“Angel, don’t cry. I’m here with you.”
From behind, a little girl’s clear and crisp voice could be heard. The voice was able to calm down Angeline’s
restlessness.
She slowly raised her head and looked at Evander standing in front of her. He glanced at her parents’ tombstone
before kneeling to pay his respects.
He pursed his lips. His usually cold eyes had a hint of respect in them.
He then waved a hand toward Floretta and gently held her shoulders as he said in a low voice, “Say hello to
Granddad and Granny.”
Floretta cocked her head to one side as she stared at the tombstone. At a young age, she did not quite understand
the meaning of life and death. She could only stare at the tombstone and let out a sound of admiration.
“Wow! Granny is so pretty. She looks like Angel. But why is she living in the ground? And why did she make Angel so
sad?”
Upon hearing that, Angeline’s eyes drooped to hide the sadness in them.
Evander felt bitter as he watched her. His heart clenched in pain.
“This is Granddad and Granny’s home. They are very happy staying here. In a few decades, Angel and I will live
here too.”
It was the first time Floretta had heard of such a thing. Her eyes lit up, and her mouth turned into an “O” shape as
she exclaimed in awe, “Is the house inside as big as a castle?”
“Yes. It’s magnificent,” Evander replied. Normally, this kind of little white lie would never come out of a person as
stern as him. However, he said it to ensure that Angeline would feel less guilty.
As she thought of all that, Angeline felt warmth spread over her body as she stood up and looked at Evander.
“How did you know that I’m here?”
“I choose not to speak,” Evander replied with zero expressions. It was similar to the way she had answered him the
night before.
Angeline pouted, and in her heart, she scolded him for being petty. However, his answer was not that important
anymore.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇt“What are you doing?” Just then, a man’s old but stern voice could be heard.
A man about sixty years old stood at the top of the stairs not far from them. He wore a loose white shirt and played
with the rosary beads in his hand. They looked to have been used for years and were well polished.
“Be careful, sir.”
Behind the old man stood a younger man in a military suit holding out an umbrella for him.
When Angeline’s gaze fell upon the old man, her expression changed, and she clenched her teeth, not saying a
word.
On the other hand, as he was well-connected, Evander immediately recognized the old man. He walked over and
held out a hand to greet him.
“Long time no see, Old Mr. Chandler.”
Old Mr. Chandler was also surprised to see Evander as he shook the latter’s hand.
“Mr. Golding? Are you here to pay respects too?”
“I accompanied her here.”
His reply did not justify his relationship with Angeline, but Old Mr. Chandler could guess it as his expression
darkened.
He slowly made his way toward Angeline and stared at her with a stern look as he criticized her in a low voice,
“Well, aren’t you making your mom proud? You don’t greet me when you see me. You’ve even become a mistress
by sleeping with the rich.”
Old Mr. Chandler had always been straightforward. He did not even mind the presence of Evander when he said
that.
Angeline’s face turned red from the mockery as she balled her hands into fists before greeting the old man,
“Granddad.”
The way she greeted him sounded distant and awkward.
Upon hearing her greeting, Evander frowned, and a hint of surprise appeared in his eyes.
He had met the Sorelle family a few times, but the Golding family was more active in the business sector. However,
the Chandler family was a prestigious family with a military background, so there were hardly any interactions
between them.
However, he had never expected Angeline’s family from her mother’s side to have such a solid background. A
military-based family was very particular about reputation. This one thing would make them leave the Sorelle family
in the dust.
Old Mr. Chandler had two sons and a daughter. As his daughter was born prematurely, he doted on her the most
and gave her the name Cynthia. She was Angeline’s mother.
Back then, Cynthia lowered her status and married down into the Sorelle family. Her marriage ended poorly.
However, from what Evander could notice, Angeline had a distant relationship with the Chandler family. She did not
even defend herself when she was mistaken as a mistress by er grandfather.
The atmosphere was quiet and tense before Floretta popped out from behind Angeline. She looked upward with
those obsidian black eyes of hers. Her dimples deepened as a wide smile appeared on her face.
“Wow. Angel, did this handsome grandpa come here to look for you?”
Her words piqued Old Mr. Chandler’s interest as he stared at her curiously. He held out a hand to call her over.
“Come here, little girl.”
Floretta was never afraid of strangers. She obeyed him and skipped over.
“Little girl, what is your relationship with the two of them?”
Upon hearing Old Mr. Chandler’s question, Floretta looked proud as she replied loudly, “Grandpa, you’re so silly.
Only a family would go out together. They’re my daddy and mommy, of course.”
Daddy and Mommy…
Floretta’s words justified Angeline’s identity as a mistress even further. Old Mr. Chandler’s face darkened as he
glared at Angeline.
“Aren’t you going to explain yourself?”
Angeline’s lips pulled into a tight and cold smile.
“For so many years, you’ve broken off your relationship with Mother and never planned to meet me. When did you
ever regard me as a family?”
Old Mr. Chandler frowned. The hand holding onto the rosary beads tightened its hold on them as his tone of voice
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmbecame more stern. “What a great daughter you turned out to be. You’ve wasted your mother’s efforts in raising
you!”
Angeline was reluctant to admit defeat as she stared at him. “I remember you have already chased my mom out of
the Chandler family.”
Old Mr. Chandler’s face was filled with anger as he heard what Angeline had said. Seeing the conflict was about to
explode into flames, Evander quickly stopped them. “Old Mr. Chandler, there’s a cafe up front. I’d like to have a
chat with you.”
Old Mr. Chandler had to show Evander some respect, so he nodded and followed the latter to the cafe.
Before they left, Evander did not mention what he would be talking about with Old Mr. Chandler.
Angeline held Floretta and pursed her lips. Her eyes filled with worry as she stared at Evander.
Although she did not interact much with this grandfather of hers, she had heard many things about him from her
mother.
Old Mr. Chandler went to the battlefield when he was young and spent most of his time here, so his temper was as
solid as a rock.
Back then, Angeline’s mother did not take Old Mr. Chandler’s advice to heart and was willing to break off their
relationship to marry into the Sorelle family. From then on, Old Mr. Chandler stopped being fond of her. Therefore,
Angeline rarely saw him ever since she was born.
And that was why she would never speak of him and the family.
With such a cold-blooded old man, she was afraid that Evander might not be able to escape this difficult situation.
There were a few people in the cafe. The light and the happy tune playing in the background were rather relaxing.
Evander snapped his fingers to call the waiter over. He ordered an iced coffee before pushing the menu toward Old
Mr. Chandler.
“Please order what you like.”
“I just want some water.”
Old Mr. Chandler played with the rosary beads and looked Evander up and down in curiosity. His tone was not as
polite.
“Mr. Golding, may I know if Angeline has ever mentioned the Chandler family to you?”
His straightforwardness took Evander by surprise, but he was quick to regain his composure.