Chapter 351


    After the guests took their seats, the maids served up some refreshments.


    "Mr. Eddie, I''vee to send you an invitation," said Sebastian as he handed a red, gold foiled


    invitation to Eddie with both hands. "Maddie and I got married overseas, but we still haven''t held a


    wedding to this day. Now that she''s back, my father hopes that we can see to it. I hope you can join us


    for this celebration."


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    "Of course, of course." Eddie smiled as he took the envelope from Sebastian. "Congrattions,


    Sebastian."


    "Thank you, Mr. Eddie." Sebastian smiled with delight. "Actually, I have another purpose for visiting


    today…"


    Eddie''s heart skipped a beat upon hearing so, but he still wore an amiable smile on his face. "Please


    tell us about it. Mr. Philip and I go way back, and it''s all thanks to him that I can have all that I do today.


    Whatever request you have, I''ll do all that I can to see to it."


    As nervous as he was, he was fortunate that he made sure Ava got the punishment she deserved.


    Hence, he still had some confidence in dealing with what Sebastian would throw at him—or so he


    thought.


    If Sebastian hade to question what Ava did, he''d have his men bring the young woman out to


    show Sebastian what he had done.


    Surely the man would have nothing more to say after seeing Ava''s condition, no matter how upset he


    was.


    What else would Sebastian want when Ava has already been beaten to this degree? Surely he can''t be


    thinking of killing her just because she insulted his sons, right?


    However, before Sebastian could speak up, Penny lost her cool and interjected, "Mr. Hart, have you


    come because of the nonsense Ava blurted to your sons when she was drunk? If so, you can rest


    assured that she has been severely punished…"


    She began crying halfway at the thought of her beloved daughter''s miserable state. "Ava has been


    mangled from the fifty nk beatings she suffered. I believe the issue should be dropped now, albeit


    Ava did make a grave mistake. She—"


    "Shut up, and not another word!" Bryson growled as he turned grimmer by the second the more he


    listened to Penny''s words. "Don''t speak if you don''t know how to use your words! Don''t go around


    spouting nonsense!"


    "How am I speaking nonsense?! Have I made anything up?!" Penny bawled. "Did Ava not suffer from


    fifty nk beatings? Is she not covered in blood? Yes, Ava shouldn''t have said whatever she said while


    drunk, but she''s already paid the price for it, hasn''t she?! What more do you people want?!"


    "I see…" Sebastian smiled inly. "But I want nothing other than to show Mr. Eddie something…"


    At that, Quinton tacitly handed Eddie a dossier folder.


    Meanwhile, Sebastian recounted leisurely, "Earlier today, my wife took our boys out for some shopping.


    They left pretty happily, only toe home dejected because they were insulted for no apparent


    reason. As such, I had my men dig into it to see just whose daughter it was that could be so


    presumptuous and rude…"


    With that, he turned to Eddie and smiled. "Later, they told me their findings, and I learned that it turned


    out to be your granddaughter, Mr. Eddie. But…" He gazed at the elder and enunciated, "Do you know


    this granddaughter of yours isn''t actually your biological one?"


    Eddie froze mid-opening the envelope and looked toward Sebastian in shock. "What did you say?"


    "I said that she''s not your biological granddaughter." Sebastian quirked a brow. "What''s wrong? Are you


    unaware of this, Mr. Eddie?"


    Eddie was stupefied for a long time before he coulde to himself, and he red at both Bryson and


    Penny. "What is up with this?!"


    He didn''t doubt Sebastian''s words, for he knew the Harts had the world''s most brilliant information


    team with the best intelligence agents.


    Plus, Sebastian was the brightest of his generation in Dusktown, so whatever he said would certainly


    be urate.


    Bryson''s face paled in response, and Penny looked worse than him.


    Though livid with rage, Eddie didn''t hurl the newly brought out teapot and teacups as he had scruples


    about Sebastian, who sat across from him. "Speak up, Bryson! Is Ava actually your birth daughter?!"


    "Yes, Ava is most definitely our daughter!" Penny interjected. "Dad, you watched Ava grow up. Of


    course, she''s a Penham and our daughter!"


    No one can ever know that Ava isn''t a Penham! My baby girl is right at the age of finding a suitor! A


    beloved daughter born in the Penham Family and an adopted one are night and day!


    With her identity as the eldest daughter of the Penham Family, Ava could choose whichever young


    man from an affluent family in Dusktown to be her husband. However, once her cover was blown, her


    selections would drop at least a league or two.


    My Ava deserves only the best. No one can ever find out Ava''s true identity!


    Too bad Eddie didn''t believe a word she said and red furiously at Bryson. "Speak up, Bryson! Is Ava


    your biological daughter or not?! If you insist that she is, we''ll do a paternity test. If the test says that


    you''ve lied, you can forget about ever being my son again!"


    "I see…" Sebastian smiled inly. "But I want nothing other than to show Mr. Eddie something…"


    Now at a crossroads, Bryson took pains to reveal, "Ava, s-she''s not really my daughter…"


    "What are you talking about, Bryson Penham?!" screeched Penny as she threw herself at Bryson and


    thrashed him. "What nonsense are you talking about?! Ava is our daughter! She''s ours!"


    "Are you done?!" Having had enough of her, Bryson shoved her away and bellowed, "We could keep it


    a secret when no one dug into it, but Dad is asking questions now! Do you think we can still keep it just


    between us?! Ava isn''t our daughter, and my blood doesn''t run in her veins. Anybody will know as soon


    as they verify it! What''s the point of being stubborn? Are you—"


    He wanted to ask if she was insane, but at the thought that she was someone he pleaded and begged


    his father to let him marry and that she was the mother of his two sons, he swallowed his words back


    down.


    There was only one thing running through his mind right then as he looked at Penny; he had to be sure


    to keep a close watch on his sons when it was their time to marry. He had to see that they married an


    intelligent woman. She didn''t have to be beautiful, but at least she was someone with intelligence and a


    kind personality. They could not marry a woman with all looks but nothing else, or look at what


    happened to him!


    Austin had already learned of the truth from his father earlier, so he watched all that was unfolding


    before him with a numbed face. Justin and the Penham cadet family, on the other hand, knew nothing


    of this, so all of them were rendered gobsmacked.


    Meanwhile, Eddie was so livid that he nearly passed out. "Just what the heck is going on? Who''s


    daughter is Ava if not yours? Why do you want to raise someone else''s daughter for them?" he asked


    Bryson in a shaky voice.


    At that, Bryan lowered his head and rted the story. He said, "We had no other choice, Dad. My


    mother-inw''s life was hanging by a thread, and that was the only way to save her. Therefore, we…"


    "You b*stard!" Eddie couldn''t give a damn about the fact that Sebastian was still sitting across from him


    anymore and hurled the newly ced teapot at his eldest son. "You gave up finding your own daughter


    just days after she went missing?! You… Are you even human?!"