Reborn Heiress: Taking Back What Is Rightfully Hers!
Chapter 377: Father and Daughter Reunite

Chapter 377: Father and Daughter Reunite

At that moment, Ella was seated by the window in a restaurant with Eric, admiring the goldfish swimming behind the glass wall. The colorful little fish darted around joyfully, blowing adorable bubbles.

Someone approached them, offering Eric, who was engrossed in the goldfish, a polite smile and a casual greeting.

"Mr. Nelson, what a surprise to run into you here."

The voice was warm and pleasant, almost melodic. Ella, startled, turned to look and found a middle-aged man standing tall, his back straight, and his lips curved into a calm, confident smile. His refined features, tinged with the strength that comes with age, were so striking that any woman might feel her heart skip a beat at the sight.

This middle-aged man must have been incredibly handsome in his youth!

Ella froze for a moment. Something about him seemed familiar, as though she had seen him somewhere before.

But when the man’s gaze landed on her, Ella’s entire body stiffened. She instinctively turned her head away, refusing to meet his eyes.

It was him!

That man named Lucas—her biological father!

Eric noticed Ella’s expression and understood that she didn’t want to acknowledge Lucas. Rising from his seat with a composed smile, he said, "This is my wife. She’s a bit shy—please don’t mind her, Mr. Anderson."

Lucas stared at Ella’s profile, momentarily stunned.

It was as if he were looking at a younger version of Isabella. Her delicate features, lively demeanor, and bright, luminous eyes were all so reminiscent of her mother.

Her natural smile was like a pink lotus swaying in the wind, irresistibly captivating.

"She... is she Miss Davis?" Lucas still remembered what Eric had mentioned before. Although he hadn’t intentionally sought out Ella afterward, she had always been on his mind.

For the past two years, he had quietly followed news about her. Every time he saw her online, an unshakable sadness lingered in his heart.

"That’s right. Ella, say hello to Mr. Anderson," Eric said gently, giving her hand an encouraging pat.

Looking into Eric’s warm, understanding eyes, Ella stood up slowly, facing Lucas directly. She worked hard to keep her voice steady.

"Hello, Mr. Anderson. I’m Ella, Mr. Nelson’s wife."

Lucas’s eyes briefly glistened with emotion before he smiled. "Hello. I never expected... Miss Davis, you look so much like your mother."

His eyes carried a sadness he couldn’t conceal. Even his smile held a trace of sorrow, as he remembered the woman he had once loved and lost forever. And now, her daughter—was standing right before him.

"Thank you, Mr. Anderson. My mother and I do look alike... If she were still alive, people might even mistake us for sisters," Ella said coolly. She harbored no illusions about Lucas.

There was bitterness in her heart. After all, if it hadn’t been for him, her mother wouldn’t have walked down such a tragic path.

Whatever the circumstances back then, if this man had shown a little more courage, so much heartbreak could have been avoided.

"Yes, it’s true... Some memories are hard to forget. Mr. Nelson, how long will you be staying in Country W? If you have time, I’d love to host you at my estate," Lucas said, turning to Eric with a faint smile.

"We’ll likely stay for about two weeks. If time permits, I’ll be sure to visit, Mr. Anderson."

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Lucas finally left. Ella remained tense, as if terrified he would recognize her as his biological daughter.

When he was gone, Ella let out a long breath, her face gradually darkening.

Eric lowered his voice and murmured dreamily in her ear, "Are you really not going to acknowledge him? He... was your mother’s greatest love. Don’t you think she’d want the two of you to reconcile?"

Ella shook her head, a faint gray hue clouding her eyes. "I don’t want to. Just thinking about it makes me angry. Why did my mom have to endure so much, struggling just to get by, while he had everything handed to him on a silver platter? Does he even know how much she longed to be there to see me grow up when she died? If he had been more decisive, if he’d had the guts to fight for her, none of this would’ve happened!"

Eric fell silent. Ella’s words weren’t wrong. If Lucas had been more assertive back then...

But Lucas was a gentleman, gentle to the point of hesitation, unwilling to break up someone else’s marriage. What he didn’t realize, though, was that Isabella had only married Robert because she was pregnant with a child.

"Don’t think too much about it," Eric said softly, trying to ease the tension. "Let’s order. This place might be crowded, but at least it’s quiet."

Ella took a deep breath, steadying herself. She ordered a few dishes but had little appetite.

"What’s wrong? You seem distracted," Eric observed with a faint smile, noticing how her gaze kept darting toward Lucas’s private dining room.

Ella quickly looked away, unsettled. That man—her biological father—was stirring emotions she couldn’t quite explain, even though she had no intention of acknowledging him.

"Nothing. Tomorrow, you’ll be meeting your clients, and I’m worried I might embarrass myself," Ella said, lowering her head, feeling a rare pang of self-consciousness.

Eric chuckled mischievously. "So what if you embarrass yourself? I’ll still love you the most."

Ella said nothing, but her heart warmed. No matter what mistakes she made, how difficult she could be, or how flawed she was, this man would still love her.

This, she thought, must be true love.

"Alright, let’s eat quickly so we can go see Lauren and Henry afterward," Ella said, pushing thoughts of Lucas aside. Yet her mind remained heavy. His sudden appearance felt like a ghost from another life, and she couldn’t help but wish her rebirth had allowed her to change her mother’s fate.

But it was beyond her control now.

...

Meanwhile, Lucas sat alone in his private dining room, eating in silence.

A waiter entered, speaking in the local Country W language. "Mr. Anderson, is the gentleman outside, Mr. Nelson, a friend of yours?"

Lucas gave the waiter a puzzled look. "Yes, why do you ask?"

The waiter nodded gravely. "It’s just that... about two years ago, I remember Mr. Nelson asking someone to retrieve something from a trash can."

Lucas’s expression shifted subtly, a hint of alarm flashing across his face. "I see. Thank you for letting me know."

He handed the waiter a generous tip, who expressed his gratitude before leaving the room.

Lucas’s face darkened, his mind racing. He could guess why Eric had someone retrieve something from the trash can back then.

He must have been collecting his DNA.

Could it be that Ella wasn’t Robert’s daughter at all? Was that why Eric had done it?

The thought struck Lucas like lightning. His expression turned more complex. He vividly recalled the early days of his relationship with Isabella. It had been love at first sight, and their feelings for each other had developed quickly.

Though their time together had been brief—just a month—there had been one night when he’d had a little too much to drink. In front of the woman he loved, he’d lost control.

At first, Isabella had resisted, but eventually, she had yielded to him. Just two weeks after that night, Lucas had been forced to leave Country S due to family obligations, asking Isabella to wait for him for three months.

Could it be that... after that night, she became pregnant?

The thought left Lucas breathless. If Ella truly was his daughter—