Chapter 254

"Enya?" Christina whispered, the name a ghost from two decades past. She'd hoped it stayed buried, but here it was, a bombshell in the Beaumont family's hands. It should have been obvious; of course, they would know.

Gregory nudged her. "He's asking you something! Didn't you have a close friend named Enya?"

Byron's gaze was sharp as Christina flinched under Gregory's push. "Yes," she admitted, her voice tight. "A close friend, over twenty years ago." But this Enya? Heiress to the Beaumont fortune? The Enya Christina knew was ordinary, maybe prettier, maybe a little smarter—nothing like Byron's sister. A wave of complicated emotions washed over her.

"Yes, I knew her," Gregory chimed in, eager to smooth things over. "She and my wife were inseparable. Married around the same time, pregnant around the same time!"

His words struck a raw nerve. Byron’s face darkened. Enya. Tyson. The scoundrel who'd stolen his sister, failed her, and left her to die young.

Gregory’s easy confidence vanished. What had he said?

Ignoring him, Byron fixed Christina. "So, you deliberately adopted my sister's daughter?"

Christina froze. "Yes," she said softly, lowering her head. "After Enya passed, her daughter was in Angel Orphanage. I couldn't leave her there." She looked up, her expression sincere. "Enya never mentioned she had family. Had I known, I would have come to you."

Byron nodded slowly. Enya, an orphan, estranged from him because of a forced marriage, wouldn't have revealed her lineage.

His expression softened. "You resemble her, you know."

Christina smiled. In the past, the comparisons had stung. Enya, the radiant original, and she, the pale imitation. Now, though, she felt a flicker of gratitude; a little piece of Enya lived on in Brittany.

The tension eased, then Dylan whispered to Byron. The warmth vanished, replaced by a chilling frost. Byron's voice cut through the room. "Why did you lie?"

Panic flared in Gregory and Christina's eyes.

"What?" Gregory stammered, his voice trembling under Byron's gaze. Christina remained silent, gripping her clothes, her heart hammering.

Byron watched them. "Didn't you say she went on a trip?"

Gregory choked, "Y-yes…"

Byron's sneer was icy. "A trip to the police station?"

Gregory was speechless. The Beaumont influence was swift and inescapable. He surrendered, apologizing profusely. "We didn't mean to lie, sir. It's just—"

Christina relaxed her grip, a small sigh escaping. Byron saw it.

"We lied to protect Brittany's image," Christina said earnestly. "She was set up. Impulsive, yes, but kind at heart."

Gregory nodded frantically.

Byron's gaze remained cold, assessing. Christina's anxiety mounted. "Even if you don't trust me, trust Enya—your sister."

His features softened at the mention of his sister.

"Brittany is Enya’s only child, her legacy," Christina pressed, playing the family card.

The harshness in Byron’s eyes faded. "I can’t leave her in the station," he conceded.

Just as Christina breathed a sigh of relief, he continued. "But a paternity test is necessary. You have no objections?" His eyes, sharp as eagles, fixed on Gregory and Christina.