Chapter 440
Old Master Atlante raised his hand in a signal.
All eyes followed his gesture.
Isabella and David Sullivan stepped forward together.
The entire room's attention snapped to them instantly.
Isaac Atlante beamed. "This is my daughter, Emilia, and my son-in-law, David Sullivan."
"There have been rumors circulating. I've heard some of them."
The guests below the stage exchanged subtle glances.
Many of those outrageous rumors had been fueled by people in this very room.
Isaac continued. "Rumors are just rumors. Since everyone is curious, I'll share a few more details."
"My daughter, Emilia, writes under the pen name Isabella Sullivan. She is now a full-time author. She's been quite fortunate, reaching the top of the bestseller list for mystery novels."
The crowd was stunned.
Fortunate? That was an understatement.
Isaac turned to David. "My son-in-law is a graduate of Caltech. He currently teaches physics at a prestigious magnet high school in the city. He educates and nurtures young minds."
After the introduction, Madam Florence Atlante slowly ascended the stage.
"Furthermore, I would like to introduce my granddaughter."
"She is the little princess of the Atlante family, the apple of our eyes—Sophia Sullivan."
As she finished speaking, Sebastian Evans escorted Sophia Sullivan onto the stage.
His role as her brother was now solidified.
He had anticipated this, but a bitter ache remained in his heart.
From now on, in the eyes of the world, they could only be siblings.
Sophia met the varied gazes from the audience with a composed smile.
She stood on the stage with innate grace.
Her presence spoke louder than any words.
She calmly assessed every pair of eyes scrutinizing her.
After a brief silence, a wave of discussion erupted.
"That poise is truly befitting of an Atlante!"
"Those previous rumors were utterly ridiculous. The second young miss's family is clearly accomplished."
"To be so outstanding after being missing for over twenty years is remarkable."
"Isabella? The author of 'The Seven-Day Discourse'?"
"It must be her, the top mystery author!"
"Oh my god! It really is her! My father's bookshelf is filled with her works."
"Her husband is impressive too, a Caltech graduate."
"The whole family is so good-looking…"
"Is Miss Sullivan married?"
"What? Are you interested?"
"Aren't you?"
The two society matrons shared a knowing smile.
The status of the Atlante family's little princess was enough to intrigue everyone present.
Especially those with eligible unmarried sons.
An alliance with the Atlante family was a dream for many!
Ethan Roscente and Charlie Lowell were dumbfounded.
Charlie swallowed hard. "...Sophia is an Atlante?"
"This was kept so tightly under wraps!"
He could have just asked Sebastian, but Sebastian had long stopped attending their gatherings.
Even if they met, he wouldn't have brought it up unprompted.
"Sophia is actually the Atlante's granddaughter?" Charlie exclaimed again.
The more he thought about it, the more unbelievable it seemed!
Wait…
"Then Sebastian and her are… siblings?"
Charlie was utterly shocked by this revelation.
The legendary case of lovers turning into siblings?
His first thought was that Sebastian would lose his mind.
His second thought was—
Charlie glanced furtively at Ethan.
Ethan was staring intently at the stage. His gaze shifted from stunned to confused, then from realization to disconcertion, finally settling into uncontainable joy.
Charlie had never seen such a complex play of emotions on his face.
"...Ethan? Ethan!"
Ethan snapped back to attention. "What did you say?"
"About Sophia and Sebastian, they…"
"Yes, siblings. No wonder there was a family portrait…"
No wonder they were always together and had met the parents.
He couldn't suppress the smile tugging at his lips.
Charlie muttered, "Dude, tone it down."
Ethan replied, "I can't."
"You're being a bit schadenfreude here."
Ethan said coolly, "Compared to Sebastian's deliberate provocations, I'm being rather merciful."
Charlie thought: You're just overthinking things.
In a corner, Irene Valdemar watched the stage expressionlessly.
From the old master introducing the Sullivans, to the madam announcing Sophia's identity, to her own son personally supporting Sophia on stage—her emotions ran from cold, mocking scorn, to stunned jealousy, finally culminating in complete devastation!
What a splendid birthday banquet! What a magnificent homecoming!
"...Irene? Irene!"
"Hmm? What did you say just now?" Irene forced a smile and looked at Sylvia Laurent.
Sylvia frowned deeply, her eyes filled with shock and doubt.
Sylvia asked, "Are your parents certain they haven't mistaken these people?"
This Second Young Miss of the Atlante family…
They had met once before in a clothing store at the mall. The other woman had picked out very suitable clothes for her then.
During their conversation, Sylvia found her quite insightful and had even wanted to befriend her. To think…
She was the long-lost daughter of the Atlante family.
What shocked her even more was that Sophia was her daughter!
The woman she admired at first sight and the tea-artist girl who made a terrible first impression were…
Sylvia's feelings were extremely complicated.
She didn't know whether to change her opinion of the daughter because she appreciated the mother, or to let her dislike for Sophia affect her view of the mother.
"Mistaken?" Irene feigned surprise. "How could that be? The old master and madam must have verified everything carefully."
"It seems your parents value this sister very much?"
Irene suppressed her jealousy. "Do they?"
"With this kind of setup today, introduced personally by the elders, it's quite a formal acknowledgment."
"It's only right they value her, after she's been missing for so many years and is finally found."
Sylvia sighed softly. "It's good that you can see it that way."
Irene's smile was stiff, her teeth clenched tightly.
See it that way?
Preposterous!
Her parents clearly treated her like an outsider. She only received the birthday banquet invitation two days prior.
She knew nothing about the arrangements for the recognition.
How could she possibly see it that way?