Chapter 368 She May Be Your Sister
Using his network of connections, Kurt investigated the Hutton family of Saspiuburg. His reach was wide and in a matter of several days, he had compiled information on all three generations of the Hutton family.
Amelia—with Tony in her arms—and Tiffany were seated next to each other on a sofa while Kurt sat on an armchair facing them.
Glancing at Kurt, Tiffany asked, “Kurt, have you found anything?”
Kurt nodded in affirmative. “It seems the Hutton family is a rather influential family in Saspiuburg. The family is involved in IT, entertainment, and food businesses. They have business in Beshya, Zaprington, and Ordano. The Huttons are a very affluent family. Eleanor Hutton was seen with a son and daughter, which means that, besides Amelia Hutton, she has a son as well. Rumors say that she has another daughter who disappeared when she was six years old and has not been found since.”
Tiffany fell deep into her thoughts as she listened to Kurt.
She turned to look at Amelia, who had not spoken a word yet. After a moment’s thought, she questioned, “Amelia, do you think Mrs. Hutton has mistaken you for her daughter?”
Amelia gently stroked Tony’s hair and replied, “I am a daughter of the Winters family.”
Letting out a snort, Tiffany uttered disdainfully, “Are those people even worthy of being called ‘family?’ Have they even called you once to check up on you ever since you left? I’ve never seen a family as cold and cruel as them! Well, at least they still had some conscience and did not treat you like a cash cow. You have no use for a family like that. It’ll be great if you’re actually related to the Huttons. Mrs. Hutton seems like a woman who adores her children.”
Amelia’s face darkened and grief flashed across her eyes.
Noticing Amelia had fallen into another silence, Tiffany knew she had spoken too much. However, she really was very unhappy with the Winters family. She had never seen such an unloving family and such a lack of affection for one’s own children.
“Amelia, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you. I’m lamenting for you. If you really are related to the Hutton family, it would explain the indifference that the Winters family has towards you,” Tiffany explained, trying to persuade Amelia to accept the Huttons. “It seems to me that Mrs. Hutton cares for you. Haven’t you always wanted a complete family? This would make up for the brokenness of your past.”
Amelia continued stroking Tony’s hair quietly for a while. Then, she whispered to Tiffany, “I’ll always be a daughter of the Winters family, even if they don’t love me very much. After all, they paid for me to go to college. I can’t be so ungrateful to dismiss that.”
Hearing that, Tiffany laughed drily. She really could not understand how Amelia could so stubbornly love a family that treated her so terribly.
“Amelia, you haven’t been in contact with the Winters family for a long time. You still think of them as family, but do they even remember that they have a daughter out there?” Tiffany asked sarcastically.
Amelia tried her best to see things from Tiffany’s perspective as she explained her own, “Tiffany, I have Tony now. My affections for my family are slowly fading away. It doesn’t matter whether it is the Huttons or the Winters. I just don’t want to be involved anymore. I am too old to care or to get to know who my biological mother is now. I just want to take care of myself well. I don’t want to become involved with yet another rich family.”
At that moment, Tiffany understood. Amelia had just left the Clintons. She did not want to be involved with the Huttons, who was yet another rich family. Besides, she was in no position to become a part of the Hutton family currently.
Tiffany fell into a silence.
Looking at Amelia, Kurt voiced, “Since Mrs. Hutton has come all the way here, it seems that she suspects you are her daughter. Would you like me to pull a little trick and send her back to Saspiuburg?”
Amelia was quiet for a while. Then, she lowered her head and asked Tony, who was seated on her lap, “Tony, do you like the grandma that has been coming to our house lately?”
“I like her because she looks like you, Mommy. Especially her eyes. I like your eyes, Mommy,” Tony answered candidly, nodding his little head vigorously.
Amelia’s heart stirred with some strange emotion. Her eyes went blank and all the light went out of them.
“Do you really like her?”
Tony nodded and insisted firmly in his little voice, “Yes. You like her, so I like her too.”
