“No, Nana. I’m not smart at all. I’m really dumb. You’re the smartest.” Dylan buttered Nana up. It was not empty flattery either because she was amazing.The public thought they were amazing people in their own right, but they still could not escape their nana’s grasp. She was like an immovable mountain while they were like tigers—they could be kings of the mountain but still could not touch her.“I didn’t play any tricks, Nana.”“That’s your business. You can do whatever you like. I’ve already helped you pick a candidate. It’s your choice whether or not you pursue her. A year should be enough time for you to think about it. But let me remind you that Yorks don’t cheat and are loyal. Don’t ruin our good name.”Dylan said sheepishly, “I know, Nana. I’m about to start driving, so I’ll talk to you when I get back.”“Drive carefully,” Nana admonished before hanging up and handing the phone off to Sam. “My fish!” She was worried someone else had eaten her fish.Sam said with a smile
Grandma May said to her friends, “It’s a little cold today. Do you guys want to have a drink to warm yourselves up?”“Madam,” Sam immediately objected when he heard this. “You mustn’t. If Mr. Zachary finds out, he’ll blame me for not taking good care of you.”“How would he know if you don’t tell him? Zack’s beginning to resemble his grandfather by the day, that control freak,” she grumbled.Her friends laughed and said, “He’s just worried about your health. At our age, it’s better to drink less alcohol.”“It’s fine if we have a bit of fruit wine. Sam, get two bottles of fruit wine. It’s not satisfying to have grilled food without alcohol.”Sam did not object further. He called the main residence to have the fruit wine delivered. Apart from the fish they caught themselves, Sam had prepared other foods to grill for the ladies. There were a few kids too young to go to preschool enjoying themselves too. Sam had prepared fruit juice for them.This was the kind of life Grandma May enjo
Grandma May heard Dolly’s words. She waved at Dolly and said, “Come here, Dolly.”Dolly walked over. “Are the drumsticks ready to eat, Old Mrs. York?”She thought Grandma May had called her over to eat the drumsticks. Grandma May pulled Dolly over and hugged her. She smiled. “The drumsticks aren’t done yet. It’ll be ready soon.“Why do you want to take over Sam’s job?”Everyone in the manor knew Grandma May adored Dolly. The Yorks had not had a daughter in their family for generations. Since Grandma May had failed to have a daughter or granddaughter, she was hoping to get a great-granddaughter instead. She did not know if her wish could ever come true. Grandma May often told her employees they could bring their daughters over to Wiltspoon to live and study. If the children had time, they could even use the playground in the manor. Grandma May thought her odds of getting a great-granddaughter might increase if there were more little girls in the manor. “Uncle Sam is incr
Even when Dolly heard a car honk, she only glanced over for a moment before going back to devouring her barbecue. “I’m back, Nana.”It was Dylan’s voice. He got out of his car with a bouquet and called out to Grandma May as he walked over. He said, “It smells great. This weather is perfect for a barbecue.”Winter in Wiltspoon had always been weird. Grandma May did not even want to go outside yesterday as it was too cold. However, the temperature rose that day. It was nearing afternoon, and the sun was shining brightly. It even began to feel a little warm. The Yorks would have barbecues occasionally throughout winter, but only during vacations, of course. On the other hand, Grandma May could have a barbecue whenever she wanted. Dylan thought, ‘When I get married and have a son, I’ll pass my business to him the moment he’s old enough to take over. I want to retire early and enjoy a relaxed life like Nana.’Living a happy life was more important than becoming immortal. “Mr.
Grandma May freed a hand to pass a freshly grilled fish to Dylan. She said, “Small fish tastes best when you eat them fresh from the grill. It won’t taste as good when it’s cold. You should eat it while it’s hot.”“Thank you, Nana.”Dylan took the fish his nana handed to him and dug in. While he ate, he even took a picture and sent it to Austin. Dylan and Austin were of similar age. He liked playing with Austin the most back when they were young. Even after they grew up, they remained close. He loved showing off to Austin. When Austin received the picture from Dylan, he immediately sent a voice message to the family chat, “Did you go fishing, Nana? You even grilled the fish. Are there a lot of them? I want some. I’ll head back right now.”Dylan said on purpose, “They’re all gone. Nana kept it for me. There’s nothing left for you, Besides, are you really coming back just for the fish? You’ll be losing a lot of money.”“Money can be earned anytime, but Nana’s grilled fish is
Dylan barely ate during breakfast as he slept poorly last night. He put all the food in a resealable bag before following Grandma May out. “Have a drumstick, Nana.”Dylan passed a drumstick to her. He turned toward Dolly, who sat before the table and had a greasy mouth from eating, and said, “Who’s that girl, Nana? She’s definitely enjoying her food.”“She’s Dolly. Her parents take care of the garden. I like her a lot.”Dylan ate the fish Grandma May cooked. He said, “You like every little girl you meet. You even tried to steal Chloe back the last time you visited the Johnsons.”Grandma May regretfully said, “Our family is just as good as the Johnsons. Even if Clo-clo were to live with us, it’d be a similar environment. Unfortunately, the Johnsons weren’t willing to let her go. I guess Ben was scared that I’d kidnap his daughter. He was at home every day when I visited and kept staring at me.”“Of course, they wouldn’t be willing. Chloe is their only great-granddaughter. If I
Dylan still wiped the chair for Grandma May. As for his own, he could not be bothered. “You’re a genius. You know everything without even stepping out of the house.”Grandma May side-eyed Dylan and said, “Stop flattering me. Tell me. What don’t you like about Imogen?”“She’s great. I never said she had a problem. I tried falling in love with her. Even now I’m trying to develop some feelings for her, but she’s the one who ended up falling in love with me. She even traveled here just to demand an explanation from me.“She said I’m toying with her. I feel wronged. I did try my best to love her, but I couldn’t,” said Dylan innocently. Even when he was speaking, he did not stop chewing his barbecue.“You chose Imogen. I admit that she’s outstanding and suits me in various aspects. I don’t hate her, but I think there isn’t enough excitement whenever I’m with her. It has been like that for some time. I can tell you for sure that I can never fall in love with her.“However, if I can
“You’re more important to me than Mom and Dad, Nana. You can definitely live a long life. Don’t you want a great-granddaughter? With the nine of us, you’ll have nine granddaughters-in-law in the future. Surely, there’ll be one from us nine.“You have to hold your great-granddaughter, raise her, and choose good in-laws for her.”Grandma May laughed. “I want to ask for an extra five hundred years of life as well, but let’s be realistic.“I’ll be content with seeing my great-granddaughter born. How can I possibly wish to live until the day she gets married?”No matter how healthy, she was already eighty years old. Meanwhile, her great-granddaughter was still nowhere in sight. She probably would not even be alive to see Rowan get married.Grandma May said, “I was just teasing you. Didn’t I say that I’d accept another girl aside from the one I chose as long as she had good character and values? The problem is whether you know her identity.“It’s been some time, yet you don’t even