Chapter 139
After hearing everything, Brenda felt an even deeper sense of disgust toward Ophelia. At the same time, she couldn't help but feel sorry for her father. Finman had truly been through hell all these years. Brenda added, “Dad, you still have no idea who’s behind Ophelia!”
Finnian nodded. “He’s too well-hidden, extremely cautious. Even after more than twenty years, I haven’t been able to uncover his identity.”
Brenda realized just how deep this mess went. “You don’t even know who Soren’s father is? Has Ophelia never met that man again all these years?”
She then mentioned the antiques Ophelia had given away. “Have you looked into who she sent them to?”
Finnian sighed helplessly. “I did, but every time I got a lead, it went cold. She and that man do meet in secret, but even Special Force couldn’t track them. That lover of hers is highly cautious and very skilled. I was afraid of alarming him, so I had to take it slow, one step at a time.”
Moreover, Finnian was just an ordinary person. It was relatively easy for the man to avoid him. Of course, besides pretending to be a love-struck fool and indulging Ophelia and Soren, Finnian had made other attempts over the years. But that was something he had no intention of telling his daughter. Knowing too much would only put Brenda at risk.
A chill ran down Brenda’s spine. “Then you’ll have to keep up the act.”
Finnian nodded. “That’s right.”
Brenda suddenly remembered something. “Dad, do you know that Soren and Sienna are siblings?”
Finnian responded. “I do. I noticed your mother treated Sienna very differently; she cared about her way too much. It felt off.”
He continued, “If she hadn’t been under my watch every three months without exception, I would have suspected Sienna was her daughter. But just to be sure, I had someone get a strand of Sienna’s hair and run a DNA test.”
He continued, “When I confirmed they weren’t related, I ran another test. This time between Sienna and Soren. That’s when I found out they were siblings, both fathered by that bastard. Your mother dotes on Sienna simply because she loves that man so much.”
“But… I’ll never understand,” Brenda wondered. Ophelia loved that man so deeply, yet she could still care for a daughter he had with another woman.
Brenda said, “That so-called niece, Patricia, brought home is actually her biological daughter. And she and Soren are half-siblings. Pheebs and I stumbled upon the truth a couple of days ago.”
Finnian had not known about this situation in the Harvey family. He could not hide his surprise. “So Manfred got cheated on too. But he’s probably completely in the dark; he really adores and treasures Patricia right now. Manfred is nothing like your mother; she knows exactly how to manipulate Manfred.”
He continued. “Frank is Manfred’s biological son, but after Patricia planted seeds of doubt in his mind, Manfred started treating him poorly.” Patricia was far more cunning and quick-witted than Ophelia.
Thankfully, Ophelia wasn’t as smart as she thought she was. She believed Finnian was so madly in love that he couldn’t live without her. If she had been any sharper, Finnian wouldn’t have been able to keep up this act for so many years without her catching on.
Finnian clicked his tongue. “Manfred’s youngest son might not even be his own.”
The Hill family and the Harvey family had business ties, so Finnian was on fairly good terms with Manfred. And Finnian could see that Manfred genuinely did not like Frank. Manfred was even ruthless enough to harbor murderous intent toward Frank just to seize Wallace’s shares and assets.
That was exactly why Frank, being the smart one, had gone abroad both to escape and to build up his own power before coming back to challenge Manfred. Because of all this, Finnian had always believed that the Harvey family was far too complicated and that Frank was not a good match for Brenda.
When Brenda had insisted on following Frank overseas, Finnian had not opposed her. He had wanted her to see the truth for herself, while also keeping her away from Ophelia’s schemes.
Finnan had always known that Ophelia was trying to get her hands on whatever Brenda owned – likely because the man behind her wanted it.
Brenda could not hold back her sarcasm. “That bastard is absolutely disgusting. Just how charming is he?” How could he be so irresistible that he keeps seducing all these beautiful women from different backgrounds? she thought. And these women were not just willing to have his children; they would live and die for him, go to extremes for his sake. Worse, they could even sympathize with one another, joining hands to care for his illegitimate kids.
The more Brenda thought about it, the more revolted she felt. But without this explanation, she could not make sense of Ophelia’s mindset. Ophelia despised Brenda also because she resembled her father. This meant that, in Ophelia’s eyes, the birth of her and Reece was proof that she had betrayed that bastard.
Maybe, back when Ophelia sent Brenda to her family, she already knew Brenda would suffer and be tormented. She had deliberately used them to erase Brenda from existence. The more Brenda thought about it, the colder she felt inside.
Finnian agreed. “Sometimes. I suspect the same thing.”
Now that they had uncovered three illegitimate children, each planted into one of the three most powerful families, it was clear that man had to be dangerously charismatic.
Finnian thought for a moment before saying. “Looking at it this way, there’s a high chance that the person behind this was the one who orchestrated Phoebe’s abduction back then.”
That bastard probably had not been able to get close to Lydia, or perhaps when his plan started, Elliot was already married, and it was too late. If he wanted to steal the Jenkins family’s fortune, he could have arranged for Phoebe to be kidnapped and then found a way to send Sienna into their household instead.
One scheme after another, all tightly woven together. The more they uncovered, the more terrifying and unsettling it became.
Brenda considered it carefully. “That actually makes a lot of sense. That man is beyond wicked.”
She then recounted everything that had happened in Elliot’s office before asking, “Dad, is it okay if I tell Pheebs about what we talked about today? Those people are targeting her 100%.”
At this point, the only people she truly trusted were her biological father and Pheebs. Brenda also wanted Pheebs to know more about what was going on so she could be better prepared.
Finnian could tell what Brenda was thinking. He nodded. “Go ahead and tell her. Given what we now know, she has been caught in this mess for a long time. If she were just an ordinary person, knowing too much might put her in danger. But that’s not the case.”
He continued. “She is a horoscope reader and a skilled one at that. Now, it seems the more she knows, the safer she might actually be.” Finnian had a feeling that Phoebe might be the key to breaking this case.
He said openly, “But apart from Phoebe, you cannot tell anyone else. Not Reece, not Frank, no one.” He reminded her sternly, “And when you see your mother and Soren, just act normal. Do not let anything slip.”
Brenda nodded. “Do not worry. I understand. She was not as foolish as Reece.”
After thinking for a moment, she asked, “Dad, is Grandma trustworthy?”
Finnian nodded. “She is.” Then he added, “All that drama between her and your grandfather back in the day? That was just an act for your mother and the others to see.”
Brenda finally breathed a sigh of relief. “That is good to know.”
After finishing their meal, Finnian accompanied Brenda to the mall, where she bought a good amount of jewelry and clothes before they parted ways.
Even though Ophelia was at the Hill mansion, she received the news almost immediately and silently cursed both of them. What infuriated her even more was Finnian taking Brenda shopping. She might not love Finnian, but she saw him as her possession. She could not stand him treating any other woman like a daughter.
If Theresa had not kept her confined to the Hill mansion, Ophelia would have immediately called Finnian to order him back to her side.