Chapter 601

Evelyn walked straight up to Mr. Castillo, meeting his gaze calmly.

"Am I late?"

The agreed time was exactly ten in the morning.

Mr. Castillo gave a slight nod.

"No."

Evelyn nodded in return.

Mr. Castillo turned and led her inside the mansion.

Alexander and Grace followed closely.

No one stopped Alexander.

But as Grace stepped forward, Nicole Sterling moved to block the doorway.

"She's from the Special Operations Division, Mr. Castillo."

"Are you sure you want her present for our... transaction?"

Before Mr. Castillo could speak, Evelyn countered first.

"Aren't we here today for a DNA test?"

"Is that some illegal activity?"

"Why can't she be present?"

"Or... are you planning some shady deal you're afraid she'll see?"

Nicole was momentarily speechless.

She then sneered.

"You always seemed so aloof before."

"Didn't expect you to have such a sharp tongue!"

"But today, in the Castillo household, I call the shots—she stays out!"

Grace simply raised her hand.

"Hold her back."

Several bodyguards swiftly stepped forward, blocking Grace's path.

These bodyguards were lean and muscular, with sharp eyes.

They were clearly trained fighters, unlike the regular security staff around them.

Grace frowned, taking half a step back.

Nicole looked her over with a mocking laugh.

"I heard Mr. Wright is your grandfather?"

"Since you're from the Wright family and head the Special Operations Division, your skills must be decent."

Grace's jaw tightened.

Since her father's generation, the family never intended for her to take over the Division.

She had never trained in martial arts.

As she was thinking of a countermove, Evelyn suddenly walked over.

Her gaze went directly to Mr. Castillo.

"Is the Castillo family's gate under your guard now?"

Her tone was calm, yet carried a subtle pressure.

"Miss Lorenz is my friend."

"Mr. Castillo, are you certain you won't let her in?"

There was an implicit warning in her words.

Mr. Castillo paused.

A faint smile touched Evelyn's lips.

"If the DNA results later show I'm your granddaughter, then her presence as my friend is perfectly reasonable."

"If I'm not... with her watching, we can't do anything illegal here."

"Nicole, why are you so eager to stop her?"

"Could it be... you're planning some trickery later?"

Nicole's face stiffened.

Evelyn had already taken Grace's wrist.

"Come with me."

Grace immediately followed.

The two walked straight past Nicole and entered the mansion.

Nicole took a deep breath, looking at Mr. Castillo.

"You're just letting her have her way?"

But Mr. Castillo was staring at Evelyn's retreating back, his expression somewhat dazed.

That decisive, uncompromising manner of hers just now...

It overlapped somewhat with someone in his memory.

Mr. Castillo spoke slowly.

"Today really isn't about anything that needs hiding."

"It's just a DNA test."

"Letting her in is fine."

Nicole's expression darkened immediately.

She stared coldly at Mr. Castillo.

"Fine, fine!"

"Old man Castillo, I hope you don't regret this!"

"When the DNA results come out, if you come begging me again..."

"The price won't be what we originally agreed on!"

With that, she strode into the living room, a flicker of malice in her eyes.

The group filed into the spacious Castillo living room.

The family doctor was already waiting there.

Seeing everyone, he immediately stepped forward.

Mr. Castillo first plucked a strand of his own hair.

Then he looked at Evelyn.

Evelyn glanced at the family doctor but said nothing.

She also raised her hand, plucked a strand of hair, and handed it over.

The family doctor took the hairs and hurried away.

Evelyn knew that at this point, she could only take things one step at a time...

She took a soft breath.

Then she took out her phone, opened the photo album, and found a photo of herself with Sophia.

She handed it to Mr. Castillo.

"This is my mother, Mr. Castillo."

"Please look... does she resemble your daughter?"

Mr. Castillo took the phone.

His gaze fell on the photo, and he froze for a moment.

Sophia at fifteen and Sophia at forty naturally looked somewhat different...

But he could still recognize the familiar contours in that old photo...

He looked up at Evelyn, then down at the photo again.

Suddenly, he said in a low voice, "You... don't look much like your mother."

Evelyn nodded.

"I take more after my father."

Mr. Castillo's eyes reddened abruptly.

"But your mother... she looked very much like your grandmother."

Hearing this, Evelyn's heart jolted, followed by a surge of joy.

She had never met her grandmother.

Back in San Francisco, Chloe's father had mentioned having a photo of Mrs. Sterling.

But what he later gave was an old photo of her paternal grandmother—Mr. Roland had remembered incorrectly.

So when Mr. Castillo was searching for his first love, she hadn't connected it to herself at all.

It wasn't until last time, when she was in a tight spot and Alexander had been forced to lie, that she vaguely felt... she might really be the old man's granddaughter.

But she had always been afraid to show the photo for confirmation...

Could it be that Grandpa was really Mr. Castillo?

Wasn't this... too much of a coincidence?

As Evelyn was lost in thought, Nicole sneered from the side.

"Is that really your mother?"

"Couldn't it be Photoshopped?"

"Old man Castillo, I advise you not to rush into recognizing relatives."

"What are the odds of such a coincidence in this world?"

She finished, glancing to the side.

"Let's wait for the DNA results!"

"What can a single blurry old photo prove?"

Mr. Castillo wiped his reddened eyes and nodded.

"Yes, many people in the world look alike."

"A single photo really doesn't prove anything."

"Grace, let's wait for the DNA results."

When he called her "Grace," his tone was no longer the distant "Miss Ross" from before.

Instead, it held a trace of affection, as if he already believed Evelyn was his granddaughter.

Seeing this, Nicole felt even more displeased.

Just then, the family doctor hurried back.

"The DNA test results are in."

Nicole's eyes lit up, and she urged immediately.

"Tell us the results!"

"Let this old man see clearly that Evelyn Ross is just a fraud!"