411 Finally, Meet Roland Gilwynn (4) ????????????????????????????????.????????????
Scarlett chuckled inwardly.
It seemed she could no longer hide this. She needed to tell him about her identity. However, before that, she needed to say one thing to him.
"Sir, before I answer your question, there is something I need to say," Scarlett stated, pausing to take a deep breath and fill her stifled chest with air.
As Scarlett spoke, an odd stillness seemed to settle upon the room. She felt a growing unease, a strong desire to escape from this place as quickly as possible. Her encounter with Roland had yielded no clues about her mother's whereabouts, leaving her disappointed.
Nonetheless, she remained determined to trace her mother's steps and found her. Her best hope now lay in accessing the CCTV footage from twenty years ago, despite the daunting task of overcoming any potential efforts her mother might have made to erase her tracks.
She needed to discover how her mother had managed to escape from this place. And a thought appears in her mind, 'Perhaps, Jude Withers' people were already tailing my mother at that time!?' her hands slowly clenched hard at the thought.
Scarlett's expression confused Roland, but he remained silent, patiently waiting for her words. Deep down, he was strongly convinced that this girl was somehow connected to Vanessa.
"...Sir, I promise we will never cross paths again once our conversation ends. You won't see me anymore," Scarlett stated matter-of-factly, her tone tinged with anger that Roland could sense.
The furrows on Roland Gilwynn's forehead deepened. Though he didn't fully grasp the implications of her words, he nodded in agreement, acknowledging her request.
"Her name isn't Vanessa. It's Rosalie Withers," Scarlett continued, her voice trailing off. She couldn't help but smile as she observed Roland's shock upon realizing that Vanessa had been deceiving him.
'Rosalie Withers? Are they different people? Maybe they just resemble each other?' Roland pondered, contemplating the possibility that Rosalie and Vanessa might be distinct individuals who bore a striking resemblance. He felt compelled to meet Rosalie in person to ask her directly. However, before he could voice his thoughts, Scarlett continued speaking.
"My mother passed away a few years ago, and she was Rosalie Withers, the woman in that photo," Scarlett revealed.
Roland's shoulders slumped as his suspicions were confirmed. This girl was indeed Vanessa's, or rather, Rosalie's daughter, who would now be around 23 years old. If his calculations were correct, Vanessa had been pregnant after their encounter all those years ago.
'But why does this girl bear no resemblance to her mother or me?' Roland wondered, his gaze still fixed on Scarlett, searching for even the slightest hint of similarity. Yet, he found none. It perplexed him, leaving him frustrated and unsettled.
"Scarlett, listen," Roland pulled himself together, realizing that he needed to reveal the truth about his past with Vanessa, or rather, Rosalie Withers, as this girl claimed her name to be. "I will tell you about my past with..."
"I know!" Scarlett interrupted, her smile never faltering as she looked at him.
Roland was taken aback. How could she possibly know? This was the deepest secret within his family, something even his son and daughter was unaware of.
Sensing his confusion, Scarlett continued, "I know about your dark past from Aunt Melinda."
"Wait, you know my sister? How is that possible?" Roland's confusion deepened. This girl not only knew Robert, his best friend, but she also knew Melinda.
"It would take a long time to explain, Sir. But yes, I am acquainted with Her Highness Melinda Gilwynn, although she remains unaware of my true identity..." Scarlett calmly replied, urging him to continue his story.
This was one of the stories Scarlett needed to hear to find solace within her troubled mind. Lately, she had been consumed by despair, grappling with the knowledge that she was the daughter of the woman who had caused turmoil in someone else's family.
"...Allow me to get straight to the point and tell you what happened in the past," Roland said, his smile carrying a bitter undertone. "The woman in this photo claimed her name was Vanessa Moore. We were in love at the time, but suddenly, after a few months together, she vanished. If my memories serve me right, she disappeared after I revealed my identity as the ruler of this land and proposed to her..." He paused, feeling the ache in his heart resurfaces.
