After One Night with the Alpha Chapter 75

Elle's POV

Raymond stared at me intently, his eyes studying every detail of my face. I could feel the weight of his gaze, searching for something—or someone—in my features.

"Mr. Carter should have already investigated my background, right?" I asked directly, deciding to cut through the tension.

Raymond's eyes flickered with mild surprise at my directness. "Yes. I know that Miss West is not the Wests' biological daughter, but an adopted one."

His confirmation sent a small chill down my spine. The fact that he had been looking into my past made me uncomfortable, but I wasn't surprised—someone with his resources could easily access such information.

Raymond leaned forward slightly, his face earnest. "Would Miss West be willing to assist with some tests?" His voice was polite but eager. "After all, it's normal for similar-looking people to exist in the world, but you and Dakota are just too identical!"

I didn't hesitate. "I'm sorry, but I can't cooperate."

Raymond's eyebrows raised slightly at my immediate refusal.

"Whoever my biological parents are means nothing to me right now," I continued, my voice growing stronger. "I currently have only one mother, and her name is Susan West!"

I turned the tables on him. "If you're curious about how I was adopted, you can always find my mom and ask her directly." I met his gaze steadily. "With Carter sir's resources, finding my mom shouldn't be difficult, right?"

Raymond fell silent, clearly not expecting such resistance.

Inwardly, I understood perfectly well what he wanted with these "tests." A DNA comparison, most likely. The results would either confirm or deny a connection between Dakota and me. Either way, I saw no benefit in knowing.

"It would definitely make one family happy and another sad," I thought to myself. I couldn't help but voice my thoughts aloud: "Even if I am related to the Blair family, what does that prove? Why should I return to a family that abandoned me?" My voice was quiet but resolute. "And if I'm not related to the Blair family, it would only disappoint and hurt more people."

Raymond's gentle eyes watched me, a complex mixture of disappointment and understanding in them.

Sophia, who had remained silent during our exchange, finally spoke up. "Mr. Carter, we came here because we were curious about Dakota." Her voice was smooth, diplomatic. "She's quite a legendary girl, isn't she?"

She skillfully redirected the conversation. "As Dakota's fiancé, you must know her very well? We'd like to hear her story."

Raymond seemed momentarily taken aback, then his expression cleared. "Alright, since you both are interested, I'll tell you some stories about us."

He looked at me intently again. "You two really are so alike, almost impossible to distinguish."

I unconsciously touched my cheek.

"If we stood face to face, I imagine it would be like looking in a mirror?" I ventured.

Raymond nodded. "However, your auras are very different, so it would be hard to mistake one for the other."

I inwardly scoffed at the comparison. She was a treasured jewel of high society, while I was just a simple girl from the human community.

"If Dakota were alive today, she would be twenty-three years old," Raymond said quietly.

My body tensed involuntarily. Twenty-three—exactly my age.

Raymond began describing Dakota's extraordinary talents. "At four, she was familiar with two foreign languages and could recreate classic works of art. By ten, she could create original works. At sixteen, she earned a master's degree."

He continued, pride evident in his voice. "During her sophomore year, she spent half a year in Europe as an exchange student."

As Raymond spoke, every corner of his face betrayed deep emotion—loyalty and longing visible in every word. Sophia and I exchanged glances, both thinking the same thing: rare to find such devotion in a man.

"I met Dakota when she was still a child," Raymond continued, his voice softening with memory. "I was hired by the Blair family as a home tutor."

He described his patient wait for her to grow up. "I waited so long until she finally came of age. In the year she turned nineteen, we finally got engaged."

His expression darkened. "But her health deteriorated. In her final year, she couldn't even leave her bed. Even the best doctors were helpless."

Then Raymond revealed something startling. "She kept telling me that she owed her sister, that her entire life was meant to compensate for her sister. They were separated, she said."

Sophia and I exchanged shocked glances. According to public records, Dakota was the Blair family's only child.

"At the time, we all thought she was delirious from fever," Raymond explained. "But Dakota insisted that she had a sister who was lost somewhere, sent to the edge of the city."

Raymond's gaze returned to me, complex emotions swirling in his eyes.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" I protested. "Dakota and I just happen to look alike, but I have no connection to her!"

I argued logically, "This the Blairs we are talking about! If they had twins, wouldn't they know? They're not some poor family that had to give one child away because they couldn't afford to raise both."

Sophia backed me up immediately. "Exactly."

I added, "There are documented cases of unrelated lookalikes in the world. We've all seen the news stories—it's happened plenty of times."

Raymond conceded with a sigh. "I apologize. I momentarily lost control due to my longing for her."

"Is there anything else you'd like to know?" Raymond offered.

I jumped at the chance. "She was so smart—did you ever test her IQ?"

Raymond nodded. "Yes. At three years old, she attracted attention because she was extraordinarily intelligent."

He revealed an astonishing fact. "Her IQ approached 160, practically genius level. This earned her a special status, even garnering respect from werewolf elites."

Sophia turned to me with curiosity. "What about you? What's your IQ? Have you been tested?"

I felt embarrassed by the comparison. "110. Just average for humans, I guess."

Raymond diplomatically commented, "There is no second Dakota in this world."

Sophia asked her second question, her tone sharp. "Did you love her?"

Raymond smiled softly. "What do you think?"

She pressed harder. "Then do you plan to hold onto this love forever, or will you eventually let it go?"

Raymond paused, then answered carefully. "Up until now, my feelings for her have never changed."

Sophia continued her pointed questions: "I thought Mr. Carter chose to cooperate with the Rayne Group because Elle looks like Dakota."

Raymond didn't directly respond, but something complex flickered in his eyes.

As our conversation drew to a close, our food arrived, and my pregnancy-enhanced appetite took over. Being in my second trimester, the morning sickness had passed, and carrying an Alpha werewolf's baby gave me a heartier appetite than most pregnant women.

After the meal, I said goodbye to Raymond, noting his polite yet complex gaze. Sophia took me back to her place.