As expected by Grace, it seemed that Janelle, who had been abandoned, had safely been adopted by the welfare home.
Mrs. Waters breathed a sigh of relief and pretended to be concerned as she asked with a smile, “Indeed, it’s heartless. How can there be parents like that in this world? Do you know if the baby they recently adopted is a boy or a girl?”
“It’s a girl, around four to five months old. We don’t know the exact birthdate,” the staff member patiently replied.
Mrs. Waters secretly delighted and further inquired, “That child is truly pitiful. Can I see her?”
“Yes, of course. Let me take you to the nursery.”
The staff member smiled slightly and gestured for Mrs. Waters to follow to a room across the courtyard.
After a moment, when Mrs. Waters entered the nursery, she first noticed several small beds in the room. However, the environment was poor, with dim lighting and simple furnishings.
Mrs. Waters couldn’t help but wrinkle her brow at the smell of urine and feces in the air.
Grace followed behind, her face filled with disgust, cautiously covering her nose with her hand.
“Mrs. Waters, this is the child recently adopted by the welfare home.”
The staff member took the baby from one of the cribs and walked toward Mrs. Waters to show her.
“At the moment, she hasn’t fully adjusted to life at the welfare home. She often cries at night. We’ve named her Lara.”
Upon hearing the staff member’s introduction, Mrs. Waters observed Janelle closely and confirmed that she was indeed her granddaughter.
Her eyebrows, eyes, and features resembled those of Nana and Carl.
However, Janelle looked dirty, with a large milk stain on her chest and darkened cuffs on both sleeves.
Mrs. Waters was overjoyed to find Janelle and thought that if Carl saw the child, he might change immediately instead of being immersed in his grief.
“So her name is Lara. She’s quite adorable and reminds me of my own granddaughter. There’s a resemblance…”
Mrs. Waters intentionally revealed her family background and sighed mournfully, “Alas, I used to be a grandmother, but my granddaughter and her mother had an accident a month ago, and their whereabouts are still unknown.”
Her words caught the attention of the staff member, who approached Mrs. Waters with the child, asking with curiosity, “Then, could it be possible that Lara is your granddaughter?”
“She does resemble her, but I remember that my granddaughter didn’t have a birthmark on her arm.”
Mrs. Waters carefully examined the baby’s appearance, but uncertainty appeared on her face.
“That’s not a birthmark,” the staff member explained hastily. “It’s a scar from an injury the child had, and it left a mark after healing.”
Mrs. Waters nodded with realization and pretended to be sorrowful. “Her mother passed away over a month ago. At that time, the child was thrown out of the car and fell into the river. I’m not sure if Lara is my granddaughter, but the more I look at her, the more they resemble each other.”
Seeing Mrs. Waters’ hesitant expression, the staff member suggested, “Why don’t you have the child’s father come and take a look? We can cooperate and conduct a paternity test.”
Mrs. Waters had been waiting for the staff member to say that. She showed a delighted expression and said, “That’s great. I’ll call my son when I get back. Thank you!”
“Don’t mention it. We’re a welfare institution. If we can help you find your granddaughter, it would be a cause for celebration, wouldn’t it?” the staff member replied with a smile.
That day, Mrs. Waters left the welfare home and discussed the next steps with Grace on the way back.
“That child is indeed my granddaughter. Although I haven’t had much contact with her, she looks just like Carl’s daughter.”
Mrs. Waters affirmed with certainty and planned to call Carl when she got home.
“Yes, since that’s the case, let them recognize each other as father and daughter as soon as possible.”
Grace wanted to use Janelle to clear herself of suspicion in Nana’s family’s death. She thought for a moment and expressed her support, promising to take good care of the child in the future.
Mrs. Waters was satisfied with Grace’s attitude. As long as she could accept Janelle, there would naturally be a chance for her and Carl to enter into marriage.
Before long, Mrs. Waters rested while making a phone call.
However, Carl did not answer and had already added his mother to the blacklist.
On the same day, Mrs. Waters made a dozen phone calls, but Carl chose to ignore them all, leaving her feeling worried and anxious.
“This is troublesome. Carl refuses to answer the calls, and I don’t know how to find him,” Mrs. Waters said, tapping her thigh in frustration.
Grace noticed Mrs. Waters’ distress and pondered for a few seconds before suggesting, “Why don’t you contact Carl’s agent? I know Carl trusts her, and perhaps Hailey knows where he is.”
“Hailey?” Mrs. Waters glanced around, thinking of the no-nonsense and bold female agent.
“Alright then, I’ll call her now.”
Mrs. Waters didn’t particularly like Hailey, but she reluctantly picked up her phone in order to find Carl.
Soon, the call connected, and Mrs. Waters pretended to be polite as she spoke, “Hello, I’m Carl’s mother. Have you been in contact with him recently? I need to speak with Carl urgently.”
Hailey didn’t expect Mrs. Waters to suddenly call her. At that moment, she was outside, preparing to buy dinner for Carl.
Considering Carl’s current state, Hailey responded tactfully, “Mrs. Waters, rest assured, Carl is doing fine. However, he’s not very sociable at the moment. If you have something important, I can relay the message for you.”
Originally, Mrs. Waters wanted to meet Carl in person, but knowing her son’s temperament, she settled for the next best thing, “Well, the thing is, I’ve been volunteering at a welfare home recently, and I happened to see a baby girl who looks a lot like Janelle. Her nose and eyes are just like Carl’s. So, I suspect Janelle might still be alive.”
“Are you sure you didn’t mistake her for someone else?” Hailey also knew that in the car accident last month, Janelle was thrown out of the car and hasn’t been seen or heard from since.
But due to the long time that had passed and Janelle being less than six months old, everyone believed she was no longer alive.
This was undoubtedly good news, and Hailey’s excitement grew as she heard Mrs. Waters reaffirm, “No, I’m certain I didn’t make a mistake. After all, Janelle is my granddaughter too. The welfare home said they can conduct a paternity test between the child and her father.”
The two of them talked for a few more moments on the phone, and then Hailey hung up in a hurry, rushing back to her apartment.
Opening the door, she entered the dimly lit room and saw Carl still lying in bed, as dejected as ever.
Hailey also wanted Carl to pull himself together as soon as possible. She briskly walked to the side of the bed and directly pulled back the covers, trying to drag him out of bed.
“Carl, wake up! I’m taking you somewhere.”
Hailey’s tone was urgent as she opened the curtains and searched for clothes for Carl.
However, Carl remained in his despondent state and irritably waved her hand away, saying, “I don’t want to go anywhere.”
Originally, Hailey wanted to give Carl a surprise, but now she had to reveal it earlier.
Standing by the bed with her hands on her hips, she sighed helplessly, “Alright, I’ll tell you the truth. Your daughter has been found, and she might be at the welfare home.”