such a heartbreaking transformation.

It was a change so drastic it made Rowan's eyes burn with unshed emotion.

Rex lifted his chin proudly, not catching the underlying meaning. "Of course she is."

After all, she was his sister.

Having spent the entire night awake at the hospital, Rex was exhausted. He told Rowan to make himself at home, then dragged himself into the bedroom and face-planted onto the mattress.

Elissa took her time finishing her breakfast. Just as she was about to head upstairs

to work, she saw a familiar Bentley slowly pulling into the driveway.

A smile immediately touched her lips, and she quickly got up and walked outside.

The moment she stepped out the front door, she was enveloped in a tight,

inescapable embrace by the tall, broad-shouldered man.

Elissa's smile widened. Feeling a little shy, she pushed against his chest gently. "Matriarch is watching!"

The living room featured massive floor-to-ceiling windows, meaning anyone sitting on the sofa had a perfect view of the entire yard.

Rowan didn't let go. He simply held her, keeping her wrapped in his arms for a long time before his muffled voice broke the silence. "Little Nine, you actually came from a truly incredible family, would you..."

Hearing the heavy seriousness in his tone, Elissa joked, "Don't worry, I'd never abandon the man who stood by me through thick and thin."

Rowan chuckled, amused by her response. "What I meant to ask is, would you feel sad?"

Elissa initially wanted to ask him why she would be, but before the words left her mouth, she understood exactly what Rowan meant.

Would she be sad to know she actually came from a wonderful family, yet had still suffered through so many years of hardship?