Chapter 945

After hanging up the phone, Lena was restless for the rest of her shift. She’d never felt such an urge to return to Aaron’s residence, but today, she left work early and went straight there. However, the usually punctual Aaron was nowhere to be found.

She called him. “Uncle, why aren’t you home?”

“I’m at the old house,” he replied, which only made Lena more anxious.

“Is Briana there too?” she asked.

Aaron hummed in affirmation and then added, “If you have time, you should come over.”

His words immediately reminded her of the time he had jokingly told her to be ready to perform emergency resuscitation. Given her grandparents’ age, they might not be able to handle a difficult situation well. Being there in person to monitor things seemed like the best course of action.

Lena rushed to the Ace family’s old home, where everyone was gathered: her grandparents, her parents, and even her father, Gabriel. Her parents sat on either side of her grandparents, likely to ensure nothing drastic happened. Aaron sat alone on a sofa, looking somewhat like a prisoner under interrogation. However, this was no ordinary “prisoner.” Dressed in a tailored, high-end suit, he exuded the aura of someone interrogating the older generations, rather than the other way around.

The atmosphere in the room was tense. Briana’s eyes were red, her grandmother dabbed at her tears, and her grandfather’s face was stern.

Lena took a deep breath before stepping inside. She had a good idea of what had happened but tried to lighten the mood by saying, “Why is no one talking?”

Briana shot her a glare, clearly unimpressed. Lena felt like an innocent bystander dragged into this mess. The two sofas were occupied by the elders. Not wanting to sit next to Aaron and risk being labeled a co-conspirator, she chose to sit in her grandfather’s usual rocking chair.

No sooner had she sat down than Briana barked, “Is that a seat for you?”

Lena jumped up as if stung by a needle. Aaron spoke up on her behalf, his tone calm but firm. “Sister, why are you snapping at Lil’ Lena? If you’re upset, yell at me or hit me. Leave her out of it.” As he spoke, he gestured for Lena to sit next to him.

With no other options, Lena reluctantly sat down beside him. Regardless of where she sat, she knew she was destined to be caught in the crossfire today.

“Aaron, your sister just doesn’t understand why you’re doing this. We can accept you wanting to reconnect with your biological family—that’s your choice. But why make a public statement announcing that you have no blood ties to the Ace family?” her grandfather finally asked.

Lena was equally shocked. Reconnecting was one thing, but to publicly declare he wasn’t biologically related to the Ace family? That was like slapping the family in the face, letting the world know the Ace family had no male heirs and had to adopt a son for appearances.

Aaron’s expression remained calm. “Mom, Dad, I have my reasons for doing this. When the time comes, you’ll understand.”

It was the same line he had used to brush her off before, and now he was using it on everyone else.

Lena couldn’t hold back anymore. “Uncle, do you feel that being part of the Ace family is humiliating? Is that why you’re publicly severing ties?”

“I’m not severing ties,” Aaron denied. “I’m simply letting people know I’m not biologically related to the Ace family.”

Lena was thoroughly baffled. “Why is it so important for people to know that?”

Aaron’s gaze deepened as he looked at her. “Do you really want to know?”

“Yes.” Her response was firm and unyielding.

“Fine, I’ll tell you,” Aaron said, taking her hand. “Come with me.”

Lena felt his grip on her hand as he led her out of the room, leaving the tense and questioning stares of the elders behind.