Chapter 2

Aurora stood frozen in place, stunned for a long moment.

Cecilia had indeed mentioned that she came from a big family that was too poor to put food on the table.

The car in front of her was all black with no badge or logo anywhere, but it was clearly a top-of-the-line luxury car — nothing that could be connected to a struggling family.

Aurora spoke up cautiously. "Sorry, I think you have the wrong person."

Wayne Cooper looked her up and down, a little confused. "Aren't you Aurora Rivera?"

"I am, but I'm not your sister."

Aurora said, feeling a bit helpless.

Having the same name as someone else was perfectly normal. He must have just happened to come out looking for his own sister.

She still needed to figure out how to find her own birth parents.

Aurora was about to leave when Wayne suddenly pulled out his phone, staring at the screen carefully while looking her up and down. He opened the car door, got out, and held the phone up in front of her.

"I'm not wrong. You are my sister. Get in the car — Mom and Dad are waiting for you at home."

Aurora's eyes went wide as she looked at the photo on the screen. It was definitely her.

Before she could say anything, Wayne had already pushed her into the car.

Aurora sat in the back seat with a complicated look on her face, sneaking glances at Wayne now and then. As the scenery flew past outside the window, she couldn't help but think.

If he really was a trafficker, what were the chances she could escape by jumping out the window?

But then again, she wasn't a Rivera anymore, so even if he kidnapped her, she probably wasn't worth much.

Besides, what kind of trafficker had a face that good-looking?

Just then, Wayne seemed to read her mind and spoke up. "Jumping out of a moving car won't get you anywhere. You'll just break your legs."

Caught out, Aurora gave an awkward cough.

She looked at him again, more carefully this time.

"Since you say you're my second oldest brother, why don't you tell me a little about the family?"

Whether it was his looks, his vibe, or this luxury car, Wayne had nothing to do with the kind of struggling family that couldn't afford meals.

If this man really was her brother, then why had Cecilia lied? Was Cecilia afraid her birth family was wealthier? Or did Cecilia actually not know the truth about them either?

Wayne kept his hands on the wheel and spoke casually.

"I'll fill you in later. Let me take you somewhere first."

Aurora's heart jumped again. She stared at him, tense and on guard, already regretting getting into this car with no idea where it came from.

Wayne caught every little move she made in the rearview mirror, and the corner of his mouth curved up slightly.

Aurora's mind was already running wild with all the things Wayne might do to her.

Smuggle her out of the country?

Sell her organs?

If it actually came to a fight, could she take Wayne down and get away?

She quietly glanced at the muscle on Wayne's forearm. The answer was clearly no — she couldn't beat him, and she couldn't outrun him either.

What she didn't expect, though, was that Wayne's destination was a private hospital.

Aurora had heard of this place. It was completely privately run, serving only the upper class — even the Riveras weren't on their client list.

Just who was Wayne?

The moment they got out of the car, a staff member came jogging over to greet them.

"Mr. Cooper."

Wayne gave a casual nod. "Draw her blood. Run a paternity test."

A staff member led Aurora to a room. After her blood was drawn, the staff member took another vial of blood out of a cooler.

She glanced over, curious. "Whose blood is that?"

"My mom's."

Wayne said, unhurried. "Once the test comes back, we'll know for sure whether you're my sister."

Aurora nodded quietly.

They put a rush on the test, and the results came back quickly.

Aurora sat waiting in the lobby downstairs while Wayne sat on a sofa not far away.

"Mr. Cooper, the results are in. Ms. Rivera is confirmed to be your biological sister."

The staff member handed the report to Wayne. He glanced through it casually and passed it to Aurora.

"Confirmed blood relation."

Aurora stared at the conclusion, then looked up at Wayne again.

"You're actually my second oldest brother?"

Wayne leaned back, relaxed. "If you still don't believe me, we can always do another test."

Aurora explained, her expression complicated. 

"It's not that I don't believe you. It's just that someone told me my birth family was in really bad shape — too poor to eat, with a ton of kids."

Wayne's brow furrowed immediately, and he looked at her like she'd said something absurd. "Who told you something that ridiculous?"

He draped his jacket over his arm casually. "I already let everyone at home know I confirmed your identity. I'll drive you back to meet them now."

"Okay."

Aurora pushed down the excitement rising inside her.

Was she finally going to meet her birth parents?

Something she never got to do in her last life, never even had the chance to think about — it was finally happening.

Aurora followed Wayne back to the car.

This time, their destination turned out to be a grand private estate.

Before she even got out of the car, Aurora could already see two figures standing at the entrance, looking out from a distance.

 "They came out to meet you." Wayne smiled.

Aurora kept her eyes fixed on those two figures. The moment she stepped out of the car, a well-kept, elegant woman rushed over and grabbed both her hands, looking her over from head to toe.

"Aurora, after all these years, I've finally found you."

Aurora was usually someone who kept clear boundaries with people. Any other time, if a stranger got this close to her, she would have pulled away immediately.

But now, looking at the warmth in this woman's eyes, she felt something soft and deep inside her being gently touched. Her eyes were starting to sting.

Marigold Walsh spoke again, her voice even more emotional. 

"I'm your mother."

 "Mom." Without thinking, Aurora nodded, her voice trembling.

"My Aurora. You've had it so hard all these years."

Marigold couldn't hold back her tears anymore. She pulled Aurora into a tight embrace.

Aurora hugged her back right away, taking in the warmth of her mother's arms.

This was her real family — connected to her by blood.

The sight of Aurora and Marigold holding each other brought tears to the eyes of her father, Caspian Cooper, who stood watching nearby.

"Alright. Aurora just got home. Let's get her inside, and we can talk properly."

"Okay."

Marigold held herself together and led Aurora inside, hand in hand.

Wayne strolled along behind them.

The moment she stepped into the estate, Aurora was once again struck speechless by the sheer grandeur of it all.

She had grown up in the Rivera household, which was considered one of the elite families, and thought she had seen plenty of wealth and luxury.

But this was something else entirely.

The coffee cup sitting casually on the table — wasn't that an antique from the last century? And that painting on the wall — wasn't that the one the Riveras had tried to buy at auction three years ago for millions of dollars, and failed?

Marigold squeezed Aurora's hand tightly. 

"Aurora, have things been hard for you all these years?"