CHAPTER 150: CHAPTER 150: MY FAMILY IS THE RAFAEL FAMILY

"When did you start liking Lucas Robertson?"

Seeing that Sienna Johnson had seen through her feelings for Lucas Robertson, Kiki no longer tried to hide them. She answered whatever Sienna asked. After all, she couldn’t hide anything from Sienna, who was so smart, while Kiki felt she herself was so foolish.

"I don’t know..."

When did her affection begin? She truly didn’t know.

Perhaps it was in Bluzell City, when Sienna disappeared. She and Curly Baby had no one to rely on; there was only Lucas.

"Does Lucas know that you like him?"

Kiki shook her head. "Sienna, please don’t tell Lucas about this. You don’t know this, but Lucas once had a fiancée whom he loved very much. He even said he would never love another woman in this lifetime. I... I know my place."

As she finished speaking, Kiki lowered her head sadly.

Kiki was a very beautiful woman. An ordinary woman with Kiki’s looks might have been incredibly proud, but Kiki, at her core, was insecure.

"What’s so good about that Lucas? He’s so ugly. With your looks, it’s easy to find a handsome guy. Why bother with him?"

Kiki grew upset and argued, "Lucas isn’t ugly! He’s very manly! I don’t like those pretty-boy types. Lucas is better; he makes a woman feel secure."

Lucas returned just then and overheard the two beauties discussing his appearance. The corner of his mouth twitched, and he couldn’t help but retort, "I’m not a woman. What’s the point of being good-looking?"

"AHEM..." Kiki hadn’t expected Lucas to return so suddenly and didn’t know how much he’d overheard. She asked angrily, "Are you a ghost? You just show up without a sound?"

Lucas glanced at Kiki, whose face was red, not understanding why. He asked, "Are you hot? Why is your face so red?"

So, Kiki’s face turned even redder.

"Lucas, get lost!"

Ignoring the furious Kiki, Lucas said to Sienna, "I found out that your adoptive mother lives in Rafael Village in Blackwood. It’s about a twenty-minute walk from here; just take the main road on the right, and go straight."

"We have to walk for twenty minutes?" Kiki asked.

"Mm."

Lucas took Curly Baby, who was still asleep. The little one had been so excited on the train, mesmerized by the trees seemingly running past the window. After watching for a long time, she fell asleep as soon as they got off the train.

"Let’s go."

The three of them weren’t carrying much luggage. Most of it belonged to Curly Baby: bottles, diapers, formula, a change of clothes, and some toys Kiki had brought for her.

They arrived at Rafael Village at sunset.

At the entrance to the village, Sienna’s fragmented memories began to connect. Follow this road east... the second-to-last house is her adoptive mother’s.

"Sienna, which way should we go now?"

"Just keep going forward."

Kiki looked at Sienna, who was standing still, not understanding why she wasn’t moving.

A wave of apprehension washed over Sienna as she neared her old home; she was truly frightened at this moment.

After returning to the Johnson Family, although she often sent money to her adoptive mother, the two had not seen each other again.

All these years, she had missed her adoptive mother dearly. Did her adoptive mother miss her too? Did she long for her as well?

"Marvin, you’re almost thirty and still not married! Are you planning to be a bachelor forever?"

Marvin? Marvin Rafael?

Sienna suddenly looked toward the approaching tall, dark-skinned man, her heart jolting. She recognized him. Marvin Rafael hadn’t changed much in appearance; he was just taller, stronger, and more tanned.

"I’m still saddled with a mountain of debt. How could I ask a girl to suffer with me?" Marvin chuckled good-naturedly.

"Brother!" Sienna suddenly called out.

The men with Marvin all looked over, their faces flushing. One of them, a skinny fellow, nudged Marvin’s arm and snickered, "Hey, Marvin, that heavenly beauty is looking at you..."

Marvin was also looking at Sienna, his eyes wide with disbelief. It felt like a dream, one that might vanish in an instant.

"Baby?" he asked uncertainly.

Sienna walked over, looking Marvin up and down, tears welling in her eyes. "Yes, it’s me, Baby."

"What happened to you?" The muscles on Marvin’s arms, hardened by years of labor, tensed. "Did they bully you? Did they kick you out?"

Sienna shook her head, a smile breaking through her tears. "Brother, I just missed you and Mom, so I came to see you both."

Marvin looked at her suspiciously. "Are you really okay?"

"Actually, I do have a problem. I’m hungry."

Marvin was speechless.

The skinny fellow nudged Marvin again, winking. "Hey, Marvin, holding out on your buddies? When did you suddenly get such a heavenly sister?"

"All of you, get lost!"

Marvin’s calloused hand took Sienna’s delicate one. His hand was rough, no longer the hand of the simple, honest teenager from years past.

"Baby, let’s go. I’ll take you home."

"Mm, let’s go home!"

Home. The Rafael family was her true home.

The Rafael house was still the same old stone building, simple and timeworn. Sienna remembered it was the old house left by Marvin’s grandfather.

The Rafaels had moved to the City Center to work long ago and had established a home there. However, an unexpected illness had plunged the family back into poverty.

"Where’s Mom?" Sienna asked, standing in the tidy little courtyard.

"Mom is sick. I’ll go in and see her."

"I’m going too."

The two entered the main room. A frail, white-haired woman lay on a traditional heated brick bed, coughing. With each cough, her body seemed to convulse, arching like a shrimp.

"Mom, guess who’s here?"

The woman on the bed heard her son’s voice and coughed again. "Marvin, you’re home! Are you hungry? I’ll go make you something to eat."

"Mom, don’t worry about cooking for now. Look who’s here."

Marvin, as if presenting a precious treasure he was eager for his mother to see, pulled Sienna to the bedside. The moment Mother Johnson’s cloudy eyes fell upon Sienna, they instantly brightened. "Baby?"

"Mom, I’m back..."

After the initial excitement passed, her adoptive mother, Rose Collins, calmed down. Her expression hardened as she said, "Who allowed you to come here? Didn’t I tell you before never to come back?"

"Mom, I brought your granddaughter with me. Don’t you want to see her? She’s very pretty." Sienna found it hard to believe her adoptive mother wouldn’t want to see Curly Baby.

"You got married?" Rose Collins asked happily.

Sienna paused for a moment before saying, "I did. And then I got divorced."

"What?" Rose Collins exclaimed, her voice sharp. When Sienna didn’t immediately elaborate, she pressed, "Divorced? Why did you get divorced?"

"Mom, please don’t worry," Sienna lied. "Even though I’m divorced, I received a substantial amount of money. It’s enough for Curly and me to live on."

"Why divorce?" her adoptive mother admonished, her tone earnest and pleading. "You have a child! How could you just get divorced? Baby, you’ve always been headstrong, but how could you be so impulsive about something this serious?"