Alessia’s words left the three of them in heavy silence.


    The issue they’d been so unwilling to face–one they’d pushed to the back of their minds–had been dragged into the open by Alessia’s bluntness, and <i>now </i>an uneasy mix of emotions washed over them.


    “If I’ve offended you, I apologize,” Alessia said, her gaze flickering as she sized up their reactions. She shrugged, palms up in a gesture of indifference. “Just forget I asked.”


    “Lessie.” Brendan’s voice stopped her as she started to rise from he at.


    Alessia didn’t reply, waiting quietly for him to continue.


    “We’re not using you of anything,” he said, forcing a rueful smile. “We just kept avoiding this because we didn’t want to admit we’d failed as parents. But now that things are as they are, we need answers.”


    Karen nodded, her eyes rimmed with red. “Was it all a misunderstanding, or…” She trailed off, taking a shaky breath.


    “We don’t know exactly when Ileana learned the truth about her birth, but I started noticing a change in her after she started middle school,” Karen said. A mother always notices first when something’s off with her child.


    “At the time, we chalked it up to normal growing pains–she was a teenager, after all, suddenly interested in fashion and appearances. We didn’t think much of it. But as the years went by and our family fortune began to dwindle, her demands only grew. If anything went against her wishes, she’d throw a tantrum…”


    Her eyes were clouded with grief. Karen could still picture Ileana’s first steps, the first time she called her ‘Mom‘, her first day at school–it all felt like yesterday. Yet now, those memories seemed to fade like mist, as if they’d never really happened at all.


    Where had it all gone wrong?


    Karen’s heart ached, but she had no choice but to ept the truth staring back at her.


    “So, the turning point was middle school?” Alessia’s detached tone stood in stark contrast to their emotion.


    “Yes,” Brendan said. “After Ivan was born, she became fixated on <b>standing </b><b>out</b>,


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    13:12


    Chapter <b>153 </b>


    maybe because girls are more sensitive at that age. We gave her more leeway, spoiled her a bit. Back when we were all in middle school, Ivan was constantly sick, so most of our attention went to him. We thought maybe that’s why Ileana started acting out…”


    “When did the problems at thepany start?” Alessia asked, suddenly sounding like a detective piecing together a timeline.


    “Three years ago,” Brendan said.


    “That’s right,” Zachary added. “Right after we graduated from eighth grade, that summer.”


    “Things just changed too fast,” Brendan continued. “The business couldn’t keep up with the times. We started losing clients. Meanwhile, the Tate family adapted, innovated, and soon they left us in the dust. We tried everything to save thepany, but after three years, we had to dere bankruptcy.”


    Brendan seemed almost at peace as he spoke about those years. He was middle–aged now–he’d seen sess and failure, but his family was safe and healthy, and that was enough.


    “The strange thing is, even after she knew our finances were in trouble, it was like Ileana was determined to squeeze everyst drop of value from us. She didn’t hold back–in fact, her demands just got more and more outrageous.”


    Disappointment colored Zachary’s words. He couldn’t believe the little sister he’d always doted on could be so calcting.


    Alessia tapped her fingers on the table, each tap echoing through the tense silence. “The summer after eighth grade…” she said thoughtfully. “Did Ileana do anything… odd, or act out of character, around then?”


    The three exchanged uncertain nces.


    “We weren’t home much during that time,” Zachary finally admitted. “We didn’t really


    notice.”


    As soon as he finished, Karen’s eyes widened as if a memory had just resurfaced. She reached over and tugged at Brendan’s arm.