Chapter 619: Gifts-2
Lucian quietly understood his reasoning. Even so, he calmly replied,
"I understand your concern. But Lana clearly doesn’t want to acknowledge the Peterson Family. By publicly announcing your relationship with her, aren’t you forcing her into accepting all of you?"
Conard remained silent briefly. Finally, he shook his head.
"You can interpret it that way. But I don’t. I’m only doing this because I’m worried she’ll be bullied."
Lucian slowly smiled. "Conard, there has always been something I found rather strange."
Conard looked at him. "What?"
Lucian rested his chin against one hand.
"The Peterson Family never once questioned whether Tessie was truly your biological daughter. How?"
Conard froze. After a long pause, he sighed.
"The truth is, Tessie always handled matters like medical checkups herself. So, there was never an opportunity for us to discover the truth medically."
He looked out the window.
"As for emotionally, it never even crossed our minds. She behaved exactly like a Peterson. She excelled in everything. She acted elegantly. She knew exactly how to please every family member. Nothing about her ever seemed out of place."
The more Conard explained, the wider Lucian’s smile became. Finally, he let out a soft laugh.
"You were all blind."
He shook his head slowly. "I’m honestly worried. If Lana ever returns to the Peterson Family, she’ll suffer endlessly."
Conard gritted his teeth. "We’re trying our best to make things right."
Lucian leaned comfortably against his chair.
"If I’d known from the beginning that the Mystical Cultivation Association intended to protect Lana all along, I would’ve approached them long before approaching any of you."
He calmly looked at Conard. "Compared to them, the Peterson Family has been rather useless."
Hearing those blunt words, Conard didn’t argue. Because deep inside, he also believed they had failed Lana repeatedly.
Lucian spoke again. "If you truly think you’ve only brought her pain, why not stay away from her? Perhaps, she’ll hurt a little less that way."
Conard lowered his head. For the first time, he genuinely wondered whether distancing himself from Lana would actually make her happier.
His thoughts were suddenly interrupted. Back in the present, Lana smiled brightly.
"I brought back a few gifts."
She mischievously looked between the two men. "But it’s not ordinary gold. So, who wants their gift first?"
Lucian immediately raised both hands in surrender. "Give Elder Brother his gift first."
He pointed toward Conard with a completely innocent expression.
"He’s far too hot-tempered. If I accepted mine before him, I’m certain he’d secretly beat me up once you weren’t looking."
Lana immediately turned toward Conard. She narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "Big Brother, you’d really do something like that?"
Conard became completely speechless. He slowly turned toward Lucian.
Lucian simply shrugged with an innocent smile, as though none of this had anything to do with him.
Conard rubbed his forehead helplessly. "Lana, trust me. I’m not that kind of person."
Lana pouted dramatically. "Hmph... I’ll pretend to believe you."
She smiled before taking out a heavy metallic bar from her Storage Talisman. "Then, you’ll receive your present first."
She gently placed the bar into Conard’s hands.
The heavy weight almost made his arms sink slightly. At first glance, it looked like nothing more than an ordinary gold bar.
Conard frowned. "Why are you giving me gold?"
However, something felt unusual. Curious, he lightly scratched the surface with his fingernail.
The outer layer peeled away slightly. Immediately, a dazzling silver-golden radiance shimmered beneath the surface.
Conard’s breathing stopped. His eyes widened dramatically. He slowly raised his head toward Lana.
"This..."
Lana nodded proudly.
"That’s right. It’s an Etherium Gold bar."
She grinned from ear to ear.
"You can sell it for an enormous amount of money."
She winked playfully. "Big Brother, keep it as your private stash."
Before Conard could recover from the shock, Lana had already turned around and happily walked toward Lucian, leaving her stunned brother standing there with the priceless bar still trembling in his hands.
"I can’t take this," he said firmly, shaking his head. "This is far too precious."
Lana let out a soft chuckle, the warmth in her eyes making her look even gentler.
"Just keep it, Brother," she replied with a smile. "If you don’t... then I would feel like you’re..."
She suddenly paused, her lips parting slightly before closing again.
’Treating me like an outsider.’
Those words reached the tip of her tongue but refused to come out. After all, from one perspective, she hadn’t officially acknowledged them as her family yet. She didn’t feel she had the right to use those words so naturally.
Conard quietly watched her conflicted expression before a faint smile appeared on his face.
"Since you’ve put in so much effort into preparing this," he said warmly, "then I’ll accept it."
Lana’s face immediately lit up with a brilliant grin. However, before she could celebrate, Conard continued,
"But you have to accept some shares from me as well."
Lana blinked in surprise.
"Lana," Conard continued with a gentle yet determined smile, "a relationship can’t be built only from one side."
Hearing those heartfelt words, Lana helplessly sighed.
"Whatever," she muttered with an exaggerated shrug.
She then turned toward Lucian without another word and immediately wrapped her arms around him in a warm embrace.
"I missed you so much."
Lucian smiled helplessly while gently patting her back.
At that moment, Axel, who had just walked out of the room, watched the scene before sighing dramatically.
"Lucian," he said with a teasing grin, "if I were in your place, I’d start interrogating her about Harry right now."
Lana instantly shot him a sharp glare.
"Uncle," she complained, narrowing her eyes, "are you on my team or on his?"
Axel burst into laughter.
"No one’s," he replied mischievously. "I simply enjoy watching you get into trouble."
Lana snorted indignantly.
"What kind of vengeful spirit possessed my uncle?" she grumbled dramatically. "He has gone from doting uncle mode to revenge mode."
She immediately turned toward Lisa with an exaggerated expression of grievance.
"Lisa! I want to change him back into my doting uncle."
Her pitiful little wail sounded unbelievably adorable, making everyone in the room burst into laughter.
After everyone settled down and entered the house, Lana suddenly remembered the strange white crystal.