The Unwanted Daughter: When Love Comes Too Late Chapter 48: Not One of the Jackmans

Tracy lowered her eyes and gave a small nod. "Thanks, Mr. Woodward."

Chris smiled gently. "No need to be so formal. Just call me Chris."

Tracy didn't answer and turned down his offer to walk her back to her room. She kept her head down and hurried away.

Her body looked tense and shy as she left.

But once she reached a quiet spot, Tracy quickly took off the heavy, wet jacket hanging on her shoulders and tossed it into a nearby trash can.

Her calm, cold face showed a hint of disgust.

Chris didn't notice any of this. Watching her walk away, his soft smile shifted into one of confident determination.

I expected Tracy Yarwood, once so bright and bold in Cloudville, to be tough. But turns out, she's quite gentle!

Feeling more confident, Chris started hanging around the Jackmans' place a lot, hoping to catch Tracy's attention.

But she always left early and came back late, never giving out any contact info. Out of ten visits, Chris only spotted her once.

Liam, however, saw Chris more often.

Since the Woodwards and Jackmans had business connections, Liam had heard of Chris—the illegitimate son who appeared suddenly—but they hadn't really met.

Seeing how obsessed Chris was with Tracy, Liam invited him to a gathering with friends.

The Woodwards didn't have Jackmans' status in Cloudville.

So when Liam invited him, Chris showed up dressed to impress, acting sincere.

But at the party, people treated him like he didn't exist. Even when he tried talking, no one paid attention.

Only Liam spoke to him, mostly asking him to pour drinks or carry plates.

Chris wasn't stupid. He knew they were ignoring him on purpose.

Still, he didn't get mad. He kept smiling softly, pouring wine for Liam. After a while, he carefully asked, "Did I offend you, Mr. Liam?"

Liam glanced at him, feeling a bit generous because Chris was eager to help. "You've been bothering Tracy a lot lately, haven't you?"

Chris didn't get why he asked. After thinking a moment, he explained, "She and Ms. Jackman fell into the pool together. My jacket is still with her. I just want it back."

Liam laughed. "You're the Woodwards' only son, and you're hung up on a jacket? Don't think I don't know what you and Winona are up to."

He'd overheard Winona and Chris talking that night at Erin's graduation party—those little plans they had against Tracy.

Tracy probably deserved some punishment, so Liam didn't stop them.

But since Tracy was still family to the Jackmans, Liam warned Chris, "Do what you want, but don't go too far."

Chris felt relieved right away. "Don't worry, Mr. Liam. I know my limits."

He poured Liam another drink. "I heard Tracy wasn't in Cloudville these past two years but went abroad."

Only Simon's close circle knew where Tracy really was during those two years. Chris wasn't in that group.

Liam gave him a sharp look. "Why do you wanna know?"

Chris hurried to explain, "Customs abroad are different. I want to understand Tracy better."

Liam frowned. "Whether she went abroad or not doesn't matter for what you're planning. Don't poke your nose where it doesn't belong."

From that, Chris figured there was more to the story about Tracy being sent away two years ago.

Makes sense. If she really went abroad, why would she call me "Derek"?

After all, I'm the one who sent that guy to the Angelic Etiquette Academy.

If she knew Derek, maybe she knew other secrets too?

Chris looked carefully at Liam.

Anyone cold enough to send someone to a place like that probably doesn't care much for Tracy either. Liam setting all this up is just to save face for the Jackmans.

Chris relaxed, feeling more confident.

After failing to find Tracy at the Jackmans' again, he had people check where she was.

That was when he learned that the once proud Tracy was now working in a restaurant!

Finding this info was easy if you looked, but even though Tracy had been back almost two months, no one in the Jackmans knew about it.

Because she left early and came home late, avoiding everyone on purpose, the Jackmans thought she was finally behaving and was no longer competing with Erin.

Benjamin even kindly let Tracy eat at the table with them.

For such a "big favor," Tracy just said, "Thank you for your kindness, Mr. Benjamin, but I'm not one of the Jackmans. I won't bother you."

Benjamin was so mad that he knocked over his glass. "We showed her kindness, and she acts like she expects us all to tiptoe around her!"

Daphne looked unhappy too. "She says she's not a Jackman, but why does she still live with us? In the end, she's just blaming us."