Chapter 15 Elise's POV. After dinner, everyone helped clean up before gradually dispersing. Just as I was about to retreat to my room, Margaret called out from behind me. "Elise, I need to talk to you." A few moments later, I sat with Margaret on a bench in the corner of the playground, our arms linked together. "Elise, are you really not going that day?" Margaret asked, her voice carrying disappointment. She had watched me grow up and knew how much sweat and tears I had shed to escape these mountains. I had finally made it out before, only to return for the orphanage's sake, and she worried I truly intended to spend my entire life here. So, when she learned the Wolfe family was sending someone to inspect the orphanage, she was excited. When selecting teachers to accompany the inspection team around the facility, she immediately thought of me. Margaret said I was so outstanding that if I went and impressed the inspectors, I might get transferred somewhere better for career development. She even said I was too young to waste my youth in this small mountain village. I understood Margaret's good intentions, but I would not be going out there. I used the same excuse to decline her offer. I told her my heart wanted to stay here, and since this was where I had grown up, I would not look down on it. More importantly, I did not want to see Kieran again. I did not want to face the man who had deceived and hurt me repeatedly for Cecelia's sake. Not seeing him would be the only closure between us. Margaret sighed deeply, her eyes full of sorrow. Ultimately, she chose to respect my decision. Just as she stood to leave, I suddenly called out to her. "Ms. Lott, please help cover for me when the time comes." If Kieran really did come in person, or if he actually saw me, that would spell trouble. Margaret did not turn around and only waved her hand dismissively. "Don't worry. I know what I'm doing." A few days later, the Wolfe family's convoy appeared on the winding mountain road. Just before they entered the mountains, Kelly and I had already taken a car to the nearest town to purchase supplies. At that very moment, in the back seat of one of the convoy vehicles, Kieran gazed at the endless winding mountains, his eyes filled with complex emotions. A few days earlier, when Kieran had ordered his people to intensify the search for my whereabouts, Brad had knocked on his door to deliver this quarter's charity inspection projects from the Wolfe family foundation. 1/2 Chapter 15 +25 Bonus Among the numerous projects, Kieran immediately spotted this orphanage nestled deep in the mountains. The Wolfe family's funded projects mostly involved environmental protection and medical care for the poor. They rarely supported orphanages since too many others in their circle already did that, and they did not need to add to the crowd. It made more sense to use that money for other charitable causes that needed funding more desperately. However, just as Kieran was about to cross this project off the list, something suddenly occurred to him. So, he asked Brad for my hometown address. Brad remembered I had once asked him to mail something to an orphanage, the very same one listed in the project proposal. Kieran immediately put aside everything else and had Brad contact the orphanage's director to arrange an inspection and discuss specific investment details. Kieran's reason for doing this was simple: he wanted to ask Margaret about my whereabouts. Previously, Kieran had assumed I was just an orphan with no close friends or family, so he had never considered searching from that angle. Now that Kieran knew I had people close to me, he rushed here immediately, thinking they might know where I was. He believed that someone as sentimental as I was would not possibly avoid contacting these people. So a week later, Kieran's convoy arrived here. After several hours of bumpy roads, Kieran and his group finally reached the orphanage. Kieran bent down to exit the car and looked up at the newly renovated facility before him. Even though the orphanage had been completely transformed, he could still see traces of its former dilapidated state beneath the fresh exterior. 'Is this where Elise had grown up?' For a moment, Kieran's eyes flickered with heartache. U Support C Share 2/