"After that incident, I allowed Abigail to return to Florivera to continue her studies, and that caused many people who had nothing to do with us to be dissatisfied.""After Abigail left, many people came to me and said that Abigail had lost her innocence and her reputation was ruined all across North Florivera, so I should just marry her off to a random person. They said that there was no longer any need for Abigail to continue her studies, and no matter how academically accomplished she was, no one would want a filthy woman."At the same time, those people even introduced an old and cruel serial domestic abuser. That man's ex-wife had committed suicide by drowning herself in the river because of his abuse."Those people wanted to introduce my Abigail to such a man, saying that the man was willing to take Abigail as his wife and for Abigail to know her place."At that time, I was so angry I chased them out with a broom, and they didn't dare to come to my door again. However, the r
"You can just speak your mind, Grandma.""How do you plan to deal with that Daisy Gardner?" Cassandra asked."You seem to be very concerned about this person, Grandma," Xander replied."There aren't many people with the name Gardner, and I used to know a person named Gardner, and by sheer coincidence, her name is also Daisy Gardner. Do you have a photo of this person? If you do, let me have a look. I want to see if she's the person I know.""Give me a moment, Grandma." Immediately after, Xander sent Malcolm a message: [Send me Daisy Gardner's picture.]It was past 4:00 a.m, and according to Malcolm's routine, he should be fast asleep right now, and he would not see the message as it is.Ignoring that he would disturb Malcolm, Xander immediately gave him a call, and the call quickly connected, but the person answering was not Malcolm, but a woman's voice.The woman's voice was coquettish. "My, Malcolm, what sort of boor is calling you at this hour?""Anyone who dares to call me
He handed the phone to Cassandra. "Grandma, take a look. Is this the Daisy you know?"Cassandra took the phone and stared at the picture, looking closely, finally patting her chest in relief. "Thank goodness it's not the Daisy I know. Thank goodness it's not...""Grandma, who is the Daisy you know?" Xander thought he knew the answer. But he wanted to hear it from Cassandra herself."An old friend." Cassandra did not want to talk about Daisy anymore, so she quickly changed the subject. "Xander, I sent Abigail away because I need to talk to you about something important. It's something I can't tell Abigail.""Go ahead, Grandma."Cassandra said, "The doctor keeps telling me I'm getting better, but I feel like my health is getting worse, and I don't have much time left. Abigail's mother left her when she was little, and her father died in a car crash. Now, I'm the only family she has, and I support her in every way. If something happened to me, she wouldn't be able to handle it. You h
Abigail felt guilty. "I'm really not a good granddaughter. Grandma has hinted so clearly, and I just thought she was urging me to have a baby. I never thought that the reason she was eager for me to have a child was for myself. She was worried about leaving me alone, afraid I won't be able to take care of myself," she said.Xander said, "It's not too late to know now. I'll give you a few days off to spend time with her."Abigail asked, "So, should I thank you, Mr. Zane?"Xander replied, "Stop being sassy; go find Grandma now.""Okay." Abigail turned to leave but stopped. "Don't tell Grandma about the poisoning. She's old and gets scared easily. I'm worried it might frighten her.""Maybe she's braver than you think," Xander replied."Did you tell her?" Abigail asked."Do I look that foolish to you?" Xander responded."Who knows?" Abigail snapped back at him. She turned to run but was pulled back by Xander.He looked at her, his face serious. "Abigail, there's something else I n
After Abigail's father passed away, she had trouble sleeping at night. She would finally fall asleep, only to be woken up by nightmares. She could only rest a bit more by sleeping in her grandmother's arms and listening to her hum a lullaby."Grandma..." Abigail called."Hmm?" Cassandra replied."Grandma..." she said again."Abigail, I'm here," Cassandra said, knowing why Abigail kept calling her. She answered each call to make Abigail feel safe."Grandma, let's sleep," Abigail said."Alright, let's sleep," Cassandra agreed.Maybe because she felt safe, Abigail soon fell into a deep sleep. Cassandra looked at her peaceful face, gently touched it, and said, "Silly girl, after all these years, nothing's changed. When you're scared, you want to sleep with me."Feeling uncomfortable in her sitting position, Cassandra moved slightly. Just as she moved, Abigail's eyes flew open, and she mumbled, "Grandma..."Cassandra said, "I'm here, Abigail. Go back to sleep."In her sleep, Abiga
After washing up, Abigail came out of the bathroom to find that Susanna had pulled the dining table next to Cassandra's sickbed, and the table was loaded with food. There was easy-to-digest soup for Cassandra, and hearty dishes like steak and potatoes that Abigail loved. Just by looking at the food, one could see Susanna's genuine care. She treated Abigail and Cassandra as if they were her own family, even going above and beyond for Abigail, wishing to give her the best things in the world.The night before, Margaret had prepared many gifts for Abigail. Susanna had also prepared some, but her gifts were at Monsoon Villa, and Abigail had to wait until she returned there to see them.Susanna first served Cassandra a bowl of chicken soup. "Madam, the soup is a bit hot. Let it cool for a couple of minutes before you drink it. Don't burn yourself.""Okay." Cassandra looked at Susanna. "Thank you for taking care of Abigail so well this past year."Susanna felt quite guilty when she thoug
Margaret nodded in agreement. "Yep."Abigail was at a loss for words. She finished her meal under the watchful eyes of her three elders, feeling so full she could hardly walk.After the meal, Cassandra felt fine and wanted to go home to rest. Abigail spoke to the doctor. Xander had told them to do whatever Cassandra wanted. If she wanted to go home to rest, the doctors would go with her. Abigail felt bad about troubling the doctors this way, but her grandmother's comfort was the most important thing to her.After returning to the Zane residence, Cassandra felt a little tired and fell asleep shortly after lying down. With her grandmother asleep, Abigail had nothing to do, so she took out her phone and sent a message to Xander, who she had not seen all day.Abigail: [What are you up to?]She sent the message and waited for a while. But she did not get a reply from Xander. Abigail thought for a moment and sent a second message.Abigail: [Grandma and I are back at the Zane residence.
Xander, dressed in his usual white shirt and black trousers, was standing elegantly next to his car. His eyes, framed by silver glasses, were focused on Abigail as she ran toward him, looking both serious and caring.As she got closer, Abigail felt a little shy, so she slowed down and walked toward him. "What did you call me out for?" she asked.It was a hot day, and Abigail had run so fast that her cheeks were flushed, making her look especially cute. Xander smiled and tousled her hair, saying, "Get in the car. I'm taking you somewhere.""Where?" Abigail asked, hiding her hands behind her back. "It's so hot out, my hands are sweaty."Xander knew she was using this excuse to avoid holding hands, but he did not point it out. He opened the front passenger door for her first, letting her get in, then he sat in the driver's seat and slowly drove away from the neighborhood.They had been driving for about ten minutes, and Abigail was sitting quietly in the front passenger seat without