Joseph had always had a good impression of Elena. However, it had never been as intense as that moment. He realized that he had never felt deep affection for anyone until he saw her then.
It was no wonder why he had always felt a certain attachment toward her. It must have been because she was his biological cousin.
“What’s up, Brother Joseph? Did you go to the hospital this morning?”
Elena had left in a hurry. Fortunately, Michael was not around that day, so no one was there to restrict her movements.
Joseph suddenly pulled her toward himself to embrace her in his arms.
“Brother Joseph…” Elena was confused with his action.
It was an intimate gesture, but it did not feel disrespectful.
His breath was calm. For someone so introverted, the occasional outburst of feeling would never cause one to be disgusted. On the contrary, it made her feel inexplicably at ease. It was as if she was meant to be close to him.
Elena did not even know why she would feel that way.
“Brother Joseph? What’s wrong?”
He continued to hug her and did not move for quite a long time. Elena frowned as she was a little puzzled.
“Are you upset about something?”
“Do you hate me?” Joseph asked when he finally released her.
He sighed discreetly as he looked at the petite girl in his arms.
She was his little cousin—the one person that most people would love.
However, she did not know the true nature of their relationship, and he was afraid that she would be offended if he embraced her for too long.
Elena shook her head and looked worriedly at him.
“Brother Joseph, are you in trouble?”
He looked as though he had something on his mind, and Elena was worried about him.
“How nice would it be if you are really my cousin?”
He has not decided if he should tell Elena about it.
After all, she told him that she had done a DNA test with his grandfather, which was negative.
The safest way was to get another test done and tell her after he had received the result.
He believed that something must have gone wrong during the test.
Perhaps Ava’s people had manipulated the results, and therefore, Elena did not even know that she was his grandfather’s granddaughter.
Elena heard his words, and her eyes grew solemn.
Why would she not want to be his cousin and Grandfather’s granddaughter?
She had felt a connection to these people, and other than Old Madam Williams, no one else had given her such a warm feeling.
Joseph saw the gloominess in her eyes, so he smiled lightly and asked, “If you are really my cousin, what would you do?”
“What would I do? I would call you my Elder Cousin Brother, of course.”
Elena smiled as she stepped out of his embrace. She stared thoughtfully into his eyes.
“So, how was it? Did you do the test on Ava and Grandfather this morning?”
“It’s going to take about four hours before we get the results.”
However, those results no longer had any meaning for Joseph.
Elena thought he had acted strangely, but she did not continue with her questions.
No matter what it was, Elena knew that he would never have any malicious intent toward her.
“Elena, you have not seen any of the sights since you came to City L. Why don’t you let Brother Joseph show you around?”
“The Garcia family banquet is tomorrow. Don’t you need to prepare?”
He was the Garcia family’s oldest grandchild. Even after Ava’s return, he still held the status of the first grandchild.
He should be involved in the preparation of any Garcia family events.
“Well, it might not even happen.”
Elena pursed her lips at Joseph’s statement, but she did not say anything else. The lab results did not matter anyway; it was enough that Joseph had believed her.
Both of them had just got into the car when Joseph’s cell phone rang. He answered it immediately.
“Michael?” Joseph frowned. He did not expect that Ava would see Michael right after she left the hospital.
“This might not have anything to do with him. Just keep following them and see what happens next.”
Then he dialed another number.
“Milo, I hope that you won’t question my actions for now and just agree to my request.”
“What is it?” Butler Milo had rarely heard Joseph speak to him in such a serious tone. He could even feel the seriousness of the matter through the phone.
“You must not allow Grandfather to go to the office today, nor let him meet the lawyer. Milo, I can’t explain it to you right now, but you have to do as I say.”
Butler Milo did not question his instructions. He had been a part of Joseph’s life ever since he was a child. He trusted him completely.
“Very well, I understand. The old man will have a very slow day today.”
“Thank you.”
As soon as Joseph hung up the phone, he noticed Elena’s puzzled stare.
He explained, “I am gathering evidence for something, and I can’t alarm too many people right now.”
“But…the banquet is tomorrow…” She could already guess why he needed the evidence.
“It doesn’t matter, and it won’t affect our sightseeing trip.”
He had given the instructions; all he could do then was to wait.
As for Elena, he really wanted to take her sightseeing. If it were for something, then perhaps it was because he felt sad for her.
Joseph extended his hand to pat her on her head.
“Don’t worry. I’ll take care of it. You just enjoy yourself. There’s no need to trouble yourself.”
Joseph treated her exceptionally well that day, just like a big brother would. Elena took a deep breath and nodded.
“Alright, I will not ask further questions. I think…”
Her expression suddenly changed. She clasped her hand across her lips, and she looked extremely uncomfortable.
“Elena, what’s wrong?” Joseph looked worried.
“I’m… Urgh…”
Elena could not finish her sentence. She pushed the door open and got out of the car.
Joseph chased after her as she ran toward a trash can to throw up.
“What’s wrong? Do you feel sick?”
He carefully patted her on the back until she felt a little better. When she no longer felt the need to retch, he asked, “Did you get food poisoning? The hospital is just nearby. I’ll take you there.”
Elena shook her head; she knew that it was not food poisoning. She suspected that she was… Well, even the thought of it was too frightening!
That should not be the case! What would she do if it was true?
Things were over between Michael and her!
“This is unacceptable, Elena. I’m taking you to the hospital.”
If she felt sick, she would need immediate treatment!
“Brother Joseph, I don’t want to go.” She was afraid that the doctor would reveal her greatest fear.
“Not possible, Elena. It’s a bad idea to delay treatment. Don’t be stubborn. Let me take you to the hospital. You will feel better in no time.”
“But, I don’t want… Urgh…”
Elena could not even finish her sentence. Her stomach churned again. She tried to hold it in, but she could not. She turned around and threw up again.