Married a Secret Billionaire novel Chapter 1174

Linda's face lacked a smile, instead revealing a flicker of pain and resentment in her eyes.

Cordelia's heart sank as she hurriedly took Linda's hand, sensing a slight tremor and icy coldness. "Linda—"

"I-I want to report it to the police so badly!" Linda's eyes turned red as she harshly bit her lip. "I've been thinking these days, if those two people hadn't taken Pammy away, I wouldn't have lost my daughter for 20 years!"

"But... But try to see the positive side!" Cordelia tried to console her. "If it weren't for them rescuing Pammy, she would have died in that shipwreck! And over all these years, that couple has treated her as their own daughter, loving her just like their own..."

"But they're still to blame—completely at fault!" Linda snarled.

Her depression sometimes made it difficult for her to control her emotions. The slightest thing would consume her thoughts and amplify her negative feelings. What others saw as a minor issue became a mountainous burden for her, suffocating her.

After Lina's advice last time, she obediently took her medication on time. However, the side effects were particularly pronounced in her case.

Dizziness, cold sweats, and tremors plagued her. And now, she couldn't control her thoughts and emotions. It felt as if a raging monster resided within her, destroying all rationality and trapping her in a swamp of negativity.

"Even if they treated my daughter well... they're no different from human traffickers, are they? If they had already saved Pammy back then, why didn't they hand her over to the police? Why did they secretly raise her themselves?

"They hid my daughter... they're so cruel!"

Linda hugged her head, painfully pulling at her own hair, tears streaming down.

Cordelia held her tightly, gently stroking her back.

"Cordelia... do they still live in your place?" Linda asked.

Cordelia hesitated, suddenly feeling guilty. Treating Jesse and Melissa properly made it feel like she had betrayed her friendship with Linda. But they were people Zuko respected, the ones who had been raising Lina for 20 years...

Taking a deep breath, Cordelia softly said, "Linda, I need to explain this to you.

"Lina often visits Zuko, and she can also see the couple at my house... but she hasn't forgotten you and Nicholas!

"I heard from Zuko that she works hard at the company and even wants to expose those who are causing harm to her parents... Linda, the parents she mentioned are you two!"

"What?" Linda was surprised, her tear-filled eyes fixed on Cordelia. "She... she calls us her parents?"

"Yes, Zuko and Toph heard it too," Cordelia replied.

Linda bit her lip, tears streaming down even more fiercely.

"Linda, I understand your feelings," Cordelia consoled. "But it's not that simple. For Lina, they were her parents for the first 20 years of her life.

"It's only in recent years that our rough edges have gradually smoothed out, and we've become more measured in our actions. I didn't expect my daughter to have such thoughts at such a young age. It truly surprises me!"

"Perhaps... it's because that couple raised her well." Cordelia glanced at Linda and spoke softly. "I heard they scrimped and saved to send Lina to the best local private university. They may not know much about raising children, but they spare no expense when it comes to education."

Linda's expression shifted slightly, and she fell silent.

"Alright, let's set them aside for now!" Cordelia quickly changed the topic. "The most important thing now is to support our Pammy and ensure that no one bullies our daughter!"

"Yes, you're right!" Linda's gaze became resolute.

"So..." Cordelia shifted her gaze and offered Linda a small cookie. "To protect our daughter well, we need to eat and drink enough to have the strength, right?"

Linda accepted it, a smile returning to her face.

Cordelia let out a sigh of relief. The conflict had been deflected, and she felt rather pleased with her own ingenuity.

'By the way, what was the name of Lina's archenemy again? Gia, was it?

'Thank you, Miss Chapman.' Cordelia chuckled inwardly. 'You're in for a tough time from now on!'