The Billionaire's Cursed Heiress
Chapter 44: CONFRONTATION 2

Chapter 44: Chapter 44: CONFRONTATION 2

While Zara was busy doing her charitable deeds without exposing much, Ashely wasn’t feeling particularly well so she sat opposite her father.

This man had always scared her from a young age. Cade wasn’t the kind of man that would smile and be affectionate all the time.

He was always serious. If it wasn’t for that, he was a man who never shied away from responsibilities. She didn’t want to imagine what she and her mother’s life would be like right now.

However, she was very different. As long as she wanted answers, she would brave herself to go and confront him, despite the dire consequences that she might face in the future.

This was why in the past, whenever something was bothering her, she would go and confront the man.

Besides, it wasn’t like he would cut relations with her or disown her. Apart from being punished, Cade never did anything harsh to his children.

Of course, being set aside for three years was the harshest punishment she ever received, but did her siblings fare better than her? No, they were all in the same basket.

"What is it that you want to say again?" Cade, after seeing his child not saying anything, decided to break the ice and ask first.

When Cade asked her, Ashely’s nervousness also increased.

When she heard him asking that, she understood that he was running out of patience. Otherwise, he would have left her there until she was ready.

Knowing how much time she was wasting on him by just taking him away from the third madam, Ashely knew that she had to be quick and get this over with.

"Father. Um .... Is it really true that ...? Um, was it really Zara that had been helping me all these years?" after hesitating for a while, Ashely finally asked what had been eating her for a while now.

Cade didn’t respond as soon as he heard her question but looked at her with raised brows as if wondering what she was up to again.

Ashely saw her father’s reaction and somehow felt sour.

Was she that bad?

"Why do you want to know?" instead of an answer, a question came.

Ashely clenched her fists when she heard that. Was it that hard to just give her an answer?

Why is it that everyone that she asked would go in circles before answering her?

"I just want to know. I am tired of hearing how I owe everything to her. Can anyone just be honest with me?" she was simply frustrated as she thought of that.

Until now, she just couldn’t understand what reasons there may be for Zara to support her and not hate her as she thought.

When Cade heard that, he had an inkling that someone finally spilled the beans otherwise, this stubborn child of his wouldn’t be here facing him while asking something like that.

And since he was tired of Ashely’s behavior, especially her malicious intent towards Zara, he decided that revealing the truth to Ashely would help lessen the hatred.

Since his baby didn’t hate Ashely, there was no longer any point in him making things difficult for Ashely. Ashely was still his daughter, after all.

No matter how much Ashely’s transitioning still bothered him to this very day, he couldn’t throw away the child he had. Whether it was of love or lust, it didn’t hide the fact that Ashely was the child that he sired.

With also the possibility of Zara getting well, he wanted to see all of his children together as one. He had watched and tolerated enough in the past twenty-two years as his children isolated his princess.

If she were to get better, wouldn’t they have to see each other daily?

Besides, if they don’t reconcile, would they have faced receiving the hankies that his baby was painstakingly sewing, disregarding her health?

He wouldn’t allow it if they remained as stubborn as they were.

"Indeed, it was her who helped you!" the answer was short, but the impact was very huge.

"It can’t be!" like usual, Ashely found it very hard to accept the cold hard truth that was facing her, as she slumped in her chair looking very dispirited as if she had been attacked and got her vitality sucked by a ghost.

"Even if you don’t want to believe it. That is the truth!" Cade sighed as he looked at his child, who looked very affected by what he had just said.

"But .... Why .... Why_"

"You are curious as to why she would do that even after the way you treated her, right?" Cade had a smile as he asked that.

When Ashely saw her father’s smile, she froze for a second. Why was he smiling like that?

"I... I _"

"Zara’s mind had never contained any malicious thoughts from a young age. As long as she got her treatment as something that she was used to, she was fine with everything. All she ever wanted was to have her siblings love and have siblings to love and protect her. And when she was lacking that, you were an elder sibling who made her feel what it was like to have a playmate."

"Disregard your ill intentions when playing with her. Zara really liked you. Even if she knew that you didn’t like her that much. The fact that you, among all other siblings, still paid attention to her once in a while, she always bore that in mind."

"Even when she collapsed back then. She didn’t particularly blame you. After all, it wasn’t like she got the illness just because you took her out!"

"When she was bedridden, although you bared your fangs whenever her name was mentioned. You were the only one that seemed very concerned about her. Among all her siblings, it’s only you, Ashely who would dare come here and cause a fuss because of her."

"And that alone I think showed her how much you had her in your heart. To her, it didn’t matter whether being in your heart was good or bad. But at least you were always thinking about her. And for such a caring sibling, how could she just watch you sad?"

Cade narrated wholeheartedly as he reminisced about the past.

Even he was shocked when he first learnt of Zara’s thoughts. All these years, he was afraid that Zara might not like Ashely but who knew that it was the opposite?

"She doesn’t hate you or the others. She loves you all but just doesn’t bother with it. After all, it’s not a secret that she would be dying anytime soon!" he sighed dejectedly as he said that.

"Dad, you ..."

"Ashely, my child. I won’t force you to like your little sister, however, since you are curious about it, this is the truth. I just hope whatever enmity you have with her will be halved after hearing me today!" Cade said softly as he looked at his child, who had gone silent now.

Seeing her in that state, Cade didn’t want to be ruthless and say more. It was even more unsuitable to ask her to leave the study, so he simply rose to his feet and looked at her for the last time before leaving her to settle her thoughts.

As for which path, she would choose after that, he would have to wait and find out.