"Mr. Li, Mrs. Li, please co this way."
Rowan and Bianca quietly followed the bulky man in the black suit after leaving their car parked near the manor’s guard post. Instead of the main residential building, they were brought to an annex.
The annex was a one-story building in a circular shape, surrounded by one of the mini gardens of the vast estate. Uncle Raymond took special care of the flower beds and the topiaries.
Most of the ti, Calix hosted his guests there either his family or close friends. The annex had a huge ga room, a place well-loved by Vernon, Alia and Davin. He hadn’t done so from the ti he got married to Leslie.
"Mr. Xu and Mrs. Xu will be here soon."
Logan glanced at Rowan and Bianca as they entered the lounge. He knew they were Calix’s parents-in-law yet, it was clear his boss didn’t want them anywhere inside the manor.
"Yes, we’ll wait for him," Rowan nodded once. With a sullen countenance, he tugged at Bianca to sit on the couch.
Logan bowed at Rowan and Bianca once before stepping out of the annex. The husband and wife were left alone in the unfamiliar place.
The sun bead through the lattice windows, presenting to them the magnificent view of the mini garden. But, its tranquil did nothing to ease their troubled hearts.
"Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Li."
Before Rowan and Bianca could talk, Aunt Wendy appeared with a tray of drinks and cookies. She politely greeted the husband and wife.
"Hello. Are you this manor’s housekeeper?"
Bianca looked at Aunt Wendy. The latter served the teapot, cups and cookies on the table.
"Yes. I’ve worked here for a few years already," replied Aunt Wendy. Straightening her posture, she said, "Please enjoy the refreshnts."
"Wait, we..."
Aunt Wendy bowed once and hurriedly left. She knew not to entertain much of Bianca and Rowan’s talking.
"Calix doesn’t want us inside his house, en? Even his housekeeper seems to dislike us," murmured Bianca, her tone carrying a mixture of sadness and worry, "He surely hates us for how we handled things before."
Rowan’s frowning brows almost rged together. Reaching out a hand, he placed his broad palm on the back of Bianca’s clasped hands. He understood what his wife was worrying about.
Calix stepped up to find the culprit behind Charlene’s staircase accident without much of Irene’s persuasion. He was vocal about his dissatisfaction over how the Li family treated the incident before he forced his way in.
"Maybe he’s just a very private person," Rowan whispered, trying to reassure Bianca everything was fine, "At least, he agreed to let us et Charlene today."
Rowan’s words only make Bianca more downhearted.
"I thought we’ll be fine but... what’s happening?"
Bianca still rembered the night she and Rowan t Charlene for the first ti after waking up from the coma[01].
All four of them—Calix, Charlene, Rowan and Bianca—were cordial with each other during the two families’ eting at the Xu family’s ancestral ho more than a month ago.
Throughout the ti, their eldest daughter acted reserved with them.
Understanding they were in the wrong for neglecting Charlene all these years, Rowan and Bianca didn’t dare to make any demands. They lowered their heads and tried to respect their daughter’s need for so space.
When Charlene openly invited them to visit her at Graceville Manor, Rowan and Bianca’s withered hope suddenly regained its blossom[02]. They wished this would be the first step in reconciliation.
But...
Their hope shattered when their eldest daughter began treating them coldly soon after the dinner.
Rowan and Bianca had only managed to exchange a few ssages with Charlene before the latter started ignoring their texts and phone calls. During the rare tis she responded, she said she was too tired or too busy with her treatnt.
Now, Charlene stopped communicating with them altogether. Their son-in-law Calix also subtly warned them not to contact their eldest daughter.
These setbacks in developnt made Bianca worry sick. She was desperate for the answers behind Charlene’s abrupt changes.
The Dragon Boat Festival would arrive in a few days. Bianca hoped to celebrate the day with Charlene and Calix at her new house instead of with the rest of the Li family.
"I think... sothing’s wrong..." Bianca’s eyes glossed over. She sounded more upset, "Sothing is definitely wrong... What do we do? What if she changed her mind not to accept us back?"
Out of anguish, Bianca coerced Rowan to take her to Graceville Manor. They ca here under the pretext of being the Mo family’s guest when in fact, they simply borrowed their friend’s na.
"Don’t think too much ah," Rowan raised his other hand, gently stroking Bianca’s back, "Maybe the rehab exhausted her too much last month. I think she’s better now."
