Chapter 280
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Gianna immediately grabbed Elara by the chin and forcibly turned her face toward Gabriel.
“Your son has a crippled old man who collects junk for a faser–he’s never going to find a wife! You might as well buy her and make her his bride. I’ll sell her for three thousand bucks!”
She held up three fingers.
Gabriel’s lips trembled at his. He didn’t have that kind of money, and he glanced at Elara somewhat helplessly.
Seeing he couldn’t afford it, Gianna cursed under her breath and told him to get lost.
Gabriel simply took Finnegan’s hand, and the two of them left. At that moment, Finnegan’s expression was cold and unreadable.
Elara remained with the Sacco family for another three months. At some point, the police came by, recorded the household’s information, and left.
She couldn’t remember exactly which day it was, but she recalled curling up beside the kitchen sink, burning with a fever so high that she stopped reacting to the beatings and insults. It was as if her body no longer registered pain.
When she finally regained consciousness, she found herself wrapped in a warm cotton quilt.
She had never slept under a real blanket before. Mesmerized, she ran her fingers over the dark, thick layers of cotton, unwilling to let go.
She realized she was under a bridge. Gabriel was there, holding a bowl of watered–down chicken stew. Finnegan blew on a spoonful to cool it before gently feeding it to her.
After she finished, Gabriel handed her some medicine.
“I don’t know if taking you in was the right decision,” he admitted. “Finn and I don’t even have a proper place to live.”
Elara remained silent as she peeked out from under the blanket, her dark eyes staring directly at Gabriel and Finnegan.
Finnegan tilted his head. “What’s your name?”
She shook her head in response.
Gabriel sighed and said, “From now on, you’re my kid. You’re Finnegan’s little sister. Your last name will be Lloyd, just like ours. As for your first name…”
Gabriel looked at her and said, “The night I took you from the Sacco family, you were burning up with fever.
“Your so–called parents thought you wouldn’t make it, so they lowered the price to a thousand dollars and tried to sell you off. I threw down 800 bucks and ran with you in my arms.”
“The moon was enormous that night, so big it felt like it was about to fall from the sky and crash onto the rooftops. I carried you while running toward that moon. So, why don’t we call you Elara–the moon that orbits Jupiter?”
Priscilla’s voice snapped Elara out of her memories.
“You suffered at your second foster home too,” Priscilla continued. “Your foster father was bedridden, and everyone around you called you a curse.
“Then you followed Leonard Fisher to Hawke University, and your life finally took a turn for the better with the
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Fisher family’s sponsorship.
“When you turned 18, the Jones family took you back. But let’s be honest—they never truly wanted you.
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“By then, everyone in the Capitol knew Benjamin was a fal heir. He had been investigating his own origins, and in the process, he found you and the Sacco family.
“So, the Jones family had no choice but to acknowledge you
“Even then, your place in the family was uncertain. Abel still hoped Benjamin would inherit the Jones family empire.”
Priscilla’s gaze sharpened as she said, “You entered Jones Group as vice president, handling acquisition projects. Then you made a high–profile announcement about your relationship with the Snapp family’s heir.
“But now that you know the truth about your past, are you seriously still going to be the obedient daughter and help Abel sell Joss Tech for a good price?”
Elara met her eyes. “What exactly do you want to do?”
Priscilla’s lips curled into a smirk. “I want to acquire Joss Tech. If you hand it over to me, I’ll release the evidence I have against Abel.
“I can send him–and Daphne, the woman who sold you–straight to prison.”
