?Chapter 518:


    Brenna approached her. “Have you seen Patrick anywhere?”


    Isabe gave a casual shake of her head. “No, haven’t seen him.”


    “Godmother!”


    “Mom! Dad!”


    Children’s cries pierced the air from the basement. Brenna’s head whipped toward the sound, her heart lurching as the shouts rang out again.


    Isabe narrowed her eyes, dissatisfied. She wanted to gauge Brenna’s concern for Patrick. If she panicked, he could be used as leverage again. Pointing toward the basement, Isabe widened her eyes in mock surprise. “That little boy? I saw him chasing a shiny crystal ball with a girl there. They must have wandered into the basement.”


    Her innocent gaze noted Brenna’s genuine worry for Patrick.


    Brenna couldn’t quite read Isabe’s intent. She believed Isabe wouldn’t harm a child from the Russell family. Maybe she hadn’t recognized Patrick earlier, but she remembered Isabe seeing Patrick following her. Was Isabe pretending not to know him?


    However, now was not the time to think about this. Brenna bolted to the basement door.


    The weight of the industrial fire door exined everything. It was simply too heavy for children to open.


    Brenna yanked it open. Inside, two frightened children huddled together. Patrick held Zoe’s trembling hand and said, “Don’t worry. My godmother wille rescue us.”


    Zoe’s face was streaked with tears, her face ghostly pale. She was even more frightened than Patrick.


    As the door swung open, light spilled in from outside. Patrick squeezed Zoe’s hand and said, “See? I told you she woulde. Don’t cry anymore.”


    Jade and Isabe watched from the corridor as Brenna knelt andforted Patrick. A wordless exchange passed between them before they returned to the meal.


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    Brenna examined the door. There were no signs of tampering. It was just too heavy for children.


    In the courtyard, Jayceon ushered Patrick into the spotlight, where Barton proudly dered him a member of the Russell family before the gathered crowd.


    Brenna’s jaw clenched. Ellie had firmly rejected marriage and made it clear that she had no intention of changing Patrick’s surname. Yet Jayceon had taken it upon himself to im Patrick as a member of the Russell family, entirely without Ellie’s consent. Now, he even dared to change the boy’sst name.


    Under the weight of so many eyes, Patrick squirmed. Ellie had told him he would carry the Moore family name, but his grandmother insisted he take the Russell family name. He didn’t know whom to listen to.


    His uncertain gaze flickered to Jayceon as the echoes of Ellie’s and Tori’s words shed in his mind. Ellie had rejected his return to the Russell family but still supported his right to their legacy.


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