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n

nAdrian tried his hardest to keep himself from fuming and baring his fangs in front of Grisham.

nThis is the second time they are meeting each other since his return. Now that he has his memories back, he can't help but fail to recognize him as someone related to him. He firmly refuses to accept this man as his grandfather - he is nothing but a cold-blooded demon in his eyes at this point.

nStill, Adrian forces to keep it all in. He needs to pretend for a while longer - two can play in this game. Charles seems to be faring better than him as he only greets Grisham with enviable calmness before excusing himself and heading to his office.

n

"Good morning, Grandfather. I'm deeply sorry for not meeting you any sooner than this...

" Adrian started and approached him, feigning amicability all the while.

n

"I should have taken better care of myself. That way, I would not fall sick. I could have caught up with you as well.

"

n

"I don't mind at all. Getting hit by a car is no light matter...

" Grisham brought up with the faintest hint of an underlying tone.

n

"In fact, you should have rested after coming back here instead of going straight to work. No need to rush things if you are only going to fall sick.

"

n

"Indeed. I just thought that I should work harder now that you have returned. I didn't really want to disappoint you by staying absent from work for too long.

"

n

"You can never disappoint me, my dear grandson.

"

nAs he chuckled that out, he only smiled and acted a little flattered by the compliment.

nFrom that point on, the two of them talked and caught up with each other. He invited his grandfather to have some coffee with him before he went to work, which he still accepted despite acknowledging that he would be busy today. It seemed like he had been secretly raring to talk with him for some time now, and it was obvious why.

nTheir respective pretenses are quite on point - both are unyielding and natural at acting.

nAdrian already prepared a scripted conversation in case Grisham showed up like this. He knew what he was going to say, and he was careful with what he should not be giving away. Even his body language - he made sure that nothing was out of place. One little slip, and he might catch on and suspect that something is up.

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"By the way, how's your wife? She went missing again, right?

"

nAdrian almost flinched at that - a slip.

nHe nearly slipped.

nGoing by how Grisham regarded him when he questioned that, he knew that their previous topics were only his way of beating around the bush. There was no doubt that this subject was the one he had been wanting to bring up. Not wanting to slip up for real, he pulled himself together and answered with the same indifferent approach that he would always use in the past.

n

"Oh, Eleanor? She changed a lot ever since she lost her memories...

" Adrian said apathetically.

n

"That woman keeps humiliating me by doing everything she wants. She said she no longer loved me and kept trying to leave - I let her for now. She is part of the reason why I'm exhausted more than usual.

"

n

"For now? Why not let her be already? She wasn't seeing you the same way anymore, was she?

" Grisham muttered with a bored look, still regarding his expression.

n

"I know you already know this, Grandfather. There's the promise I made with Grandmother. I couldn't possibly disrespect her by breaking that.

"

n

"You really cherish your grandmother, huh? So, even if that woman doesn't love you anymore, you'll keep her as your wife?

"

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"It's what I promised. I don't care what she wants to do, though. She can leave the household or see another man if she wants to, but our marriage will remain in effect.

"

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"Oh, no, no, no... You can't let her be the one doing the cheating. If anything, you should be the one doing anything you want here - not that godforsaken, useless lass.

"

nAdrian badly wants to change topics right now - any more insult to his wife, and he might blow up.

nHe could even barely stand himself saying all those things about Cassidy. It was only making him hate himself more. Even though he should not, he felt like taking it all back. Grisham even dared to encourage him to cheat on her - as if he would. He will kill himself first before he does something like that.

nTo avoid suspicions, Adrian decided to pretend that he was still indifferent to Cassidy and respectful of Maruschca's last will. Apparently, he already learned from Edward that what Grisham currently knew about his present relationship with his wife was little and vague. Charles already took care of the rumors beforehand. He made sure that anything that would reach his ears would be nothing but baseless.

nAdrian needs to endure a little longer. They are already getting there, anyway. It's only a matter of time before he can show his true colors at last.

n

"Forget about that person. Talking about her is making my head ache again...

" Adrian continued while pinching the bridge of his nose in exhaustion.

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"More importantly, I would like to invite you for a family dinner at my place tomorrow night, Grandfather. It's been a long time since we're complete, so I'd make sure to make it perfect.

"

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"Of course, I'd love to go. I'll be there-

"

nRight then, Grisham cut himself off as he suddenly started coughing out loud.

nTaken aback, Adrian stilled at how he bent over and covered his mouth. He could tell how bad his cough. In a haste, he then went to his side and patted his back before offering him a glass of water. When he asked if he was alright, he only shook his head and declined his offer.

n

"No worries, Adrian. Just a cough. I'll go fetch water myself...

" Grisham said with a reassuring smile.

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"I'll be going now, anyway. I'll see you tomorrow.

"

nAll Adrian could do was watch his grandfather stand up from his seat and bid him farewell, wondering why he was hiding the hand he used to cover his mouth the whole time.

n---

nEventually, that tomorrow night came.

nInside the Millicent's mansion, an exquisite banquet was prepared. The dining hall appeared to have been furnished all over again as it was embellished with more opulence. All the maids and menservants complied to the homeowner's order - make everything look grand, sumptuous and perfect.

n

"But why would the President be celebrating like this when he was clearly at the dumps days ago?

" Anthony wondered out loud, scanning the dining hall in astonishment and perplexity.

n

"It's because they have to welcome his grandfather who only returned recently. He already said that, didn't he?

" Mia pointed out despite taking that reason with a grain of salt as well.

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"I know, I know. But this is just too sudden. He even went out and set all of this up when he could have just made a reservation at a hotel or restaurant.

"

n

"Perhaps, you're only complaining about your work-

"

n

"No, of course not!

"

nIn the end, all they could do was remain bewildered and observe how things would escalate from the side.

nSoon enough, the other members of the family begin arriving little by little. The first ones to appear are Edward and his sons while Olivia and Irish followed right after. As all of them settled down at the dining hall, the houseworkers who were at the entrance started to fret. Since they are in charge of greeting the guests and guiding them to the dining hall, they find it hard to serve one visitor in particular.

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"At long last, my son has finally been knocked sense into!

"

nGertrude came in like one tempestuous storm, dressed in her signature sophisticated clothing even though everyone else was only wearing semi-casual.

nConcerned by the emotional state of the lower maids and menservants, Mia and Anthony decided to welcome her themselves. Dealing with her has always been gruelingly difficult. She is just too obnoxious and disagreeable for her own good - anyone would definitely have a hard time.

nNow that her so-called stress reliever is not around, she has been more off-putting than usual. She would be extra harsh, sharp-tongued and short-tempered. Unlike before, she could barely maintain her cool these days.

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"Where is my son?! I demand to speak with him this instant! Not only did he ban his own mother from entering his home, but he also did not greet me first! I thought he was finally reflecting on his mistakes!

" Gertrude proceeded to exclaim as she sauntered after Mia and Anthony all the way to the dining hall.

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"I apologize, Madam. But the President is still in the middle of-

"

n

"Oh, more excuses! Just lead me to him before I go to the dining hall! I want to speak with him!

"

n

"I'm afraid we can't do that. He said not to let anyone bother him-

"

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"What a host he is! Is this really my son?! Who would arrange a family dinner and say not to bother him?! Ridiculous! Utterly ridiculous!

"

nMia and Anthony could only endure the entire torment of pacifying Gertrude - and as Adrian secretly watched them from the upper floor in silence, he just thought of apologizing to both of them by giving them a raise.

n