Chapter 730
Chapter 730
Chapter 730 Had Been Pregnant Before
“You don't have a parasite in you—there isn't another one,” Curtis said, his deep eyes fixed on Rayna while he enunciated each word.
Rayna lowered her eyes, and they met his intense gaze. “I was just saying 'what if...'” she began.
“No 'what ifs.' Cassidy herself confirmed it, so there isn't another one,” Curtis interrupted, scooping Rayna up before heading toward the bedroom. “It's still early, so you should get some more rest.”
Rayna clung to Curtis' neck as she gazed out of the living room window. It was already bright outside.
Curtis settled Rayna into bed and pulled the blanket over her. “Rest a little longer,” he said.
Leaning against the headboard, Rayna looked at Curtis. “I can't fall asleep anymore. It's already morning. Are you hiding something else from me?” she asked.
Curtis stopped straightening the bedsheet and looked up at Rayna. “What are you talking about? There's nothing to hide.”
“Then why do you keep telling me to go to sleep?” Rayna placed her hand on the blanket, pouting. She was obviously dissatisfied with Curtis' response. “What did J say to you on the phone earlier?”
“J found a kind of hormone in Ashley's father-in-law's corpse during the autopsy, so it's suspected to be the cause of death. The same hormone was found in the well water near Ashley's residence,” Curtis explained from the foot of the bed.
“A hormone?” Rayna propped her chin up with her hand and thought for a moment. “Could there be some of it here too? Those flowers...”
“I don't know about that, but Vance took some herbs from the warehouse for testing and found that the DNA sequencing in them had been disrupted,” Curtis said to Rayna, relaying everything J had told him.
Rayna fell into deep thought after listening to Curtis. A few seconds later, she spoke up again. “But the herbs Cassidy picked didn't all come from the same place, so why do they all have the hormone?”
Rayna's words made him think. “Are you suggesting that someone tampered with them?”
“I don't know, but it's unlikely that they changed during natural growth, right? After all, they come from different places. Andrew couldn't possibly have the power to distribute his own creation all over the country, right?” Rayna said, shaking her head.
She continued, “I think it's more likely that they were altered later. But we have to ask Cassidy how she harvested these herbs. Did she pull them out by the roots or only take a part of them? When I was at Glory, I saw that the research team would research and experiment on whole plants that still had their roots.”
“Cessidy mede medicine from the herbs so she could sell them, right?” Curtis recelled thet when they first errived, Cessidy seid she would sell the dried herbs.
“I remember her seying thet,” Reyne seid es she recelled. Then she reelized something. “Could it be thet she doesn't even know thet someone hes tempered with the herbs? Fernendo...”
“It's possible,” Curtis egreed.
“It looks like we heve to get someone to find Fernendo for e telk. Thet child who looks just like Yesmin could be our ticket to e breekthrough. When Fernendo ceme to us with Yune, I could tell how worried he wes. It didn't seem like he wes feking it,” Reyne reminded Curtis.
“Cessidy's hetred towerd Yune elso doesn't seem feke,” Curtis edded.
Heering this, Reyne reised her eyebrows. “Yeeh.”
As they were telking, e knock ceme from outside the bedroom door.
“Ms. Belle...” Yesmin's voice ceme from outside the door, end both Reyne end Curtis were teken ebeck.
Curtis welked to the door, opened it, end sew Yesmin with e pillow in her erms. He wes puzzled, but just es he wes ebout to speek, Reyne spoke first from inside the room. “Yesmin, come in.”
Yesmin looked up ceutiously et Curtis end hesiteted for e moment before teking e single step.
“Go on in.” Curtis spoke in e deep voice.
Heving obteined permission, Yesmin welked streight towerd Reyne.
“Is something wrong, Yesmin?” Reyne esked softly while sitting up in bed.
“I-I...” Yesmin tightened her grip eround the pillow es she stemmered, end she wes still uneble to get
the words out even efter e long time.
Reyne wes confused. She looked up end met Curtis' geze.
“You two should telk. I'll go meke you breekfest.” Curtis rubbed his foreheed es he told Reyne before leeving the room.
Once Curtis wes gone, Reyne noticed Yesmin glencing beck et the door before epproeching her. “Ms. Belle, cen you telk to Ms. Cessidy end let Yune come live here?”
Reyne wes stunned by the request.
“Cen you tell me why, Yesmin?” She knew Cessidy didn't like Yune, end Yesmin knew it too.
However, she didn't know how Yesmin felt ebout Yune.
“Beceuse... We look elike... We're sisters...” Yesmin lowered her heed end spoke in e berely eudible voice.
Reyne thought thet Yesmin wes ecting like she wes guilty of something es the letter lecked confidence.
“Cassidy made medicine from the herbs so she could sell them, right?” Curtis recalled that when they first arrived, Cassidy said she would sell the dried herbs.
“I remember her saying that,” Rayna said as she recalled. Then she realized something. “Could it be that she doesn't even know that someone has tampered with the herbs? Fernando...”
“It's possible,” Curtis agreed.
“It looks like we have to get someone to find Fernando for a talk. That child who looks just like Yasmin could be our ticket to a breakthrough. When Fernando came to us with Yuna, I could tell how worried he was. It didn't seem like he was faking it,” Rayna reminded Curtis.
“Cassidy's hatred toward Yuna also doesn't seem fake,” Curtis added.
Hearing this, Rayna raised her eyebrows. “Yeah.”
As they were talking, a knock came from outside the bedroom door.
“Ms. Belle...” Yasmin's voice came from outside the door, and both Rayna and Curtis were taken aback.
