Redmption 210


    Ellie’s face turned pale with fear as soon as I spoke. She quickly shook her head while her grip on


    my arm tightened. “Mae, you’ve got it all wrong. That’s not it at all. Bran has never liked any other


    girl. You’re the first one.”


    I knew Ellie was frightened as I saw her lips turning pale. I realized that I shouldn’t scare her. After


    all, Ellie had a weak heart and couldn’t handle the stress.


    I reached out and tapped Ellie’s nose lightly. “Look at you, getting all worked up. I know, Brandon


    already told me he’s never had a girlfriend.”


    Ellie nodded before adding. “He’s never liked any other girl either.”


    Ellie was truly innocent. Her heart was pure and untouched by the world. I couldn’t help but think


    that when Ellie eventually fell in love, she wouldn’t be able to tolerate even the slightest wickedness


    in the boy she chose.


    However, in today’s world, how much innocence could Ellie really find?


    Suddenly, I felt a pang of worry. What if she got hurt when she fell in love?


    It was silly of me to worry so much. However, something about Ellie made me feel close to her even


    though we had just met. It was like Ellie was my own little sister.


    N?vel(D)rama.Org''s content.


    “I know. Your brother is as innocent as a nk sheet of paper. I’ll treasure him,” I reassured her.


    Ellie smiled again. I felt relieved as she returned her attention to the photos. Even though I told Ellie


    I didn’t care, I found myself drawn to the picture of Brandon piggybacking a girl. That girl definitely


    wasn’t Ellie. She wouldn’t have panicked while trying to exin if she was that girl.


    So, who was the lucky girl that Brandon had carried on his back? Was she a neighbor or a cousin?


    She must have grown up by now. Would she suddenly reappear one day looking for Brandon like in


    some cliché romance movie?


    I realized my imagination was running wild. So wild that I felt a little embarrassed by it. I nced


    over at the Howell family portrait and my eyes lingered on Tom’s face. There was something familiar


    about him, as if I had seen him somewhere before.


    “Is this Mr. Howell?” I asked casually.


    “Yeah, that’s my dad. But he’s not Mr. Howell, he’s Mr Elordi, Ellie said. I paused as my heart


    skipped a beat.


    My dad’s driver used to be a man named Elordi. I remembered his name cleady because he used


    to joke with me, saying that it was Elordi with a “lord” in the name even though he was not of noble


    rank.


    Could it really be just a coincidence? I recalled what Brandon had mentioned before. He said both


    my dad’s car ident and his dad’s car ident were connected to Arthur. A chill ran down my


    spine. Could it be that Brandon’s dad was my dad’s driver?


    “Mae, what’s wrong? Why aren’t you saying anything?” Ellie said.


    Her voice pulled me back to the present. I looked at her with an uneasy expression, but then I


    remembered that she had lost Alfred while still in her mom’s arms.


    So, she might not know certain things.


    “Mae, are


    you feeling unwell


    Ellie had caught on to my difort.


    212


    I forced myself to stay calm. “Wait. Something doesn’t add up. Howe you and Brandon’sst


    name is Howell, but your dad’sst name is Elordi?”


    Ellie smiled. “That’s because my dad married into my mom’s family, so the kids took my mom’sst


    name. My mom’s name is Ashley Howell.”


    So that was the story. If I hadn’te here, I would have never known any of this. It would never


    have crossed my mind that the driver who worked for my family, Mr. Elordi, was actually Brandon’s


    dad.


    What about Brandon? Did he already know about the connection between our dads? Was he


    looking out for me because of some obligation carried over from the previous generation? Some


    things were better left unthought, but they came unbidden.


    “Mae, Bran told me that my parents were deeply in love. After my dad’s ident, my mom missed


    him so much that she identally fell into the river while working…” Ellie’s voice trailed off as she


    looked out of the window at the river.


    My heart skipped a beat. I hadn’t known that such a beautiful river held such a tragic story. Brandon


    built the house here not only tomemorate Ashley but also so that she could always watch over


    them.


    “I was raised by Bran.” Ellie’s words suddenly made it clear why Brandon was so hesitant about her


    surgery.