Ghost Exorciser: The Oust Fake Heiress Strikes-Chapter 313: The Truth

"I truly don’t understand," Lana murmured in a faint voice, "why people forget everything another person has endured... even when they once shared such a close relationship."

Her eyes dimmed.

"Just like the Almond siblings... Cassandra also forgot."

She clenched her fists and wiped the remaining tears from her eyes as she walked slowly toward the car.

Her heart felt unbearably heavy, weighed down by a crushing loneliness.

She felt as if no one... no one at all...had ever truly seen her struggles.

But when she felt Mr. Crow’s calm wings gently patting her head, she could not help but close her eyes.

The soft brushing of his feathers carried a strange warmth, easing the tightness in her chest.

No... she was wrong.

There were indeed people who saw her struggles.

More importantly, they loved her... not because she held value or usefulness, but simply because they loved who she was, her personality, and her very existence.

As this thought crossed her mind, the heaviness in her heart eased slightly.

She inhaled deeply before speaking, her voice quiet yet steady.

"Drive," she said softly.

The driver glanced at Lana through the rearview mirror, his eyes briefly lingering on her tear-streaked face before he silently returned his attention to the road.

After a moment, he calmly took out a few tissues and handed them backward without saying a word.

When Lana accepted the tissues, a faint, genuine smile appeared on her face. She wiped away her tears carefully.

"Thank you," she murmured.

The car moved forward smoothly.

However, what Lana did not know was that Cassandra had not been the only one who heard her entire conversation. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

There had been two more listeners hidden in the shadows.

Axel, who had just stepped out of one of the nearby classrooms, had heard everything.

His fists clenched tightly, the veins on the back of his hands bulging as a strange fury surged within him.

"The Almond family truly deserves to die," he muttered coldly. "How dare they mistreat Lana like that."

A chilling aura surrounded him.

When he had previously conducted an investigation, he had discovered how Mr. and Mrs. Almond had neglected Lana.

Yet nowhere had it been mentioned that they had abused her as well, forcing her to struggle and work endlessly just to gain their attention.

Thinking of the impostor who had occupied Lana’s rightful position, his anger burned even brighter.

’That fake knew everything,’ he thought darkly.

’She orchestrated it all... and Lana, completely unaware, had to suffer through everything alone.’

Taking a deep breath, Axel’s eyes hardened with determination.

He would punish that fake girl. And the Almond family would pay as well.

Meanwhile, another figure stood hidden nearby.

Brenda, who had heard the entire conversation, fell completely silent.

In truth, she had come there today specifically to eavesdrop.

Recently, she had noticed how Cassandra frequently visited the study in the Almond family’s mansion, a place that belonged to her eldest brother, Garrison.

She also knew that Cassandra and Lana had once been best friends.

Because of that, she had grown suspicious, fearing that Cassandra might be secretly passing information to Lana by seducing her brother.

Thus, she had been following Cassandra for several days.

And when she finally saw Cassandra approaching Lana, she believed she had obtained evidence against her, something she could use later.

She had even begun recording their conversation.

But after hearing everything Lana had said, Brenda was left in profound shock.

Until now, she had always believed that Lana had lived a privileged life as the wealthy daughter of the Almond family.

She had assumed Lana enjoyed a comfortable existence and did not deserve such fortune at all.

Yet now, hearing Lana’s words, she could only remain silent.

All the hatred and resentment she once held toward Lana seemed to vanish like smoke carried away by the wind.

’Was Lana’s life truly as cheerful as she made it appear?’ Brenda wondered uneasily.

When she recalled her own parents’ behavior and her brother’s cold reactions, an uncomfortable realization settled in her heart... Lana had been speaking the truth.

Of course, there was always a possibility that Lana could have been lying.

But if Lana had spoken those words directly in front of her, she might have doubted them.

However, Lana had spoken them in front of Cassandra, her closest friend.

The likelihood of those words being lies suddenly felt very small.

Later that night, Brenda slowly stepped out of the university and went to the Almond mansion.

The faint scent of expensive perfume lingered in the air, carefully curated to make the place feel like home.

Her expression, however, had long turned cold.

By that point, Brenda had begun to question everything she had just witnessed and heard.

The Almond family had always shown her enthusiasm, warmth, and generous offers.

They welcomed her with smiles and lavish gifts.

But was it truly because she was their daughter... or because she appeared superior compared to Lana, who had not awakened any extraordinary talent at that time?

When she first learned that Lana had awakened as a mystical cultivator, she had felt a brief sting of insecurity.

Yet she had convinced herself that her parents would always side with her.

She had believed that their affection was stable and unquestionable.

But after hearing Lana’s side of the story, a chilling doubt crept into her heart.

’Would it have been better if I had never been born into this family?’ she wondered bitterly.

Even though Lana’s biological parents had mistreated her repeatedly, there had been moments when they showed genuine affection.

There had been times when their love, however flawed, had been real.

They might have been selfish and cruel, but their love was not fabricated.

Compared to that, the Almond family now felt unbearably disgusting.

As she entered the living room, Brenda sank into the sofa.

The soft leather felt cold against her skin.

She stared blankly at the chandelier above with a deep gaze, as if she wanted to see the reality of the family through it.