Chapter 730 Gloss It Over
Rina said nothing. Instead, she looked at Julia, and it was obvious that she wanted Julia to leave them alone. She wanted a private talk.
Julia blanched and she felt even more hurt, but still, she managed to force a smile. “Rina, I’m your mother. Why can’t I listen to the conversation?”
Rina turned her head away and averted her gaze.
That simple action was like a stab to the heart for Julia, shattering it into pieces. She felt suffocated from the sheer pain. She doesn’t want me to be here, and she doesn’t even want to see me. She doesn’t want to talk to me. She… Julia covered her face and started to cry.
Titus had chosen to stay neutral, but at that point, he frowned, and he looked at Rina with slight annoyance. He knew what Julia said hurt Rina and angered her. That was why he turned a blind eye even though Rina was throwing a tantrum. But she’s taking it too far now.
Yes, it was hurtful, but Julia truly cares about her. Even if she was only acting, at least she didn’t stay distant like how she truly feels about Rina. He thought Julia didn’t really wrong Rina, so he felt that Rina should stop while she was ahead. She can’t just stay mad at Julia forever.
At this thought, Titus said coldly, “Rina, she’s your mother. Even if she did hurt you, you don’t have to hold it against her forever. At least she has never hurt you after you came back to us.”
Rina noticed the displeasure in his voice. She averted her gaze and stared at the ground silently.
Titus ignored her and turned to his wife, though he looked a lot gentler than he was a moment ago. “Leave us for now. You two should calm down and talk things through after that.”
Julia looked at Rina and nodded. “Okay.” She turned around and slowly went out, though she kept looking back.
Eventually, she closed the door, leaving Titus and Rina alone in the room.
Titus massaged his temples and looked down. “Rina, I know you took what your mother said to heart, and I know what she said was hurtful, but you just came back after two decades of absence. She is still not used to it, which is why she said what she said. But she still loves you, alright? Talk to her later. Clear this up, or it’ll be a mess down the line.”
Rina bit her lip and muttered, “I understand, Dad.” She was planning on guilt-tripping Julia for a while so she could get more love out of her, but now Titus was displeased with her attitude. It was then she realized that Titus cared more about his wife whom he had married for decades than her, whom he had just met a few months ago. Dad will always pick Mom when it comes down to me or her. If I keep this up, Dad’s going to dislike me. I have to stop this, or I’ll lose a lot.
Titus nodded in approval, and a smile made its way through his wizened face. “That’s my girl. So, what do you want to talk about?”
Rina clenched her fists and hesitated for a while before she said, “Dad, are you… are you suspecting that Miss Reed is your real daughter? Is that why you sent your men to look into her past?”
Titus’ expression turned serious, and he looked at her sharply. “How did you find out about that?”
Rina was honest. “Mr. Fuller told me about it. You know he got back together with Miss Reed, so he cares about everything that’s related to her. Of course he knows what you’re doing. He thinks that you’re looking into Miss Reed’s past because you suspect that she’s your daughter. That’s why he called me. He wanted me to ask you to stop investigating, since Miss Reed can’t be your daughter.”
“What a busybody.” Titus sneered.
Rina came up with a little plan and stomped her foot angrily, then she started to sob. “Dad, I don’t understand why you think she’s your daughter. I’m Rina. We even did a DNA test. I’m your daughter, right? So why do you think she’s your daughter? Do you think the DNA test is a fluke? Am I not good enough? Do you want someone else to be your daughter?”
Titus started panicking, and he waved his hands. “Rina, I-I didn’t. I just thought about it because Sonia got adopted right after you were stolen, so I had some suspicions. I…”
“So what? Does that mean more than a DNA test? You saw the results. I’m the real Rina, but now you think someone else is the real me because of some random date? And you looked into it right away? Dad, that’s really hurtful,” she interrupted and cried louder.
Titus knew he was on the wrong side, and he felt guilty. He cleared his throat and apologized, “I’m sorry, Rina. It was just on impulse. I won’t do it again.”
“Really?” She looked at him tearfully.
He nodded. “Yes.”
She sniffled. “Fine, I’ll trust you for once. But please tell your men to retreat and stop looking into this. If someone found out, they might use it to attack you.”
“Okay, right away. I’ll stop the investigation.” Titus took his phone.
Rina’s eyes gleamed. “I’ll be leaving now, Dad. I’ll talk to Mom.”
“Sure, sure.” He waved her away.
Rina wiped away her tears, but the moment she turned around, she smiled. All the sadness on her face was replaced by a smug look. Good. I got through this safely. Dad has stopped suspecting Sonia, and he’s not looking into the case anymore. I can keep up this façade longer. Her eyes glinted and she took her phone out and sent a text. After she confirmed that it was sent, she went to open the door.
Toby had just finished smoking when he felt his phone vibrating. He flicked the ash away and put the cigarette out before taking his phone out. When he noticed that it was from Rina, he got serious. He deleted the text after reading it, then he put his phone into his pocket and went back to Sonia’s office.
Sonia was long done talking to Zane, and she was brewing coffee when Toby came back. When she heard the sound of his footsteps, she stopped grinding the beans and looked in his direction. “Done?” She smiled.