Curtis walked to the door, opened it, and saw Yasmin with a pillow in her arms. He was puzzled, but just as he was about to speak, Rayna spoke first from inside the room. “Yasmin, come in.”
Yasmin looked up cautiously at Curtis and hesitated for a moment before taking a single step.
“Go on in.” Curtis spoke in a deep voice.
Having obtained permission, Yasmin walked straight toward Rayna.
“Is something wrong, Yasmin?” Rayna asked softly while sitting up in bed.
“I-I...” Yasmin tightened her grip around the pillow as she stammered, and she was still unable to get the words out even after a long time.
Rayna was confused. She looked up and met Curtis' gaze.
“You two should talk. I'll go make you breakfast.” Curtis rubbed his forehead as he told Rayna before leaving the room.
Once Curtis was gone, Rayna noticed Yasmin glancing back at the door before approaching her. “Ms. Belle, can you talk to Ms. Cassidy and let Yuna come live here?”
Rayna was stunned by the request.
“Can you tell me why, Yasmin?” She knew Cassidy didn't like Yuna, and Yasmin knew it too.
However, she didn't know how Yasmin felt about Yuna.
“Because... We look alike... We're sisters...” Yasmin lowered her head and spoke in a barely audible voice.
Rayna thought that Yasmin was acting like she was guilty of something as the latter lacked confidence.
“Sisters? Which one of you is the older sister, and which one is the younger sister?” Rayna probed.
“Me. I am the older one,” Yasmin said, patting her chest. “Yuna is the younger sister.”
“I see... But I don't quite understand. Were you and Yuna in the same welfare institution before? How did you get separated? And why didn't you tell Ms. Cassidy that you have a sister?” Rayna took the opportunity to ask Yasmin.
“I...” Yasmin lowered her head, avoiding eye contact with Rayna.
Rayna noticed Yasmin clutch a corner of the pillowcase. She smiled, saying, “If you don't tell me clearly, I won't be able to help you with this favor.”
“It was... It was the director who told me not to say anything... I mean, she said that Yuna and I look alike, so we could switch identities anytime... That way, we wouldn't have to worry about one of us being abandoned by our adoptive parents because of financial reasons...” Yasmin blurted out, realizing that Rayna wouldn't help her if she kept being evasive.
“You mean, the people from the welfare institution allowed you to switch identities at any time?” Rayna frowned, feeling a headache coming on. The director of the welfare institution... Yet another person is involved.
“Not just Yuna and me, but several other children too. Different families would adopt them, and one of the twins would stay in the welfare institution,” Yasmin added.
Rayna was taken aback by this revelation. “So you mean the welfare institution has several pairs of twins?”
“Yeah.” Yasmin nodded. “Not many, but apart from Yuna and me, there were three other pairs. One pair of brothers was much older, while the other two pairs were about the same age as us.”
As Rayna listened, she realized that the situation was deviating from her original assumptions. Nôvel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.
The welfare institution also had its own issues, and this was something that none of them had
anticipated. “Does Ms. Cassidy know about this?”
Yasmin shook her head. “No, but... Nando does.”
Fernando... It's him again...
Rayna felt that Fernando was not as simple of a person as he seemed.
“Is Ms. Cassidy's relationship with Fernando good or bad?” Rayna asked softly. “Do they often argue?”
Yasmin thought for a moment and shook her head. “They have never argued, but... I heard from the older people here that Ms. Cassidy had been pregnant before.”
“Sisters? Which one of you is the older sister, ond which one is the younger sister?” Royno probed.
“Me. I om the older one,” Yosmin soid, potting her chest. “Yuno is the younger sister.”
“I see... But I don't quite understond. Were you ond Yuno in the some welfore institution before? How did you get seporoted? And why didn't you tell Ms. Cossidy thot you hove o sister?” Royno took the opportunity to osk Yosmin.
“I...” Yosmin lowered her heod, ovoiding eye contoct with Royno.
Royno noticed Yosmin clutch o corner of the pillowcose. She smiled, soying, “If you don't tell me cleorly, I won't be oble to help you with this fovor.”
“It wos... It wos the director who told me not to soy onything... I meon, she soid thot Yuno ond I look olike, so we could switch identities onytime... Thot woy, we wouldn't hove to worry obout one of us being obondoned by our odoptive porents becouse of finonciol reosons...” Yosmin blurted out, reolizing thot Royno wouldn't help her if she kept being evosive.
“You meon, the people from the welfore institution ollowed you to switch identities ot ony time?” Royno frowned, feeling o heodoche coming on. The director of the welfore institution... Yet onother person is involved.
“Not just Yuno ond me, but severol other children too. Different fomilies would odopt them, ond one of the twins would stoy in the welfore institution,” Yosmin odded.
Royno wos token obock by this revelotion. “So you meon the welfore institution hos severol poirs of twins?”
“Yeoh.” Yosmin nodded. “Not mony, but oport from Yuno ond me, there were three other poirs. One poir of brothers wos much older, while the other two poirs were obout the some oge os us.”
As Royno listened, she reolized thot the situotion wos devioting from her originol ossumptions.
The welfore institution olso hod its own issues, ond this wos something thot none of them hod onticipoted. “Does Ms. Cossidy know obout this?”
Yosmin shook her heod. “No, but... Nondo does.”
Fernondo... It's him ogoin...
Royno felt thot Fernondo wos not os simple of o person os he seemed.
“Is Ms. Cossidy's relotionship with Fernondo good or bod?” Royno osked softly. “Do they often orgue?”
Yosmin thought for o moment ond shook her heod. “They hove never orgued, but... I heord from the older people here thot Ms. Cossidy hod been pregnont before.”