Raelynn clenched her free hand until her nails bit flesh, fighting for control. When she finally spoke, only the slightest tremor betrayed her. "Zac, come to Seacity when you have time. I want to see you." The line was silent for a long moment. After a pause, Zac replied, "All right. I'll come now." The call ended, leaving Raelynn staring at her phone in disbelief. She hadn't expected it to be this easy - Zac agreed without hesitation, without even asking why. And he was coming right away! Susie wiped away her tears, a smile breaking through. "I'll go tell Madam Xylia the good news right away." She wasn't unaware that all the scorn they endured in the Yarbrough household had Xylia's tacit approval. But her survival depended on currying favor with the old matriarch now. Susie hurried out and soon returned with even better news-they could move into the south courtyard immediately. Xylia had even sent servants to help them with their belongings. The stark contrast in treatment underscored Xylia's pragmatism. Just hours earlier, at dinner, she'd acted as if the courtyard's availability was uncertain. Now it was ready and waiting for them. … In a Seacity hotel, Zac pushed open the door to the private dining room. Instead of Raelynn and his sisters, a broad-shouldered figure stood with his back to the entrance. Even from behind, Zac recognized him immediately -- Zane Yarbrough, my biological father. Zac knew this silhouette all too well. As a prominent public figure, Zane's image appeared everywhere in Seacity. During my first days in the city, I had obsessively searched for photos of the man, fantasizing that one day Zane would publicly acknowledge me as his son. How ironic that after all this time - after leaving for Evergrand City and returning - this was our first real meeting. Hearing the door, Zane turned slowly. As he took in the young man who shared his features, he felt an unexpected surge of emotion. A practiced smile spread across his face. "Zac. You're here."There was such a casual familiarity to his tone that one might think this was just another father-son reunion. Zac wasn't surprised. The moment Raelynn had called, he'd known Zane was behind it. He also knew that Zane must have pressured her - otherwise she wouldn't have reached out, not after everything. Ten years of living together meant that Zac understood Raelynn, too. Still, facing this stranger who was his father, Zac's emotions swirled violently. This man shared his blood. Their resemblance would make their relationship obvious to anyone. All these years I'd been like a rat hiding in the shadows. Now I finally stepped into the light - only to face the bitter truth that both of my biological parents had always seen me only as a tool. The Gray family that I'd schemed against since childhood were the ones who had truly cared for me. And I'd destroyed them. Now my adoptive mother and sisters were living as charity cases in my biological father's house. A man like Zane never acted without self-interest. Ignoring Zane's greeting, Zac closed the door and sat down. He crossed his legs and lit a cigarette, a recently acquired habit. "Get to the point. What do you want"? Zane studied the Zac before him, realizing with some surprise that the boy he'd once controlled from afar had grown into someone far less malleable. Undeterred, Zane called out to the waiters, "Serve the food," before sitting down across from Zac. "Zac, this is our first meeting... we are father and son, of the same blood. There's no need for such formality."