Chapter 844

Jingshu Sterling was not bound by ropes, nor were her feet shackled.

She walked in, wearing her favorite cheongsam, surrounded by armed guards.

She carried herself with neither subservience nor arrogance, her face showing no trace of panic.

It was as if she were being escorted, not taken captive.

She had always been like this, unflappable even if the sky were falling.

Evelyn's gaze settled on her face.

That face was clean and neat, her hair meticulously styled.

If not for her excessively pale lips, she looked exactly as she had back in San Francisco, as if she truly were living well.

But Evelyn keenly sensed a barely perceptible weakness and disarray hidden within her seemingly steady steps.

Thinking of those lashes that had struck her back last night...

She hadn't cried or made a fuss, while others had wailed incessantly.

Evelyn's eyes gradually grew hot.

She pressed her lips together tightly, forcing back the tears.

Jingshu Sterling looked up at Evelyn, showing just the right amount of surprise. "Grace?"

Evelyn immediately understood—her mother was reminding her to keep up the act.

She gave a faint nod.

Grace had not lived with her mother since childhood. For their first formal meeting, this distant demeanor was exactly how it should be.

Jingshu Sterling smiled gently. "I never imagined our first formal mother-daughter meeting would be under such circumstances."

As soon as the words left her mouth, Elara let out a derisive snort. "First time? You think we don't know? She was right there in San Francisco, China, when we went to capture you."

Jingshu Sterling shook her head helplessly. "That time was too rushed. I only caught a distant glimpse of Grace, didn't even get to speak..."

As she spoke, the corners of her eyes reddened slightly.

She took a step forward and grasped Evelyn's hand. "Grace, you look so much like your sister, Evelyn. So very alike... What a pity..."

She raised a hand to wipe away a tear.

Evelyn smoothly withdrew her hand.

She gazed at Jingshu Sterling, her throat tight, her voice slightly hoarse. "Have you been well?"

Jingshu Sterling smiled. "Quite well."

She sighed softly. "I always wanted to escape the Sterling Family. But all these years in San Francisco, it was merely exchanging one cage for another, never true freedom. Now I've come to understand. Staying with the Sterling Family... is also fine."

She lowered her eyes.

Elara sneered. "Fine? Then why did you refuse the male consorts the Sterling Family arranged for you? Who are you preserving your chastity for?"

Jingshu Sterling looked at her, her expression still gentle, her demeanor elegant. "I'm just like you. I don't wish to be reduced to a breeding tool. We are both failures. Why mock each other?"

Elara scoffed. "Failures? You stole over twenty years of happiness. Can it be the same?"

Jingshu Sterling sighed. "That was merely stolen time. You've already stolen my daughter back. What's the point of saying these things now?"

"What do you mean, no point? I find it very interesting. You and your biological daughter lived under the same roof for twenty-two years, unable to acknowledge each other. Your other daughter gets captured by the Sterling Family the moment you meet. Jingshu Sterling, I'm very curious to know how you feel right now."

Malice dripped from Elara's words.

Jingshu Sterling spoke calmly. "I should thank you for stealing Grace, allowing at least one of my daughters to survive. Otherwise... she might have ended up like her sister, killed by the Eagle."

The Eagle?

That heir from M Country, codename Eagle?

Evelyn's pupils constricted sharply!

She instantly understood—this was her mother passing her information!

So it wasn't the Sterling Family who acted back in San Francisco, but the Eagle!

With that, everything made sense.

The Sterling Family was so desperate for heirs, they wouldn't kill her and her sister themselves.

But infighting among the heirs could lead to mutual slaughter.

The Eagle...

Evelyn clenched her fist.

This was an opponent who could never be won over.

Natalie Castillo had told her—

Of the current nine heirs, four had already pledged allegiance to her, three had sided with the Eagle.

The scope of the conflict had suddenly narrowed, becoming a life-and-death duel between two people.

She and the Eagle were destined to fight to the death.

Evelyn took a deep breath, suppressing the chill surging in her heart.

Elara snorted coldly. "It's good you know to be grateful. For causing your mother-daughter separation, I owe you nothing."

Jingshu Sterling smiled wryly. "I never said you owed me. Also, thank you for raising Grace to adulthood."

Evelyn looked at Jingshu Sterling, wanting to say more.

But Elara had already grown impatient. "Enough. You've seen each other. Do you plan to stay for lunch?"

Jingshu Sterling's gaze lingered on Evelyn, filled with reluctance.

Evelyn immediately spoke up. "I've reunited with Father. He's been looking for you."

Jingshu Sterling smiled. "Tell him to stop looking. I can't go back... It's better this way, never to meet again. Grace, take care of yourself. Regardless of the final outcome, surviving is what matters most."

Evelyn nodded heavily.

Without hesitation, Jingshu Sterling turned and left.

Once her figure disappeared, Evelyn turned and went upstairs, returning to her bedroom.

She slowly opened her tightly clenched hand.

A neatly folded note lay in her palm.

Jingshu Sterling had secretly slipped it to her during their handshake moments ago.