With a doting look in his eyes, Johnny motioned for Xyliana to come over to him.
When Xyliana heard that Johnny had prepared food for her every day, her face lit up with joy. She happily walked over to Johnny and sat down beside
him.
Johnny hadn’t seen Xyliana for a while and missed her dearly. They knew she was busy managing a company, and despite missing her, they didn’t want to disrupt her work, so they hadn’t called her.
“Grandpa, why do you treat me so well? Do you miss me?” Xyliana asked while eating her food next to Johnny.
“Yes, your grandma and I haven’t seen you in a long time. We miss you, you little foodie! Have you been so busy with work that you forgot about us?”
“No way! I think about you every day. Look, I came to see you today and brought gifts for you and Grandma,” Xyliana playfully whined like a little girl to Johnny.
Rosalie looked at Xyliana, who seemed like a completely different person. She furrowed her brow, realizing how close Xyliana was with Johnny. Xyliana no longer had the grace of a lady from a respectable family, but was now more like a lively, adorable granddaughter.
Then Xyliana handed her gift to Johnny.
When Johnny saw that it was his favorite tobacco, he broke into a happy smile and said, “You clever girl, did you time your visit just when I’m almost out of tobacco?”
“Grandpa, how could you think that way about me? If you say that again, I won’t bring you’cigarettes next time,” Xyliana said, pretending to be upset.
Johnny laughed heartily at Xyliana’s little act.
Meanwhile, Loretta Yoder came downstairs and saw Xyliana and Johnny chatting and laughing. She said, “I could hear you and your granddaughter from
a distance.”
“Grandma, you seem to have gotten much younger recently,” Xyliana said sweetly, walking over to Loretta.
“Really? I’ve been feeling much lighter lately,” Loretta said, beaming at Xyliana’s compliment.
Zachary noticed both elders were there and finally spoke to introduce, “Mom, Dad, guess who this is?”
Johnny and Loretta turned to look at Rosalie when they heard Zachary’s words.
“Why does this young girl look so much like Roxanne?” Loretta asked, puzzled.
Johnny nodded, like he was on the same page. “You’re right, she does!” he said.
When they first showed up, Johnny had his eyes only on Xyliana, treating Rosalie like she was just Xyliana’s sidekick, not really noticing her. But now, taking a closer look, his face lit up with surprise. “Zachary, who’s this?” Johnny asked, sounding a bit suspicious.
Zachary replied all formal–like, but with a grin, “This is Rosalie, our daughter.” People could hear the pride in his voice, like he was showing off a shiny
new toy.
Hearing this, Johnny and Loretta looked all confused.They never knew that Zachary had two daughters.
“Your daughter?! What’s going on?” Johnny asked Zachary, totally thrown off.
Seeing their puzzled faces, Roxanne jumped in quick. “A few days ago, the Moreno family found out there was a baby mix–up. The cops dug up old records and did DNA tests. Turns out three babies got switched, and Rosalie is our real kid. They got in touch, and that’s how we found out Rosalie is
ours.”
“Switched?!” Johnny was blown away by this news. Xyliana was already grown up, and now the cops were telling them about a baby mix–up. This was
crazy.
Roxanne saw her in–laws‘ shock and reached for Rosalie’s hand. “Yeah, Rosalie’s been with the Morenos all these years, going through a lot. Just a few days ago, I asked Zaki to bring her back to us,” she said, looking a bit upset.
Zachary chimed in right on time, “We came today because we thought you guys might not have heard about this, so we brought your granddaughter to see you.”
Zachary and Roxanne filled them in on everything, not really thinking about Xyliana’s feelings.
Just a bit ago, Xyliana was the center of her grandparents‘ world, but now it seemed like she was forgotten. Everyone was focused on Rosalie, and Xyliana’s eyes got all sad, a weird kind of hurt filling her up inside.
It took a while for Johnny and Loretta to process it all, their shock turning into a sudden understanding. “So that’s what happened.”
No wonder people always said Xyliana didn’t look like Zachary or Roxanne when she was little. Even Johnny and Loretta had wondered why Xyliana didn’t get her parents‘ awesome genes. Now it all clicked. Xyliana wasn’t their real kid.
They were all looking at Rosalie with excitement. Loretta even took her hand and examined it closely. “She looks so much like you two! Just look at those bright eyes, they’re just like Roxanne’s! This is truly a child of the Yoder family.”
Loretta spoke happily, not realizing her words made Xyliana feel ashamed.
Xyliana knew that her family had always said she didn’t resemble her parents and brothers much. Even though she was pretty, her features didn’t stand out as much. But Rosalie looked just like Roxanne, which made Xyliana feel even more like an outsider right then.
Suddenly, the bitterness in Xyliana’s heart became hard to hide, and she had to clench her fists tightly just to keep her sadness in check.
Johnny joined in, saying, “That’s right! Those eyebrows and expressions are just like Zachary’s. No doubt, she’s a true descendant of the Yoder family!
“I never thought we would have such an elegant granddaughter, almost like a fairy. Great job, Zachary! You’ve recognized your daughter, and now your family feels complete.” Johnny looked at Rosalie with pride and couldn’t help but praise her.
Even though Xyliana was already more beautiful and refined than other young girls of Janivelle’s elite, Johnny felt like the Yoder family needed a granddaughter as charming and lovely as Roxanne. With Rosalie’s arrival, he filled that gap perfectly.
Xyliana watched as her grandparents who once adored her now surrounded Rosalie with compliments, their faces bright with joy. A sting of sadness hit her. They used to love her so much, but it seemed like they preferred Rosalie now.
