Chapter 1341
Veronica immediately confronted Rosa after witnessing her hostile demeanor toward Skylar. Ready for a verbal clash, Veronica had never lost an argument before. Skylar glanced at Veronica, feeling warmth at her protectiveness. After living together for so long, they considered each other family.
“Ms. Reese,” Skylar said with a neutral expression, “if you have any issues, please address them directly with me. There’s no need to bother the elderly.”
Rosa’s face reddened. “If it weren’t for you constantly mistaking Ned for Joe and trying to get close to him, I wouldn’t bother you! I don’t have time to waste.”
“Since you’re here,” Rosa continued, “I’ll make it clear. I hope you’ll stop meeting with Ned. Especially you, Skylar. Your actions are seriously impacting us.”
Skylar replied calmly, “You know full well whether Ned is Joe. You’re only fooling yourself. It doesn’t mean others are blind to the truth. Rosa, be careful.”
“You!” Rosa fumed, realizing she couldn’t win. Unwilling to create a scene and risk Joe seeing Skylar, she ended the argument abruptly. “Anyway, he is Ned, my fiancé, and he has nothing to do with you!” She then left for a nearby department.
Skylar’s face remained impassive, but Veronica scoffed, “She’s just deceiving herself.”
“Don’t let her upset you, Veronica. She knows the truth better than anyone,” Skylar replied.
“You’re right. There’s no point in getting angry over someone like her,” Veronica agreed.
They hadn’t expected to encounter Rosa at the hospital. Gloria’s tests were complete, but the results wouldn’t be ready until the next day. They decided to go home. Both Veronica and Skylar tacitly agreed not to mention the incident to Gloria.
Fate, however, intervened. As Skylar and Gloria exited the elevator, they ran into Joe, just as he was entering. Skylar, while initially surprised during previous encounters, had learned to compose herself. This, however, was Gloria’s first time seeing him in over three years. She froze, tears welling in her eyes as she softly murmured, “Joe…”
Her voice was deeply moving. Skylar gently held Gloria’s hand.
When Joe saw Skylar, his gaze briefly flickered to her lips before settling on Gloria’s tearful face. He felt a pang in his chest. His instinct was to deny her, but he couldn’t.
“Grandma,” Skylar whispered.
Gloria quickly composed herself, wiping away her tears, and smiled at Joe. “I hope I didn’t startle you. You’re just as handsome as you were three years ago. If you have time, come home. I’ll be waiting there for you, along with Skye.” Then, she and Skylar left.