Chapter 496

"So...you all blame me, don't you? Mom, Dad, and you!" Isabella sneered, her eyes glinting with madness. "Just because I went out with Victoria that day, and she disappeared while I came back alive—so it's all my fault?"

"Did you wish I'd died out there too?"

"Enough!" Edward's face darkened, his gaze sharp as a blade. "One more word and you'll regret it."

"Hahaha...Twenty-eight years, and you're still dreaming?" Tears streamed down Isabella's face as she laughed. "It's understandable for Grandpa and Grandma—Victoria was their precious biological daughter. But you, Edward?"

"We've been married for over twenty years. Our son is about to get married, yet your heart still belongs to her?" Her voice rose to a shriek. "How pathetic!"

Slap!

The sharp sound of the blow echoed through the living room.

Edward's hand remained suspended in the air, his knuckles white.

His eyes were glacial. "Last warning. Watch your mouth."

Without another word, he turned and walked out, not even bothering to grab his coat.

"Edward! You heartless bastard!" Isabella screamed at his retreating figure.

Why?

Why does someone who vanished twenty-eight years ago still hold everyone's hearts?

Just because she was adopted, and Victoria was their real daughter?!

Meanwhile, Ethan followed his grandparents through the garden.

Hidden deep within the bamboo grove was a small gate.

"There's a door here?" Ethan said in surprise. "I've been here so many times and never knew."

George chuckled warmly. "Your aunt used to sneak out through here as a child. She thought we didn't know."

At the mention, Eleanor's eyes softened with nostalgia.

The narrow alley remained almost unchanged—cobblestone path, weathered walls, and only a sliver of sky visible above.

"Everything else has changed, except this place," the old man mused.

"Dad and I bought the surrounding three streets," Ethan said quietly. "No plans to develop them. We'll keep them just like this."

Eleanor's eyes glistened. "Your father...that's thoughtful of him."

"The food street ahead has changed quite a bit. Shall I take you for a stroll?"

The elderly couple agreed readily.

A long queue stretched in front of Tongtaihe Bakery.

"Is that Tongtaihe?" Eleanor squinted.

"Yes. It's an old establishment—now a viral sensation," Ethan said with a smile. "Why don't you both rest at the teahouse? I'll join the line."

"Victoria loved their mung bean cakes..." the old woman murmured.

Just as Ethan stepped into the queue, someone called his name.

"Ethan?"

He looked up to see Evelyn waving at him from ahead. "It really is you! The great CEO waiting in line?"

"What are you doing here?" His lips curved unconsciously.

"Showing my parents around Yi Garden." She gestured to the teahouse next door. "They're resting there. I'm here for mung bean cakes."

Because Mom suddenly had a craving.