A week later.
Lake followed General Ross from Texas and flew back to the Quantico military base.
"Remember to keep this a secret."
"...I know."
"I'm afraid you don't know."
"…"
When the plane was about to reach the Quantico base, General Ross unbuckled his seat belt, sat next to Lake, woke up Lake who was sleeping soundly, and spoke seriously.
Lake opened his mouth.
General Ross said, "Rachel from The Sun."
Lake said with a sigh, "Don't worry, I know what to say and what not to say."
Ross deadpanned, "I was talking about something else."
Lake stood up and looked at General Ross with some suspicion. He didn't know if it was an illusion, but it seemed that at this moment General Ross was offline and his adoptive father Ross was online.
What the hell?
Lake thought for a moment and said, "As for the other things, there shouldn't be any more. Are you talking about Betty and that Dr. Banner?"
"I'm talking about you and Rachel."
"…"
Ross shook his head speechlessly and said to Lake, "When you were attacked in Texas, I sent people to take Skye and Rachel to Quantico for protection. Karen already knew about Rachel's situation and she was very angry, but she was busy before, so I didn't tell you."
Lake opened his mouth wide: "Karen knows...what?"
"What do you think?"
Ross glanced at Lake and said, "Everything is fine. We still have ten minutes until landing. Think carefully about how to comfort Karen. She's very sad."
Finished.
Ross stood up and prepared to go to the cockpit, but he was muttering to himself.
What did you know?
Good job.
Isn't it just about Rachel's pregnancy? Could it be that this guy has other little secrets in his heart?
Lake was also looking at Ross's back, his thoughts racing.
Karen knows everything?
What?
Rachel is pregnant?
Lake knew this, after all, Ross had already told him when he arrived from Quantico, so it was expected that Karen knew Rachel was pregnant.
But... you know everything?
Theron exposed?
Or have Emilia and his secret love been exposed?
Rebellious son?
That guy doesn't count. He has no status at all in his heart. He keeps him until he is twenty-one years old, then kicks him out and lets him fend for himself.
Lake's eyes flickered.
In the cockpit.
Ross was having an encrypted satellite call with Karen.
soon.
Ten minutes later.
The plane landed steadily at the newly rebuilt Quantico Military Base Airport.
Five minutes later.
Inside the hangar.
Lake lowered his head in thought, feeling that it was unlikely that Karen knew about Emilia and Xiaomianao.
but...
Lake looked at Ross, who turned his head to look at him from time to time, with a mysterious smile on his face, and always felt that there was this possibility.
Just then.
Rachel, who was not far away, looked at Lake walking down from the plane, ran over and hugged him.
Lake came back to his senses.
Not far away.
Skye also came over with Rachel's adopted daughter Josie.
Skye didn't do what Rachel did, but just greeted Lake with a smile.
Lake smiled back.
"Are you okay?"
"fine."
After Rachel let go of Lake, she said, "I've been worried to death these days," and then gave him a passionate kiss.
Skye's mouth twitched, and then he pulled Qiao Xi, who was staring at him, and turned around.
Hello, hello, hello.
There are two minors here, so unrestrained, okay?
Ten minutes later.
Base dormitory.
After Lake got out of the car, he hugged Karen, who seemed familiar and was standing at the door waiting for him to come back. Then, looking at Karen's eyes, he looked around with a guilty look: "Where's Betty?"
Let me put it this way.
Lake can turn back time for Karen, but he won't necessarily be able to turn back time for Ross.
Of course, this is just a metaphor.
Karen said, "Still in the lab. Come in, I think we need to have a serious conversation."
Lake said, "I'm going to..."
Serious conversation.
This seems familiar, is it okay not to go?
Karen interrupted directly: "It's okay to go later, Rachel, take the two children to the backyard first."
Lake looked at Rachel.
Rachel mouthed an apology to Lake, then called out to Skye and Josie who were not far away, and took Skye and Josie into the house first.
Lake and Karen followed closely behind.
"Sit down, son."
"...Thanks."
Lake felt uneasy after listening to Karen's serious words after she entered the room. He could clearly sense the sadness... and disappointment coming from Karen?
Good job.
Is everything really exposed?
How could that be.
That's impossible. I did a good job of keeping it confidential.
"When did it happen?"
"ah."
Lake came back to his senses and looked at Karen, who was sitting on the sofa opposite him. She had transformed from a prosecutor into a psychologist. Karen raised an eyebrow as she opened the Lake and Betty Growth Conversation Book. "You mean Rachel? We discovered her when we were traveling to Los Angeles."
Karen nodded: "Why not?"
