Chapter 422
Chapter 422
Chapter 422
Adam was then reminded of his own wife. She seems troubled as well. "Your mother seems troubled too."
She probably went for a DNA test. The results will be out soon. Of course she'll be worried. If the results aren't what she thinks they'll be, it'd be devastating.
"Talk to her if you have time. Or just give her a call," Adam said.
"Yeah. I'll call Mom later."
"Are you sure you don't need to take a break?"
Kendall shook her head. "It's alright. You're going for a business talk, aren't you? I'd like to learn how that works."
Kelly was hospitalized and embroiled in a scandal. Everyone's opinion of her changed drastically, but as long as she was around, Kendall wouldn't let her guard down.
"I'll be meeting with Mr. Whitman at eleven. Dynasty Hotel. The talk will happen over lunch." He fell into a pause. "I thought you were going to have lunch with Dylan."
"I'll swing by his place if the talks end early. He has lunch at Dynasty every day. Yoseph is running the place, so he'll handle everything for Dylan. I just need to see if he's having a proper lunch."
Adam loved it that his daughter was getting along with Dylan. The more disappointed in Kelly he was, the more he liked Kendall. Kelly was a total dunce when it came to work. If she was more diligent,
industrious, and adaptable, he would have trained her for a few years and whipped her into a decent heir to the empire, but she wasn't the least bit hardworking. Adam felt more affection toward Kendall because she proved she was a worthy heir.
"You may leave now. I'll call your mother and tell her about Nell. She'll be taking over for Sally. Kelly… still wants to keep the baby. I have no idea what's going on in her head. Jackson dumped her, and her brother almost died for her. Yet she…"
The sentence was not finished. A moment later, Adam apologized, "We failed the Woods. We failed to raise their daughter up into a decent woman, but they did a good job with you."
Kelly used to be their pride and joy. She was brilliant and confident. She knew what to do and what not to. Not even once did she let them down, until recently.
Kelly used to be their pride and joy. She was brilliant and confident. She knew what to do and what not to. Not even once did she let them down, until recently.
Adam was planning on retiring in two years and handing the company over to Kelly while he and his wife would travel the world. But at some point in time, Kelly changed. Still, we only have ourselves to blame.
Lyla told them how Kelly treated Sally while she was in the hospital. If Kendall was that harsh to them, they would feel heartbroken too.
Kendall stayed silent for a moment. "She's already twenty-six, Dad. She's an adult now, and there are consequences for her actions. It's her responsibility, not yours. Part of the reason she's keeping the kid is out of love, but most of it is for another reason."
"No. We failed. We could have whipped her into a better person since she was little, but we failed. She's irresponsible because of us. This is our fault."
Adam thought they had to apologize to the Woods and thank them. They did a good job raising Kendall, while he and his wife failed to raise Kelly well.
Kendall didn't argue with her father. This was something between her parents and foster parents. Taking any side would sound inappropriate. She then left the office so her father could call Charlotte.
Charlotte just came to the center. The second DNA test's result was out.
She was here for it, but her heart was seized by trepidation. What if it's negative? If this Kendall isn't my daughter, then where's the real Kendall? Is she dead? Just the thought of the result coming out as negative made her hands clammy. And then her husband's sudden call shocked her.
"What are you up to, honey?" Adam asked gently. "It's a little noisy on your side. Are you outside?"
"Yeah. Out to get something."
"It's hot out there. Just get the servants to buy anything you want. You don't have to do it yourself. Or you could have just called me. I can get you the stuff you need on my way home."
"Staying at home is boring, so I thought I'd go around and shop."
Adam said guiltily, "I could have had an early retirement, but I guess I have to keep an eye on the company for a few more years. The vacation will have to wait until Kendall can take over."
"Have you really decided on letting her take over?" She blurted, "What if Kendall's not our daughter? I mean the girl we're seeing. What if she's not our Kendall?"
Adam was bemused. "What do you mean there's another Kendall? We only have one daughter, and it's her. We went through the tests before, and she's our daughter. Why do you think she's not our real child? Did someone say something?"
The answer didn't come immediately. The result is out, so there's no need to hide. She said, "I just think Kendall changed too much. She's probably not our girl. It can be an imposter, and you know what's in it for them. Our company and the position of Dylan's wife are too much to resist. So I plucked her hair and got it tested."
No wonder she looks troubled the last few days. She's been hiding this from me. "That's stupid. No way she's fake. Dylan's already checked everyone in our family. He'll know if she's a fake," he chided. "Did Kelly tell you that she's a fake?"
Charlotte said nothing, but the silence was an answer. The girls are already doing battle. The last time Jackson showed up at the same time the Colemans came to visit, Adam had a guess that Kelly was the one who told him to come over.