Chapter 409 A Quiet Shift in Power 

Linda felt an even stronger sense of danger in her heart. 

She spoke softly, looking pitiful. 

“Maybe it’s because I’m here. If that’s the case, I’ll go look for Alice.” 

As she spoke, she stood up and walked toward the door. 

What surprised her was that nobody stopped her. 

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Before this, Linda had been worried when she heard Maria was back. She thought Maria would care deeply about her biological daughter. 

But after meeting her, Linda realized something else. Maria only cared about research. Whoever was useful to her research was her “daughter.” 

Because of this, Maria had been asking people to search for Alice. 

Unfortunately, Alice never met Maria’s standards. 

It was exhausting. 

And the worst part was that Alice stood out too much. She had too many strong points. 

It was impossible to ignore her. 

“I’ll go with you.” 

Gary suddenly stood up. 

He was the eldest. No matter what happened, he would be the first to step forward. 

The others were used to it. He was used to it too. 

Protecting his sister was almost instinct. 

A hint of gratitude flashed in Linda’s eyes. 

At least Gary could see things clearly. 

“Everyone, stop right there.” 

Nathan’s voice came from the staircase. 

Linda froze. She hadn’t expected Nathan to come down from the study. She felt nervous at once. 

“Dad, I didn’t mean to disturb you.” 

Nathan looked at her timid expression and felt uncomfortable inside. 

For years, he and Maria had lived in the lab. 

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Chapter 409 A Quiet Shift in Power 

They had neglected their children far too much. 

Even if Linda wasn’t his biological child, she was his daughter all the same. 

“It’s fine,” Nathan said calmly. “I was coming down to talk to all of you anyway.” 

He stopped them and sat down beside Maria. 

Maria frowned slightly. 

“You know I already told her to come explain herself tonight,” she said. “But she still hasn’t shown up.” 

Nathan sneered coldly. “If she’s not coming, why bother waiting?” 

Everyone remained silent. 

Maria’s expression was still unpleasant. 

“From what I saw today, her influencer status gives her a lot of power,” she said. 

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“Whether it was the university chancellor or those professors who usually look down on everyone, they were all polite to her.” 

Even with her status, Maria couldn’t make those people flatter her that way. 

She believed Alice must have climbed her way up through competition and attached herself to someone important. 

Now, she was probably working for that person. 

Otherwise, Maria couldn’t understand why professors she couldn’t even invite would follow Alice around, treating her like royalty and doing whatever she said. 

Nathan didn’t take any of these seriously. 

“No matter what,” he said, “she’s still blood.” 

Maria suddenly realized something. 

No matter how badly she and Alice fought, they were still mother and daughter. 

Whether Alice admitted it or not, blood ties couldn’t be cut. 

If Alice dared to act against them, she would be considered unfilial. 

As long as Maria stood on the moral high ground, she could force Alice to bow her head and admit fault 

She had once worried that if something went wrong online, it would cause real trouble. 

Would Alice ruin her reputation? 

If Maria’s reputation was damaged, how would the Nolans think of Alice? 

Alice would swallow this loss in silence for her benefit. 

“Your father is right,” Maria said calmly. “If she doesn’t want to come home, we should just let it be. Everyone, go on, you can go2/3 

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Chapter 409 A Quiet Shift in Power 

back to your stuff. 

Maria smiled slightly. “Linda, didn’t you tell me before that you wanted to introduce Rowan?” 

Linda nodded. 

She didn’t want to reveal her relationship with Rowan yet. 

Rowan was her trump card. 

But after what happened with Les in the past, she had learned her lesson. 

When Les’s identity was exposed, her family hadn’t stood up for her. 

They blamed her for not being honest earlier. 

Because of that, her relationship with her family had grown distant. 

This time, she chose differently. 

After a quick mental calculation, she made her decision. 

Maria was no ordinary woman. 

Rowan would likely want to win them too. 

“Yes,” Linda said softly. “If you have time, Mom, I can have him arrange it right away.” 

When Maria heard this, she guessed that Linda and Rowan were already romantically involved. 

That made her less anxious. 

After all, if Rowan liked her daughter, he would need something from them. 

“Fine,” Maria said. “You arrange it. Let me know after everything is set.” 

She turned and walked upstairs, stopping beside Nathan. 

The two of them quickly returned to their bedroom. 

The five sons rarely stayed at home. 

They all had their own work and responsibilities. 

They didn’t plan to disturb their parents tonight, so they left together. 

Linda followed them out. 

“I should meet with Mr. Burke as soon as possible,” she said. “I can explain Mom’s intentions in person.” 

Some things could be handled with a phone call. 

But meeting face–to–face showed respect and importance. 

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