Chapter 705

Katalina gently stroked Jane's head, her voice warm and tender. "Jane, I've missed you too. But seeing how loved you are by so many family and friends now, my heart is at ease." "Katalina, let me show you around my home!" Jane chirped, flitting about like a joyful butterfly as she led Katalina through the sprawling estate. She pointed out every nook and cranny with meticulous pride, her tiny hands tugging insistently at the older woman's sleeve. When the grand tour concluded, Jane guided Katalina to a lakeside pavilion. They settled onto the carved wooden benches, where dappled sunlight danced across the water's surface. The child fixed her luminous, grape-like eyes on Katalina with startling intensity. "You didn't just come for my birthday today, did you? There's something else." Katalina's hands, previously resting calmly on her lap, began fidgeting nervously. The worn fabric of her skirt wrinkled beneath her twisting fingers. "You were always the clever one," she admitted with a shaky laugh. "Even when you first came to the orphanage at barely a year old. Yes, I... I need to ask your eldest brother for a favor." Jane nodded solemnly, her pigtails bobbing. "Tell me what it is. I'll talk to him myself. If it's within his power, he'll help—I promise." Katalina's face contorted with discomfort. "I need him to arrange a meeting with Cayden for me." She rushed to add, "I know today should be about celebrating you, darling. Mateo invited me to surprise you, and here I am spoiling—" "Don't worry about that!" Jane interrupted, her smile radiant as sunshine. She squeezed Katalina's work-roughened hands between her small palms. "Birthdays come every year. Whatever brings you here must be really important." In her previous life before the time leap, Jane's existence had been uncomplicated survival and studies at the orphanage, then the obsessive search for her origins. Upon discovering the truth, she'd buried herself in temporal mechanics, laboring day and night to leap back and save her family. Yet as the ancient saying goes, "Innocence invites envy when one possesses rare jade." Though her life had been simple, greedy eyes coveted her revolutionary research. Those predators had hunted her relentlessly, even threatening Katalina. Before her final leap through time, Jane had ensured retribution every last predator eliminated, justice served for Katalina. Still, the guilt lingered like an old scar. And as she studied the careworn face before her now, memories surfaced of Katalina's lioness ferocity how she'd fearlessly battled neighborhood bullies and their parents to shield her orphaned chicks. The woman who'd been their unwavering fortress now sat before her, humbled by need. She felt that if Katalina went to confront the Brown family, she wouldn't be the one to suffer. Jane led Katalina to John. "Big Brother, Katalina wants to go to Rory's house. Can you help take her there?" John's gaze swept over Katalina, the director of the orphanage, before softening as it settled on Jane's face. He gently pinched her cheek and said, "Alright, I'll discuss this with Katalina. Your little friends should be arriving soon—why don’t you go check outside?" "Okay, I’ll go right now!" Jane chirped, her tiny feet pattering excitedly as she dashed out of her big brother’s study. Once she was gone, John’s cool eyes turned respectful as he addressed Katalina. "Director, I understand you want to confront the Brown family to seek justice for your daughter, and I can take you there. But I hope you’ll wait until tomorrow. Today is Jane’s first birthday since coming home, and I want her to enjoy it without any distractions." "I understand. As long as you can get me inside, that’s all I ask. Thank you," Katalina replied, her voice tight with suppressed anger. She had gone to the Brown family alone more than once before, but she had never even made it past their gates. If she hadn’t been completely out of options, she wouldn’t have come to the Wallace family for help. —— Jane ran to the estate’s main gate just as several cars pulled up and came to a stop. Elijah, Ares Kai, Daisy, even Ariana had come—along with Melanie and the boys from the youth class. Everyone was here. "Jane, happy birthday!" ... Amid the chorus of well-wishes, Jane’s face lit up like a blooming flower, her big eyes crinkling into crescent moons as she eagerly ushered everyone inside. Just then, Samuel stepped out from the house, scooping Jane up into his arms. "Come on, Brother Samuel’s taking you all to an even more fun place it’s part of your birthday present!" With that, Samuel carried Jane into the car. He stepped on the gas, and as the car pulled away from the Wallace family estate, the other vehicles he had arranged followed closely behind, carrying Jane's friends in tow. A convoy of luxury cars rolled down the road in grand fashion, and within just five minutes, the spectacle had already gone viral on short-video platforms. *"A fleet of multi-million-dollar luxury cars all out at once—is there some high-society banquet happening today?"* *"My nephew studies in the mech class of the gifted youth program at the University of Science and Technology. He said today is the birthday of Jane, the beloved little sister of the Wallace family, the wealthiest clan in the country. These luxury cars must be guests heading to the Wallace estate for the celebration!"* *"So jealous! Little Jane is only five this year, right? To have such an extravagant birthday celebration with all these luxury cars—what a dream!"* *"Looking at Little Jane, I feel like all my birthdays for the past thirty years were wasted..."* *"If it's for Little Jane, then it makes sense. Our Little Jane deserves nothing but the best in the world!"* *"Happy birthday, Little Jane!"* ... But at that moment, Jane was blissfully unaware of the online frenzy. Samuel's car came to a smooth stop outside a sprawling estate. As Jane stepped out, her large, obsidian-like eyes sparkled with disbelief. Instinctively, she raised her chubby little hands—each finger adorned with adorable dimples—and rubbed her eyes before turning to Wallace Samuel, who stood behind her. "Brother Samuel, did you teleport me into Peppa Pig's world?" Before her stood a lush green hill, atop which sat an exact replica of Peppa Pig's house from the cartoon. Samuel gently ruffled her hair, his voice warm. "Little Jane, this is my gift to you. Do you like it?" "I love it!" Jane nodded emphatically as she spoke those words, while on the other side, Helen was already jumping up and down with excitement. "Wow, it's Peppa Pig's house!" Helen rushed over and grabbed Jane's hand. "Jane, you be Peppa, and I'll be Suzy Sheep, okay?" "Okay!" Jane nodded eagerly. "Come on, let's climb up and slide down!" Every time she watched Peppa Pig, she had imagined how thrilling it must feel to slide down the hill from Peppa's house. Holding Helen with one hand and her sister with the other, Jane began climbing up the slope. The grass on the hillside whatever Brother Samuel had planted was lush and soft underfoot. And as if he had already guessed what she wanted to do, he had even prepared a sled for her at the top. Jane flopped onto the sled and—whoosh!—zipped down the hill. Their laughter echoed far and wide. Samuel watched the tiny figure with an expression of boundless tenderness.