I Quit Being a Stepmother (Cypress Gem) novel Chapter 177

hapter 177

Chapter 177

+25 BONUS

Adrian and Arielle knew that Rhea wasn’t their birth mother and that she had her own life.

Rhea paused, a twinge of sadness stirring in her chest. “That’s not what I meant. I wanted to tell you and Adrian to wait by the school gate later. Don’t leave first. I’ll take you both out to eat after the parent–teacher meeting.”

“…Really, Mom?” Arielle’s face lit up.

“Of course! I miss you and Adrian, too,” Rhea said.

“Yay!”

After a quick word with Caitlin, Rhea headed downstairs. “Mom, I need to go.”

“But we promised to have lunch with Mr. and Mrs. Snider.” Ruby gestured toward the living room.

Steven and Cynthia were already there, and George had just entered with Nathan.

“I have something urgent. Mr. and Mrs. Snider, I’ll treat you to lunch another day,” Rhea said, her smile gentle.

Cynthia nodded. “Alright. Go handle your matters. She’s grown more beautiful after all these years.”

At the door, Nathan quietly asked, “Are you going back to Colburn?”

“Yes.”

Seeing her expression, Nathan guessed it had something to do with the Jamison family. “George, go with Rhea.”

Rhea had to leave, but Nathan couldn’t be absent either. It would be disrespectful to Steven and Cynthia.

However, it didn’t matter that George wasn’t there.

The man in the black coat turned slightly, lowering his gaze to Rhea. “Want me to drive your car?”

“It’s okay. I can manage-

Nathan pressed. “Let him go with you. I’m not comfortable with you going alone.”

At an orthopedic hospital in Draventh, Carter asked anxiously, “Has the professor arrived?”

Lauren’s injury was serious. Her left ankle bone had fractured, likely worsened by previous “sprains

1/2

Chapter 177

+25 BONUS

“, which left it fragile. There was a high risk that she would face long–term issues with walking.

Carter had asked Aiden to contact a top orthopedic specialist to ensure Lauren’s recovery.

“I’ve contacted him. But…” Aiden hesitated.

“But what?” Lauren, in pain, grew frustrated. She didn’t want to end up crippled.

“There’s been no response after I sent your medical records,” Aiden said.

The specialist Aiden contacted was a rare find, introduced through a college mentor.

“Give me his number,” Carter said.

Aiden hesitated, then led Carter out of the ward. “I think you’d better not request this professor.”

“Why?” Carter asked.

After some hesitation, Aiden said, “His name is David Ravelle.”

David Ravelle?

Carter, unfamiliar with the medical field, was confused. “What’s wrong with him?”

“He’s a Ravelle,” Aiden reminded him. And he was from the Ravelle family of Draventh, which made

him Liam’s brother.

Given how Carter and Rhea had clashed, would a Ravelle agree to perform Lauren’s surgery? It was

unthinkable.

Still, Aiden didn’t put it quite so harshly.

Carter thought of Rhea. “What did you learn about the matter I asked you to look into?”

As he asked, his hand unconsciously clenched into a fist. Deep down, he felt a flicker of fear.

“There is indeed a daughter in the Ravelle family, but she’s been abroad all these years,” Aiden said.

Carter exhaled slightly. “If she’s overseas, it can’t be Rhea.”

He still refused to accept that Rhea could come from such a powerful family, possibly due to pride or an unwillingness to see a woman outshine him.

Aiden looked almost speechless. Yet, he snapped, “Carter, stop deceiving yourself. Rhea is obviously a Ravelle and most likely Nathan’s sister. She’s a highborn of Draventh! Are you refusing to believe it because you’re afraid you’ll regret it?”

The last words pierced Carter’s heart like a dagger.