As Xander and Walter Riley joined the rest of the family for lunch, Xander spotted Scarlett standing by the side table. Xander couldn't help but worry when he saw her. He quickly walked up to her and took her hand, squeezing it gently.
"Baby, are you doing okay?" he whispered, his voice filled with concern.
Scarlett looked up at him, and the corners of her lips curved into a playful smile. "Do I look like soone bullying ?" she teased, her eyes sparkling mischievously.
Xander's heart lightened at her response, and he grinned at her. "No, you look beautiful as always," he said, relieved she seed alright.
'Gosh! Why did this man start trapping in his honey trap again?' Scarlett shook her head.
As Scarlett and Xander sat in their seats, the rest of the family greeted them warmly, especially Carter.
The dining room becos lively with conversation. Walter Riley occasionally intervened throughout the al to prevent Carter from rambling too much.
At the sa ti, Xander sat quietly, lost in thought. Scarlett couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed as her husband seed to have no interest in joining the lively conversation around the table. Instead, his attention was solely focused on her.
Scarlett glanced at Xander, whose hand was resting on her thigh. She knew Xander was trying to show affection, but public displays of affection always made Scarlett feel uncomfortable.
As the al progressed, Scarlett's cheeks grew warm with embarrassnt. All the attention on them made Scarlett uneasy, and the thought of everyone watching their every move made Scarlett blush. She desperately wanted to get to their room, where they were alone.
...
It wasn't long before lunch finally ended.
Martha once again pulled Scarlett to chat with her without the n surrounding them. They sat in Martha's comfortable ho office at the back of the house.
"I know you're going to the US for Christmas, Scarlett, but I really wish you could stay and spend New Year's Eve with us," Martha pleaded.
Scarlett sighed silently. She wanted to please Aunt Martha, but the decision was not her own. "Auntie, even though I want to co, I can't make any promises without talking to Xander first."
She knows Xander's relationship is not very harmonious with his family. And she will follow whatever Xander says about his family matters.
Martha nodded in understanding. "I know, dear... I know. I hope you can talk to him," she said, her voice trailing sadly. Despite the sadness in her tone, Martha's face still looks as beautiful and elegant as ever.
Scarlett couldn't help but be struck by Martha's elegance and beauty. It reminded her of her late mother, who had always been graceful and gentle in her mory.
But the thought of her late mother brought a surge of emotion within her. She missed her mother profoundly but, at the sa ti, felt a simring anger toward her.
Scarlett felt lost in the dark as everything she knew about her mother was fake. She doesn't even know her mother's na, let alone the reason behind her sudden appearance on Island B and being married to Jonathan Piers. This thought always haunts her whenever she rembers her mother.
'Mom, I wish I knew why you left like this...' Scarlett whispered to no one but herself. Her heart was heavy as she took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down. 'I need to know the truth. My curiosity is killing , Mom!'
As Scarlett thought deeply about her late mother, Martha looked at her with an expression that words couldn't describe. Sothing from her past seed to tickle her mory and heart.
After so monts in silence, Martha finally spoke. And her tone sounds very serious, "Scarlett... Sothing is bugging . Not sothing horrible, of course. It's about the thought that you seem so familiar to . I thought we'd known each other for a long ti, and I feel comfortable talking to you as if we were old friends." Then Martha continues, "I bet a million dollars that you looked like soone close to in the past. But that's truly weird, right? I an, you looked like her and spoke like her. If you had any relation with her, that must be a coincidence, right?"
Scarlett was stunned, trying to process Martha's words. The idea of an old friend of Martha having a face similar to hers seed like an odd coincidence. She couldn't help but wonder if this friend had any connection to her late mother.
As Martha remained silent, Scarlett's nervousness began to overtake her as she waited for a response.
Finally, Martha spoke softly, "Yes, dear. She looked and spoke like you, but that was it. It's just that I imdiately think of her when I see you, and... when you smile and speak, you sound so much like her..."
