James hardly registered the latter part of Mrs. Ford Sr.'s statement. All he knew was that his grandmother had finally consented to the termination of the engagement. He raised his head eagerly, grasped Mrs. Ford Sr.'s hand, and exclaimed, "Really? Grandma, I always knew you cared about me the most!"Observing his uncontainable excitement, Mrs. Ford Sr. shook her head slowly. She explained, "A few days ago, Haley came to the house herself and brought up the termination of the engagement. I agreed then, but your phone was unreachable."A flicker of surprise danced in James's eyes. Haley had initiated the termination of the engagement herself? So, she hadn't deceived him. He had misjudged her. He had always assumed that Haley was reluctant to call off the engagement because she couldn't let go.Yet, unbeknownst to him, Haley had already proposed to call off the engagement. Recalling the times when he had lashed out at Haley in anger, James felt a hot flush of embarrassment spread acro
He didn't want his grandmother to get the wrong idea about Xena, so he decided to shoulder the responsibility himself. Mrs. Ford Sr. waved him off, saying, "You don't need to explain these things to me, and frankly, I don't care to hear them. Is there anything else you want to discuss with me? If not, then please leave. I need to rest."Observing Mrs. Ford Sr.'s tired expression, James swallowed his explanations and remained silent. "Grandma, I genuinely care for Xena. I want to marry her. I hope you can approve of us."Mrs. Ford Sr. gave him a brief glance and inquired, "Are you truly unable to live without her?"James nodded firmly, "Yes, she holds a significant place in my life."Mrs. Ford Sr. fell silent, taking her time to respond.James pleaded, "Grandma, I hardly ever ask you for anything. Please consider this request.""Don't bring up this matter again in the future. I won't agree to it," Mrs. Ford Sr. declared firmly.James hesitated, wanting to say more, but upon see
James shook his head, his eyes filled with disbelief.He exclaimed, "No, absolutely impossible!"Haley was his fiancée. There was no way she would suddenly marry his uncle. Why would this happen?James felt a mix of emotions, unable to articulate exactly what he felt. It felt as though a part of his heart had been hollowed out, though he hadn't fully grasped it yet. He simply attributed it all to being overwhelmed by shock.There had been no prior relationship between Haley and his uncle, which made the situation all the more bewildering.Mrs. Ford Sr. noticed his disbelief and chuckled, "Why impossible? Haley has every right to pursue her own happiness, something you couldn't provide her. Perhaps someone else could.""But... it couldn't be Shane. They have absolutely no connection," James muttered to himself.After a moment of contemplation, everything clicked into place for James. His reserved and stern uncle would never harbor feelings for Haley. It must be that Haley res
Instead, there was a touch of gentleness in his demeanor.Observing such a significant transformation in him within such a brief period, Mrs. Ford Sr. felt immensely relieved.Since Shane's abduction, his demeanor had become increasingly withdrawn.Psychologists even diagnosed him, suggesting his symptoms resembled emotional detachment because he could keep his emotions under control at a steady level, without any fluctuations regardless of the circumstances.It was not to say there were no fluctuations at all, but they only occurred in specific contexts and were very subtle.Even psychologists couldn't probe into his inner world.Thus, nobody knew what exactly could trigger emotional fluctuations within him.Now, it seemed that Haley had a significant impact on Shane's emotions.For Shane, perhaps this was a positive development.Therefore, Mrs. Ford Sr. was grateful to Haley, treating her with extra affection and warmth, a sharp contrast to her attitude towards James.James
Shane retracted the sense of oppression around him and remarked casually, "Ah, I see. Well, make sure to keep an eye on your phone from now on."James sensed there was more to Shane's words, but he couldn't quite grasp what it was. He simply nodded in response."Sure, I will," James replied.Shane continued, "Recently, Haley came to call off the engagement. You weren't around then, but now that you're back, let's address it once and for all."Upon hearing this, Haley turned her head towards Shane, only to find him also looking her way.Shane offered her a comforting smile before nonchalantly shifting his gaze elsewhere.Suddenly, Haley recalled what Shane had mentioned to her earlier.He had said, "Let's head over to the Ford estate and watch an interesting show."Initially puzzled by his words, she now understood the meaning.So, Shane had known long before that James had returned to the Ford estate.Observing their interaction, James felt a pang of frustration.Why did Sha
Even when they met face to face, they never exchanged a single word.Haley once softly complained to him, wondering if Shane had any opinions about her due to his cold demeanor.At that moment, his mind was completely absorbed by thoughts of Xena, so he couldn't care less whether Haley felt wronged or not.So, he casually replied, "How could that be? If my uncle truly dislikes someone, that person's fate will be miserable, and you haven't provoked him."Now, looking back, everything seemed to have had signs.Just when James was lost in his thoughts, Shane suddenly turned to him."James, now that everything is out in the open, we shouldn't forget about manners. Haley is now your senior, so you should address her as 'Aunt Haley'."This statement hit James like a sudden jolt, leaving him stunned.James had never considered the possibility of his former fiancée becoming his senior.He parted his lips, but couldn't find the words to speak.Previously, he addressed Haley by her nam
Haley shrugged and remarked, "You're just catching on to that now? What you did to me before makes this look like child's play. So, what, can't handle it anymore?"James found himself at a loss for words, turning to Mrs. Ford Sr. for help."Grandma, could you lend me the money for now? I'll pay you back once I have it."Ever since Shane froze his card, he couldn't access a single penny. Otherwise, he wouldn't have resorted to writing IOUs.Ironically, he never thought twice about the ten million before.But now, he had to humble himself before Haley for the sake of that ten million.Mrs. Ford Sr. shook her head slowly and responded, "You incurred the debt, you repay it. You're an adult now, you have to own up to your actions."James had been spoiled by Evelyn, not only was he arrogant, but he also squandered the hard-earned money Shane made.If one really did the math, James would never be able to clear his debts in this lifetime.Fortunately, Shane wasn't one to hold grudges.
Shane exchanged a few words with Haley and then promptly left Mrs. Ford Sr.'s bedroom, leaving only Haley and James behind.James fixed his gaze on Haley, his brows furrowed tightly together as he questioned in a deep voice, "Why did you marry my uncle?""I just felt like getting married. Any issue with that?" Haley didn't want to linger alone with James in the same space. It would only bring up memories of him having a passionate affair with Xena in the hotel, making her stomach churn.James's expression turned serious as he spoke, "I recall you had no prior interaction with my uncle. It's your choice whom to marry, but why him?"Haley found his words perplexing. "Whom I choose is my concern. What gives you the right to interfere?"James shook his head slowly, a pained expression crossing his face. Despite Mrs. Ford Sr.'s previous explanations, he still held onto the belief that Haley had seduced his uncle as a form of retaliation against him."Haley, cut it out. My uncle isn't