Chapter 137

“How did you two meet?” Jonathan asked.

“That day, I’d just finished my shift and saw a robbery,” Preston began, describing their meeting in vivid detail, completely immersed in the memory. He spoke with such intensity that Jonathan’s heart tightened. He hadn’t known Cynthia had experienced a robbery while in Pillere.

“Cynthia is amazing. When she took down those two people in a few moves, she seemed to glow. And when she looked at me, her eyes were like the most brilliant gems. My heart stopped,” Preston said.

“Do you know what that feels like?” Preston leaned in, asking Jonathan.

Jonathan’s face darkened. “I don’t know. I only know that if your heart stops, you die.”

Preston scoffed. “Uncle, you may have a great business mind, but you don’t understand love.” He was drunk.

Jonathan bundled him into the back seat of the car and drove onto the elevated city road, planning to take Preston to Piedmont Manor. Susanna had been missing him terribly.

“Cynthia… Cynthia…” Preston, half-asleep, murmured her name repeatedly. Jonathan’s brow furrowed.

“Cynthia, your smile is so beautiful…” Preston mumbled.

Jonathan exited the elevated road, making a sharp, abrupt left turn at an intersection, yanking the steering wheel. Preston lurched to the right, his head hitting the car window. He slept on, his brow furrowed slightly, seemingly dreaming pleasantly. “Cynthia, can I kiss you?”

Jonathan slammed on the brakes. Preston tumbled from the back seat onto the floor.

The next day, Preston woke up in bed, disoriented. He rubbed his aching forehead; his shoulders and whole body ached as if he’d been beaten. He was in a villa estate. As he opened the door, the butler from the Bennett manor in Betrico, Zach, stood there.

“Zach, what are you doing here? Where is this place?” Preston asked.

“Mr. Sullivan, you’ve finally returned. This is Piedmont Manor. Mrs. Bennett is in the dining room, awaiting you for breakfast,” Zach replied.

Preston remembered his grandmother had moved to Roncrity three years ago. She was a native, and the climate—with beautiful mountains and clear waters—was ideal. His grandfather, Clifford, still lived in Betrico. Though elderly, he remained sharp and made key family decisions, though he’d recently planned to relinquish control, even mentioning full retirement before eighty. The family was in turmoil, constantly fighting for power and influence. No wonder his grandmother had sought peace in Roncrity.

Preston rarely returned, usually only to Betrico; he’d never been to Piedmont Manor. Seeing his family made him happy. He ran to the dining room, finding Susanna and Jonathan at breakfast.

“Grandma!” he shouted, hugging her from behind and showering her cheeks with kisses. “Grandma, I missed you so much!”

Susanna’s wrinkled face beamed. “Alright, alright, let go first,” she laughed.

Preston clung to her, acting like a spoiled child. “Grandma, did you miss me?”

“Of course, I missed you,” Susanna said. He’d been raised at the Bennett manor until age five, always by Susanna’s side, creating an incredibly strong bond.

“If you missed Grandma so much, why didn’t you tell us you were back?” Jonathan asked.

Susanna’s expression turned playfully serious. “You say you missed me, but you’ve been in Roncrity for seven days, and I haven’t seen you at all!”

Preston pouted at Jonathan, then sweet-talked Susanna. “Grandma, don’t you want a granddaughter-in-law?”

Susanna was taken aback. “What do you mean?”

“I came to pursue a girl. I haven’t won her over yet, so how could I come and see you before succeeding?” Preston said.

Susanna was delighted. She had three daughters and a son, numerous descendants, but their relationships were strained, marked by arguments over inheritance and physical fights. Disappointed, she’d retreated to Roncrity. Fortunately, her grandchildren were relatively filial, though most had grown up abroad, with varying views on love and marriage—some claiming they’d never fall in love, some identifying as homosexual, others intending to remain wild and free. It was a mess.

So, Preston’s desire for a granddaughter-in-law was met with joy.

“You have a crush? She’s from Roncrity? Which family? Tell me, and I’ll decide for you,” Susanna said.

Jonathan interjected. “Mom, are you really in a position to make that decision for Preston? It’s best not to make promises so easily.”

Susanna sighed. Raised in a refined, scholarly family, pampered after marrying Clifford, her gentle personality was challenged by her fiercely independent children, especially Whitney. She knew she couldn’t control them.

Still, she pouted. “I’m just asking. Can’t a grandmother care about her grandson?”

Preston declared, “No one has a say in my marriage, not even my mother. I’ll only marry the one I love. Otherwise, I’ll stay single forever.”

Susanna found his words extreme. “So, what’s the girl’s name?”

Preston smiled shyly, revealing his dimples. “Her name is Cynthia.”

Jonathan’s expression darkened.

Susanna repeated the name softly. “Cynthia… Isn’t she…”

“Mom, Preston’s feelings are one-sided. Ms. Jones doesn’t like him,” Jonathan interrupted.

Susanna was stunned. She knew Cynthia had always been Jonathan’s girlfriend.