Scarlett was shocked. She sat up straight, feeling her heart race with increasing intensity. Her eyes trembled as soon as she saw Roland's eyes turning red as if sadness swept over him.
'So he proposed? But why would he propose when he still had a legal wife?' Her mind swirled with confusion. 'Does this kingdom allow its king to have a harem? Goodness!' She was speechless.
Setting aside her curiosity, Scarlett focused on listening to Roland to continue his story.
"I tried to find her, but my efforts were in vain. No matter how much I searched or mobilized my forces, I couldn't find her. It was as if she had vanished into thin air or had never existed on this earth!" Roland said, bitterness lacing his words.
Taking a deep breath, Roland recollected those difficult times. Now, he understood why he had been unsuccessful in his search. All the information he had about her had been fabricated. She was not Vanessa Moore but she was Rosalie Withers.
Another peculiar detail he remembered about her was that she never left the house without disguising herself. At the time, he thought it was a precautionary measure to protect her and keep their relationship hidden from the royal family, at least for the time being.
"Did you know that she was pregnant at the time?" Scarlett's voice trembled with sorrow, her words filled with weight that echoed throughout the room.
Roland slowly raised his head, meeting Scarlett's gaze. "No. I had no knowledge of that," he replied, his voice filled with tension as his hands tightened into fists. "Scarlett, it's difficult for me to believe whether Vanessa Moore and Rosalie Withers are the same. I need..."
"You need proof?" Scarlett cut in, a faint smile playing on her lips. She understood Roland's doubt, considering she had appeared before him in disguise.
Roland fell silent, unsure of how to express his doubts, afraid he accidentally hurt this young girl's feelings.
Observing Roland's silence, Scarlett's smile grew wider, her serene gaze fixed upon him. Slowly, she reached up and removed her wig, allowing her long ginger-red hair to cascade down her back.
"What about this, Sir? Is this proof sufficient for you?" She smiled playfully, her eyes locked on Roland. Witnessing him in shock only fueled her desire to unveil herself.
"Do you have a bathroom here?" Scarlett asks. Roland pointed towards a brown door at the far end near a row of bookshelves. Without hesitation, she rose from her seat and made her way toward the door.
A few minutes later, Scarlett emerged from the bathroom, her face devoid of makeup and her eyes free of contact lenses. With each step she took, drawing closer to Roland Gilwynn, she could see it seemed his very soul was escaping his body. His face paled, and his eyes widened at her.
"Well, do you now believe that Vanessa Moore and Rosalie Withers are the same?" Scarlett asked, a bitter smile gracing her lips as she took her seat opposite Roland, waiting for his response.
"S-Scarlett, you... You are Vanessa, no, I mean, Rosalie's daughter," Roland's voice trembled in shock at what he witnessed. The girl before him bore striking resemblances to his younger self, leaving no doubt in his mind that she was indeed his daughter. He gathered his thoughts and continued, his voice filled with a mix of astonishment and uncertainty, "... You are my daughter?"
Scarlett felt a powerful surge in her calm heart upon hearing his question. She already knew the answer, but somehow her tongue felt stiff, unable to form the words.
Feeling too exhausted to explain further and afraid that he would still doubt her, Scarlett retrieved a white envelope she had prepared from her bag and handed it to Roland. She could see his hands trembling as he accepted the envelope.
"Inside are the DNA test results," Scarlett explained. "Theodor, your nephew, conducted a DNA test using your and my samples. I hope that by examining the results, you can find the answers you seek." She closed her mouth tightly, not uttering another word.
Scarlett had nothing more to say. Everything had been revealed to Roland Gilwynn. Just as she had told Robert Lewis, she would vanish after speaking with Roland. She had no desire for this man to acknowledge her as his daughter; she would never appear before him again.
Roland Gilwynn's hands violently shook as he read the DNA test results in his hand. His eyes reddened, and he turned his gaze toward Scarlett, who sat in front of him with a calm expression.
Scarlett's cold attitude left Roland speechless. He felt a mixture of confusion and worry. After a few seconds passed, he attempted to speak, but Scarlett interrupted him.
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