blueteamnovel Chapter 1243: Both Remembered Yesterday’s Kiss, Their Gazes Entwined, Reluctant to Part
Chapter 1243: Both Remembered Yesterday’s Kiss, Their Gazes Entwined, Reluctant to Part
Griffith Squire didn’t sleep a wink all night, planning how to deceive the young girl, pondering over a hundred and eighty methods, all of which he rejected.
When dawn broke, the man finally dozed off, but hadn’t been asleep long before a rapid knocking on the door was heard, followed by the anxious voice of the butler: "Mr. Squire, Mr. Squire."
Griffith Squire got up, his handsome face now shadowed darkly as if rain could fall from it.
"There are, are, people outside." The old butler, seeing Mr. Squire’s expressionless face, pointed to the downstairs living room, his voice inexplicably stuttering.
Although Mr. Squire appeared somewhat mischievous when he smiled, he was even more intimidating when he didn’t. The old butler had grievances he couldn’t express, especially since the visitors were from the Lincoln Family.
This was bound to turn chaotic.
"Who’s here?" The man fastened his robe haphazardly, scratched his wavy hair, and prepared to head downstairs.
The butler trailed behind him, saying, "It’s Miss’s maternal grandmother’s family members."
The Lincoln Family had come? Griffith Squire raised an eyebrow, suddenly understanding. Aurora had mentioned to him that after her grandfather passed away, the Lincoln Family gradually declined, coming to the Coldwell Family every year to ask for money, claiming that Old Lincoln had given all his assets as dowry to his daughter, leading to the family’s decline, and that the Coldwell Family had seized their property to achieve its current status.
This claim completely overturned Griffith Squire’s views.
To ask for money with such moral high ground — this Lincoln Family was indeed something.
Leisurely, the man descended the stairs, seeing his burly subordinates, each a musclebound oaf, being overwhelmed by the women of the Lincoln Family who were pushing and yelling at them, complaining about wanting to see their granddaughter and niece and asking why they were denied entry, why they weren’t allowed to meet her.
Such faint-heartedness! Griffith Squire let out a cold laugh, seeing them cower before a group of women.
"What’s all this noise?" Griffith Squire spoke coldly, the man in a Japanese striped robe leaning sleepily against the stair railing. Already nearly one meter ninety in height, he seemed even taller.
The one leading the Lincoln Family’s charge was Old Lady Lincoln, a very thin and small woman with a cane, accompanied by her daughter-in-law and five or six other women.
Old Lady Lincoln, looking rather mean, stood in the living room, glanced at Griffith Squire, tapped her cane, and spoke loudly, "I’m not here to talk to you kids. Where’s Aurora? Let Aurora come see me. Oh, so she’s made it big and doesn’t want her grandma anymore? Books she read all turned to dog feed?"
As she spoke, Griffith Squire’s body shivered; this old lady was formidable!
The tough guys with their heads down felt relieved, silently lighting candles for their boss in their hearts.
Old Lady Lincoln made to dash up the stairs to find Aurora.
Griffith Squire snorted softly, signaled to the butler not to let Aurora come down, then blocked the stairs with his tall frame, raising an eyebrow as he said, "Old lady, at your age, if you fall and hurt yourself, there’ll be no chance to spend money."
His gaze was icy cold, and the chill accumulated from years of dangerous ventures slightly leaked out, making Old Lady Lincoln feel as though a ferocious beast was eyeing her, her legs turning a bit soft.
She, having thrown tantrums most of her life, was initially cowed, but quickly regained her senses, dramatically seating herself on the floor, slapping her thighs and shouting in her hometown dialect: "You little pest, how dare you hit an old woman—?"
The daughters-in-law and granddaughters-in-law behind her surged forward, all shouting at Griffith Squire: "Why did you push her? Granny’s over sixty!"
"You look like a scholar, don’t even understand respect for elders and love for young ones, have you no conscience?"
The warlord leader, who hadn’t laid a finger on the old lady, was dumbfounded, realizing for the first time that there are always greater powers. Known for his rule by might, he now faced a family who cared nothing for reason and only for his submission.
The old lady on the ground wailed and repeatedly called for Aurora.
Hearing the commotion, Aurora couldn’t remain seated. Coming downstairs to see the chaos, her expression darkened.
Aurora was accustomed to these tactics from the Lincoln Family, who annually caused a scene before Ian Coldwell, demanding money to spend during the New Year. Only this time, it was merely autumn, yet they showed up at her place; perhaps they’d picked up some rumors.
Aurora lightly furrowed her brow, considering that Griffith’s recent prominence in Brocade City might have drawn unwanted attention, causing the Lincoln Family to create a scene deliberately.
"Why did you come down?" Griffith Squire reached out to pat the young girl’s head, then, brazenly ignoring others, tightly held her hand.
Aurora’s face flushed red, tried to retract her hand, but the man gripped tightly. Her large eyes, teary, turned towards Griffith Squire, both recalling yesterday’s kiss, their gazes intertwined, reluctant to part.
The old lady, having sat on the floor wailing for a long time, was enraged at the sight. She’d come personally, yet this ungrateful girl acted as if she didn’t see her, just like her mother — truly a born debtor.
Annoyed by her hollering, Griffith Squire dragged the young girl to the sofa, carefully instructing, "Auntie, get me a coffee, no sugar."
The man glared at his battle-ready subordinates, sneering as he ordered, "What are you all doing here so early? Go outside and train."
The burly men quickly dispersed like birds and beasts, heading to the yard, chanting slogans in unison, frightening away the birds that nested there.
As for the tantrum-throwing Lincoln Family, they were left to stew.
"Aurora, Aurora, why don’t you come look at your poor grandmother?" the old lady continued her act, sitting on the ground.
Beside her, the daughter-in-law tugged her sleeve, whispering, "Granny, you forgot, she became mute, can’t speak."
"Granny, those people there are a bit scary; their arms are as thick as our legs. Will they hit us later on?"
"They wouldn’t dare, if they did, even better. We wouldn’t leave, and they’d have to provide food, drink, and shelter. Anyway, the Coldwell Estate is better than our home," Old Lady Lincoln said fearlessly.
Only then did the Lincoln daughters-in-law feel at ease.
After all, they’d been begging for money this way for over a decade. Spending a day here, taking home a fortune white as snow — there was no easier way to earn money.
The Lincoln Family had their method, the old lady annually bringing her daughters-in-law, wearing their oldest clothes, sitting and crying, refusing to leave. Ian Coldwell, to maintain face and overwhelmed with frustration, would carve out some money from the inheritance left by Aurora’s mother to send them away.
If they could extract money from Ian Coldwell, they wouldn’t believe they couldn’t get any from this ungrateful girl Aurora.
Seeing no one paying attention after seating herself for a long time, the old lady got up, approached Aurora, and angrily scolded, "You ungrateful girl, living off what your mother left you, drinking what she left you, and now you don’t recognize your granny, don’t care if she lives or dies?"