"...yes," Bianca mumbled. She was still dejected, "Let’s hope so."
Rowan refrained from sighing. He recalled the first few tis he tried calling Calix’s number yet, all were left unanswered. He and Bianca wondered if their action was futile.
Despite already reaching the front gate of Graceville Manor, the bodyguards wouldn’t easily let them in. They said only the authorized guests could freely enter the estate.
As Rowan and Bianca contemplated whether to wait or not, he tried for the last ti. If Calix didn’t pick up, they would return ho in disappointnt.
Finally! He picked up!
But...
"You seed urgent to reach , Father-in-law."
Calix’s tone was not as friendly as before, making Rowan’s stomach drop. Still, he tried pushing his luck.
"...Calix, are you busy? If you’re at ho, can we et?"
"Yes. Charlene and I happen to have sothing to tell you too."
Wondering what their eldest daughter and son-in-law had in mind, Rowan and Bianca tried to hold back their disappointnt. Being able to et Charlene and Calix was their top priority.
As Rowan and Bianca anxiously waited in the lounge, Calix and Leslie finally appeared. The Li spouses hastily looked up, seeing their eldest daughter and son-in-law at the entrance.
"Good afternoon, Father-in-law and Mother-in-law," Calix greeted them with a smile yet, it didn’t reach his eyes, "Have you been waiting for long?"
"G-good afternoon, Calix and Charlene. No, we’ve just reached here."
Rowan and Bianca stood up. Darting their eyes from Calix and Leslie in the wheelchair, they recognized the looks of silent contempt in the young spouses’ eyes.
Calix and Leslie said nothing. The man pushed the wheelchair to the couch opposite the one occupied by Rowan and Bianca.
"C-Charlene! You can walk!"
Gasping, Bianca covered her mouth. Rowan pressed his lips, tears welling in his eyes. Both of them were shocked to see Leslie slowly standing up from the wheelchair before taking a few steps toward the couch.
"Charlene has improved so much," responded Calix on Leslie’s behalf. Holding her hand, he focused on her walking, "Still, she needs support."
"This... this is already good..."
Rowan and Bianca looked at each other.
It seed like their eldest daughter was indeed too busy with her rehab session.
She didn’t deliberately ignore them ah!
Rowan and Bianca deluded themselves with such thinking. They were too caught up in their emotions to notice the sharp glint in Leslie’s eyes.
"Why are you two here?"
Leslie’s sharp tone cut through the stifly air, stunning Rowan and Bianca who had just sat down on the couch. Their wide eyes inevitably landed on the lady.
Why did their eldest daughter bear such a disdainful look toward them?
Were their eyes and ears mistaken?
Too baffled to speak, Rowan and Bianca glanced at each other before their eyes returned to Leslie. The words they wanted to speak were stuck in their throats.
Sitting on Leslie’s right, Calix quietly analyzed Rowan and Bianca’s body language. The husband and wife appeared ek and troubled, as always.
How amusing.
Well, this was better ah. It would be more troubleso if they acted haughty like Geoffrey and his family.
’Is she listening?’
Calix turned his head slightly, throwing his eyes in a direction. His gaze landed on the shadows hiding just outside the lounge.
Following Irene’s request, Calix told the teenager to stand near the shelf in the hallway. She could peek inside the lounge through the small latticework of the wall.
No one, especially the distracted Rowan and Bianca would notice Irene hiding there.
"Charlene, we didn’t talk much the past month..."
Bianca’s words broke the uncomfortable silence in the lounge. Clasping her hands together, she locked her glossy eyes on Leslie’s taut countenance. More words flowed out of her mouth.
"Your mom and dad here... are just worried so, we ca without telling you or Calix. We hope to see how... you are doing..."
Pressing her lips together, Bianca hoped to see so kind of reaction from Leslie. The stifling atmosphere made her so uncomfortable. She unconsciously dug her nails deep into her palms.
Rowan darted his eyes from Bianca to Leslie before they landed on Calix. He sighed inwardly.
This conversation wouldn’t go anywhere if he and his wife didn’t exert more effort. Clearly, their daughter and son-in-law were not interested in talking to them at all.
No!
They wouldn’t give up easily!
What if their daughter was just testing their determination to reconcile with her?
They couldn’t afford to lose any chance of it!
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Reference:
1 - 207
2 - 210
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