A Woman Worth Billions Dated the Wrong Brother novel Chapter 248

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A peach

Amber POV

The gala ended far better than anyone had expected.

Which, considering it had included an attempted public humiliation, a conspiracy, and a four-year-old being credited for helping launch a school, was saying something.

The atmosphere had completely shifted after the video was exposed.

People weren’t whispering about Jason anymore.

They were whispering about Eleanor Vincent.

And not kindly.

Several guests approached us throughout the evening.

Business owners.

Government officials.

Investors.

Families.

Many of them wanted to shake Jason’s hand.

A few apologized.

One elderly businessman looked positively embarrassed.

“I owe you an apology, Mr. Sun.”

Jason blinked.

“For what?”

The man cleared his throat.

“I saw the first video.”

A pause.

“I assumed the worst.”

Another pause.

“I should have known better.”

Jason simply nodded.

The man looked relieved.

The interaction repeated itself several times throughout the night.

To my surprise, however, the most overwhelming support came from the families.

Parents.

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པཱ་ད།

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Grandparents.

Children.

Many of them were planning to send their children to the school.

Others had invested in projects in Sum.

Several had relocated entirely.

One mother squeezed my hands enthusiastically.

“My daughter hasn’t stopped talking about Alice’s game.”

I laughed.

That game was becoming more powerful than some corporations.

Nearby, Mrs. Sun was accepting congratulations as though she hadn’t just won enough awards to fill an entire display case.

She looked happier than I had seen her in years.

The school had become her dream.

And somehow that dream was already changing lives before opening its doors.

The evening was winding down when an elderly woman approached me.

At first glance, she looked ordinary.

Silver hair.

Elegant dark dress.

A cane she barely seemed to need.

Yet something about her felt familiar.

She stopped directly in front of me.

“Miss Asher.”

I smiled politely.

“Yes?”

The woman studied me for a moment.

Then her expression softened.

“You look just like your mother.”

My smile faltered.

That happened more often lately.

And somehow it never became easier.

The woman reached into her purse.

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Then handed me a thick envelope.

Prowned.

“What is this?”

Her eyes became distant.

“A promise.”

That answer didn’t help at all.

Before I could ask another question, she continued.

“The former owners of Ember Castle left it for you.”

I froze.

The former owners?

The elderly couple?

The ones who had passed away?

The woman nodded as if she could read my thoughts.

“They asked that it be given to you personally.”

I looked down at the envelope.

It was old.

Very old.

The paper had yellowed slightly with age.

A wax seal rested on the back.

An unfamiliar crest had been stamped into it.

My pulse quickened.

“What’s inside?”

The woman smiled.

“I was told to tell you only one thing.’

I waited.

She glanced toward Jason.

Then back at me.

“Open it when you’re alone.”

A chill ran through me.

Before I could ask anything else, she turned and disappeared into the crowd.

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Leaving me standing there with the envelope.

Jason appeared beside me moments later.

“What happened?”

I held up the envelope.

“Apparently we have a mystery.”

His expression immediately became interested.

That was never a good sign.

The drive back to the castle was quiet.

The children had remained home with their grandparents. 1

The roads were nearly empty.

The city lights gradually disappeared behind us.

I kept glancing at the envelope resting on my lap.

Jason noticed.

“You’re going to open it before we get home.”

I looked at him.

“Absolutely.”

He smiled.

“Good.”

Five minutes later, we were parked at a scenic overlook halfway between the city and the castle.

The ocean stretched endlessly before us.

Moonlight danced across the water.

For a brief moment, everything felt peaceful.

Then I broke the seal.

The envelope contained photographs.

Lots of photographs.

My breath caught.

“What…”

Jason leaned closer.

Then froze.

Neither of us spoke.

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Because staring back at us from the first photograph were two children.

Alittle girl.

And a little boy.

Me.

And Jason.

My hands trembled.

The photograph couldn’t have been more than twenty years old.

I looked about three years old.

Jason looked around five.

Young.

Far younger than either of us remembered.

Yet there was no mistaking us.

My hair.

His eyes.

It was us.

Together.

At the castle.

I turned to the next photograph.

And the next.

And the next.

Every single one showed the same thing.

The castle.

The gardens.

The mountains.

And us.

Playing.

Laughing.

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Running through the grounds.

One photograph showed Jason holding my hand as we crossed one of the old stone bridges.

Another showed him sitting on the castle steps while I proudly showed him a flower that looked almost as large as my face.

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A third showed us eating peaches under a tree.

Naughed weakly.

“The peaches again.”

Jason stared at the photograph.

For a brief second, something crossed his face.

Recognition.

Then it disappeared.

“I think…”

His voice faltered.

“I think I remember that tree.”

I immediately looked up.

“What?”

Jason frowned.

“It’s not a memory.”

A pause.

“More like a feeling.”

Another pause.

“Like I’ve seen it before.”

Neither of us remembered the castle.

And yet the children in the photographs looked comfortable there.

Happy.

As if they belonged.

U

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616

The Ember alliance

Astrange ache settled in my chest.

Because I remembered none of it.

Not a single second.

“What is this?”

Jason’s voice sounded almost hollow.

I didn’t answer.

Because I didn’t know.

Then I found the letter.

A single folded page hidden beneath the photographs.

My hands shook as I opened it.

The handwriting was elegant.

Careful.

Old-fashioned.

I began reading aloud.

“If you are reading this, then the castle has finally returned to where it belongs.”

Jason moved closer.

“The children in these photographs were brought to Ember Castle by the Ember Alliance.”

My pulse stopped.

The Ember Alliance.

Not the Ember family.

An alliance.

A group.

I continued reading.

“Both children were rescued.”

The words seemed to echo inside the car.

“Neither belonged at the places where they were found.”

I swallowed hard.

Jason had gone completely still.

“The girl remained with us for several months.”

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My hands tightened around the paper.

he boy vanished shortly after these photographs were taken.”

Jason cursed softly.

I continued.

“For many years we believed he had been taken again.”

A pause. 1

“Later we learned he was recovered by his grandparents after being discovered in another home beyond the Blue Flower Trail.”

Neither of us spoke.

Because we knew that story.

Mr. Sun had told us.

The trail.

The flowers.

The house.

Jason.

The letter continued.

“We kept these photographs because one day we hoped the two of you would learn the truth.”

My throat tightened.

The truth.

What truth?

The letter ended with a single sentence.

One sentence that made every hair on my body stand on end.

“You were never supposed to survive.”

The car fell silent.

Outside, waves crashed against the cliffs.

Inside, neither Jason nor I moved.

Because suddenly the photographs weren’t the most important thing in the envelope anymore.

The Ember Alliance was.

The car fell silent.

Outside, waves crashed against the cliffs.

Inside, neither Jason nor I moved.

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Because suddenly the photographs weren’t the most important thing in the envelope anymore.

he letter was.

My hands trembled slightly as I turned the page.

There was more.

A lot more.

I began reading aloud.

“Amber stayed with us for two months.”

My breath caught.

“During that time, we searched for a way to contact her remaining family and return her home safely.”

I frowned.

Two months.

I had spent two entire months at the castle.

Two months that I couldn’t remember.

Jason remained silent beside me.

Listening carefully.

I continued.

“Amber was not found wandering.”

My heart stopped.