Lake's thoughts raced. "I wanted to say it, but after returning from Los Angeles, this kind of thing happened. I was planning to bring Rachel back for Christmas this year."
I'm so fucking smart.
"real?"
"certainly!"
Lake said to Karen: "I can lie to Betty, but I can't lie to you."
Karen chuckled and said, "Okay, you've gone too far in this matter, but what else do you have? Tell me."
"besides?"
"You want me to tell you?"
"Need not."
"Then tell me."
Lake quickly waved his hand, looked at Karen's serious expression, hesitated for a moment, and thought: "Catherine?"
never mind.
Anyway, I will bring it back to Karen to see sooner or later.
Lake didn't tell Karen before because he didn't know it in time. If it was exposed, it would have an impact on Emilia. At the very least, if he had brought it back at that time, there is no doubt that turning the VAM Group into the private assets of the Immortal Royal Family would not have been so smooth.
Karen raised an eyebrow.
There really is something going on.
Karen was thinking about what her husband Ross had just said to her via satellite phone, and she had been thinking about blowing it up, but unexpectedly, it actually came out.
"Ahem!"
Karen coughed and looked at Lake: "Go on."
This time, Lake glanced at Karen suspiciously.
This time he clearly caught a glimpse of nervousness, surprise and guilt on Karen's face for a second.
Shit.
Is this a case of being too concerned and getting trapped?
but...
Lake thought about it and didn't care. He leaned on the sofa, spread his hands, smiled and said, "Catherine is your granddaughter."
"puff!"
"…"
Karen spurted out the lemonade she had just drunk: "What did you say?"
Jesus God.
What did she hear? She originally thought that Lake had a woman named Catherine, but what a surprise.
Lake stood up with concern and took out a few tissues from the coffee table and handed them to Karen.
He didn't want Karen to choke on water and go to hell because of this incident. If she had to go to hell and pass the level just because of choking on water, Mephisto would probably feel it was unfair.
Karen took the tissue and pointed to the sofa: "Sit down, explain it to me clearly, and start from the beginning."
Lake shrugged. "Starting from the beginning, it would probably take a while to finish."
Said.
Lake briefly talked about how he met Emilia in Budapest, then the birth of Catherine, and then Lake's visits to Budapest every time over the years.
Karen interrupted, "Is it you who lie to your sister every March and say you're traveling to Europe?"
Lake nodded.
Karen covered her forehead and looked at Lake in disbelief, who had quietly caused such a big incident: "How old is he?"
"Fourteen, one year younger than Skye."
"Wow."
Karen exclaimed in surprise, then seemed to have thought of something: "But, you didn't seem to be there this year or last year, right? Why?"
I have been there.
Left a clone here.
Lake thought so in his heart, but he certainly wouldn't say it out loud. He said directly: "It was Emilia who came over there at that time."
Karen nodded.
Next second.
Karen looked at Lake again: "But, you never thought of telling me about this. When do you plan to tell me? After Ross and I are dead?"
This is a heart-breaking statement.
Lake quickly said, "How could it be."
Karen said, "Well, when are you going to tell me, Lake? Remember the coming-of-age papers I gave you when you and your sister were sixteen?"
Lake nodded.
"What does it say?"
"Honesty is the best policy. Your family will always be your most trustworthy"
Honesty is the best policy, and your family members are always the ones you can trust the most.
This was a gift given to Lake by Karen when he turned sixteen. If every family has a backbone, then Karen is undoubtedly that person.
Karen attaches great importance to family. Maybe she would not ask everyone to come back for ordinary holidays, or even for her own birthday, but they must come back for Thanksgiving and family reunion days.
"Did you do that?"
"I'm sorry."
Lake sincerely apologized to Karen, and then said: "Actually, from the beginning, I wanted to bring her back to see you, but there are some things I have to take care of."
Karen looked at the expression on Lake's face. "So what now?"
Lake said, "If you would like to see them, I would be happy to do so. Let them come over."
Karen didn't answer the question right away.
Her disappointment was only that Lake had not told her about the existence of her granddaughter Catherine, not that she was disappointed that Lake had quietly given birth to a child with a foreign woman.
Karen's education of Lake and Betty has always been similar to free-range breeding, but she always holds the rope in her hand.
Love is always unrestrained and unpredictable.
There are so many people in the Federation who have children but don't take responsibility. Are there not many cases where people try to eat the forbidden fruit and things get out of control?
If Lake said he never visited his daughter, Karen would be disappointed and very angry.
Karen shook her head. "Are they still in Budapest?"
Lake nodded: "Amelia is still there, and Katherine is now attending school in the small town of Forks in Washington State."
Karen: "…"