A well dressed middle aged woman with streaks of gray in her hair spoke first. "That girl just now really looks far too much like your great grandmother."
The moment Mrs. Hartley saw Elowen, she had been visibly startled. Elowen resembled her mother in her youth, no, to be precise, she looked even more like the sister who had run away from home all those years ago.
A bold thought suddenly flashed through her mind. She quickly grabbed the young man beside her and asked anxiously, "Alex, you met Auntie Irene when you were little, didn't you? Could that girl be her daughter?"
Otherwise, she could not explain such an unbelievable coincidence.
The young man named Alex was Mrs. Hartley's eldest grandson. Before he could respond, the girl beside him curled her lips and snorted. "People can look alike. We only need her blood. Once we take it, we pay her properly. Grandma, don't get sentimental and let her get leverage on us and blackmail the family later."
The Hartley family members had come to find Elowen that day because the doctor said she had the same rare blood type as the youngest child. They wanted her to donate blood for the boy.
They had planned to pay her, but she refused the money. Left with no choice, they covered her hospital bills instead as a gesture of thanks.
Alex frowned and scolded softly, "Annie, don't be disrespectful to Grandma."
Annie lifted her chin and shot back, "I just want Grandma to stay alert. There are too many scammers these days. I don't think that girl is any decent person either."
In Annie's eyes, Elowen probably knew their family was wealthy. That was why she refused the money for the blood and instead wanted to make them owe her a big favor, so she could demand repayment a hundredfold later.
On top of that, Elowen looked pretty but was bruised all over. Who knew, maybe she had just been beaten up in a jealousy fueled fight and sent to the hospital. Thinking of someone as complicated as Elowen stirred up an instinctive hostility in Annie.
Alex understood his sister's temperament well. The more he scolded her, the more she would escalate things. Their grandmother was already advanced in age. If Annie angered her into falling ill, it would be dangerous. So he lowered his voice and said to Mrs. Hartley, "In that case, I'll take a blood sample from that girl for testing. If she really is part of the Hartley family, we bring her home. If not, we stay silent and let it end there."
Mrs. Hartley nodded in agreement, then sighed. "All these years, our family has searched for any trace of Irene with no results. If we truly find her child now, we must make it up to her properly."
Annie wanted to say something sharp again, but Alex shot her a warning look. Left with no choice, she swallowed her words, stomped her foot in frustration, and sulked in silence.
That evening, Lucien came to the hospital to take Elowen back to the Rothschild villa. When he heard that someone had already paid her hospital fees, his brows knitted tightly together. His gaze turned vicious as he stared at her and asked, "Who paid your hospital bill?"
Elowen shrank back from Lucien's knife like stare and explained in a small voice, "At noon, a family needed my blood for their nephew, so I donated it. That's why they paid my hospital fees."
Lucien narrowed his eyes and spoke through clenched teeth. "From now on, things like this go through me. You are not allowed to accept anything from anyone other than me. Otherwise, I'll make you suffer a little."
Elowen's body trembled. She tried to inch away from Lucien, but he had already locked a firm grip around her shoulder. He said, "Do you remember it clearly now? Or do I need to let you experience the punishment firsthand before you finally learn your lesson?"
As he spoke, he leaned in close, his nose brushing her skin as he breathed in the scent at her neck. Harris, driving in the front, kept glancing at the rearview mirror, a chill creeping into his chest.
So Lucien was not gentle or proper at all, nothing like the calm image he showed on the surface. Harris had worked as a driver for the Rothschild family for many years, and he had watched Elowen grow up. He truly could not bear to see her humiliated like this.
Suddenly, Harris shuddered and quickly looked away. Just moments ago, he had caught sight of the murderous intent blazing in Lucien's eyes, and it felt as though a sharp blade had been pressed against his own throat.
Lucien was clearly only seventeen years old. So why did he have eyes as terrifying as a killer's?
When they arrived home, Elowen did not dare stay anywhere near Lucien. She ran straight to her room. After slamming the door shut, she whispered softly,
"Ms. Ghost, are you here?"
Adrian curled his lips in displeasure. In the end, he still accepted the way she addressed him and lightly brushed against her.
Knowing Adrian was beside her, Elowen said cheerfully, "I don't know how much life energy you need to be able to talk to me or show yourself. Or should you just take mine? At worst, I'll only lose a few years of my lifespan."
Adrian said nothing.
This girl was far too bold. She dared to trade her own lifespan just to meet a spirit. Did she not think she could die if she encountered an evil ghost?
Even as he scolded her in his heart, Adrian only found himself cherishing the little girl even more. He lowered himself and wrapped his arms around her from behind, pressing kisses into her soft hair, then moving down to her neck, her shoulder, and her collarbone.
Elowen thought Ms. Ghost was simply touching her gently. Besides, she liked the cool sensation against her skin, so she let "Ms. Ghost" continue to roam over her body.