A black Volkswagen Phaeton slowly rolled out of the orphanage.
Joanna Mercer sat quietly in the back seat. Her head was lowered, a phone in her hand, her expression cool and distant.
Then the phone buzzed. A message popped up.
"Boss, any plans lately? The guys all miss you."
Joanna’s slim, pretty fingers tapped across the screen.
"I’ve already left the orphanage. If anything comes up, find me in River City. I’m taking a break for now."
"River City? Boss, what, is there some huge deal over there?" the other side asked right away.
"No. I’m going home," Joanna replied flatly.
The person on the other end was instantly rattled.
"Boss, you’ve gotta be joking, right? Aren’t you an orphan? Didn’t you grow up in the orphanage? Why are you suddenly saying you’re going home?"
But this time, Joanna didn’t reply. She put her phone away and turned to look out the window.
The silence inside the car felt almost too heavy.
Henrietta Mercer was still emotional even now. She had seen Joanna messaging just now and didn’t want to interrupt. Now that the girl finally had a moment, she planned to briefly explain the family situation first, so Joanna could at least be mentally prepared.
She reached out and took Joanna’s hand without thinking.
Almost on reflex, Joanna shook her off.
Seeing the hurt flash across Henrietta’s face, Joanna paused, then said awkwardly, "Sorry. I’m not used to people touching me."
"It’s okay, sweetheart." Henrietta forced a gentle smile. "Let me tell you a little first. You have two older brothers and two younger sisters. Once you’re home, everyone will definitely like you..."
After that, the only voice in the car was Henrietta’s.
By the time they were almost there, Joanna had gotten a rough picture of everything.
Honestly... this family setup was kind of a lot.
The Mercer family was one of River City’s old elite families, with enormous influence there, standing shoulder to shoulder with the Song family as the city’s two major powers.
The family was huge, wealthy, and packed with people. In Harold Mercer’s generation, there were three brothers, and Harold was the eldest.
As for Harold himself, he currently had four children.
With Joanna added in, that made five.
When Joanna heard that, she was genuinely stunned. The look she gave Henrietta turned a little strange.
And apparently everyone in the family was outstanding.
Compared to them, Joanna—lost for so many years, struggling outside, barely able to keep herself fed, never having a decent environment to grow up in—looked silent and withdrawn. In Henrietta’s eyes, the girl was probably deeply insecure.
The more Henrietta thought about it, the more her heart ached.
She had already made up her mind to love this daughter twice as much and give her nothing but the very best.
...
River City, luxury villa district.
By evening, they finally arrived home.
Henrietta got out first, then turned back to help Joanna down.
After stepping out, Joanna lifted her eyes and gave the place a casual once-over.
Hm. The Mercer residence was a standalone villa, four floors.
And not small, either.
From the outside, it looked almost like a castle. There were countless rooms, and just from the vintage carved window frames, it was obvious how ridiculously luxurious the interior had to be.
Henrietta saw Joanna standing there for so long and assumed the girl had never seen anything like this before and had been stunned by the mansion. She sighed inwardly.
Poor child.
"Come on, sweetheart," Henrietta said softly.
Joanna’s expression didn’t change. She simply followed her inside the main hall.