Chapter 75: What?
The dining hall of the Michaelson mansion was as grand as always.
A long table filled the center of the room. Every chair was carved from expensive wood, and the crystal chandelier above reflected softly on the polished floor. The table was already covered with dishes from different countries. Some were Korean, some were Chinese, and others were Western meals carefully prepared by the chefs.
Pearl, better known as Madam Perry, stared at the table for a long moment before letting out a helpless sigh.
’So... after all my hard work hiding from these people...’
She picked up her spoon. "i’m still back here because of food."
Kim So-hee burst into laughter. "I knew it! Food is your weakness."
Caroline nodded seriously.
"If someone wanted to kidnap Pearl, they should’ve just carried pizza instead of using bodyguards."
Pearl glared at both of them. "You two aren’t funny."
She scooped a spoonful of her favorite seafood soup into her mouth. "Hmm." Her eyes slowly widened. "Okay... maybe I missed this place a little."
Everyone around the table laughed. Old Madam Michaelson smiled proudly. "I knew you couldn’t resist."
Pearl continued eating without replying. She had spent years trying to forget this family, yet every dish on the table reminded her of home.
Old Madam Michaelson suddenly looked at her with a teasing smile. "Do you know something interesting?"
Pearl didn’t even look up. "What?"
"I attended a charity event yesterday."
Pearl nodded absentmindedly while eating. "There were many single mothers there."
Kim So-hee suddenly looked interested. "And?"
The old woman laughed happily. "They kept talking about Israel. They kept saying he becomes younger every year. They even asked me what cream he uses."
Caroline couldn’t hold back her laughter.
Pearl almost choked on her food.
Old Madam Michaelson continued proudly. "Our Michaelson family originally came from Asia."
She pointed at herself. "We age very slowly."
She then looked at Pearl. "So does your family. Your mother was Korean too."
The smile on Pearl’s face slowly disappeared. Her fingers quietly tightened around the spoon.
The mention of her family always brought back memories she tried so hard to bury.
Kim So-hee noticed the change immediately and gently changed the topic before the atmosphere became awkward.
Just then...
A maid hurried inside before bowing respectfully.
"Old Master. Queen Seo-ah has arrived."
Kim So-hee immediately looked at Pearl before secretly winking.
A few seconds later...
Several royal guards entered the mansion. They stood neatly on both sides of the entrance before stepping aside.
An elegant woman in her sixties slowly walked inside. Even though she was getting older, her graceful movements still carried the dignity of royalty.
Behind her followed two personal maids. Everyone respectfully stood up.
"Your Majesty."
Old Master Michaelson smiled warmly. "Welcome dear"
Queen Seo-ah smiled back before her eyes landed on Pearl. The smile disappeared.
She narrowed her eyes. "You can’t even greet your own mother?"
Pearl sighed. She quietly stood up. Instead of greeting anyone...
She turned around and started walking toward the staircase. "Pearl!" Queen Seo-ah called loudly. "Stop right there!"
Pearl stopped walking. She slowly turned around before lowering her head. "You can hit me if you want."
Queen Seo-ah frowned. "Why would I hit you?"
Before Pearl understood what was happening... Her mother walked over and pulled her into a tight hug.
Pearl froze. "You foolish child..."
Queen Seo-ah’s voice trembled. "You don’t know how much I missed you. We searched everywhere." "Your father and I never stopped looking."
Pearl blinked repeatedly. She had prepared herself to be scolded. She had prepared herself to be blamed. She never expected this.
Queen Seo-ah gently held her face. "I knew why you left. That was why...We secretly told the search team not to pressure you too much. We only wanted to know you were alive."
Queen Seo-ah smiled gently "Please....Don’t disappear again."
"Your father can’t bear losing you another time."
Pearl finally nodded. The answer she had been searching for all these years...
She finally got it.
They understood her. Without another word, she hugged her mother tightly.
For the first time in years... She finally felt like someone’s daughter again.
...
After chatting happily for almost an hour, Queen Seo-ah finally stood up.
She gently held Pearl’s hand. "You should visit the palace one day." She smiled warmly. "Your younger brother misses you very much."
Pearl smiled softly before nodding. "I will."
Only after watching the royal convoy leave did everyone return inside.
Pearl picked up a glass of juice. She had barely taken one sip...
When another maid hurried inside. "Master Paul has returned."
"Pfft!" Pearl immediately sprayed the juice. She coughed violently. "Cough! Cough!"
Her face instantly turned pale. "He... he’s back?"
The maid nodded innocently. "Yes."
Pearl quickly stood up. "I need to..."
She didn’t even finish speaking.
The front door opened. A tall man wearing a black suit calmly walked inside.
His cold eyes slowly swept across the room. He stopped walking the moment he saw Pearl. A rare look of surprise flashed across his face.
Then... He slowly looked toward his parents.
Pearl’s whole body trembled. "I...i don’t know how they found me..."
Before anyone could stop her...She turned around and ran upstairs.
Bang!
She slammed the bedroom door shut before locking it. She leaned against the door heavily. Her heart refused to calm down.
She could almost smell his familiar perfume.
For some strange reason... The memory of his lips flashed inside her mind. "Ah!"
She groaned and buried her face in both hands. "What am I even thinking?"
She ran her fingers through her messy hair before sliding down the door to sit on the floor.
....
The next morning...
At HM Technology Company...
Abigail and Miranda stood inside one of the biggest production workshops.
Both of them stared in amazement. Huge robotic arms moved smoothly above the production line.
One robot picked up tiny electronic parts. Another carefully fixed them inside the body of a small children’s electric car.
Workers wearing white lab coats checked every wire before passing the car to another machine.
The next machine tested the steering wheel. Another tested the battery.
Bright computer screens displayed different numbers while engineers watched everything closely.
Henry stood not far away. His hands rested inside his pockets as he calmly gave instructions. "Check the battery again."
"The left wheel isn’t balanced."
"Replace that motor."
His deep voice echoed through the factory. The engineers immediately followed every order.
Abigail couldn’t stop smiling. Her eyes sparkled with excitement. "My dream..." She whispered. "It’s really becoming real."
Miranda laughed. "I told you. Your drawings were worth keeping."
Abigail watched another toy car slowly move forward by itself after passing every inspection.
She couldn’t hide her happiness anymore.
Just then... Her phone vibrated. She frowned after seeing the caller.
Madeline..
She answered immediately. Only a few seconds later... The smile disappeared from her face. Miranda noticed immediately. "What happened?"
Abigail slowly lowered the phone. Her expression became complicated. She looked at Miranda before speaking quietly."Madeline said, Archie is getting married to Selena."
" What?" Miranda eyes widdened.