The Bound Between Us

Chapter 378
Anastasia glanced at Duncan, who was puffing on a cigarette, and he showed no intention of stopping her. “Don’t look at me,” he
said. “If you want to take her, just take her. I’ve been feeding this little runt for a while, and she’s still a stranger to me. She’s a
waste of good food.”
Anastasia was flabbergasted. This was completely different from what she had expected.
Monica was also at a loss. Taking the girl home now seemed too impulsive.
“Well...” Anastasia didn’t want to hurt the little girl’s feelings, so she gently explained, “Sweetie, your name is Layna, right? I can’t
take you home today. Can you stay here a bit longer? You might be my daughter, but we need to make sure first, do you
ünderstand?”
Layna shook her head. “No, I don’t want to stay here. Mommy, please take me with you.”
With that, Layna glared fiercely at Duncan. “I want to live a good life with my mommy. If you hit me again, I will have my mother
call the police.”
“You little brat, say that again and see what happens.” Duncan suddenly stood up, looking menacing.
Layna quickly hid behind Anastasia. “Mommy, you see, he wants to hit me. Please take me home, or he will beat me up.”
Anastasia was torn. “Layna, your dad is just trying to scare you. He won’t hit you, okay? I will come to pick you up in a few days.”
Anastasia could tell that Duncan, despite his tough exterior, was actually quite concerned about L’ayna; otherwise, he wouldn’t
have rushed to bring her back when she ran away from home in a huff.
Anastasia was still hesitant, but she told Duncan, “Duncan, could you take care of her for a few more days? I need to take a few
strands of her hair for a DNA test.”
Duncan took a puff of his cigarette. “Sure, go ahead. Grab a few strands of hair. If you want to go with your mother, we have to
do the test, Layna. If you don’t do it yourself, I’ll do it for you. Don’t blame me if it hurts.”
Kids these days were smart. They’d seen a lot on TV and understood more than you’d expect. When Layna heard about the hair
for a DNA test, she quickly pulled out a few strands of hair and handed them to Anastasia. “Mommy, please come for me soon.”
“...okay.” Anastasia couldn’t promise anything, but looking at Layna’s hopeful eyes, she couldn’t say no either.

After getting the hair, Anastasia thanked Duncan and left with Monica. Layna felt very reluctant and watched them leave from the
window.
Duncan sneered, “She might not be your real mother, you know. If the test comes back negative, she won’t come for you. If I
ended up with a daughter with your temper, I’d wish I could give her away.”
“The beautiful lady must be my real mother, Duncan. I told you, I’m a rich man’s daughter, not the daughter of a broke guy like
you. When my mom comes for me, don’t you dare come looking for me,” Layna scorned Duncan.
Duncan laughed mockingly. “Don’t worry, if your real mom does come for you, I certainly won’t bother you. You ungrateful brat,
you can leave now, and I won’t stop you.”
Ever since Layna found out she wasn’t his real daughter, she’d been dreaming about being a princess and longing for her
wealthy parents to come and take her away. She’d been influenced by the other kids in the neighborhood and the unrealistic
expectations they’d developed from watching too much TV. The slightest hint of not being their parents’ biological child, had them
dreaming about running away to find their real parents.
Layna, influenced by this environment and with a strong sense of competition, had been fantasizing about being a princess.
She retorted, “Tell me where my real mom lives, and I’ll go find her right now.”
Duncan, frustrated, blurted out, “Fine, go. Your real mom lives in Harmony Meadows. Let’s see if you have the guts to go there.”
With that, he grabbed his cigarette and went to the bathroom. He was just talking out of anger; he didn’t mean it. But Layna
remembered the name of the neighborhood and began to plan how she would find her real mom.