With her youthful innocence, how could she conceive of such complexities? As such, she promptly shook her head, signaling her incomprehension. "Mom told me she had given our address to Dad and that he would come to pick us up soon." Nia Mitchell had no way of probing into what Maxwell Peary was thinking or predicting what was to come. But she could never have imagined the turn the story took. They awaited their father at the orphanage, but after a long wait, he failed to show up. Ultimately, it was Silvia Waterborne who returned for them. From then on, they lived with her. However, because of Silvia’s work, they did not see each other often. A year later, as Phoebe Harris had yet to bear any children, the Peary Clan grew anxious about the issue of an heir and subsequently brought him and Evelyn Peary to the Peary Clan. "So you ended up living with the Peary Clan?" Nia looked at Maxwell, feeling pangs of sorrow for his past. "Yes, Mom couldn’t take care of us, and she agreed with us moving to the Peary Clan." Maxwell reached out and stroked Nia’s hair, his expression helpless. "However, we were brought in as adoptees, and our status remains the same in the eyes of the law." Nia’s heart contracted sharply. What kind of cold-blooded family would do such a thing? No wonder the CEO had such a bad temper; it must be due to the experiences of his childhood. "It’s okay, Uncle Peary, now you’ve got me." Nia managed to muster a brilliant smile. She would always be there for Maxwell, never leaving his side. Maxwell said nothing, merely gazing at her. Seeing Uncle Peary pained Nia’s heart. She was still keeping their marriage a secret, not telling any of her friends. That must have affected him. No wonder he kept mentioning meeting her friends. "Don’t worry, Uncle Peary. I’ll arrange for you to meet my friends soon." Google seaʀᴄh 𝔫𝔬𝔳𝔢𝔩·𝔣𝔦𝔯𝔢·𝔫𝔢𝔱 Maxwell furrowed his brows, realizing she had misunderstood. But then, let her misunderstand; the end was inevitable, anyway. "Okay, I’ll wait." Amusement tugged at Maxwell’s lips, which went unnoticed by Nia sitting next to him. "The next time you encounter Phoebe Harris, feel free to snap back if she says something you don’t appreciate. As long as you protect yourself from harm, go ahead and fight back." Maxwell, of course, was aware of Phoebe Harris’s personality. But because Evelyn Peary was with her that day, he chose not to probe further. Knowing Evelyn Peary’s personality, she certainly wouldn’t allow herself to be at a disadvantage against Phoebe Harris. Nia’s smile stiffened. She wasn’t the domineering, eye-for-an-eye type at all. "Understood." She vocally agreed, but with regard to future matters, she would need to play it by ear. Moreover, who in their right mind would deliberately seek her out to cause trouble? Who would have thought that her mother-in-law, who was so kind, had such a past? She must have been incredibly heartbroken. Is that why she now publicly declares herself as choosing not to marry? Such a shame for a woman of her astounding beauty to ruin her life over an unworthy man. "Uncle Peary, after all these years, does your mother still love Samuel Peary?" Maxwell paused. As her son, he was powerless to change that. "I used to think she’d moved on, but at a banquet last year, she had a little too much to drink and let slip that she never really let go."