Chapter 4

The silence inside the car lasted for quite some time. Lenora simply sat there, staring at her trembling hands while too many things that had happened in such a short period of time filled her mind.

Now, she was sitting inside a Maybach with an old man she did not know at all, while a line of other luxurious cars followed behind them. The situation felt so absurd that Lenora finally gathered the courage to speak.

“Who are you?”

The old man turned to look at her but did not answer immediately. Instead, he reached for a brown folder lying beside him and handed it to Lenora.

With a frown, Lenora accepted the folder and slowly opened it. The moment she saw the name written on the front of the letter, her breath caught.

“A letter from Grandfather Blackwell?”

“Open it,” the old man said in a hoarse voice.

Lenora looked at him for a moment before finally taking the letter out of the folder. Her fingers began to tremble as she read the familiar handwriting line by line.

"Dear Xander Whitmore, my dearest friend.

Lenora is my good daughter-in-law, and she is your long-lost granddaughter.

Six years ago, I found her in an orphanage, and I deliberately placed her beside Darius so that I could repay the debt I owed you. I gave her the surname Whitmore so that you could find her someday.

I once promised that I would give her the best life I possibly could.

If this letter has reached your hands, perhaps you have finally found your lost granddaughter, because I myself was never able to find you.

And perhaps I no longer have much time."

Lenora held her breath before continuing to read.

"One thing I still remember is how you shared your last piece of bread with me. Bread that I could probably never repay with all the wealth I have ever possessed.

Now, I am incredibly wealthy, and I wish more than anything for you to become my best friend again, so that we can share our memories while breaking dry bread and enjoying hot herbal tea together like we used to.

However, I do not have much time left. My old illness has made this body weaker and weaker."

Tears began to well up in Lenora’s eyes as she read the next part.

"My only hope is that Lenora remains with Darius. I want my great-grandchild to inherit all my wealth, and Lenora is the mother of the great-grandchild I have chosen.

Xander, at least in this way, I believe I can repay the debt I owe you."

The letter slowly lowered from Lenora’s hands.

She did not know what to say. All this time, she had always believed that she was simply a woman without a family who had to live her life on her own.

Even after marrying Darius, it had never once crossed her mind that there was someone out there who had been searching for her for years.

Lenora slowly turned toward the old man beside her. Confusion still filled her face, but there was something different in her gaze now.

“And... you’re my grandfather?”

The old man remained silent for a few moments before finally nodding.

“Yes. Xander Whitmore.”

That name made Lenora’s chest tighten. She lowered her head and looked at the letter in her hands again, as if trying to comprehend the reality that had just been revealed.

It turned out she was not merely the daughter-in-law chosen by an old man who cared for her. She was the granddaughter of someone who had spent all these years searching for his lost family.

The old man then let out a long sigh. His expression turned furious as he remembered how he had finally discovered a clue to Lenora’s whereabouts.

“I found Grandfather Blackwell only after hearing about his death on television,” he said heavily.

“That damned, irresponsible man!” he cursed angrily. His hand tightened around the skull-headed cane that had been resting beside him all this time.

“All this time, I wasn’t only searching for you in this country. I traveled across Asia all the way to Europe. He knew I was looking for you, but until the end of his life, he never managed to find me, and neither did I!”

“If I hadn’t heard the news of his death, I might never have known that my granddaughter had actually been so close to him for all these years,” he continued.

Lenora stared at the old man without blinking. There were so many questions she wanted to ask. The late Grandfather Blackwell had considered this man his best friend, but clearly, Xander did not feel the same way about him.

Yet her tongue felt numb. She had not even had enough time to accept the fact that the man sitting beside her was her own grandfather.

“And that bastard’s grandson was cheating on you! The nerve!” Xander growled, his voice growing even angrier.

“I investigated him. My people told me that you might be thrown out of that house because he had chosen his pregnant adopted sister. His lawyer had even prepared the divorce documents. The moment I heard the news, I came straight to pick you up! I was almost too late because I stopped to visit that damned old man’s grave!”

“From now on, Grandfather will protect you, Lenora!” Xander Whitmore’s voice was firm.

Hearing those words, Lenora’s eyes immediately filled with tears. All this time, she had always felt alone. Aside from Grandfather Blackwell, there had been no one to defend her whenever Darius treated her coldly, no one who stood by her when she was insulted, and not even a place where she could turn when her marriage had turned into a living hell.

But now, an old man she had only just met had come to pick her up and boldly declared that he would protect her.

The tears she had been holding back finally fell.

Lenora no longer cared whether her actions looked childish or not. She only wanted to feel the warmth of someone who truly considered her precious.

With tears filling her eyes, she reached out and wrapped her arms tightly around her grandfather, as if she had spent all these years without a place to seek shelter and had finally found it again.

“Grandfather...” she whispered in a trembling voice.

Xander’s body stiffened in surprise. However, a moment later, his hand slowly rose and gently patted Lenora’s back. The anger that had filled the old man’s gaze gradually softened.

“Yes,” he answered quietly. “Grandfather is here. Forgive me for taking so long to find you, Lenora.”

Only a few simple words, but to Lenora, they felt far more precious than all the money Darius had ever offered her.

A few moments later, the line of luxurious cars finally entered an area that once again left Lenora speechless. Through the car window, her eyes remained fixed on the magnificent building standing before her.

The residence was incredibly beautiful and spacious, surrounded by an enormous yard with perfectly manicured gardens. Tall trees lined the driveway, while a large fountain in the middle of the grounds made the place look like the residence of a noble family.

Lenora could not stop blinking. For a moment, she even thought she was dreaming.

“This...” Lenora murmured softly as she stared out the window. “The Whitmore residence?”

Xander only smiled faintly, as if he could already guess his granddaughter’s reaction. He gently wrapped an arm around Lenora’s wide waist.

“Yes. And Grandfather will introduce you to your fiancé.”

Lenora, who was still in Xander’s embrace, immediately pulled away. She stared at her grandfather in confusion, as if she had just heard something completely absurd.

“My fiancé?” Lenora blinked several times in disbelief.

Xander nodded casually, as though what he had just said was not surprising at all.

“Yes, your fiancé.”

“But... Grandfather, I just got divorced!”