Chapter 867
This was his sister, who was bold in her love and hate, capable of both acceptance and letting go.
She was nothing like Patricia, who only knew how to cry, complain, and play the victim.
He’d really misjudged her before, failing to see how atrocious Patricia was at acting
Taking a deep breath, Balfour asked, “Ellinor, you initially came to work with me to investigate why our mom left the Howard family with you years ago, didn’t you?”
“Yep, spot–on!” Ellinor admitted openly
She had nothing to hide now, so she might as well lay all the cards on the table.
Balfour let out a sigh and said, “There’s no need to look into it anymore. I’ll tell you everything you want to know”
Ellinor squinted her bright eyes mockingly, “You’ll tell me that our mom messed up, got caught in the act, and was booted out by the Howards?”
Balfour frowned at her, “Ellinor, I didn’t want to believe it either, but I did see Mom leaving a hotel with another man back then”
Ellinor laughed. “So seeing is believing? I’ve walked out the front doors of hotels with different men loads of times! By your logic, I’ve had something with every single one
of them?”
Balfour frowned, “Don’t spout nonsense!”
Ellinor rolled her eyes at him dismissively, “No matter what happened back then, I believe Mom isn’t that kind of woman!”
Balfour was heartened to see his sister firmly defending their mother. He nodded, “Hmm, I also believe Mom isn’t that kind of person. That’s why I’ve been having people investigate the incident over the years. But we’ve never been able to find anything conclusive.”
Ellinor was disappointed in Balfour, “Just because you can’t find anything doesn’t mean there’s nothing to find! Use your brain, who would gain the most from Mom getting, kicked out of the Howard family? They’d be the prime suspect! And you! You’ve taken a thief for your mother and switched sides at the first sign of change!”
Balfour didn’t get angry even though his sister was chastising him. But he felt wronged.
He’d never seen Xenia as a mother. For years, he was only nice to her because of Patricia, and he barely spoke to her otherwise.
Not long after Mom left with Ellinor, Xenia showed up with a baby bump, forcing a marriage. Their grandparents, seeing the Howard heir in her belly, reluctantly let her in.
He suspected Xenia framed Mom to marry Dad, but he was just a student then and was powerless to investigate thoroughly.
Later, when he took over from his father, the first thing he did was reopen the case about Mom’s supposed infidelity, hoping to clear her name.
Unfortunately, he still couldn’t find any evidence of premeditation.
He told Ellinor there was no evidence and asked her to stop digging.
Not because he doubted Mom’s character, but because he couldn’t find the answer, which was just draining his energy and emotions.
So, he didn’t want Ellinor to get stuck in the past like him, consumed by his failure to protect Mom and Ellinor.
Without refuting Ellinor’s accusations, Balfour just sighed and asked, “Ellinor, where did you and Mom go after she took you away? Why haven’t you been living with Mom all these years?”
When asked why she hadn’t stayed with Mom, Ellinor’s expression became complex as her brows slightly furrowed, “I’m not sure I have a blurry memory of that time. All I know is Mom left me with the Mendoza family, and then she disappeared without a trace.”
Balfour squinted. “So you’re saying Mom might still be alive?