Scarlett's heart skipped a beat at the confirmation that Martha's long-lost, very close friend could be connected to her mother.
Now she has a new lead. She can find her mother's family if Aunt Martha knows about that woman's family.
Before she could ask Martha, Scarlett heard her say, "Unfortunately, I lost contact with her for over two decades. I don't know if she still lives in the sa place."
"Auntie, is she staying in this country?" Scarlett asked carefully, not wanting to sound suspicious.
"No. I clearly rember she's from X Country. We lost contact when I t her in high school and when I moved here." Martha felt sad rembering her old friend.
"Country X?" Scarlett was surprised because she recognized the place as one she had always hear when she was active at the Fox mission.
"Yes, she is from country X. Scarlett, may I know your mother's na?" Martha asked casually, but in her heart, she hoped Scarlett's mother was her best friend.
Scarlett blinked a few tis, hearing Aunt Martha's question. She was surprised to see Aunt Martha's eyes lit up as if she was clearly expecting sothing.
'I don't know my birth mother's na...' Scarlett wanted to say that, but she held herself back. She smiled before saying, "Her na is Mikayla Davies…."
When Scarlett revealed her mother's na as Mikayla Davies, Martha's expression instantly changed, and disappointnt was evident on her face.
'Ugh! What was I thinking... There's no way my best friend is your mother, Scarlett. Because if my friend ca to this country, she would definitely contact , right!?' Martha mumbled inwardly as a forced smile showed on her face, trying to hide her disappointnt.
Scarlett noticed the sudden change in Aunt Martha's expression. The disappointnt was clear from the look in her eyes because she did not get the expected answer.
"Auntie, may I know the na of your best friend?" Scarlett asked carefully, not wanting Aunt Martha to suspect her curiosity.
"Her na?" Martha raised her eyebrows, confused about why Scarlett wanted to know her friend's na. But still, she answered, "She has a beautiful na, Rosalie... Rosalie Withers."
"Rosalie Withers... It's a beautiful na," Scarlett repeated, her heart tightening. That na could be the key to unlocking the truth she had been searching for about her mother.
"I agree," Martha nodded. "Not only is her na beautiful, but she is also stunning. She had the looks of a goddess. However, there was always sothing strange about her. Rosalie had an unusual personality. She preferred to be alone and didn't have many friends. As far as I rember, I was the only person she talked to when we were in high school..." Martha recounted her mories of Rosalie to Scarlett.
The more Scarlett heard, the more convinced she beca that Rosalie was her mother. Aunt Martha's mories of Rosalie's personality and behavior matched Scarlett's mories of her mother.
Scarlett seed impatient to send this information to Rex. So that he could investigate Rosalie Withers in country X.
She is determined to find the Withers family and know the truth about her mother.
"Auntie, do you have any old photos of you and your friend? I'm curious to see her beauty."
Martha's eyes lit up. "I do have so old photos. Let go get them for you." She hurried out of the room and returned a few minutes later with a small photo album.
Scarlett eagerly flipped through the pages, searching for clues that could lead her to her mother's family. As she reached the last page, her heart skipped a beat. Scarlett recognized a photo of her mother standing in front of a landmark. It was her mother's picture that Scarlett got from her father.
'Mother! She is my mother...' Scarlett scread with joy in her heart. She couldn't believe she could find her mother's family faster.
"Auntie, you are right. Your friend is wonderful, like a Goddess." Scarlett tried to hold back her tears. She was delighted because she finally knew how to start looking for her mother's family.
It's hard to believe that Aunt Martha is friends with her mother. And, it's a miracle, Xander takes her to et Aunt Martha.
"Yes. She is gorgeous. You have a slight resemblance to her, so when I first saw you, I seed to see my friend Rosalie..." Martha said with a faint smile appearing on her lips.
Scarlett could only smile a little. She really wanted to be honest with Aunt Martha, but for a while, she could only tightly seal her lips.
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