Chapter 6: A Word with Grandpa

Vanessa stood on tiptoe and kissed his cheek.

“Is that enough?”

She tried to pull away as soon as she'd touched him.

Julian put his arms around her and drew her back.

“You think one is enough?”

He stopped just short of kissing her.

She waited, unsure what he intended. Then he let her go.

Vanessa stepped back and remembered her question.

“So… is that a yes?” she asked weakly.

Julian smiled.

“If that's what my wife wants, of course I'll do it.”

She left before he could ask for another kiss.

Julian watched her go, still smiling.

* * *

Two days later, Vanessa took Julian to the Bennett family residence.

“Grandpa, this is Julian.” Vanessa stood beside him in a pale dress.

Robert looked at his guest and nodded with a satisfied smile.

“Very good. He looks like a fine young man.”

Julian stepped forward to greet him.

“Sir, I've brought you a few gifts.”

Daniel brought in baskets of health supplements and bottles of vintage wine, then withdrew.

Robert, dressed in a dark red suit, laughed heartily.

“You've married my granddaughter. You're family now. There's no need to be so formal.”

“I wanted to bring you something,” Julian said.

Years earlier, when Franklin Bennett had been gravely ill, he'd feared leaving his daughter alone. He'd entrusted her to his close friend and business partner, Edward Ashford. They'd even discussed joining their families through marriage.

Vanessa had begun dating Adrian at seventeen. Before her father's death, Adrian had promised to take care of her.

The marriage had joined the two families after all, though not through the brother they'd expected.

“Go to the chapel and light a candle for your grandmother and your parents,” Robert told her. “I want a word alone with Julian.”

She stayed where she was. Her grandfather liked putting people on the spot, which was why Adrian always avoided his company.

Vanessa hesitated. She didn't want her grandfather putting Julian through an interrogation when they'd only just married.

Robert noticed and teased her. “What's wrong? Do you think I'm going to eat your husband?”

She blushed.

Julian laughed and said gently, “Don't worry. I'll stay and talk to Grandpa. Go on.”

Vanessa nodded and went to the chapel. There, she lit a candle and used a clean handkerchief to dust her mother's portrait.

At home, she had never doubted that she was loved. She remembered her mother stroking her hair and saying, “Nessa, you're our little girl. You were born to be happy and live without worries. You deserve everything good in this world.”

Adrian's treatment of her seemed harder to understand here, surrounded by reminders of her family.

What would her parents have said if they'd seen how often she'd begged him to stay?

Tears filled her eyes, and one dropped onto the portrait.

“I'm sorry I was so weak…”

She held the portrait against her and cried.

When she took too long to return, Julian asked someone to show him where she was. He arrived just then.

He set a hand on her shoulder, helped her stand, and held her.

“There, sweetheart. Don't cry.”

“I'll take care of you from now on. I'll love you for them too. All right?”

She cried harder.

Julian set the portrait down and held her until the worst of the sobbing passed. When she finally calmed down and had no strength left, he carried her out of the chapel, and they left the house.

Before leaving, he asked the staff not to tell her grandfather. He didn't want Robert to worry.

In the car, Vanessa felt better. Her nose and eyes were swollen, and her voice trembled.

“Thank you, Julian.”

“Then look after yourself,” he said. “That's enough for me.”

Adrian had always told her, “Vanessa, nobody's going to put up with your whims forever. You need to learn to compromise, or we're going to break up.”

She nodded. It was becoming harder to remember why she'd once been so afraid of him.

* * *

Back home, Vanessa went to shower.

While Julian was in the other shower, her phone rang. It was an unfamiliar local number. Without thinking much about it, she answered.

Adrian's furious voice came through.

“Are you done throwing tantrums? You blocked me everywhere, and you haven't even come home. What's wrong with you?”

“Don't forget we've broken up. Whether I come home is none of your business.”

Adrian fell silent briefly. Their arguments had never lasted a whole day before. All he had to do was be a little nice, and she gave in.

Her attitude made him nervous, so he softened his tone.

“Fine. I admit I went a little too far on the day of our appointment. I'm sorry. But stop acting like this, will you?”

Vanessa scoffed. “Didn't you understand? We're over. Don't contact me again.”

“Don't push your luck!” he shouted.

She didn't want to hear any more and was about to hang up when the bathroom door opened.

Vanessa turned toward the bathroom.

Julian emerged with only a towel around his waist. Water ran down his chest. Vanessa forgot about the call.

“Who is it?” Julian asked, glancing at the screen.

She was still looking at him and missed the question.

On the other end, Adrian heard a man's voice and lost control.

“Is there a man with you? Who the hell is that?”

Julian took the phone from her hand, his expression hardening.

“You'll find out soon enough.”