Chapter 4 Going Home

Katherine instinctively took a step back, her gaze sharpening as she studied the man standing before her.

For a brief moment, she wondered if exhaustion and emotional turmoil had finally blurred her senses. But the roaring helicopters behind him, the steady gaze in his eyes, and the undeniable weight of his presence told her this was no illusion.

There was no one else around, which meant... the man was truly speaking to her.

With a polite yet guarded tone, Katherine replied, "I think you've mistaken me for someone else."

She had been told that her biological parents were fishermen from Cloud Village-people who struggled daily against the sea just to survive. The Warrens had spoken of them with thinly veiled disdain, claiming they were so destitute they could barely keep themselves alive.

Yet nothing about the man before her aligned with that narrative. The fabric of his suit was clearly custom-made. A limited-edition watch glinted faintly on his wrist.

Behind him, a fleet of Ecrance's latest military-grade helicopters stood poised, ready to be deployed in combat mode if the need arose.

Nothing about this scene aligned with the life she had been told was hers.

The man, named Callum Smith, offered a gentle smile as he extended a paternity test report to her. "I haven't mistaken you. Your name is Katherine Warren. And you are my sister."

Katherine felt herself freeze, her gaze dropping to the report in her hands.

The document laid bare the undeniable truth: a staggering 99.99% genetic match with Laurence Smith, confirming their bond as father and daughter.

Laurence Smith... The name echoed in her mind, stirring a sense of familiarity.

Callum, his voice softening, continued, "When our mother was pregnant with you, she traveled to Ontbert for a short vacation. During that trip, she suffered an accident and went into premature labor. You were born early and immediately taken into neonatal care. But when our family arrived at the hospital, you were already gone. We never stopped looking for you..."

The Smith family had only recently learned of the Warren couple's discovery of their real daughter, and the coincidence of her being lost in the very location where Katherine had gone missing was not lost on them.

Callum's voice grew thick with emotion. "When we saw your photograph, we knew it was you. You bear an uncanny resemblance to our mother in her youth."

The truth unraveled like a tragic tapestry: the fishing couple in Cloud Village had lost their own child at birth. Broken by grief, they had taken advantage of a moment of negligence and stolen Katherine away.

On the very same day, a fire broke out at the hospital. Amid the chaos, a nurse mistakenly switched the identification tags of Katherine and another infant, Lilah, resulting in both babies being placed with the wrong families.

Everything aligned at last. Katherine had been stolen first-taken from her real family. Then, through human error and disaster, fate had sealed the mistake.

Katherine stood momentarily entranced by the revelation. Her true family, the Smiths, belonged to one of Vroiksey's four wealthiest and most powerful clans, a dynasty so formidable that even a century of effort wouldn't allow the Warrens to catch up. It felt unreal.

Steeling herself, Katherine lifted her gaze slowly, her eyes drifting once more toward the helicopters waiting behind Callum.

Had he really brought all this... just for her?

For the first time in her life, she felt the unsettling weight of being wanted.

Love-unconditional love-was something she had never known. In the Warren household, only Hazel had shown her warmth. Roger and Ariella had treated her with indifference at best, resentment at worst, as though her existence were an inconvenience. Perhaps, without any of them realizing it, it was the silent truth of their bloodless relation at play.

Unable to suppress her curiosity, she inquired, "Did you really need this many helicopters just to take me home?"

Callum raised an eyebrow, a trace of dry humor flickering in his eyes. "I bought them just before this trip. You'll be their first passenger."

Katherine fell silent for a heartbeat, then nodded faintly. "So... you just happened to pass by and decided to pick me up?"

"Not quite!" Callum interjected swiftly, concern etching his features as he sensed Katherine's doubt. "I received a message from Mom and Dad instructing me to come and bring you back. I bought these helicopters specifically for the journey, and I have gifts for the Warrens as well."

Those "gifts" were priceless antiques, rare gems, and investment shares worth over a billion dollars. The Smith family even intended to extend an invitation to the Warrens for a formal gathering in Vroiksey, a grand gesture of gratitude.

At the mention of the Warrens, Katherine's smile faded.

They didn't deserve any of it.

"They're not home. Let's just go," she said, her voice devoid of warmth.

Callum's expression turned puzzled as he glanced toward the hillside villa, a shadow of doubt creeping into his mind regarding the unfortunate timing of it all.

But Katherine had already turned away, walking decisively toward the nearest helicopter.

Just as she reached the door, she stopped.

Someone was inside.

Through the tinted window, she glimpsed a figure seated lazily in the cabin. Dim amber lights illuminated his sculpted features. His long legs occupied most of the space, and his relaxed posture exuded an effortless, aristocratic grace.

Katherine's breath caught. Stefan White. What was he doing here?