the two-faced Adopted Girl Who Melted CEO's Ice-Cold Heart

Chapter 304 Miss Delphine is Probably Not Mrs. Gu’s Biological Daughter

On the day of the Cloud Family’s gratitude banquet, Jocelyn Yeager openly proposed marriage to Delphine Carter, which turned Bessie Leclair into the greatest joke within the circles of high society.

Now, the two were on the verge of a fallout. Jocelyn Yeager, in an effort to avoid her, even refused to attend the Leclair Family’s invitation-only banquet this time.

Bessie Leclair harbored a deep-seated hatred toward Delphine Carter.

"I don’t care, Melody, you have to come up with a way to help me drive her out," Bessie pleaded coquettishly as she shook her arm. "My little tricks are nothing in my brother’s eyes. Melody, I can only rely on you."

Melody Cloud smiled faintly and patted her hand, speaking softly, "I have my methods. But in the future, stop going head-to-head with her all the time. Men are naturally protective of fragile women. If you keep being this forceful, any man would side with Delphine Carter."

Bessie’s eyes lit up as she secretly asked, "Is that why you’ve been playing nice with her, like the time you deliberately fell into the water?"

Melody Cloud responded with nothing but a sly smile. Facing clever women, one had to use their intelligence. Men—especially those prodigies born into affluent circles—were heavily imprinted with the marks of their lineage. Delphine Carter’s greatest disadvantage compared to her was her origin. That alone could cast her into the depths of despair. In this battle, Melody was determined to fulfill her aim of marrying into the Leclair manor.

In the tea room, Ignatius Leclair sat with his head lowered, his expression cold as frost.

"Twenty-two years ago, Ms. Carter hadn’t yet traveled to Nanyang. She was at the most renowned private club in Rong City at the time, enjoying modest fame," Maximilian reported quietly. "We inquired among some people from Rong City back then. They said Ms. Carter had been involved with someone, had even been pregnant, but her original partner’s wife forced her to abort the pregnancy."

"After investigating Ms. Carter’s hometown, we uncovered that Miss Delphine was sent to live with her grandmother in the countryside that same year. There’s no documentation proving her identity—her hospital birth certificate is falsified. If what those people from Rong City said is true, then after Ms. Carter’s abortion, she absolutely couldn’t have given birth to Miss Delphine in the same year." Maximilian studied the increasingly somber expression on Ignatius’s face and quietly delivered the conclusion, "Miss Delphine likely isn’t Ms. Carter’s biological daughter."

Ignatius Leclair’s phoenix-like eyes grew as dark as a still, ancient pond. Pressing his long fingers against the solid wooden tea table, he spoke solemnly, "Beatrice Carter is a profit-driven person who dreams of living a life of wealth and opulence. If this child weren’t her own, she would never adopt one casually, dragging down her own status. That leaves only two possibilities. First, the child has an extraordinary background, making the adoption beneficial. Second, she had no choice but to take in the child, out of obligation."

Ignatius furrowed his deeply etched brows and said calmly, "The first scenario is unlikely. After so many years, if Delphine had a remarkable lineage, Beatrice Carter would have tried to leverage it for advantage somehow—even at the risk of being killed by Stone Leclair—yet she hasn’t uttered a word about Delphine’s origins. It must be the second scenario. Investigate her relationships from that time, as well as all birth records in Rong City during the same period. Look for cases where the mother passed away after giving birth."

Maximilian’s heart skipped a beat. Ignatius Leclair had deduced so much simply from fragments of information. Could it be that Miss Delphine’s biological mother was truly no longer alive?

"Keep it discreet. Don’t let anyone notice," Ignatius Leclair instructed in a low voice. "After the banquet, I’ll give you one of Delphine’s hairs. Use it for a DNA test against Beatrice Carter."

With this dual approach, they would not only confirm whether the two shared a blood relationship but also uncover the true origins of Delphine Carter.

Maximilian quickly nodded.

As they spoke, a sudden commotion arose outside the side hall. Someone cried out in alarm, "Something’s happened!"