Chapter 31: Meet Her Grandmother
Julian was disappointed. “She shouldn’t be so cruel to me. She really shouldn’t,” he thought. Julian could tell that Caroline hadn’t lied; she and Alistair had indeed obtained the marriage certificate just days after meeting. But Julian knew Caroline, who had claimed to remain single forever. Adopting Eloise might have shaken her resolve; to give Eloise a complete family, she might marry. But Julian knew that before obtaining a marriage certificate, Caroline would make it clear to the other party that there would be no further development beyond living together. Yet yesterday, Caroline had seriously told Julian that she planned to spend her whole life with Alistair!
Julian investigated Alistair’s personal information. His background could be described in one word—appalling: poor family background, no education, divorced, and cheated on by his ex-wife. Of all his possessions, only his face was decent! Julian scratched his head, unable to understand why Caroline would like a man like Alistair. Julian frowned. She can’t just be attracted by his face! There are many more handsome men in the world. Besides, Caroline is not a superficial woman who only values appearance.
Eloise greeted Julian. “Julian, good morning. Have you had breakfast? If you haven’t, I have some bread and milk.” Julian’s injured heart healed instantly, and he smiled. “Yeah, I’ve eaten. Thank you, sweetie.” Julian felt like he saw sunlight. Eloise is so sweet.
Mabel lived in a manor in SoHo, surrounded by mountains and rivers. Every Saturday, she would wait eagerly outside the door. Once, during a heavy rain, Caroline saw from a distance that Mabel was waiting outside the yard with an umbrella. She threatened Mabel that she wouldn’t come to see her again. Under this threat, Mabel reluctantly gave up her habit of waiting outside the gate every Saturday. But today, Mabel returned to her old ways and waited outside the door again.
Caroline glanced at Julian with a sinister look. Julian looked up at the sky. “What nice weather!” Julian swore to God that he hadn’t revealed the news to Mabel. Caroline had warned him beforehand. It was just that, upon returning yesterday, he’d heard Mabel was going to arrange for Caroline to meet a young talent, so he’d said it was unnecessary. Mabel sensed the hidden meaning and guessed something. Naturally, she asked Julian some questions.
On one side was Mabel; on the other, his boss. Julian almost cried in front of Mabel before she allowed him to leave without saying too much. Mabel, with silver hair and impeccably dressed, looked calm and elegant, noble and wealthy. Alistair couldn’t help but think she looked like a queen.
The moment Alistair got out of the car, Mabel’s eyes were fixed on him. Then she looked at Eloise with a smile and waved. Eloise ran over. “Great-grandma!” Mabel bent down and replied with a big smile, “Oh, my sweetheart!” Caroline held Alistair’s hand very naturally.
This was the second time she’d taken the initiative to make such an intimate gesture toward Alistair. Compared to the first time, when he’d almost suffered from paralysis, Alistair was able to overcome it this time, having fully prepared himself mentally. When Caroline’s soft body was close to him, he could remain calm and pretend to be composed. However, he hadn’t expected Caroline’s slender fingers to slip into his and interlock with his.
Their palms pressed together, and they felt each other’s body temperature. Alistair felt like he was going to be paralyzed again. Caroline said softly, in a voice only they could hear, “Relax, my grandma is very easy to get along with, and she won’t make things difficult for you.” Alistair pretended to be calm and nodded. He kept telling himself it was just acting. He had to make it real. Otherwise, how could others believe it?
The two walked toward Mabel. Mabel’s gaze slowly moved from Alistair’s face to their clasped hands. A hint of surprise appeared on her face, and then her smile deepened. When she looked at Alistair again, the warmth in her eyes was almost overflowing.
This showed that Caroline hadn’t lied to him. She looked very easygoing. Alistair breathed a sigh of relief. It seems her grandma is satisfied with my appearance, but what about the other aspects? The rest of me is simply terrible! Alistair was vaguely worried. Suddenly, he felt that he was too immersed in the charade. He was just a bargaining chip for Caroline to avoid trouble, and they had already obtained their marriage certificate. Even if Mabel wasn't satisfied with him, she could do nothing.
Without waiting for Caroline to speak, Alistair took the initiative to introduce himself. “Madam Ashbourne, glad to meet you. My name is Alistair Harlow.” Although Mabel looked calm on the surface, she was extremely excited and quickly invited them in. Caroline glanced at Alistair and said, “Let’s go.” She saw Alistair’s ears turn red again. It felt like his ears were pinched by someone. Caroline shook her head. He’s so shy. Alistair smiled calmly, but he wasn’t calm at all.
As expected, his hand went numb, and even his whole arm seemed to have lost sensation. He was able to remain calm and pretend to cooperate, entirely due to his sense of responsibility. Their clasped palms were sticky, and neither of them knew whose sweat it was. Caroline had no intention of letting go, so Alistair couldn’t let her go either.
Mabel walked in front, holding Eloise’s hand and teasing her as they walked. The interaction between them was particularly warm. Alistair and Caroline followed behind, hand in hand. What a heartwarming scene it was.
Everyone came to the hall and took their seats. Caroline finally let go of Alistair’s hand. While no one was paying attention, Alistair secretly put his hand on his leg and rubbed it to wipe off the sweat on his palm. Inadvertently, he met Caroline’s gaze. Her eyes were clear and bright, with a hint of a smile. He froze for a moment, feeling as if he’d been caught doing something bad, but he didn’t seem to have done anything. At this moment, he became the focus of the scene.
Mabel chatted with him kindly and then naturally began to ask him some private questions. She asked when they met, how many people were in his family, if he was from New York, which university he graduated from, and what his hobbies were… This was a hurdle that couldn’t be avoided.
Julian felt as relaxed here as he did at home. He picked up a sweet orange, peeled it, and put the first piece into Eloise’s mouth. He was curious and wondered how Alistair would answer. Alistair knew that his personal circumstances weren’t good, and his past was far from brilliant—it would not be an exaggeration to say it was terrible. But he couldn’t fabricate false information to deceive Mabel, so he had to answer everything truthfully.