Chapter 522

She glanced at Patrick's paralyzed legs, her eyes betraying a momentary look of disdain.

However, she cuddled up to him, cooing, "Ishara might not take it well if we dropped the truth on her so suddenly. You know she's always looked up to Carlos, they have a strong connection. Besides, if word gets out that Ishara isn't Carlos' biological daughter she would be seen as a castoff to the shareholders of the Blanchet Group. Our years of planning could be ruined. We can't risk it all for something so small."

Patrick watched her with tender eyes that quickly sharpened. "Eleanor, do you still hold my disability against me?"

"I..." Eleanor began.

"You fell for my brother once, using me only to bear his child. I loved you, so I helped you. All these years, you wanted me to remain single for you, and I did-never taking a wife or even dating, overwhelmed by loneliness. You say Ishara can't accept me as her father? Or is it you who can't accept that I am, truly, your husband?"

Patrick grew impassioned.

His words struck a nerve. Eleanor, flustered, began to cry pitifully. "Patrick, how could you think that of me! You're better in every way than that hard-headed Carlos. I was just blind, infatuated with him. But then, didn't I quickly fall for you? Please, don't doubt my feelings."

Both she and Ishara were now dependent on Patrick, who would soon take control of Blanchet Group. It would be years before the immense company could be entrusted to Ishara's care. For that reason, Eleanor couldn't afford to alienate Patrick.

Having calmed Patrick down, she felt him tenderly touch her cheek, yet the sharpness in his eyes didn't wane. With a troubled look, he confessed, "Even if I refuse to acknowledge Ishara, I think others are starting to suspect something about our relationship."

Eleanor was taken aback. "What do you mean?"

"At the hospital the other day, I couldn't help but notice Winnie's piercing gaze on me and Ishara."

Patrick narrowed his eyes, emanating a cold intensity. "You're her first suspect when it comes to Carlos, old grievances and all. But she could also see that I'm siding with you. Once she starts digging into the connection between you and me, how far off could she be from suspecting Ishara's true parentage? We need to make sure Ishara stays wary of Winnie. If Winnie gets hold of her hair and compares it to mine, it'll be over for all three of us."

Eleanor's face paled. She doubted that Winnie could be that quick-witted.

Patrick tried to reassure her, "Ishara is my biological daughter, and this secret won't leave the family. We just need to make Ishara realize that it's time for her to stand on her own."

Eleanor hesitated and finally nodded in agreement.

Patrick saw the flash of resentment in her eyes and silently sneered. He knew she was still restless. He had to keep a tight grip on her and their daughter, who had been under Carlos's care for twenty years. It was time for Ishara to return to his side.

"I'm going to wash up. You should come out later," Eleanor said as she got up.

"Find some time to have a real talk with Ishara."

"Yeah," Eleanor responded half-heartedly.

Distracted, she opened the door, intending to slip out discreetly but suddenly collided with someone at the door.

Ishara, looking utterly distraught, lifted her head and saw her mother. Through the partly open door, she also saw Patrick.

Eleanor was visibly shaken, staring at Ishara's pale, troubled face. Eleanor was speechless. "Ishara, what are you doing here?"

"What are you and Uncle Patrick doing? Mother, I don't understand. Who is my real father?"

Ishara's heart was in turmoil, engulfed by profound disappointment.

Eleanor's face flushed with embarrassment and unease. "Ishara, listen to me."

"Ishara!" Patrick, inside the house, swiftly got dressed and stood up.

Ishara ignored him, with a trace of loathing flashing through her eyes, and walked away briskly.

Eleanor quickly followed her, taking care not to make a sound in the night. She pursued Ishara to her bedroom and closed the door behind them.

"Ishara, calm down."

"How can I be calm when you never told me about this! How can I not be my dad's daughter? Does this mean Winnie is Carlos's only biological child? No, I refuse to believe it!"

The cold bitterness and jealousy in Ishara's voice were palpable. "I won't accept my uncle as my father. No matter how good he has been to me, he's disabled. In the Blanchet family, my father and grandparents indulged him, everyone pitied him as if he were nothing, never commanding respect. How can my father be a man like that? I won't allow my lineage to be impure. If people at the Blanchet Group find out, what future would I have?"

Her agitation mounted as she spoke. "Mother, how could you betray my father and have an affair with my uncle?"

Eleanor's eyes reddened instantly, wounded by her daughter's words, anger rising within her. "Shut up!"

Ishara was taken aback. It was rare for her mother to lose her temper like this.

Looking up, she saw Eleanor's eyes were bloodshot with embarrassment and anger. "Carlos never showed me the tenderness a wife deserves! You have no idea the hardships I went through. I wanted to marry Carlos, but he hardly spared me a glance, always fixated on Winnie's wretched mother! I had no choice, Ishara.

"I had to set my sights on Patrick. He and Carlos bore a striking resemblance. To bear the Blanchet family's heir, I got pregnant by Patrick not once, but twice. The first pregnancy ended in miscarriage, and the second... is you. After having you, I managed to drive that wench, Irene, away from your father and, eventually, contributed to her untimely demise!

"All this, I did so you could inherit everything from the Blanchet family. Now that you know the truth about your birth, you must understand why I feared Winnie's return. If Carlos ever found out you weren't his, we would be left with nothing!"

Ishara's mind was in turmoil, her hands clenched into fists. "The shooting incident involving my father... Was it really you and my uncle...?"

Eleanor's bitter laugh cut through the tension. "What do you think? But haven't you felt how Carlos's attitude shifted ever since Winnie came back? That day, he was going to sign the paperwork transferring independent shares to Winnie. That's when your uncle made his move. Had your dad not passed away, Winnie would already be a part of the Blanchet family, comfortably positioned as an executive director. Where would that leave you in the company?"

Ishara caught her breath, her eyes turning steely.

Eleanor sat down, hugging Ishara tightly. "Honey, I know you have your issues with your uncle and his disability. He didn't quite have the standing within the Blanchet family over the years, but he was laying low for me. Plus, your grandpa was very fond of him. These days, he's been winning over the Blanchet Group shareholders. Just you wait and see the skill of your uncle. He'll soon have full control of the company and he'll support you in your climb to the top. He's your real father, Ishara. He's always going to be there for you, loving you ten times more than Carlos ever could!"

Ishara understood the pros and cons in Eleanor's words very clearly.

At this moment, with Patrick acknowledging her and her wings not yet ready to stand on her own, she couldn't refuse.

However, a wave of panic swiftly rose within Ishara. Winnie was Carlos's sole heir. She couldn't let the secret of her birth come to light!