But when he looked at that photo, his pupils slightly glazed, his face changed obviously.
Adriana’s heart seized when she saw Archie’s expression.
That look in his eyes, it is clear that he knows the person in the photo.
If he and Ruth have really been together and she is most likely his child, then …
There are some things Adriana is thinking about.
“This man, does Mr. Alston know him?”
Adriana asked again.
Today to come here, Adriana just want to understand the year, she does not like to beat around the bush, directly to the point.
“She …”
The man took the photo, examined it carefully, and surveyed Adriana sitting across from him, a starburst in his shrewd eyes.
“Ruth.”
Without waiting for Adriana to finish, Archie directly said the name of the other party.
Adriana’s heartstrings tightened, “You … you know?”
The man placed the photo carefully on the desktop, looked down at the photo, the corners of his lips raised a smile.
That look, as if the young immersed in hot love, giving a very good sense of vestigial.
“I knew that sooner or later you would come to me.”
He let out a sigh of relief, then said: “I like her, for many years. I’ve been looking everywhere for all these years, but there’s no trace of her at all. But I know that as long as you and Harlee are around, she’ll be back.”
Adriana: “…”
Heart thumping tightened up.
The small face flushed with a few pale, swallowed and asked weakly, “Do you mean … that Harlee and I are really your children?”
Archie was more open than expected, and that kind of straightforwardness made Adriana a little uncomfortable, even difficult to accept.
Her worst fears had come true.
Ultimately, she is Archie’s child.
Archie is Peter’s third uncle, how does this … work?
Heart, there is a moment deeply sunk to the bottom, grief and pain.
“Yes, it’s my child.”
Archie nodded, “I know what you asked me to come over here today to ask about.”
He crossed his fingers on the table, his calm face held a few smiles, “You want to know if I’m your father, you want to know the relationship between you and Peter, don’t you?”
Very straightforward.
It’s also very smart.
This looks like Adriana is a bit unresponsive.
It is clear that Archie knows everything, even from his words that Archie knew about her relationship with Harlee a long, long time ago and knew that the two of them were his children.
But many years passed and Archie never came over to see them.
Adriana has mixed feelings and her goodwill towards Archie instantly drops to zero.
“I can tell you this, there is no relationship between you and Peter. You’re a good kid and Peter is great, and I’ve always supported you guys being together.”
He said calmly.
Adriana hesitated for a moment, her small face cold and chilled, “What exactly is your relationship with The Alston family? Or is Peter not a member of The Alston family at all?”
After thinking about it, it seems that there are only these two possibilities.
“Actually …”
He hung his head slightly and sighed for a while before saying, “Actually, I am not a member of The Alston family at all. As you can see, I have no say in The Alston family, and I’m not even a pillar in the Alston Group, just a small head of the logistics department.”
Yes, in the eyes of everyone, Archie was thought to be the kind of person who was lazy and therefore not valued by the people of The Alston family, not knowing that it was the people of The Alston family who simply did not give him the opportunity to develop.
Adriana vaguely guessed what was going on, but did not say anything.
“I am not a descendant of The Alston family. I heard from the old man that my father and he were good brothers, and to save him, my father died. He took pity on me and brought me back to The Alston family, and fearing ostracism, he told everyone that I was a bastard. For many years, the name ‘illegitimate’ set me on a pillar of shame. But I didn’t care.”
For his past, Archie spoke lightly and did not appear angry, but rather calm and uncharacteristic.
Adriana’s hanging heart finally fell, at that moment she was a little excited, small hands clenched together, and then stretched.
A light smile involuntarily emerged from the corners of his lips.
So that’s it.
“I know I’m mediocre and incompetent and didn’t give your mother everything better.”
Archie talked about Ruth with some guilt, he looked sideways and said, “In my life, she was my white light, a presence beyond my reach, and I loved her so much, and still do.”
“Then why don’t you see you coming out to protect her?”
Adriana pursued the question.
“Protection?”
“I’d love to be there to protect her, but I don’t have that power.”
Again, direct and frank words, but Adriana did not feel ridiculous.
“As you know, she is Obren’s person, since childhood, different from me, will be subjected to all kinds of training every day, while I am just a poor person in the foster care of The Alston family. Mediocre ability, can only do some ordinary things in silence. Maybe in your eyes I am the one who has no motivation, but I have no choice.”
Archie has his own difficulties.
In The Alston family, he is a normal person, although he knows his relationship with Old Mr. Alston, but he can not say anything, much less leave The Alston family.
That would bring gossip to The Alston family and even make people point fingers at him.
A mediocre life is not what Archie likes.
“When I was young, I liked to travel and play in the mountains, and it was at that time that I met your mother, your mother was very young and glanced away, and we easily fell into a whirlpool of feelings.”
When he said this, he was smiling, immersed in fond memories and very happy.
In scattered words, Adriana also kind of understand the reason for it.
So, she found her biological father.
However, the appearance of her real father did not make Adriana have too many emotional changes, as did the knowledge of Ruth’s identity, which did not allow her to have much emotional turmoil.
The things she has experienced over the years have made her much more mature, so she has also acted too calmly about their presence.
Adriana did not speak, her head bowed, her gaze vacant.
“I don’t know about your past with her, but I know you don’t deserve her.”
Adriana only said one thing, nothing else, took her bag, got up and left.
She left and Archie didn’t say anything, didn’t even call out to her.
Go downstairs, drive, and leave.
On the way back, Adriana drove slowly, opening the windows and blowing the breeze.
Mixed blessings.
Happy that she could finally spend time with Peter.
It was sad to find her biological father and mother, but the disparity in their origins made her inexplicably emotionally a little worse.
Seeing what Ruth has given to Archie, but Archie really doesn’t deserve to have Ruth give everything.
Or maybe she doesn’t understand the relationship between the two and has no say in the matter.
Adriana stopped the car and stood by the river to blow the wind.
For a long, long time, she took her cell phone and called Harlee, thinking that there was something she should let Harlee know.