SWNOVELS Chapter 610: Who is Tina's Father?
Not far away, Angela sat on the wall, watching a heartwarming scene unfold in the Brookes family's yard. The guilt that had been weighing on her heart was finally starting to dissipate. Seeing Grandpa Brookes' smile, a smile unwittingly appeared on her own lips too.
Like Rachel, Angela had known from a young age that she was adopted. She had once wanted to call Grandpa Brookes "Dad" just like Rachel did, but for some reason she never could. She knew in her heart that the only person who could be her father was Ian. Only when she discovered her true origins did she understand her reticence.
At that moment, Angela decided that she needed to bring Alina back to make Grandpa Brookes genuinely happy for once. Now, her wish was finally fulfilled.
Gradually, Angela's gaze shifted to Brandon, who was playfully holding his head. She laughed involuntarily; this man truly never changed, no matter what happened!
Angela continued to sit on the wall for a while before slowly getting up to leave. Suddenly, she caught Natalie's meaningful gaze from afar. Though they were at a distance, Angela knew Natalie was looking her way. With a helpless shake of her head, Angela realized Alina had discovered her presence.
She took out her phone and texted Natalie, "I'm waiting at home. Spend some quality time with the old man first."
Grandpa Brookes and Natalie talked at length, mostly about what had happened in Natalie's life over the past thirty years - too much to cover in one sitting. Natalie glossed over her time with the Whittaker family, mentioning only that her foster parents had passed away, without delving into further details.
Eventually, Grandpa Brookes, looking at Tina playing with Kiki and Mimi, asked, "Natalie, who is Tina's father, after all?"
Natalie knew this question would come up sooner or later. She didn't shut down the conversation but was reluctant to reveal too much. "Dad, all I can say is he's the bravest, greatest man in the world, my true love. Our separation was due to our careers, not a faltering of feelings. He is no deserter."
Listening to Natalie speak, Grandpa Brookes felt a bittersweet sensation. It seemed his little girl's heart had been stolen by another. "Is he really as good as you say?" he asked skeptically.
Natalie raised an eyebrow proudly, "Yes, not just anyone can win over your daughter and make me willingly have his children."
Hearing Natalie's affirmation, Grandpa Brookes felt reassured. "Well, that's good. He better at least be like that Farrell boy for me to be satisfied."
"He's even better than him!" Natalie assured.
Just then, Tina called out, "Mom, no talking behind our family Uncle's back!"
Natalie clicked her tongue and helped Grandpa Brookes up, "See? A daughter's hard to keep at home. Dad, let's get you to bed, it's late."
Though Grandpa Brookes was reluctant to sleep, his tiredness prevailed after a long chat, and he slowly drifted off.
After leaving the bedroom, where Kiki and Mimi had already settled down, only the adults remained in the yard. Brandon, seeing his sister come out, tossed her a can of beer.
Natalie caught it with one hand and sat next to Scarlett, with Tina by her side. Brandon cracked open a beer, "Alina, you owe me this drink, remember?"
Natalie had actually forgotten, but Brandon's reminder sparked a vague memory. It was from a New Year's celebration when Natalie was nine and Brandon had just turned sixteen, eager to mimic the adults by drinking alcohol. Natalie had threatened to join him, resulting in a scolding from Grandpa Brookes. "Brandon, let's drink to that time!" she recalled.
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The group clinked their cans together, beer spilling over but unable to dampen their joy and excitement.
After a gulp, Jack looked at his sister with concern, "Alina, do you really not remember anything from our childhood? What's the reason? Was it because of what Rachel did?"
Natalie shook her head, "No, there is indeed a scar on my head, but it wasn't lethal. I could treat it myself and it has mostly healed. That's not what's blocking my memory. There must be some other reason I haven't uncovered yet." Tina leaned on Natalie's shoulder, "Could it have been some drug GTO gave you that damaged your nerves, making you forget?"
"Possibly, but what kind of drug could do that, and neither you nor I can figure it out?"
It was indeed a conundrum that stumped both Natalie and Tina.
"Alina, do you know who GTO was before?" Jack asked.
Natalie nodded, "Yes, GTO and Joshua's CK were both originally part of a criminal group called RST. Years ago, dad and Mr. Pace led a team that wiped RST out. Their leader, Five Poisons, left his daughter Angela and disappeared. I was kidnapped by him three years after he vanished."
"Right, I remember the case files said Five Poisons was involved in human trafficking to conduct experiments, perhaps to develop a virus. Could you have been a part of those experiments?"
Tina sat up straight, "But GTO's experiments didn't involve memory loss. Instead, it was the drug my mother researched that they've been seeking all these years. Mom, what exactly is that drug?"
Natalie's eyes darkened, "It's called ST-1, developed when I was infiltrated in GTO. It wasn't just a virus; it contained many curative agents. But when my cover was blown, I had to flee with all the ST-1 samples before they could be fully analyzed."
Tina was surprised; she had always thought those were poisons Natalie herself had concocted!
"In a way, I did develop it," Natalie continued, taking another sip of beer. "I was just continuing their experiments. No one told us what the drug was for, I just went with my gut. It turned out well, and GTO valued it highly. If not for Jasper uncovering my identity, I might have ended their whole operation."
Natalie's tone was slightly regretful. Scarlett chuckled, "You haven't changed a bit since you were a kid."
"Neither have you, Scarlett, always sticking close to Jack!" Natalie teased.
Scarlett blushed, "You're supposed to forget these things, how come you remember enough to tease me?" "Brandon told me!"
"Yes, I can vouch for that, it was all Uncle Brandon's doing!" Tina added.
Brandon laughed, "Why does this always come back to me?"
Jack shrugged, "Can't help it, Isaac isn't here to take the blame!"