Chapter 24
Chapter 24
After that, Daniella beckoned Xavier over. Come and sit."
Xavier walked over and sat down next to her
Once Xavier had sat down, Daniella shook her head and sighed. "My daughter is a pitiful child. Originally, we were warned repeatedly not to disclose this matter. But, Tony and I, we're getting old. So, I think it's time for her to find someone who will care for her dearly." Though Daniella was Veronica's adoptive mother, she never failed to raise Veronica as if she was her biological mother. Daniella loved Veronica more than anything else in this world.
Daniella knew she could not afford to cost Veronica her chance in finding a good gentleman simply because they wanted to treat Tony. Hence, she felt that she was obliged to speak out the truth despite the matter being exposed, and the Larsons might possibly kick them out of the hospital.
"Look at how beautiful and adorable the girl in the photo is," Daniella said, pointing at the person in the photo. Then, a motherly smile showed at the corners of her mouth, and she added, "She's my daughter, Roni."
"Roni? But... isn't that Floch Larson's daughter, Tiffany?" Xavier asked in disbelief.
In the upper-class circle, not many were unaware of the talented and beautiful Tiffany Larson, the No.1 beauty of the Larsons
"Yeah, she's like the spitting image of Tiffany. Truthfully, Veronica is not my biological daughter. She's a child I had brought back home a few years ago. Her biological parents are Floch Larson and Rachel Zimmerman, while Tiffany is her identical twin sister."
The news came as a total surprise to Xavier, and he was shocked beyond words. "Identical?"
The girl in the photo had fair skin. Her smile was pure and lovely, like a spring breeze, whereas Veronica had dark skin, thick bushy eyebrows, and freckles all over her face. In short, the girl in the photo looked way different than the Veronica that Xavier knew. It was hard for him to imagine that the woman who looked so unattractive was actually born this beautiful.
"She's pretty, isn't she? My Roni is really pretty." Daniella could not help but praise Veronica. However, her facial expression darkened in the next second, and her turbid
eyes were filled with distress. "But a few months ago, her biological parents showed up when Tony and I were hospitalized due to a car accident. We had no moncy for the medical treatments and nearly got chased out of the hospital when they told us they would give us free medical treatment."
"Really? Well then, it looks like the Larsons aren't entirely bad."
After all, the Larsons were notorious for being committed to doing charitable works in Bloomstead.
"Not entirely bad? My a*s! Yeah, sure, they can provide us with free medical treatment, but on the condition that Roni needs to donate her bone marrow to their son, who was diagnosed with leukemia. Apart from that, she must not reveal her identical resemblance to Tiffany. Otherwise, why would Roni make herself look like an ugly duckling to the point that I fear she couldn't find a boyfriend?"
After saying that, Daniella reached out to hold Xavier's hand and said amiably, "Xavier, I know you're a good child. The reason I'm telling you this is to let you know that my daughter is not ugly. So, please don't despise her and be nice to her."
A puzzled look could be seen on Xavier's face. He was still immersed in digesting this piece of information that hit him and was unable to calm down for a long time.
Someone who's so unattractive like Veronica unexpectedly looks identical to Tiffany? Moreover, she's actually Floch's biological daughter.
Both Veronica and the Larsons were in Bloomstead. However, the Larsons merely forced Veronica to donate her bone marrow to cure their son, who was diagnosed with leukemia, instead of letting her return to the family.
Now, Xavier even wondered if there was something fishy behind Veronica's adoptive parents' car accident. Otherwise, how could everything be so coincidental?
"The Larsons repeatedly warned me to keep a tight lid on this matter, and if anyone ever finds out, they will not treat Tony anymore. But, we're old, and we can't hold Veronica's future back for medical treatments' sake. We can't do that. That would be selfish of us."
This was the exact reason Daniella insisted on leaving the hospital. She wanted to stop her medical treatment and leave the hospital. After that, she could let Veronica leave Bloomstead, and Veronica could be herself instead of pretending to be unattractive every day.
