Inside a tastefully decorated café.

“You’re our biological daughter. Here’s the paternity test—you can take a look,” said the elegantly dressed woman, her voice warm yet slightly restrained as she stared at the beautiful girl across the table, who looked eerily similar to her.

Eleanor was completely thrown. She'd just popped by her favorite café to grab some discounted pastries, and now she was getting stopped at the door by people claiming to be her real parents?

Real parents? That couldn’t be—she wasn’t an orphan, was she?

{System, what on earth is going on?} Her face froze in shock, and her mind was a mess. {Is this gorgeous lady in front of me seriously my mom?}

It wasn’t like she didn’t want to believe it. It’s just, the woman looked way too young and classy—what, maybe in her early 30s? And she was already eighteen... she could barely imagine this woman having a grown daughter like her!

Hearing Eleanor call her “gorgeous big sis,” Amelia’s eyes lit up instantly.

She was about to say something when her hand was suddenly held. Looking up, she saw her husband staring, stunned, at the daughter they had finally found.

But wait—Amelia thought back—Eleanor hadn’t actually spoken out loud just now. Then… that voice?

She turned and stared at Arthur in disbelief.

Arthur gently squeezed her hand, hinting at her to stay calm.

{Based on the data, you really are their youngest daughter.}

{For real? I actually found my birth parents?} Eleanor couldn’t count the times she’d imagined this moment. She’d even tried using the system to look them up, but as the system's host, she’d been banned from checking anything about herself. It had always left her with this heavy sense of loss.

Now that she was face to face with them, though, she just didn’t know how to react anymore.

{Wait... they’re this young and already have other kids too?} Were those supposed siblings of hers even the type she could get along with?

{Yep, you’re their youngest. They’ve got six sons besides you.}

{Hold up—SIX?!} Her jaw dropped.

{And also, you’ve got a foster sister.}

{...Wait a sec, is this one of those switched-at-birth soap opera plots?} She flipped straight to the last page of the paternity test—no point reading the full thing since she couldn’t understand it anyway.

There it was: 99.99% match. Her eyes stung with tears. It was real. These were really her parents.

{Not a baby mix-up. You were stolen. Your mom couldn’t handle the shock mentally, so your dad adopted a girl who’d been abandoned around the same time to help her cope. They always hoped someone decent would find and raise you.}

Eleanor’s heart clenched. She’d craved this all her life. But now that they were right in front of her, she couldn't stop the panic.

She didn’t know what the future held—Would they truly like her? Could they get along? Would she be able to fit in?

Still, something about the system's words gave her a little comfort. Maybe everything would turn out okay after all.

Arthur and Amelia watched as their daughter’s tense posture finally relaxed. The moment their eyes met, they each saw joy reflected in the other's gaze.

Had she accepted them?

If you asked them how they felt about suddenly hearing their daughter’s thoughts in their heads?

Surprised, yes—but more than anything, they were just happy.

This was their daughter. The precious girl they loved more than anything else. Even if she were a demon, they’d still love her with all their hearts.

“E-Eleanor, or can I call you Ellie?” Amelia asked softly, looking at her daughter, eyes full of tenderness.Seeing how cautious her mom looked, Eleanor couldn’t help but feel a twinge in her heart. She quickly nodded. “Sure,” she said, taking a deep breath, “Mom... Mom.” And just like that, the words slipped out of her mouth. Honestly, it wasn’t as hard as she’d pictured.

She knew now her parents hadn’t abandoned her, and that changed everything. Her impression of them was actually pretty good, which was probably why she could call them that so soon.

“Oh my—” Amelia had been mentally preparing herself to wait a while before hearing her daughter say that. But hearing it now, her emotions surged, and she covered her mouth as tears welled up.

“Amelia, don’t cry. She called you Mom!” Arthur wrapped his arms around his wife right away, trying to console her.

“I’m fine, I won’t cry.” Amelia quickly wiped her eyes and looked at Eleanor with bright, soft eyes. “Hey, sweetheart.”

Now that her wife had calmed down, Arthur looked eagerly at his daughter, his eyes practically sparkling.

“Dad... Daddy.” Eleanor figured she might as well get it over with since she’d already called one of them.

“Hey, sweetheart!” Arthur beamed, grinning ear to ear like a kid who’d just gotten his favorite candy.

He finally had his daughter back.

Eleanor looked at her parents, smiling like two overexcited kids across the table, and suddenly felt her nose sting. Her own smile broke out, somehow brighter than usual.

She wasn’t alone anymore—she had people who loved her now.

“Eleanor,” Amelia said, barely holding back her excitement, “I set up a super fancy room just for you—want to check it out?” Her eyes were full of hope.

Truth be told, Amelia didn’t really care where they went, as long as she could spend time with her daughter. This was all just... so new. She had no clue how to get the ball rolling, so she clumsily brought up the room instead.

Ever since she’d suspected Eleanor might be her daughter, she’d gone full throttle—buying clothes, shoes, bags, jewelry, you name it. Each item handpicked with care, all top-dollar.

She just wanted to give Eleanor the best of everything.

Right now, Amelia was like a giddy child waiting to show off a treasured collection, desperate for her daughter to like it, even just a little. Deep down, she hoped if Eleanor stayed just one night, she might end up staying for good.

Eleanor caught that look in her mom’s eyes and didn’t have the heart to turn her down.

“Okay.”

The moment Eleanor said yes, Amelia’s expression lit up like she’d just won the lottery. “Let’s go home then!” She stood quickly, beaming from ear to ear.

Like she was afraid Eleanor might disappear again, Amelia held tightly onto her daughter’s hand. “Eleanor, is there anything you don’t eat? I’ll have the housekeeper whip something up now so dinner’s ready when we get there.”

Feeling her mom gently gripping her hand, Eleanor felt strangely warm inside. “I’m not picky,” she said casually. “I eat everything.”

Her words hit Amelia and Arthur hard.

They immediately thought of Lindor—their younger son, Eleanor’s twin brother. That kid was notoriously high-maintenance when it came to food. He wouldn’t touch half the stuff on the table unless it came from some fancy chef or was made just right.

But their daughter? Was she not picky? Or just... never had the chance to be?

That thought stung.

Right then and there, the two of them made a silent vow: from now on, they’d take their girl on a culinary tour of the world. Whatever the best was, she’d get it.

Amelia gently tugged Eleanor along, leading the way, while Arthur—realizing he’d been totally sidelined—chuckled helplessly. Pulling out his phone, he texted the family butler, letting him know they were bringing their daughter home and needed everything to be perfect.

Viktor Collins, who’d been with the Hughes family for over two decades, teared up instantly when he heard the lost daughter was finally found. “Miss Eleanor’s coming home? I’ll prepare a feast for her myself, mark my words!”

“Thanks for coming, hope to see you again!” The waiter bowed as the family walked out of the café.

Arthur stepped ahead to hold the door for his wife and daughter.

Just as he did, a striking young man walked by—and Arthur froze in surprise.

“Seth Lynch?”