Chapter 23: Andy's Parents

While Alicia was making plans, the maid announced that dinner was served. She descended the staircase, took her seat, and began to eat with measured calm.

“Cathy, dear, do you need help?” Alexander asked.

“No need,” Alicia replied.

Beatrice immediately chimed in. “How is your relationship with Andy?”

“Good,” Alicia answered, her tone clipped.

She knew her stepmother was up to something. As if on cue, Beatrice turned to her husband with a bright, practiced smile. “Alex, dear, since Catherine can’t wait to marry Andy—and they’re so compatible—why don’t we let them wed right after your birthday? We could even announce the engagement that day. It would make the celebration more special.”

Alexander’s face went cold. The thought of his daughter marrying a man who could no longer walk—and might never father a child—weighed on him, souring his mood.

“That’s enough, Beatrice,” he snapped. “Catherine knows what she wants. Stop making choices for her.”

Beatrice pressed her lips together and fell silent, unwilling to provoke him further. Dinner ended in a strained quiet. When it was over, Alicia rose and returned to her room.

After she washed up and changed, she was about to sleep when a knock sounded at the door. A maid stepped in, carrying the gown Beatrice had prepared.

“First Miss, Madam instructed me to bring this to your room,” the maid said.

Alicia pointed to a space by the wall. “Leave it there.”

The maid set the gown down and gazed at it with open admiration. A dress like that could cover years of her salary. She shook her head at how casually the wealthy treated money.

When she turned back, Alicia still hadn’t spared the gown—or her—a glance. Cool and composed, she typed steadily on her laptop. The maid’s lips curled in a secret sneer before she slipped out, muttering under her breath, “Acting all high and mighty. A village pumpkin pretending to be a princess. You can’t even afford that dress. Stick to your sweaters and jeans.”

The corner of Alicia’s mouth twitched; she’d heard the insult, but she didn’t care. Focused, she continued typing and spoke into her earpiece. “Next time, learn to clean up your own mess. I won’t keep doing this for you—you’re not a child.”

A breathy voice whined in her ear, “Darling, you’re hurting me so much. I can’t breathe—”

Alicia disconnected before the speaker could finish. She closed her laptop and went to sleep.

The next morning, she had breakfast with her family. As usual, Andy came by and dropped her at the street leading to the company. She walked the rest of the way and saw operations in full swing. Kane was on-site, pitching in. Without fuss, she went to her office, reviewed documents, drafted future plans, and completed a market analysis. After circulating a memo with her conclusions, she left the company.

She returned home to find Beatrice shepherding teams of decorators through the halls. Her father’s birthday was only two days away.

In her room, she shut the door, sat on the bed, and opened her laptop. On the screen, Emily and Ethan smiled back at her—radiant and happy. Her eyes narrowed. “I’m back,” she murmured, the words edged with malice.

Her phone rang. Andy.

“I’m waiting for you,” his voice came through.

She moved to the window and spotted his car already parked outside. Moments later, she slipped out of the house and into the car.

“Do you want to come see my annoying grandfather with me?” Andy asked as they pulled away. “He’s been pestering me for dinner for days, but I haven’t had the time—”

“I want to see what my future grandfather-in-law looks like,” Alicia cut in with a grin. “I need to know where you got that pretty face.”

Andy’s mouth quirked upward. He told the driver to head to his grandfather’s estate.

When they arrived, an elderly man stood at the edge of the sweeping drive, leaning on a walking stick. At the sight of Andy’s car, his face lit up. “My grandson!”

Andy emerged, his wheelchair gliding forward to meet the old man. With a smile that deepened the lines in his weathered face, the grandfather cupped Andy’s cheek. “Brat, you’ve been dodging me ever since I can’t beat you at games anymore.”

Andy steered the moment away with a laugh. “Grandpa, meet my future wife—the woman I want to marry.”

The old man turned to Alicia. For a heartbeat, he seemed taken aback. Alicia inclined her head. “Hello, Grandfather.”

The old man’s eyes widened theatrically. “So that’s why you’ve been avoiding me—you were afraid she’d leave you for my devastating good looks.”

Andy pinched the bridge of his nose. The jokes had begun. Alicia smiled politely, the expression not quite reaching her eyes.

“Come in, come in,” the old man said, ushering them toward the doors.

“Son,” two voices called at once.

Alicia glanced over. A striking, elegant woman—whose features mirrored Andy’s—stood on one side. On the other, a man watched them with a hard, assessing gaze. The tension between the two crackled.

At the sight of them, Andy’s hands tightened on his armrests. He turned to his grandfather. “What are they doing here?”

His grandfather sighed. “I didn’t know they’d choose today. I can’t stop them from coming. They’re still my children. They’re your parents.”

“They’re not my parents,” Andy said through clenched teeth. “I’ll never see them that way.”

The woman’s voice was cool. “You can’t change the fact that I’m your mother. If you want to blame someone, blame yourself for choosing such an irresponsible father.”