Chapter 53

Lilian took Filip's arm and said cautiously, "Filip"

Filip finally looked away from Cynthia. He looked down at Lilian and said in a displeased voice, "When did you become friends with Shirley?"

Lilian knew Filip hated Cynthia, but disliked Shirley even more. She hurriedly explained, "Filip, I actually came today for something important."

After saying that, she looked at Shirley. Shirley said, "That's right, Filip. Today is a big day. Lilian and I hit it off immediately. So I plan to have my mother take her as a goddaughter."

In fact, Shirley had mentioned this to Selena the previous night. However, she only said she had a poor friend and wanted Selena to take her in as a goddaughter, omitting that the friend was Lilian. After much pleading and persuasion, Selena finally agreed.

When Cynthia heard the news, her face darkened. Shirley's actions were truly appalling. However, both the Jones and Yates families were well aware of Lilian's past actions. Cynthia remembered how the Jones family despised Lilian's betrayal and her opportunistic behavior.

Cynthia knew Selena held a grudge, but it stemmed from past conflicts. Selena was not a woman who couldn't distinguish right from wrong. On the contrary, she had always doted on Cynthia, raising her with care and actively participating in her upbringing, never relying on a nanny. Cynthia had a very happy childhood and a deep love for Selena. That's why she couldn't accept this reality.

Selena was different now. While still tender, loving, and reasonable with others, she was mean and critical toward Cynthia. However, deep down, Cynthia still clung to a glimmer of hope: Selena, who had raised her for twenty years, was still her mother. She believed Selena's hatred and disgust stemmed from a place of deep love and hurt, and that deep down, Selena must still love her. If Selena still had any feelings of kinship, however small, she would never take Lilian as her goddaughter.

Filip was also surprised. Because of Lilian's involvement, Henry, Pamela, and Matthew considered Lilian a vicious woman. Even if Lilian were carrying a Yates grandchild, they would rather disown their descendant than acknowledge her. The Jones family couldn't possibly take Lilian as their goddaughter; after all, Cynthia was the daughter they'd raised for twenty years. Ignoring her feelings would be cruel.

Filip couldn't help but look at Cynthia. Suddenly, he realized he was worried about her. He even felt sorry for her. From Lilian's perspective, however, this was undoubtedly a good thing.

Chapter 53

At this time, Shirley suddenly walked onto the banquet hall stage. She took the microphone from the emcee and said, "Everyone, please be quiet. I'm Shirley Jones. Thank you for coming to my party today. I have something very important to announce"

The entire banquet hall, filled with hundreds of people, fell silent. Everyone moved closer to the stage. Shirley, the real daughter of the Jones family, spoke.

Shirley pulled a girl in a long white dress to the center of the stage. Then she said, "This is my good friend, Lilian Sheppard. We have a special relationship. On this joyful day, the Jones family will take her as a goddaughter. From now on, she's the daughter of the Jones family. Please look after her."

Everyone looked confused, many whispering amongst themselves. "Which family does Ms. Sheppard belong to? She looks unfamiliar," one guest said. "Why does the Jones family suddenly take in a goddaughter? Mrs. Jones is truly kind-hearted. She adopted her enemy's daughter, and now she has a goddaughter," another added. "It's good to have a goddaughter, but Mr. and Mrs. Jones look even more shocked than we do, as if they didn't know about it beforehand," a third guest remarked.

Selena and Justin stood on the stage. Selena knew. Last night, Shirley insisted on adopting a goddaughter without revealing her identity, only mentioning a friend. She never expected it to be Lilian. How could she not know Lilian? Three years ago, Cynthia had cut her wrists because of her.

Cynthia and Filip had grown up together. During university, Lilian appeared and Filip became obsessed with her. Even though he was later forced to marry Cynthia, he eloped with Lilian to another country. Selena already knew Filip and Cynthia never obtained a marriage certificate, so it wasn't a real marriage. She disliked Lilian and scorned her manipulative tactics.

Justin was furious and approached Shirley. He scolded, "Shirley, what are you doing?"

Shirley replied, "Dad, Mom has agreed." She knew this plan wouldn't work with Justin, so she acted first and dealt with the consequences later. Fortunately, Selena wouldn't blame her. Even if slightly unhappy, Shirley knew Selena would ultimately agree, feeling guilty toward her. Publicly, Justin was the head of the family, but in reality, he always listened to Selena.

Shirley grabbed Selena's arm and pleaded softly, "Mom, there are so many people watching. It's just a goddaughter in name; there's no harm in it. Mom, this is my birthday wish. If you fulfill it, I'll obey you in everything from now on."

Selena felt uneasy seeing Shirley's pleading look. She was smart enough to see Shirley wanted them to adopt Lilian as a goddaughter simply to hurt Cynthia.

Chapter 53

For the past three years, Selena had tried to make amends with Shirley. But Shirley still viewed Cynthia as the enemy who had taken everything from her. This wasn't the first time such an incident occurred. Previously, Shirley's outburst had prevented Selena from attending Cynthia and Filip's wedding banquet. In front of Shirley, she had to treat Cynthia badly to compensate for years of grievances. In truth, she felt just as hurt about Cynthia. The daughter she’d raised with such care for twenty years had become a tool for Rachel’s revenge.

She hated Rachel. She had taken it out on Cynthia. But after calming down, she realized Cynthia was the most innocent of all. When Cynthia cut her wrists, Selena's heart broke as a mother.

The timestamp and "SEND GIFT" at the end are extraneous and have been removed. The repeated "Chapter 53" headings have also been consolidated. The text has been improved for grammar, punctuation, and flow.