Easton Holmes knew about this matter, not because he saw or heard something as a child, but he learned about it from Ryan Taylor a few years ago.
He only knew that Daxton Taylor had a daughter who was lost and wandering outside, but he wasn’t clear on the specifics. He suspected that his good friend wasn’t very clear on it either, otherwise, his friend wouldn’t have spoken so ambiguously.
"You know this too? Did Grandpa tell you?"
Michael Linton could only think that his father, Callix Linton, must have told Easton Holmes, because when Daxton Taylor passed away, Easton was only eight years old—what could a little kid know?
Easton Holmes, however, had no intention of clarifying or answering questions. At this moment, his focus was on the relationship between Lily Turner and the Taylor family, "Who told me doesn’t matter, what matters is—am I right in what I just said?"
Judging by his uncle’s reaction, he thought he had guessed correctly, but he still hoped to get some confirmation from his uncle.
"You are absolutely right, Lily is indeed your Uncle Daxton’s daughter." Michael Linton knew he couldn’t hide the truth from Easton Holmes, so he simply spoke the truth and informed him transparently, "For now, don’t tell Lily about this. She is pregnant and can’t handle such a shock."
He reminded Easton Holmes to keep this a secret, not to keep it from Lily Turner forever, as that was impossible.
He just hoped to thoroughly discuss things with Sophia Wood before telling Lily Turner, thinking that the outcome might be better that way.
Although Easton Holmes had already suspected this situation, he was still somewhat surprised when he heard Michael Linton confirm it. He was surprised by the coincidence of it all.
"Are you sure that Lily is Uncle Daxton’s daughter? Do you have any evidence?" Words alone weren’t convincing to him; he hadn’t seen any actual proof.
"Lily’s mother was once your Uncle Daxton’s wife, and most importantly, Lily looks a lot like your Uncle Daxton." Michael Linton shared the information he had, which was enough to prove that Lily Turner was indeed Daxton Taylor’s daughter, without needing any further evidence.
These were aspects Easton Holmes had not anticipated, and he was quite astonished, "How could Lily’s mother be Uncle Daxton’s wife? Didn’t Uncle Daxton never get married?"
In his memory, he recalled Daxton Taylor being single, as if he’d never even had a girlfriend.
"Your Uncle Daxton and Lily’s mother were indeed a married couple, but their relationship wasn’t recognized by your Grandma and Grandpa Taylor." Not only was it unrecognized, it faced fierce opposition. These were things Michael Linton heard about later. If he had known earlier, he might not have left Flame City, and perhaps things would have had a different ending.
After listening to Michael Linton’s explanation, Easton Holmes suddenly understood—it was another tragic love story.
"Her mother now opposes me being with her—is it related to the Taylor family?" This was mere speculation, with no basis or clues; it was just a suspicion he had.
"There is a connection."
Sophia Wood had made it clear at noon that she didn’t want Lily Turner associating with the Taylor family. However, Michael Linton could also see that this wasn’t the only reason she opposed Easton Holmes and Lily Turner being together.
He could tell she was hiding something in her heart, but as for what exactly it was, he had no idea.