Chapter 348 An Invitation Upstairs
James sat motionless after Ryan hung up.
His phone remained clenched tightly in his hand.
The more he replayed the conversation, the more one possibility refused to leave his mind.
His pulse quickened.
What if...
What if Rose really was his sister?
The thought sent a surge of adrenaline through him.
Without another second of hesitation, he grabbed his keys and headed straight for his grandparents’ house.
*****
Since it was her day off, Grace Taylor was enjoying a quiet afternoon at home.
Sunlight streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows as she practiced brush calligraphy at the dining table. Nearby, several orchids she’d been carefully cultivating filled the room with a faint floral fragrance.
When James hurried inside, another familiar figure was already there.
Derick Taylor.
Father and son looked at each other briefly.
Neither greeted the other.
James had never hidden the resentment he carried toward his father.
And after all these years...
Derick had long since stopped expecting anything different.
"Grandma."
Grace smiled without looking up from her writing.
"I heard you pull into the driveway five minutes ago."
She carefully finished the final stroke of a character before setting her brush aside.
"What has you rushing over here?"
James opened his mouth.
Then stopped.
His eyes drifted toward his father.
Ryan’s warning echoed in his head.
Nothing has been confirmed.
Don’t involve too many people.
Grace noticed immediately.
"If it’s something that concerns this family, just say it."
She waved a dismissive hand toward Derick.
"Your father doesn’t get to decide what I should or shouldn’t know."
Derick merely sighed.
Clearly, he was used to these comments.
James glanced around the room.
Victoria wasn’t home.
Taking a slow breath, he finally spoke.
"I think..."
"I may have found another lead."
Grace’s expression immediately changed.
"What kind of lead?"
"My sister."
The room fell silent.
Even Derick straightened in his chair.
James stepped closer.
"Grandma..."
"Have you ever wondered why that jade pendant ended up at Bennett Antiques?"
Grace frowned.
"It wasn’t just any pendant."
"It wasn’t an antique."
"It wasn’t part of an estate collection."
"It was a handcrafted piece made from exceptional jade."
He paused.
"And despite how valuable it was..."
"The Bennett family never offered it for sale."
Grace stared at him.
James continued quietly.
"If it’s not being sold..."
"Then maybe it never belonged to the store in the first place."
Understanding slowly spread across Grace’s face.
Her eyes widened.
She grabbed James’s arm.
"You mean..."
His voice softened.
"I can’t prove it yet."
"But I have every reason to believe..."
"Rose may be my little sister."
Grace covered her mouth.
For several seconds she couldn’t speak.
Her eyes filled with tears.
Ever since she’d met Rose...
There had been something about the young woman she couldn’t explain.
An affection that had come naturally.
Almost instinctively.
Now...
Everything suddenly seemed possible.
Across the room, however, Derick remained unusually quiet.
After a long silence, he finally spoke.
"We need to be careful."
Both of them looked at him.
"The Samantha situation should have taught us that."
His expression remained serious.
"We all believed we’d found your sister once already."
"And we were wrong."
He looked directly at James.
"Don’t give your grandmother hope until we know for certain."
James’s expression instantly cooled.
"You’d say that."
Derick frowned.
"What does that mean?"
James laughed bitterly.
"You have a wife."
"A home."
"A comfortable life."
"So of course you can stay calm."
His voice sharpened.
"You weren’t the one who spent decades wondering whether your daughter was alive."
"You weren’t the one who watched Mom suffer every single day."
The accusation hung heavily in the room.
Derick closed his eyes briefly.
"James..."
"I’m still your father."
"Do we really have to have this conversation every time we meet?"
James looked away.
He had no intention of answering.
Grace finally raised her voice.
"Enough."
Both men fell silent.
She took James’s hand.
"Whether it’s true or not..."
"This is still the first real hope we’ve had in years."
A smile slowly spread across her face.
"So now we verify it."
She thought quietly for a moment.
"We have to be careful."
"I don’t want Rose to feel overwhelmed."
"She still has her own family."
"And her grandfather is still alive."
Grace looked back at James hopefully.
"You’ve known Rose for quite a while."
"You two are friends."
"Why don’t you speak with her first?"
The smile instantly disappeared from James’s face.
He looked... uncomfortable.
"We’re..."
He hesitated.
"...not exactly close."
The words felt like shards of glass in his throat.
Every interaction he’d ever had with Rose replayed in his mind.
Every misunderstanding.
Every harsh word.
Every time he’d judged her unfairly.
Then another memory surfaced.
Ryan.
He had watched Ryan hurt Rose over and over again.
He had even defended Ryan more than once.
Now...
If Rose truly turned out to be his sister...
James could hardly bear to think about it.
Before anyone could continue the conversation, the housekeeper walked into the room carrying an elegant cream-colored envelope.
"Mrs. Taylor."
"A courier just delivered this."
Grace accepted it.
"An invitation?"
"The Robinson family," the housekeeper explained.
"They’re hosting a birthday celebration for their daughter."
"They weren’t able to hold one when she was younger, so they’re making up for it now."
Grace handed the envelope to James.
He opened it.
The moment he saw the name...
His eyes lit up.
"Ariel."
Grace looked surprised.
"You know her?"
James nodded.
"I’ve met her before."
He looked toward his grandmother.
"We’re going."
*****
Rose had expected Ariel’s birthday party to be fairly modest.
Instead...
It had grown into something much larger.
The Robinson family wasn’t simply hosting a child’s birthday.
Business partners.
Family friends.
Longtime associates.
Everyone important had received an invitation.
By the time Rose finished work that evening, Trevor was already waiting outside the medical center.
As soon as she stepped through the front doors, he climbed out of his SUV.
"How long have you been standing out here?"
He frowned.
"The temperature’s dropping."
"Aren’t you cold?"
Rose smiled.
"I’m fine."
She slipped her hands into the pockets of her coat.
"So..."
"What brings you here?"
Trevor smiled.
"I wanted to ask your opinion about something."
She waited.
"It’s about the guest list."
He handed her a tablet displaying the finalized invitations.
"The Knight family is still on it."
He looked at her carefully.
"If you’d rather not see them there..."
"I can have their invitation withdrawn."
Rose looked genuinely surprised.
She thought about it for several seconds before shaking her head.
"No."
Trevor waited for her explanation.
"This party isn’t just for Ariel."
She looked at the list again.
"The Robinson family has business relationships to maintain."
"There are clients, investors, longtime family friends..."
She handed the tablet back.
"I don’t think personal feelings should interfere with that."
She smiled faintly.
"My relationship with Ryan has nothing to do with everyone else."
Trevor watched her quietly.
He’d expected maturity.
Even so...
She impressed him.
He nodded.
"I understand."
The conversation seemed finished.
A cool evening breeze drifted through the parking lot.
Dark clouds gathered overhead.
Rose had changed out of her scrubs before leaving work and now wore a cream knit sweater beneath a camel-colored wool coat.
Her hair was tied loosely at the nape of her neck.
Simple.
Comfortable.
Beautiful.
Trevor found himself watching her for a moment longer than he’d intended.
Rose noticed.
She tilted her head.
"Was there something else?"
He smiled.
"There is."
She waited.
Trevor slipped one hand into his coat pocket.
His voice remained calm.
"Rose..."
"Are you going to invite me upstairs?"
A hint of surprise flashed across her face.