Built His Empire Then Watched It Burn When He Cheated novel Chapter 561

"Anne, you should have what the other kids have. Just tell your dad or me whenever you want something, alright?"

Anneliese's adoptive mother gently tied her hair into a neat ponytail using a brand-new scrunchie, caressed her head, and smiled with a warmth that made her heart melt.

Flushing, she hugged her mom lightly. The next morning, she arrived at school before anyone else. She raised her hand for every question in class, wanting everyone to notice the beautiful scrunchie her mom had made.

She was certain that no other girl at school owned a scrunchie as exquisite as hers.

She cherished it like a treasure. Each night, she carefully placed it under her pillow. She wore it daily for over a year, even replacing its elastic three times.

Yet eventually, she lost it—after both her parents were gone.

She had lost her mom, and with her, the precious scrunchie. Countless times, she cried quietly over it, searching every corner in vain.

Anneliese never imagined that more than ten years later, she would lay eyes on that scrunchie again.

And it happened in the most unexpected way.

She gripped the hair tie tightly, turning toward Jonathan, her lips trembling.

"Why do you have the hair tie I wore as a kid?"

The scrunchie, the portrait in the room that mirrored her so perfectly, and her grandma's sudden, fiery reaction the instant she laid eyes on him...

Anneliese sensed she was grazing the edge of a buried truth, yet her memories instinctively recoiled, retreating behind a shielded blank.

Jonathan reached for her hand gently. He pried open her clenched fingers and lifted the scrunchie from her palm.

Then he placed a small black velvet box into her hand.

Encouraged by him, she opened the box.

What she saw inside struck her like a bolt of lightning. Her eyes burned instantly.

Nestled in the brocade box was a blood-stained, charred badge.

The name embroidered on it read Frederick Claude—her adoptive father.

Her hands trembled violently. The box slipped, and she staggered, struggling to stay upright.

"Honey!"

She threw all her strength into it. Jonathan staggered back, losing his balance slightly.

The force sent her stumbling two steps, her knees buckling as she tumbled to the floor.

"Honey! Did you hurt yourself? Let me take a look."

Jonathan crouched, reaching to lift her. Instead, Anneliese wrapped her arms tightly around his right leg.

He froze but began to help her up. Noticing her hands trembling as she tugged up the hem of his suit pants, he paused, realizing her intent.

She pulled his pant leg higher, removed his sock, and stared intently at his ankle.

There, on the outer side, a faint crescent-shaped scar appeared.

Time had softened it, and he had grown since then. The mark was delicate, easily overlooked by anyone not paying close attention.

But Anneliese recognized it instantly. She had left that mark.

During the fire, when she had screamed in panic and tried to break through the crowd to find her dad, the boy who had been rescued grabbed her to protect her. She had clung to his leg and bitten him, leaving that scar behind.