The Unwanted Daughter: When Love Comes Too Late Chapter 294: Betrayed by Blood

"Back then, my mom and I couldn't even scrape together a hundred bucks between us. I never thought I'd turn out to be worth so much one day."

His face showed no emotion, but Tracy felt a sharp, stinging pain in her chest.

She could guess that returning to the Wests under those circumstances must have made Ronald's life really tough.

As Ronald shared these stories, he kept looking into Tracy's eyes, and he didn't miss the sympathy and heartache in them.

The gloomy mood from recalling those bad memories suddenly lifted.

"Tracy, do you want to know what kind of life I had with the Wests?"

Tracy stayed quiet for a moment before saying, "If you don't want to talk about it, I won't ask. If you do, I'll listen."

The dimples on Ronald's cheeks deepened. "I want to talk. I want you to know my story."

Back then, even though Ronald had joined the Wests, no one treated him well.

At first, Daniel was decent to him, since he only had two sons in his life.

It was Valera who had messed him up like that, so Daniel favored Ronald more.

But that favoritism turned into suspicion and dislike when Ronald was seven.

That year, Mateo decided to transfer one-third of Daniel's assets to Ronald's name.

He even started teaching Ronald about the family business once he got to high school.

At that time, Ronald thought Mateo was looking out for him, because from the moment he returned to the Wests, Mateo had acted like a kind grandfather, caring about him in every way.

The Wests had a lot of extended relatives, with most of them living together in the old mansion, and three-year-old Ronald got picked on and bullied constantly because he was illegitimate.

Whenever that happened, Mateo would step in and back him up.

So in young Ronald's mind, Mateo was the closest family he had in the world.

But as he grew up, Ronald slowly realized Mateo's true intentions.

Fighting for one-third of the assets from Daniel wasn't to give him leverage against Valera's bullying, but rather to drive a wedge between him and Daniel.

For someone like Daniel, who put his interests above everything else, he could tolerate a needy, dependent illegitimate son, but not one competing for his wealth.

When Mateo scolded the relatives for bullying him, it wasn't real support—it was just stirring up more hate against him.

If Mateo really wanted to help, those people would have feared him and wouldn't have bullied him worse each time.

Getting him involved in the business wasn't about treating him like a true West heir—it was about using him as a stepping stone, just another tool to harden Preston, the golden boy who'd been handed everything, into someone tough enough to inherit the West.

"I don't remember exactly when I figured it all out, but I'll never forget how I felt when I did."

Ronald's voice never wavered from start to finish, as calm as if he were talking about someone else.

But around Tracy, his face was always lit up with a bright, cheerful smile.

Right now, he looked so blank, like a barren wasteland with no life in sight, and it weighed on her heart like a heavy stone.

Tracy couldn't help but grab his hand, words stuck in her throat.

But when she opened her mouth, nothing came out, so she just held on tighter.

Ronald seemed to snap out of it because of her grip.

He looked down at their joined hands, and a soft smile tugged at his lips.

He seemed to be back to his usual bright self, looking at Tracy with a sweet grin. "Tracy, do you know why I'm so stubborn about not giving up on you?"

Tracy didn't speak, and Ronald didn't wait for an answer. He continued, "My biological mom had me, and in our toughest times, she couldn't even afford a loaf of bread but still insisted on raising me. I thought she loved me. After all, which parent doesn't love their kid?

"But when I saw her take the money and walk away without a second thought, even as I cried and chased after her, she just said, 'It was hard giving birth to you and raising you for three years, all for this day. If the Wests hadn't come, I was going to kill you to keep you from dragging me down when I tried to find a new life.

"That's when I knew some parents really don't love their kids.

"And my biological mom was one who had abandoned me."

Ronald's voice was soft. "That was the first time someone ditched me.

"I was young, but I'll never forget that feeling."

When he mentioned being abandoned, Ronald's calm expression finally cracked.

His expression showed confusion and panic.

Like he didn't know what he'd done wrong but had to face the consequences anyway.

"The second time I was abandoned was right after arriving at the Wests. It was Preston who offered to be my friend but then abandoned me too."

Ronald took a deep breath. "At first, he probably did see me as his little brother."