Chapter 2

Clara and Megan's eyes flashed with extreme disdain. They wrinkled their noses and stepped back, as if afraid of getting a speck of dust on them.

John's face was also stiff. He immediately waved his hand in refusal. "No, no, that's not necessary."

"Please, accept it! It's a token of our appreciation!"

But the middle-aged man forcefully shoved the item into John's hand. "We'll be going now."

"Alright."

As the middle-aged man turned around, he noticed that the car door, which had previously fallen off, was now perfectly reattached to the car. He was a bit shocked. "Miss Alexandra Smith, you know how to fix cars?"

"Let's go."

Alexandra got into the car without a word. The middle-aged man closed the car door, bowed to John and his family, and then returned to the driver's seat.

As the car sped away, the dust it kicked up made everyone cough.

Clara fanned the dust away with her hand and couldn't help but complain, "That car is so shabby! How could he have the nerve to drive it out? If it were me, I'd rather call a cab! At least it wouldn't be so embarrassing!"

"But, Mom," Megan said, her expression a bit stiff as she pointed to the car that had already left.

"What is it?" Clara's tone softened considerably when she spoke to Megan.

"That car's emblem looked like a Rolls-Royce."

The familiar Rolls-Royce emblem had caught Megan's eye through the dust, leaving her in shock.

"Impossible! How could such a beat-up car be a Rolls-Royce?"

Clara didn't believe it at all. "Besides, your dad and I know what a Rolls-Royce looks like. Even if it was in terrible shape, we would have recognized it!"

"Maybe I was mistaken," Megan said, finding it hard to believe herself and thinking she must have been wrong.

As they were about to head back inside, they saw John staring blankly at the pile of "junk" in his hands.

Clara immediately snatched it from him and threw it into a nearby trash can. Afterward, she dusted off her hands in disgust. "Unbelievable! How could they give us such trash? It's disgusting!"

"Alexandra's parents are poor. They bought us a gift with good intentions. You shouldn't say that," John said, outwardly criticizing Clara's actions, but he seemed relieved once the items were thrown away.

After they went inside, a sanitation worker with a limp came by with a grabber to collect bottles from the trash can.

He used the grabber to pull out the bag of items and placed it on the ground. A corner of the bag revealed a shiny, golden color that caught his eye.

Curious, the worker used the grabber to open the bag, revealing gold bars inside!

The worker was stunned. He quickly picked up one and bit into it, seeing the clear teeth marks. He confirmed it was real.

"I've struck it rich! I actually found gold bars! This must be at least five pounds."

Given the current market value, this bag of gold was worth at least one and a half million dollars.

Meanwhile, in the car.

The driver glanced at Alexandra's stunning face in the rearview mirror and apologized, "Miss Alexandra Smith, I'm really sorry. I got into an accident on the way here, but I didn't want to be late picking you up, so I showed up with this car. I hope I didn't embarrass you."

Alexandra looked out the window at the bustling city, feeling a sense of relief as everything familiar slowly faded away.

"It's fine."

"Thanks for understanding." The driver sighed in relief, worried about being blamed, especially since Alexandra's brothers were known for their bad tempers.

And she always had a cold expression, making her seem unapproachable.

"Where are we headed now?" Alexandra remembered John mentioning that their home was in Willowbrook.

She knew the direction to Willowbrook. From the last intersection, it was less than a mile to the mountains. After driving a bit further, they would enter the deep woods, and it would take about half an hour on mountain roads to reach that remote place.

"To Redfield City," the driver replied honestly.

Alexandra frowned slightly. "Redfield City?"

The nation's top economic hub and one of the most famous international cities, where everyone was incredibly wealthy?

It was about an hour's drive to Redfield City from here.

When Alexandra was young, John had made a fortune, and the Smith family had moved, initially trying to relocate to Redfield City.

But the housing prices were too high, and they didn't allow non-residents to buy property easily.

After several failed attempts, John settled for their current residence in Silfenburg.

Although the two cities bordered each other, Silfenburg's economy was nowhere near that of Redfield City.

But being adjacent to Redfield City allowed them to benefit from many economic advantages.

This was why the Smith family had become increasingly wealthy over the years.

"But my home is in Willowbrook, isn't it?"

Alexandra was confused. The driver smiled and explained, "Your father made his fortune in Willowbrook and moved to Redfield City when he was young. They've been living there for decades now!"

So that's how it was.

"Before we go to Redfield City, can we stop by Silfenburg Central Hospital?"

"Are you feeling unwell?"

The driver was instantly worried when Alexandra insisted on going to the hospital.

Alexandra shook her head. "No, it's just that my grandfather, Oliver Smith—well, he's not my grandfather anymore, but he was always very kind to me. He's currently hospitalized, and I want to visit him before I leave."

"I see! I'll turn around right away!"

The entire Smith family hadn't treated her well over the years.

John was a man who cared deeply about appearances. Even after learning Alexandra wasn't his biological daughter, he maintained the same outward behavior for the sake of appearances, though he was always somewhat distant.

As for Clara, Alexandra had always found her to be a sharp-tongued woman.

Clara often scolded and hit her, claiming it was her way of educating her.

So, the only person in the Smith family who genuinely cared for her was Oliver.

Recently, Oliver's health had worsened upon learning Alexandra wasn't John's daughter. He was already ill, and now he was hospitalized.

Alexandra couldn't bear to leave without visiting him.

Twenty minutes later, they arrived at Silfenburg Central Hospital.

The car stopped at the entrance, and Alexandra got out. "Please wait for me."

"Take your time."

Watching her leave, the driver couldn't help but feel moved.

Alexandra was so filial. Even though she was no longer part of the Smith family, she still cared about Oliver. It was truly admirable.

Fourth floor, room 407.