The first light of dawn crept through the windows.

Sophia Laurent sat at the dining table, her fingertips lightly tapping the surface. The aroma of breakfast wafted from the kitchen as the staff bustled about.

Ethan Sullivan descended the stairs, his shirt sleeves rolled up to his elbows, revealing well-defined forearms. He pulled out a chair and sat beside Sophia. "Did you sleep well last night?"

"Fair enough." She took a sip of coffee and glanced toward the staircase. "Are Mom and Dad still asleep?"

As if on cue, footsteps echoed from above. Vincent Laurent helped Evelyn Grandelle down the stairs, both with faint shadows under their eyes.

"Dad, Mom." Sophia stood to greet them.

Vincent pushed a steaming bowl of sea cucumber congee toward her. "Eat up. You need the nourishment."

"You have it." She nudged the bowl back with a meaningful blink.

Evelyn cleared her throat. "Sophia, take me to see your adoptive mother this weekend."

"Of course." Sophia nodded.

Vincent held a glass of milk, but his gaze lingered on his daughter's face. He studied her features with growing fondness.

"Dad?" Sophia flushed under his scrutiny.

Vincent snapped out of his reverie and set the glass down. "There's something you all should know."

He recounted the truth that Vincent "Ren" Laurent had drunkenly revealed.

Sophia's chopsticks clattered onto the table. She whipped her head toward Ethan, eyes glistening. "I knew it! I knew he was my father!"

Ethan ruffled her hair. "It's never too late to reunite."

Breakfast tasted sweeter than usual. Sophia, for once, went back for seconds. Evelyn chuckled at her ravenous appetite. "When are you and Ethan planning for children?"

"One is enough." Ethan squeezed Sophia's hand under the table. "I can't bear to see her in pain."

As they prepared to leave, Sophia suddenly dashed back inside and enveloped Vincent in a tight hug.

"That girl." Evelyn shook her head with a smile, though her eyes grew misty.

By evening, the group arrived at a Cantonese restaurant in the suburbs. When the private dining room door opened, Sophia immediately spotted Kyle Grant seated beside Vincent "Ren," with the cheerful Sylvia Laurent at his side.

"Try this, Mr. Grant." Sylvia eagerly served him food.

Kyle impassively moved his bowl away. "I'll help myself."

Sophia frowned at the exchange. Then her phone rang—Alexander Valentine was calling.

"Dad's missing." His voice crackled with anxiety.

Sophia's heart lurched. Before she could ask for details, a screech of brakes pierced the air outside.

Boom!

The deafening crash turned every face pale. Ethan was the first to bolt outside, Sophia close behind.

Fifty meters away, a Rolls-Royce had collided with a truck. The windshield was a spiderweb of cracks, airbags fully deployed.

Ethan yanked the car door open. Theodore Valentine, bloodied and limp, tumbled out.

"Call an ambulance!" Ethan barked, shielding Sophia with his body.

She clamped a hand over her mouth, legs trembling. As she stared at the spreading pool of blood, one name flashed through her mind—

Raymond Stone.