"If that's so, then the Larsons are nothing but a bunch of jerks!" Xavier exclaimed. He
was fuming with anger yet felt deeply bad for the injustice done toward Veronica at the same time.
"Xavier.." Daniella looked at Xavier and said with a heavy tone. "I can tell that you don't come from an average family. Besides, you know the Larsons well. So, I figure your family is not of a mediocre middle- class background."
As her mother, Daniella knew Veronica's character very well. This silly daughter of mine has tight lips. She will never take the initiative to mention anything about the Larsons to Xavier. And as for Xavier... Not only does he know Tiffany's name, but he also knows Floch's name. Thus, I can imagine that his family background is certainly not lower than the Larsons, considering he is affiliated with them.
Later, she added, "Tony and I, we aren't competent enough. We even dragged Veronica along with us to live such a wretched life. But, I'm more afraid that there will be no one to care for her dearly, and she wil be bullied by the Larsons once we've departed from this world."
The future was unpredictable, but Daniella was certain that the Larsons were definitely despicable.
"Mrs. Murphy, why do you trust me so much?" asked Xavier while taking the family photo from Daniella's hand. Then, he took another careful look at Veronica in the photo, shock and astonishment still lingering deep down his heart.
"I may be old and my eyesight is failing, but my heart is as clear as crystal" Daniella heaved another sigh. Then, she looked at Tony, who was lying on the hospital bed. "Although Veronica is our adopted child, she has a kind and upright nature. Not only that, but she's also filial and hardworking. But raised by us, I'm sure she must have suffered from the bitter taste of life. Such a pitiful child she is." "Rest assured, Mrs. Murphy. I know what to do."
As he said that, Xavier returned the photo to Daniella. "Make sure to keep the photo safely, and don't let others have their hands on it again."
"Oh, sure, sure!" Daniella took the photo and walked over to the bed. As she stuffed the photo into her bag, she explained, "It's been a long time since I last saw Roni's original look. I miss seeing her real look so much, so I'll take this photo out to look at it from time to time."
Reading between the lines, Xavier could feel Daniella's love for Veronica. His mixed emotions gradually calmed down. However, it was still difficult for him to calm down every time he thought of Veronica. Suddenly, an idea came into Xavier's mind. How about I transfer both Mr. and Mrs. Murphy to another hospital for treatment, and all the surgical expenses are to be paid by me? The Crawfords are rich too!
"Mrs. Murphy, is it necessary for Roni to keep pretending to be an ugly duckling if I pay the medical expenses?"
"What's the matter? You, too, despise her for being ugly, don't you?"
"Mrs. Murphy... I didn't think she was ugly before, so why would I despise her now? I just think that things must be tough for her, considering she's a girl."
Honestly, Xavier never thought of himself as someone who knew how to care for a fair lady. It was simply because, in that short moment, he felt pity for Veronica, who seemed to have suffered similar misfortune as him.
"Oh, forget it." Daniella waved her hand. "Roni has a strong temperament. She'll never agree to this. Besides, there's nothing more we can do for Tony. It doesn't matter anymore whether he gets treatment. I've been wanting to be discharged from
the hospital for a long time, but Roni forbids me to do so."
Then, the two chatted in the ward for a while. After that, Daniella went to open the door.
Another half an hour later, Veronica rushed over to the hospital hastily. "Mom, I'm sorry! I overslept... Huh? Xavier, when did you come over?"
When we were on the phone early this morning, he simply said he got it, so I thought he would only be coming later.
After discovering Veronica's life story, Xavier experienced mixed feelings in his heart when he saw her again. However, he merely laughed it off. "Oh, I just arrived. Isn't that right, Mrs. Murphy?"
"Right, right..." Daniella was very cooperative. Then, she asked Xavier, "You haven't had a whiff of your breakfast yet, have you? Roni, go ahead and take Xavier to have