The Phantom Heiress Rising From The Shadows

Chapter 286 I Won't Allow You Two To Be Together "Godmother!" "Mom! Dad!" Children's cries pierced the air from the basement. Brenna's head whipped toward the sound, her heart lurching as the shouts rang out again.

Isabella narrowed her eyes, dissatisfied. She wanted to gauge Brenna's concern for Patrick. If she panicked, he could be used as leverage against her.

Pointing toward the basement, Isabella widened her eyes in mock surprise. "That little boy? I saw him chasing a shiny crystal ball with a girl there. They must have wandered into the basement." Her innocent gaze noted Brenna's genuine worry for Patrick.

Brenna couldn't quite read Isabella's intent. She believed Isabella wouldn't harm a child from the Russell family. Maybe she hadn't recognized Patrick earlier.

But she remembered Isabella seeing Patrick following her. Was Isabella pretending not to know him? However, now was not the tto think about this. Brenna bolted to the basement door.

The weight of the industrial fire door explained everything. It was simply too heavy for children to open. Brenna yanked it open. Inside, two frightened children huddled together.

Patrick held Zoe's trembling hand and said, "Don't worry. My godmother will crescue us." Zoe's face was streaked with tears, her face ghostly pale. She was even more frightened than Patrick.

As the door swung open, light spilled in from outside. Patrick squeezed Zoe's hand and said, "See? I told you she would come. Don't cry anymore." Jade and Isabella watched from the corridor as Brenna knelt and comforted Patrick. A wordless exchange passed between them before they went back to the meal.

Brenna examined the door. There were no signs of tampering. It was just too heavy for children.

In the courtyard, Jayceon ushered Patrick into the spotlight, where Barton proudly declared him a member of the Russell family before the gathered crowd.

Brenna's jaw clenched. Ellie had firmly rejected marriage and made it clear she had no intention of changing Patrick's surname. Yet Jayceon had taken it upon himself to claim Patrick as a member of the Russell family, entirely without Ellie's consent. Now, he even dared to change the boy's last name.

0.0% +4 16:32 III 0 < Under the weight of so many eyes, Patrick squirmed. Ellie had told him he would carry the Moore family name. But his grandmother insisted he carry the Russell family name.

He didn't know whom to listen to.

His uncertain gaze flitted to Jayceon as echoes of Ellie's and Tori's words clashed in his mind. Ellie had rejected his return to the Russell family but still supported his right to their legacy.

As the guests left, Jayceon kept a firm grip on Patrick's hand. "He will stay with us for a few days," he said to Brenna.

Brenna didn't protest. She turned and left, Ethan by her side.

On the way home, Brenna forwarded Ellie the video of Patrick's formal recognition.

"Jayceon has gone too far!" Ellie's voice burst through the phone, crackling with fury. "I already shut down that ridiculous surnchange idea days ago! All members of the Russell family are vipers. They will swallow my son whole without blinking!" "What are you planning to do?" Brenna asked, her voice laced with concern. "I just left the Russell family estate. Should I turn around and bring Patrick back with me?" She heard the sound of a door closing on Ellie's end.

"There is no need. I'll go myself," Ellie replied. "You are just Patrick's godmother and don't have legal guardianship. It wouldn't be appropriate, and let's face it, the Russell family won't just hand him over. I'll deal with them myself." Brenna nodded. "Just be careful. The Russell family members are all shrewd." After the call ended, Ethan tentatively reached for Brenna's hand and said, "The Russell family is a den of vipers, full of competing siblings. The internal strife is fierce. Patrick is not ready to step into that snake pit." Brenna's brows drew together. "Is Jayceon using Patrick as a pawn for the inheritance?" Ethan shook his head without hesitation. "I don't think so." Just then, Ethan's phone rang. He glanced at the screen, and his expression immediately shifted, bracing himself for a scolding.

Brenna glanced at his phone and could almost feel Elsa's fury radiating from the screen.

Ethan answered the call with forced calm. "Hey, Mom." "Don't callMom," Elsa snapped, her voice laced with rage. "I suppose I should address you and your girlfriend respectfully now."

The volof her voice stung Ethan's ears, and he instinctively pulled the phone a few inches away. el "itt cback and explain everything. Today's situation was just an accident. Brenna had no idea it would be you..."

"Save your breath. I don't want to hear your explanations." Elsa was genuinely furious. She had attended countless state functions but never as the entertainment at a socialite's party.

Following orders in the military was normal for her. But when she learned that Brenna had been the one who had asked for her to go there, she felt she had been played. 42.9% 16:32 0 0 < X+ "I won't allow you two to be together," she declared.

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