The next second, Elliana froze as something struck her. Her breath caught. Her thoughts vanished. For five long seconds, the world blurred into nothing. By the time she blinked back to reality, the woman was standing before her.

“Good evening, Dr. Atkinson,” the woman said softly, her voice smooth and respectful.

“I am Bexley Rogers. Mr. Kaleb Thompson has instructed me to attend to your daily needs. If there is anything you require, please let me know.”

Elliana felt the ground tilt. Bexley? No way. That voice. That face. It was her mother, Rita.

Elliana narrowed her eyes as she observed Bexley, drinking in every feature with desperate intensity, searching for proof of what her racing heart already knew.

Under Elliana’s intense scrutiny, Bexley merely bowed her head slightly, a gentle smile touching her lips. Even in a plain servant’s uniform, she carried an effortless grace, a quiet nobility that could not be ignored.

Mom. The word lodged in Elliana’s throat, silent but deafening. A second, deeper look erased all doubt. The woman standing before her was unmistakably her mother, Rita.

Rita had left when Elliana was only five. Years apart had stretched the distance between them, yet recognition was instant. Elliana was relieved to find her mother still as stunning as ever.

Age had not dimmed Rita’s beauty. If anything, it had refined it, layering her with a mature elegance that made her even more captivating than Elliana remembered.

Elliana was slightly overwhelmed. She had spent countless sleepless nights imagining this moment, worried whether she would recognize her mother the moment they met. After watching Sophie waste away under illness and hardship, a fear had taken hold of her—what if her mother had become frail, withered, and unrecognizable? The devastation of that possibility was unbearable.

To come across Rita after all these years in this place was a shock so profound that it eclipsed even Elliana’s wildest dreams.

As Elliana’s joy peaked, questions popped into her mind. Why was her mother inside the Thompson estate, of all places? And why dressed as a servant?

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Instinct screamed at Elliana to launch herself into her mother’s arms, to close the yawning years with one tight embrace. Every part of her strained toward that impulse. But she couldn’t. Not now. Not here. This was the Thompson family’s turf, and she was under the disguise of a man. One careless move could doom them both. No, she would have to bury the instinct, hold steady, and wait.

Elliana forced calm over herself like armor, smothering the chaos roaring inside. Her expression cooled into polite neutrality. When she finally spoke, her tone was warm and casual.

“Bexley, I was hoping you could help me with something. I’m not familiar with the smart devices in my room. Would you mind coming upstairs to show me how they work?”

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