"Yes, of course!" Sylvester nodded.He remembered how Seraphine had stared at him for several seconds, but her gaze lingered on Eric even longer. It was the first time he had doubted his looks."Promise me that you'll all remain calm no matter what I say next," Sylvia stated."Of course!" Brook stared at Sylvia, earnestly nodding. "Even if you tell us that Seraphine has feelings for Eric, I won't be surprised!"Sylvia rolled her eyes. "It's even more astonishing than that! Do you recall that Mr. and Mrs. Johnson aren't Eric's biological parents?"The family members nodded.Sylvia took a deep breath and continued. "Eric's birth mother visited today, and her story perfectly aligns with what the Johnsons discovered when they adopted Eric. They even underwent a DNA test this afternoon, and we'll receive the results tomorrow!"Everyone was stunned.Brook exclaimed, "I can't believe it! Sylvia, are you saying that Seraphine is Eric's birth mother?! But she's so young—"The entire fa
Grace spent a restless night, unable to sleep.Early the next morning, she hurried to the testing center, only to hear that the results wouldn't be ready until the afternoon. Thus, she patiently waited there.-Meanwhile, at the Williams.Eric awoke early after a night of deep slumber and began his martial arts practice. Although he was relatively new to it, even Tyson didn't dare spar with him anymore. He openly acknowledged he was no match for Eric. Sylvia and the others watched from a distance, knowing that Eric needed to release his pent-up frustration.Suddenly, Eric's phone rang. It was a call from Tiger.Sylvia answered the call."Mr. Johnson, Mr. Petterson's fighters have arrived in Salt City. We're going to face them in an hour. You should come and watch!"Sylvia was taken aback. Had Tiger and Eric talked about underground fighting last time?She conveyed Tiger's message to Eric. As he finished his final move, Sylvia felt a surge of energy.Tyson stroked his beard
Tyson was curious to know the answer. -Tiger knew about the possible feud between Eric and Lucas. He had intentionally set up a hidden spot for Eric at the underground arena.Bringing Eric there was to let him gauge the skill level of the fighters from King City's underground scene.The action in the underground arena unfolded before Tiger and Lucas through the glass of the VIP room.When the match began, Tiger put his best Muay Thai fighter in the ring, keeping the other injured fighter out of the bout.Tiger's fighter attacked fiercely. He used punches, elbows, and knees, demonstrating advanced Muay Thai techniques.Lucas' fighter snorted and countered as the Muay Thai fighter pressed on. However, he didn't resort to lethal moves. Instead, he used his palms and fists to disrupt the Muay Thai fighter's attacks. He even anticipated the path of the Muay Thai fighter's strikes and intercepted them midway."Great!" Tiger applauded. "He's certainly skilled enough for King City's
On the way back to the Williams.Sylvia spoke. "If you want to participate in underground matches, I won't mind.".Eric finally smiled. "Martial arts training isn't for underground fights. You mentioned that yourself before—it's for self-defense. If it's not necessary, I won't do it."Sylvia smiled back. Eric seemed to have taken her words to heart. She knew he wasn't in a good mood, so suggesting underground matches was just a way for him to blow off steam. Holding in anger could make people sick.However, she was still worried. Even though the DNA test results hadn't come out yet, she believed Grace was Eric's biological mother.Eric was banking on an almost impossible chance, close to zero.-At 2:00 p.m., Sylvia received a call from Seraphine. She asked Sylvia to meet her at a cafe alone.Sylvia left by herself because Eric was still engrossed in martial arts discussions with Tyson.Grace was already at the cafe when Sylvia arrived."Sylvia," Grace said, taking out a repo
Grace looked at Sylvia and said, "You two make a great couple."Sylvia smiled faintly. She knew that the decision about their relationship wasn't hers to make. It had to come from Eric himself.After some thought, Grace decided to visit the Williams family to personally inform Eric of the DNA test results.-At the Williams residence.Eric continued his martial arts practice. He had been in a gloomy mood for days, and now, it was the weekend. He had no plans to go to work. Martial arts provided him with some solace.When Grace saw Eric, tears welled up in her eyes once again. Sylvia had already told the Williams family about the test results upon her return. However, the final choice rested with Eric.With the support of Seraphine, Grace approached Eric. Seraphine was concerned that it would be too much for Grace to bear if Eric rejected her as his mother. She understood that a significant reason she had aggressively pursued the CEO position at Montgomery Corp. was because of Er
Eric was not at the hospital. The examination showed that Grace had fainted due to overwork and excessive stress.Brook and the others had also left, leaving only Sylvia in the hospital holding the bag of items Grace left for Eric.Outside the hospital ward, bodyguards formed two rows. Even nurses had to pass a security check before entering the ward.By the bedside, Seraphine sighed. "Aunt Grace has had a tough life in recent years. I advised her to explain things to Eric, but she refused."Sylvia was eager to learn about Grace's past. She sensed Grace's love for Eric but wondered why she hadn't contacted him for so long.Seraphine intended to share Grace's history with Sylvia and wanted her to tell Eric."I'm ready to listen," Sylvia said.Seraphine smiled knowingly, worried that Sylvia might refuse to listen and Eric wouldn't learn Grace's story."Aunt Grace's life has been incredibly challenging," she began.Sylvia frowned. As a Montgomery and the CEO of Montgomery Corp.,
Sylvia asked, "Did the actions of the Hernandez family cause Eric's current situation?"Seraphine nodded solemnly and replied, "Yes."Aunt Grace and Julius were deeply in love and naturally came together. At first, the Hernandez family didn't object, but when my aunt became pregnant, the entire family opposed it. "More importantly, when my aunt got pregnant with Eric, she and Julius weren't married, which was a big taboo back then. However, for both the Hernandezes and Montgomerys, it wasn't a major issue."The two families didn't want my cousin to be born. I don't know about the Montgomerys, but the Hernandezes' stance was that my aunt was an illegitimate child. They would never allow Julius to marry her. They insisted on aborting the child, even though my aunt had our support."My aunt and Julius refused, causing a major problem. Both families held a 'family trial' for my aunt and uncle. In those days, they could have faced death as a result. With my dad's help, they managed to
Noticing Sylvia's serious expression, Seraphine smiled warmly. "Are you feeling frightened?"Sylvia nodded. "Yes, I am scared. We are, after all, dealing with the Hernandez family. But what good does fear do? Can we simply avoid them because we are afraid?"Eric is my husband, and they say that people often drift apart in challenging times. But for him and me, that won't happen. If that day comes, I will choose to face it with him."Seraphine gazed at Sylvia with admiration. "Eric had a tough childhood but is fortunate to have found you. My aunt always spoke highly of your virtue, and now I see it for myself."Sylvia smiled, never considering herself virtuous. She used to be distant, but Eric had changed her."Don't worry," Seraphine assured. "Aunt Grace has made some arrangements. Even if the Hernandez family learns of Eric's presence here, they won't have an immediate opportunity to pursue him.""Why?" Sylvia asked, perplexed.Seraphine smiled faintly. "Aunt Grace knew that th