The Billionaire's Secret Quartet

Chapter 1388
Joshua had always been a man of clear boundaries between his professional and personal life.
Favors were debts to be repaid, and grudges were not to be left unattended.
Richard had done him a solid by tracking down those elusive jade pearls and their owner.
In gratitude, Joshua knew the best way to show his appreciation was to throw more business Richard’s way.
Richard was touched by his gesture and replied, “Can’t thank you enough for looking out, Joshua.”
With a final glance back at Thalassa, Joshua turned on his heel and left.
Richard followed suit, stepping out into the crisp air.
Outside the hospital, Joshua turned to Richard and asked, “Did you say Thalassa’s mother passed away in a car accident just a
month ago?”
“Yeah, tragic accident,” Richard confirmed.
A car accident?
The news made Joshua pause, a sigh escaping him. “That’s a damn shame,” he said before striding towards his car.
Richard headed to his own ride and drove off.
Back in the hospital room, Astrid held Thalassa’s hand, her tone earnest. “Thalassa,
if he really is your biological dad? Why didn’t you talk to him properly?”
Astrid had been awake during the exchange between Thalassa and Joshua, and she h overheard.every word.
She had seen Thalassa’s reluctance, and it concerned her.
Clutching Astrid’s hand, Thalassa could be her true self with her aunt. “Auntie, I’m scared. don’t want to have any expectations of
a father anymore.”
Expectations led to disappointment.

Hope led to despair.
Bruce’s appearance had sparked a hope for some semblance of warmth or kindness from a father figure, even if he turned out to
be a scoundrel. But Bruce was nothing but deceit and cruelty, even threatening Thalassa’s mother’s life.
He had used his claim as her father to extort and terrorize her.
The very word “father” filled Thalassa with fear and despair.
And Lysander, blaming her for Bruce’s sins, had taken out his wrath on her with a cold ferocity.
She cursed the role of the father every torturous night.
Finally free from the disaster Bruce had brought into her life, knowing he wasn’t her real dad, the sudden appearance of this
stranger claiming to be her father cast a lingering shadow.
With such a burden on her heart, how could she possibly hold any hope for this new claimant?
So, she chose to shut the door to her heart, unwilling to let unnecessary trouble find her.
Astrid, understanding Thalassa’s plight, nodded and pressed no further. She knew the bitterness her niece must have held
inside.
The next morning at ten, Thalassa went to collect the paternity test results she and Joshua had taken after helping her aunt with
breakfast.
Finding no report on the counter, she approached the doctor on duty.
“Excuse me, have the paternity test results for Thalassa and Joshua come in yet?”
“They’ve already been picked up,” the doctor informed her.
“What?” Thalassa’s confusion quickly turned to anxiety. “Can you tell me who took th