Ignored When Chasing: Why Cry After I Got Engaged-Chapter 153: Become a Family? Forget It.

"I thought you knew..." Fiona Sinclair’s jaw dropped in mock surprise, and she covered her mouth, her eyes crinkling with amusement. "Even your son knows. How could you not?"

Frances Bennett instinctively glanced in Damian Hawthorne’s direction, only to find he had left at some point.

Perhaps he didn’t want to see her, or maybe he had other things to attend to. In any case, Damian Hawthorne had gone straight upstairs.

"Just tell me. What is it?"

If Frances Bennett still didn’t realize she had misunderstood something, she would have to be a complete idiot.

Seeing Frances Bennett like this, Fiona Sinclair felt an indescribable sense of satisfaction welling up inside her.

Frances Bennett was a failure as a person, too. Her own son hadn’t even told her about Cecilia’s identity, which showed that Damian Hawthorne must resent her as well.

After all, Frances Bennett had always tried to manipulate Damian Hawthorne’s marriage. Even her own son couldn’t be expected to tolerate that.

"What in the world are you all hiding from me?" Frances Bennett couldn’t stand Fiona Sinclair’s passive-aggressive digs any longer.

"Oh, Frances, you really are a failure as a mother." Fiona Sinclair shook her head and sighed. "The fact that Cecilia is Selina Nathan... I thought you, of all people, would have known before me. I can’t believe you’re still in the dark."

"What?!" Frances Bennett cried out, her body trembling. Her eyes widened, and her face turned deathly pale. "Who did you just say Cecilia is?"

Frances Bennett thought she must have misheard.

’Who did she say Cecilia was?’

"Selina Nathan," Fiona Sinclair said, her face wreathed in smiles. "Linden Nathan’s biological daughter, the future heir of the Nathans of Aethelgard, and the future richest woman in Veridia."

"Oh, my, Frances, you really didn’t know?" The thought that Frances Bennett was completely clueless filled Fiona Sinclair with glee.

She had thought she was the last one to find out, but it turned out there was someone even more behind the times than her.

"I almost thought you were joking with me. But Miss Cecilia Nathan really knows how to hide. If Sharon Quincy hadn’t exposed the matter, none of us would have known she’s Linden Nathan’s daughter!" There was an irrepressible smugness in Fiona Sinclair’s voice.

Frances Bennett looked at Cecilia, stumbling as she took a step forward.

Cecilia was actually Selina Nathan?!

Cecilia was really Selina Nathan?!

This... how was this possible!

Frances Bennett stared fixedly at Cecilia, her lips trembling and her voice shaking. "Is what she said... true? Are you really Selina Nathan?"

Frances Bennett still couldn’t believe it.

She didn’t dare to believe it!

’If Cecilia is Selina Nathan, then what have I done?’

’If Cecilia is Selina Nathan, why did she try to win me over by cooking for me?’

She had been so "humble." Who would have thought she was hiding such a formidable identity?

’Cecilia knew all I care about is family background. If she had just told me who she was, I would have immediately approved of her and Damian. Why didn’t she say anything?’

"Why? Why didn’t you tell me who you were?" The thought of how Sharon Quincy had played her for a fool while Cecilia watched the whole spectacle made Frances Bennett’s face burn with humiliation. "Did you enjoy watching me make a fool of myself that much? You just watched Sharon Quincy manipulate me and didn’t even tell me that *you* were Selina Nathan."

"I haven’t told anyone my identity," Cecilia said, frowning slightly at Frances Bennett’s breakdown. "I wasn’t trying to watch you make a fool of yourself. Besides, I can’t casually reveal who I am. It would put my life in danger."

She had even tried to warn Frances when she was being played by Sharon Quincy, but Frances had been so blinded by money and status that she wouldn’t listen to anyone.

Even if she had revealed her identity directly, Frances would have just accused her of being delusional and daydreaming.

Reminded by Cecilia, Frances Bennett’s face paled and flushed in turns.

"Cecilia, I always thought I treated you well. Of all the women chasing Damian, you were the only one I allowed to get close to me. Why didn’t you tell me your identity sooner? If you had, I would have approved your marriage to Damian long ago, and you wouldn’t have had to go through all this trouble."

Frances Bennett was instantly filled with regret.

The first time she saw Cecilia, she had felt that she had a good temperament. But she had hired a private investigator to look into her, and the report said she was from an ordinary family, an orphan with no parents, and would be of no help to them in the future.

’Who would have guessed Cecilia had a whole other identity?’

Selina Nathan, Linden Nathan’s biological daughter—with an identity like that, it wasn’t just her; every socialite in Veridia would be scrambling to befriend her.

"If I had told you my identity, do you think it would have remained a secret?" Cecilia’s tone was light, but it left Frances Bennett speechless.

If Cecilia really had told her, she probably would have smugly paraded the fact that Cecilia was Selina Nathan everywhere.

After all, the identity of Selina Nathan was just too valuable.

"Cecilia, dear, tell Auntie, do you still like Damian?" Frances Bennett’s attitude suddenly shifted.

The atmosphere fell silent.

Did Cecilia still like Damian Hawthorne?

It wasn’t just Frances Bennett who wanted to know the answer; Fiona Sinclair was curious too.

Before, she had considered trying to win over Damian Hawthorne again and have him give things another try with Serena. But after learning that Cecilia was Selina Nathan, she had completely abandoned that idea.

Serena could compete with any woman for a man, but she couldn’t compete for Selina Nathan’s man.

At their social level, it wasn’t just women who were choosy about men; men were also choosy about women.

To protect the interests of several generations, they would all choose the most suitable match from a comparable family.

The Hawthorne Family was certainly the best choice in Korsyth, but if the Nathans of Aethelgard got involved, everyone else could only step aside.

’Do I still like Damian Hawthorne?’

Cecilia hadn’t expected Frances Bennett to ask so directly.

But on second thought, that was just the kind of person Frances Bennett had always been.

She glanced at Damian Hawthorne, a faint smile playing on her lips as she said lightly, "A man like Damian Hawthorne... is there anyone who *wouldn’t* like him?"

Hearing this, Frances Bennett’s eyes lit up.

This meant...

Cecilia still liked Damian?

If she still liked him, then things would be easy.

A grin blossomed on Frances Bennett’s face. "So what you’re saying is, you still like Damian? Cecilia, dear, don’t you worry. As long as you like him, Auntie can make the decision for you two..."

"Make the decision?" Cecilia had already anticipated Frances Bennett’s attitude.

Sometimes she had to admire Frances Bennett; she was remarkably flexible.

"Yes. As long as you’re willing, Auntie approves of your marriage. And I happen to like you, too. As long as you still have feelings for Damian, we can become a family."

A family...

Cecilia found it laughable.

Not long ago, Frances Bennett had been trying to make Damian Hawthorne and Sharon Quincy family. The spot for "family" had changed hands so quickly.

"Cecilia, Auntie knows you still have feelings for us, right? We’ve known each other for a few years, after all. Even if we weren’t family, we were better than family. You have to know, you’re the one Auntie likes the most," Frances Bennett said earnestly, her eyes reddening.

Frances Bennett’s heart was filled with regret.

She truly regretted why she had treated Cecilia that way.

"As long as you’re willing, we... can still become a family."

"Let’s forget about becoming a family. After all, I wouldn’t want a mother-in-law like you." With that single sentence, Cecilia shattered all of Frances Bennett’s expectations.