No Strings Attached

Chapter 321

Wrapping his arms around his neck, Orin planted a big, wet kiss on Edwin’s cheek.

Leaning close to his ear, Orin whispered in a childish lilt, “I haven’t wished my uncle a Happy New Year yet. May your fortunes soar!”

The innocent tone in Orin's voice entertained Edwin, eliciting a robust laugh from him.

Reaching into his pocket, Edwin pulled out a giftbox and pressed it into Orin’s palm, saying, “And I wish you health and heaps of happiness, Orin.”

With a smile, Orin replied, “Thank you.”

Then, his gaze landed on the petal birthmark that lay on the table. His eyes went wide with surprise. “Why do you have a picture of Aunt Clara? Do you know her, too?”

Edwin’s heart skipped a beat at the question. Staring at Orin, he stammered, “What did you say?”

“That’s my Aunt Clara’s back! She has a petal just like that one. I saw it in my dad’s photo album. He said it’s from when she was in college, wearing her dance costume. She looked so pretty.”

Edwin felt as if the breath had been knocked out of him. His grip tightened around Orin.

There was a petal on Clara’s back. Why hadn’t he noticed it at Rose’s birthday bash? Was Orin mistaken, or was there more to the story?

Without another word, Edwin scooped up Orin and the picture of the petal and hurried downstairs.

Anders was in the kitchen, fixing breakfast. His brow furrowed at the sight of Edwin carrying Orin down. “Why is Edwin carrying you? You could walk down yourself.”

Edwin, unable to contain himself, set Orin down and handed Anders the picture. “Have you ever seen this petal on Clara’s back?”

Anders peered at it for a moment, then nodded nonchalantly. “Saw it once when she was dancing. What about it?”

“Is it a birthmark or something she drew on purpose?”

“Must be a birthmark. She was part of a dance club in college. Every time she danced, there was that petal on her back.”

The truth seemed tantalizingly close, and Edwin’s breath hitched. Struggling to keep his composure, he asked, “Has Clara ever been injured on her back?”

Anders looked puzzled. “Don’t you know about the time Heidi threw acid on her? After that incident, the birthmark seemed to disappear.”

Hearing this, Edwin was almost certain that Clara was the sister he had been searching for all this time. Heidi had meant to obliterate that birthmark.

The typically stoic Edwin suddenly found tears streaming down his face. He swiped at his eyes, only to find the tears flowing faster. He couldn’t rein in his emotions.

He finally understood why, from the very first moment he saw Clara, it was as if he was looking at his own mother. Not just him, but his grandmother’s family felt the same way.

It had never occurred to them to consider this possibility. Now that he thought about it, the dangers Clara had recently faced must be connected to Heidi. She was trying to silence a truth, to fully usurp the heiress’ place in the Campbell family.

Anders knew something was up from Edwin’s response. “Are you suspecting Clara might be your sister?”

Edwin exhaled deeply. “I suspect it, but we’ll need a DNA test to confirm.”

Anders frowned. “If you’re going to do that, you’d better hurry. She’s planning to study abroad to avoid further harm from Heidi and Sierra. It could be a long time before she’s back.” ConTEent bel0ngs to Nôv(e)lD/rama(.)Org .

Edwin’s heart ached at the thought. Clara was fleeing harm, giving up her blossoming career, and even her relationship with Ian, all to escape. How desperate she must have felt to choose this path.

The realization that all this pain was caused by Heidi made Edwin grit his teeth in anger.

Just then, it struck him. If Clara was indeed his sister, Ian must have known about the birthmark on her back. But why had he never mentioned it?

Edwin pulled out his phone and dialed Ian’s number urgently. The moment the call connected, he blurted out, “You’ve known all along that Clara is my sister, haven’t you?”