Chapter 37
Chapter 37
The Sanchez family members rarely saw Winnie with such a solemn demeanor, and their hearts couldn’t help but race, fearing some unexpected risk associated with the matter at
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However, Winnie spoke up.
*The one who switched Lucy’s Intelligence years ago was a housemaid who had been working for the Bryant family for many years. She once helped a Dark Wizard by chance, and in gratitude, the wizard offered to restore her dim–witted son’s intelligence. She set her sights on Lucy, who happened to be visiting the Bryant family.”
These matters were, of course, later confessed by Dotty.
Winnie had no intention of keeping the Sanchez family in the dark.
Hearing such a shocking truth, the Sanchez family members‘ faces turned a complex shade.
It was hard to claim they harbored no grudge against the Bryant family. After all, the housemaid was in their employ–who would have thought that someone they trusted could harbor such malicious intentions?
Their Lucy, merely a guest in their home, had been targeted and lived like a child for eight
years.
And they, for all these years, were none the wiser, believing that Lucy’s condition was due to a fall from a horse that had damaged her brain…
They resented the Bryant family for their poor judgement of character, but, paradoxically, it was Winnie, a Bryant herself, who had discovered the issue and offered to help them.
Malcolm took a deep breath and after a long pause finally exhaled, “As long as Lucy can return to normal… we can let bygones be bygones.”
The two families had a history of goodwill, and it would be hard on Winnie if they were to fall out over this incident. Now, they just wanted Lucy to get better.
The generosity of the Sanchez family sparked a rare fondness in Winnie, who offered a slight smile and assured, “Don’t worry, she will recover.”
Winnie then went upstairs, retrieved a strand of Lucy’s hair, and arranged a small reincarnation circle in the bright noon sunlight.
Unlike the last time when her dramatic spellcasting had stunned everyone, this ritual was deceptively simple.
The family watched as she whispered some arcane incantations and burnt the charm–wrapped hair. She then stood up and announced, “All done.”
The Sanchez family members, especially Luke who had heard from Carola about Master
Bryant’s impressive spellcasting, was expecting something more… spectacular.
That was it?
What they didn’t realize was that the previous display was partly to convince them, particularly Adelina, of Winnie’s abilities. Now that they believed her, Winnie saw no need for further theatrics.
The most sophisticated magic often required the simplest of gestures.
Fortunately for the Sanchez family, their concern for Lucy overshadowed their curiosity about the process. Their eyes anxiously turned to Lucy, whose gaze now seemed clearer than before. Her beautiful eyes scanned the room and then settled on Winnie, and after a moment she asked curiously. “Puppy Lady, aren’t we playing the treasure hunt game today?”
The hearts of the Sanchez family members nearly sank. Lucy seemed just the same as before.
Carola looked anxiously at Winnie, “Master Bryant… did the spell fail? Lucy doesn’t seem to be healed?”
Winnie remained calm in the face of their doubts, “She’s already better.”
Malcolm frowned at his daughter, who still had the innocent look of a child, not seeing any sign of recovery.
Understanding their confusion, Winnie explained, “When her intelligence was taken, she was eight years old. So now, she is also eight mentally. The restored intelligence won’t instantly give her the mind of a sixteen–year–old, but from today onward, she will grow and mature as any normal child does.”
However, she might be eight years behind her peers in maturity.
The contrast might seem stark now, but as time went by, this gap would close until she truly developed into an adult.
The Sanchezes finally understood.
Of course. Lucy had remained a child for eight years; even with her recovery, she couldn’t be expected to suddenly become a sixteen–year–old girl overnight. If she had, they might have suspected that her soul had been switched out for another.
Realizing this, Carola felt a sense of relief and looked at Lucy’s still innocent features with tear–filled eyes.
“It’s fine, she’s just had a longer childhood than others. Our little princess of the Sanchez family doesn’t need to rush to grow up,” she sighed.
Seeing that the Sanchez family had come to terms with the situation, Winnie reached into her backpack and pulled out an amulet, which she placed around Lucy’s neck herself,
“This is a protection amulet I’ve crafted by hand, designed to ward off all malicious forces and ensure her safety in the future.”
At the end of the day, Lucy had been targeted repeatedly because of her exceptional destiny.
Malcolm noticed the high quality of the Jade amulet Winnie gave to Lucy, far superior to the one that had broken before, and immediately transferred five million dollars to Winnie as compensation for her service.
But unexpectedly, Winnie returned the money and replied, “The money has already been paid.”
Malcolm was taken aback. Then he saw Winnie show him a payment confirmation on her phone, displaying a transaction of ten million dollars.
Malcolm couldn’t help but wonder who was behind such a grand gesture when he saw the note attached to the bank transfer = “Clifford.”
Malcolm was a loss for words.
“In the matter of your recent misfortune, the Bryant family feels a certain responsibility. Consider this a way for me to make amends on behalf of the Bryant family,” said Winnie, who was not just representing herself that day but the entire Bryant clan.
Hearing this, Malcolm felt his lingering resentment towards the Bryant family dissolve into nothingness.
After leaving the Sanchez residence, Winnie was about to slide into her car when a familiar voice called out from behind.
“Winnie?”
Turning. Winnie saw Parker standing a short distance away, his gaze filled with restrained delight and a touch of feigned affection.
“I came to visit Uncle Middleton and never expected to bump into you here. What a coincidence.”
Parker’s voice was gentle as he explained. Seeing her silent, he continued, “At that dinner party. I saw you. I wanted to come over and say hello, but I was afraid you’d be upset to see me… after all, there might be some misunderstandings between us.”
Winnie raised an eyebrow. “Misunderstandings?”
Seizing the chance to engage her further, Parker quickly added, “Yes, Kathryn probably told you we’re dating now, right? But that’s not the case. After your accident, when you found your family again, Kathryn lied to me, saying your folks were from some poor countryside. I was worried about your future being ruined if they took you away, so I begged her to let her father keep you with the Henderson family. In return, I agreed to be her boyfriend…”
Winnie’s eyebrow arched even higher, “So, you did all that for me?”
Parker looked at her with a bitter expression. “It’s just fate playing tricks, Winnie. You know? The person I’ve always liked… it’s you. And I know that you’ve always had feelings for me too…”
Winnie had initially wanted to see what kind of story Parker had cooked up by waiting for her here, but she couldn’t help interrupting him at this point, “Parker, who told you I liked you?”