Second Chance: Marrying into Wealth Chapter 320

I called Casey. "Mr. West, can someone's blood type change from when they're a kid to when they're an adult?"

There was a long pause on the other end.

Casey was probably stunned by my question.

After a moment, he finally responded, "Are you an idiot? With a secretary like you, Mr. Collins might as well shut down the whole operation!"

Casey was even more sarcastic than Christopher.

He called me an idiot and implied Christopher was nuts for hiring me as his secretary.

Whatever, I had bigger fish to fry. Once I got my answer, I hung up.

"Wait, there's one more thing..."

Casey seemed to remember something and was about to tell me, but I hung up too quickly out of frustration.

I had no choice but to call him back.

He let the phone ring forever before picking up, clearly doing it on purpose.

"Not only are you clueless, but you've got quite the attitude. Didn't you just hang up on me? Why are you calling back?" Casey's tone was dripping with sarcasm.

Fine, I could swallow my pride when necessary.

"I'm sorry, Mr. West. That was a mistake. Please, I really need your help," I said, trying to sound humble.

Casey loved to make things difficult. "I'll give you the answer, but only if you get Christopher to invest in my lab."

He wanted new lab equipment to advance his medical research.

I couldn't control Christopher's decisions, but I could lie.

"Sure, I promise," I said quickly.

Only then did Casey tell me, "If the person you mentioned had surgery, it's possible their blood type could change."

"Got it, thanks!"

This time, I hung up without any intention of asking Christopher for lab equipment. Casey later called to confront me about it.

"You promised to get Christopher to invest in my lab! You're a liar," Casey fumed.

Still holding a grudge for being called an idiot, I retorted, "Mr. West, do you know what this is called? It's called being smart! Do you have any proof I promised you?"

But that was a story for another time.

I relayed Casey's information to Ondine and Quinlan.

Ondine said, "Hayes never had surgery before leaving the orphanage, and he has a rare blood type, so he couldn't have received a different type."

I hadn't mentioned the rare blood type to Casey, so he didn't consider that.

I felt foolish for not thinking of it myself.

Quinlan added, "Blair also mentioned Hayes never had surgery."

It seemed we hit another dead end.

I pondered what I might have overlooked.

Paula and I decided to make copies of Hayes and Marlowe's records to investigate further.

"This..." Ondine hesitated.

I understood her concern and reassured her, "Ondine, we're here to find the truth for Hayes' sake. We promise to keep his rare blood type a secret."

Ondine nodded and allowed us to make copies.

While we were copying the records, Ondine pleaded for Marlowe, "Marlowe used to be a good, strong, and proud kid. It's a shame she went astray. She had a tough life but genuinely cared for Hayes. Could you cut her some slack?"

Ondine had a soft spot for Marlowe, having watched her grow up.

I could overlook the kidnapping, but I couldn't forgive her for scheming against Christopher and Summit Innovations Group.

I told Ondine the truth.

She sighed, clearly disappointed, but didn't press further.

As we were leaving, Ondine suddenly called out to us.

"I just remembered something..." She hesitated, "Never mind, you should go."

I had a feeling Ondine's memory held the answer we needed.

"Ondine, I know you care about Hayes. If he has a rare blood type, he's in even more danger. His talent in AI has already attracted attention, and now the guardianship could be used against him."

Ondine's brow furrowed. "What about his original guardian?"

I explained the current situation, "Marlowe is in prison, so she arranged for a distant relative to be Hayes' guardian. We haven't met this relative, and people around them are watching closely. If the guardian is tempted, Hayes could suffer."

Ondine grew more worried. "Is there a more reliable guardian?"

Quinlan quickly responded, "Yes! Blair was hired by Marlowe to care for Hayes and genuinely loves him. She's taken great care of him over the years. As long as she's paid on time, Blair will look after Hayes well."

Ondine seemed to understand.

I pressed on, "Ondine, think carefully. Has Hayes shown any significant changes?"

Ondine thought for a moment. "There was one thing... When Marlowe brought Hayes back to the orphanage after a year and a half, I noticed the birthmark on his arm was gone. Marlowe said he had fallen and cut his arm, and the birthmark disappeared when it healed."

Quinlan and I exchanged glances.

Quinlan couldn't help but say, "So, the Hayes Marlowe brought back wasn't the original Hayes or her brother?"

Ondine hadn't thought much of it at the time, trusting Marlowe's explanation. But now, she realized there were too many inconsistencies.

"Maybe... But back then, the kids were small. Even a month could bring noticeable changes. Marlowe was just skin and bones, dirty all over, and Hayes wasn't much better. We were too busy feeling sorry for them to think of anything else."

Ondine felt guilty realizing the truth. "Who knows what happened to the real Hayes? If we had paid more attention, maybe things would have been different."

"Ondine, you've done your best. Don't be too hard on yourself. It's getting late; we should go."

Quinlan and I had what we needed, so we left the orphanage.

Outside, Quinlan insisted on taking a cab instead of letting me drive her.

I put on a stern face. "Are you saying we're not family?"