Chapter 37: Running into Adrian Grant’s Grandfather
Adrian Grant didn’t pull any pranks; he wasn’t wicked enough to wake someone from their sweet dreams.
Sliding one arm under Caroline Whitman’s knees, he scooped her up. He carried her out of the home theater, pushed open the door to the nearest first-floor bedroom, and gently laid her on the bed. After covering her with a thin blanket, he turned and left.
A moment later, Adrian returned carrying the little boy. He placed the toddler beside Caroline and draped the thin blanket over him as well, making sure he wouldn’t catch a cold from the air conditioning. He quietly closed the door behind him on his way out.
Adrian checked the time. It was already noon. Leaving the adults aside, little Ryan Grant would definitely be hungry when he woke up. Taking out his phone, he ordered a few specialty dishes.
Ten minutes later, the doorbell rang.
Adrian paused in surprise, wondering, "Did the food delivery arrive this fast? That’s unusually efficient." He walked to the entryway and opened the door.
Seeing the old man standing there, Adrian was stunned. "Grandpa, why are you here?"
Special Assistant King stood respectfully behind Gavin Grant.
"Can’t I come visit my good grandson?" As soon as the door opened, Gavin strolled straight in, casually surveying his surroundings.
Adrian immediately recalled Jonathan Grant’s phone call that morning, as well as the butler’s report. He closed the door and followed Gavin inside. "If you wanted to see me, you could have just called. I would have gone to the estate to visit you. Why make such a long trip?"
"It’s not like I walked here. It wasn’t that far," Gavin said, taking a seat on the sofa.
Adrian turned and went to the kitchen to brew a pot of tea for the old man. Behind him, Gavin’s teasing voice rang out, "Expecting you to visit me on your own initiative? I’d probably have to wait for you to suddenly grow a conscience."
Even as he joked, Gavin was secretly mulling things over. He wondered, "Wasn’t he supposedly living at Brocade Bay? Why is he at The Seraphic today?" He had only come to The Seraphic to try his luck and see if this brat had actually moved. He thought, "Well, I’ll be damned. It’s actually true."
"... Grandpa, you must be joking."
"Who’s joking? Am I not stating the facts? For the past two months, other than coming to my birthday banquet once, when have you ever visited? And even on the night of my birthday, you left early."
Adrian was left speechless. He couldn’t refute that, nor did he have anything to say in his defense. In the past, he would visit the old man at least two or three times a month. However, ever since Ryan appeared, all of his free time on weekends had been spent accompanying the child.
At that thought, he remembered Caroline and the little boy, who were still sleeping in the first-floor bedroom. He thought, "What terrible timing."
He could only pray that Ryan wouldn’t wake up anytime soon. Otherwise, if the child appeared in front of Gavin, there was no way to hide it from the old man’s sharp eyes. Just imagining the disastrous scene and the ensuing consequences gave him a headache.
`「Meanwhile, inside the bedroom.」`
Caroline woke up. She groggily sat up on the bed, her mind still in a haze. She wondered, "Since when did the home theater have a bed?"
A few seconds later, as her mind cleared, she realized someone had carried her back to a room. Her gaze shifted, landing on Ryan, who was sleeping soundly beside her.
She thought, "Good heavens! So we both fell asleep during the movie? It must have been tough for Adrian to carry both an adult and a child all the way to bed."
She carefully slipped out of bed. It was the perfect opportunity to head back to the old Whitman Family estate while Ryan was napping. This would save her the trouble of having to invent another excuse to leave when he was awake.
She opened the door and headed toward the living room. Before she even arrived, she heard an unfamiliar voice, though she couldn’t make out the words clearly.
"How are things going with that little girl from the Whitman Family? Are you two a good match?"
Just as Gavin finished speaking, Caroline, still wondering who was talking, stepped right into the living room.
The moment she saw Gavin sitting on the sofa, her footsteps came to a screeching halt. Gavin’s voice cut off abruptly as well. His eyes widened in utter astonishment as he took in her appearance. She clearly looked like she had just rolled out of bed.
Sensing something, Adrian turned his head, only to see Caroline standing at the entrance to the living room.
The three of them stared at each other. The air instantly froze.
Caroline almost let out an ear-piercing scream. Internally, a million expletives stampeded through her mind. She was stuck, unable to move forward or retreat.
Suddenly, she remembered that Ryan was still in the bedroom.
She thought, "I’m doomed. Should I turn back right now and lock the bedroom door?"
Gavin was the first to recover. He flashed an amiable smile at Caroline and greeted her, "Caroline? It is Caroline, right?"
Left with no choice, Caroline forced herself to walk slowly forward. She offered an awkward but polite smile. "Pres—"
"Grandpa," Adrian interjected suddenly, masking her voice.
Caroline swallowed the rest of the word "President" and quickly chimed in, "Grandpa."
"Ah," Gavin responded, acknowledging her with a hearty chuckle.
Adrian paused for a moment before finishing his sentence. "It’s noon. I remember it’s time for you to take your blood pressure medication. I’ll go find Special Assistant King and have him get it for you."
The smile instantly vanished from Gavin’s face. He shot Adrian an annoyed glare. "Why are you bringing up medication at a time like this? I already took it."
Adrian thought, "I just didn’t want your blood pressure spiking when Ryan suddenly shows up later."
Caroline let out a dry laugh. "I just came to discuss a partnership with President Grant. You and President Grant can go ahead and catch up, Grandpa. I have another meeting to attend, so please excuse me."
Feigning nonchalance, she raised her wrist and checked her watch. Her gaze darted between the two men with an apologetic smile. Finally, it settled on Adrian with a meaningful look.
She thought, "There’s a ticking time bomb in that room. You’re on your own. I’m getting out of here."
Adrian understood her silent message perfectly.
Gavin stood up. "Are you in that much of a rush? Won’t you stay a bit longer?"
By this time, Caroline had already reached the front door. She turned around and smiled. "Some other time."
As she opened the door, a villa steward happened to be standing there holding a takeout box. "Hello, your food delivery has arrived."
Caroline took the food as if it were the most natural thing in the world, then watched as the steward turned and left without any hesitation.
Gavin looked at the multi-person meal and instantly understood what was going on. He leaned on his cane and stepped forward. "It’s already noon, and it looks like neither of you have eaten yet. I won’t bother you two while you’re talking ’business’."
If he were judging purely by Adrian’s reactions and behavior, he wouldn’t have suspected a thing. But Caroline’s hasty retreat and obvious attempt to cover things up gave it away entirely. As an old fox, Gavin could tell right off the bat that something was amiss.
It wouldn’t be appropriate for him to stay any longer. He might as well give the two of them some space so he wouldn’t ruin his grandson’s good time.
Adrian didn’t feign any politeness. "Take care, Grandpa."
He stepped forward, took the takeout box from Caroline’s hands, and held the door open as he watched Gavin leave. Only after watching the old man and Special Assistant King get into the car did Adrian finally close the door.
Caroline gave him a questioning look. "Why did you close the door? I need to head back too. Otherwise, when the child wakes up, I’ll have to come up with another excuse."
The most lies she had ever told in her life were probably to this child of hers from a parallel universe.
Adrian checked the time; it was twelve-thirty in the afternoon. He said, "The food delivery is already here. Why don’t we eat first, and then I’ll drive you back?"
"Mommy? Daddy? Where are you?"
Ryan’s childish voice echoed through the villa.
In the next second, the frantic little boy ran out of the bedroom, completely barefoot.