It was said that since children were so innocent, they were able to look at things more clearly than adults. They were able to accurately determine who was genuine and who was fake.
Letting out a smile, Amelia pinched Tony’s cheeks affectionately. “I love you so much, my dear son.”
Tony stretched out his chubby arms and patted Amelia’s cheeks as well. “I love you, too, Mommy.”
Raising her head, Amelia looked in Kurt’s direction. “Since Tony enjoys her company, you can leave her be. After all, she only came to Beshya for a vacation. She won’t bother us.”
Tiffany glanced surreptitiously at Amelia. She could not guess what was going through the latter’s mind. Although they had been friends for many years now, Amelia’s mind had always been a mystery to her.
“Babe, don’t forget that if Mrs. Hutton hangs around, she might recognize you.”
“We’ll cross that bridge when we get there. If it’s true that we’re related, then I wouldn’t mind having another mother who would love me. If this turns out to be just a misunderstanding, then let’s keep this a secret.”
Amelia was content to just let the matter run its course.
“Are you sure, Babe?”
Amelia nodded.
“I’m also curious to know, if I’m really a Hutton, then how did I end up in the Winters family? Even more strangely, I cannot recall any memories from before I turned six years old at all,” Amelia remarked. Her tone betrayed her resentment over her unhappy childhood. It was not that the neglect of her family did not bother her, but rather, there was no point in her being upset over it. The only thing she could do was to be strong and convince herself that she did not care about her cold and cruel family.
Tiffany just listened quietly.
“Mrs. Hutton has been longing for her missing daughter all these years,” Kurt stated. “She even had to go for regular counseling because of her grief. However, her husband made everyone stop talking about their missing daughter. That’s why very few people today know that the Huttons have another daughter.”
Amelia’s lips twitched into a sneer.
“Well, that’s great, because I have no intentions of getting involved with the Huttons anyway,” she countered.
At that moment, the doorbell sounded. Tiffany immediately stood up and exclaimed, “Oh no, they’re here again!”
She went to the door and pulled it open, and as expected, it was Eleanor and the other Amelia.
Eleanor had two bags of food in her hand. “Hi, Tiffany! I’ve made Lia some soup. They’re good for her eyes. You should have some too!”
Perhaps because Tiffany now secretly knew that Eleanor might be related to Amelia, she suddenly felt a little awkward speaking to the elder woman. However, for that same reason, Tiffany’s face lit up at the sight of Eleanor.
“Mrs. Hutton, thank you so much for the soup! You shouldn’t have troubled yourself; your presence alone is more than enough,” Tiffany uttered as she welcomed them in.
Walking up to Amelia, Eleanor placed the soup gently on the table and queried, “Lia, how are your eyes? Are you feeling any discomfort? I’ve made you some soup. They’re good for your eyes. Drink more, okay? I contacted the best ophthalmologist in Saspiuburg for you this morning. If you don’t want to travel there, I can get him to pay you a house visit here in Beshya.”
“Please don’t go to such trouble for me, Mrs. Hutton! Your kindness is too much for me to accept!” Amelia sat with her hands folded demurely in her lap. Since she could not see, she missed the strange expression that flashed across Eleanor’s face.
Patting her skirt nervously, Eleanor added, “Lia, have I done something wrong? Do tell me! I’ll set things right immediately!”
Amelia felt uncomfortable upon hearing Eleanor’s question. She was not sure if they were really related, but such a show of concern and respect from an elder was too much for Amelia to bear. Eleanor’s affections felt like a burden to her.
“Mrs. Hutton, you really are too kind. Although I can’t see due to my blindness, I can feel it clearly. However, we’ve just met by chance and you are already showing me so much kindness! It’s just too much for me!”
“Actually, you’re my… my…” Eleanor almost blurted out the truth. However, she thought of Benjamin and Sean and swallowed her words.
Amelia’s ear pricked up, trying to catch what Eleanor was trying to say. When she heard the elder’s hesitation, she felt disappointment rise up within her. It was a rather painful experience.
