Chapter 29: Grandmother’s Approval

Sophia spent three days dreading the meeting, imagining every possible disaster. She pictured Ethan sitting across from the most powerful woman in the Knight family while generations of wealth, expectations, and influence silently judged him.

By the morning of the visit, her nerves were stretched thin.

She stood in Ethan’s bedroom, fastening the buttons of his navy cardigan while he squirmed impatiently beneath her hands.

“Mama.”

“What, sweetheart?”

“You’re doing the worried face again.”

Sophia froze.

“The worried face?”

“Yeah.” Ethan pointed directly at her forehead. “The wrinkle.”

Despite her anxiety, a laugh escaped her. Children noticed everything.

“I’m fine,” she said.

“You say that when you’re not fine.”

Sophia sighed, her lips twitching. “Traitor.”

Ethan grinned, pleased with himself. The small smile eased a fraction of the tension lodged inside her chest—but only a fraction. Today wasn’t an ordinary introduction; it was an evaluation, and everyone knew it.

◆ ◆ ◆

Alexander arrived right on time. Sophia opened the door before he could knock, and the moment he saw her, his eyes swept over her face. Concern darkened his gaze.

“You haven’t slept,” he said.

She folded her arms. “Your grandmother is threatening legal action.”

“She isn’t threatening legal action.”

“Alexander.”

“Fine,” he admitted, shifting his weight. “She’s aggressively encouraging cooperation.”

Sophia stared at him. He had the decency to look mildly embarrassed, which told her everything she needed to know.

Behind her, Ethan appeared, a stuffed dinosaur tucked beneath his arm.

“Are we going now?”

Alexander’s expression softened. The transformation happened so fast it still startled Sophia.

“Ready, buddy?” he asked.

Ethan nodded enthusiastically.

Sophia watched the hard, corporate edges disappear from Alexander’s face. The billionaire vanished, leaving only the father. Somehow, that shift affected her more than she wanted to admit.

◆ ◆ ◆

The Knight estate looked less like a home and more like a private museum.

Sophia had visited once before, years ago, back when she and Alexander had been together—before everything fell apart. The memory hit her like a physical blow as the wrought-iron gates swung open.

Alexander noticed.

“You okay?” he asked, his voice low and careful.

Sophia hated how easily he still read her.

“I’m fine.”

The lie lingered between them. He didn’t challenge it, which somehow made it worse.

◆ ◆ ◆

Ethan pressed his face against the car window.

“Whoa.”

Alexander smiled.

“What?”

“It’s huge.”

The little boy sounded awestruck, and Sophia couldn’t blame him. The estate sprawled across acres of perfectly maintained grounds, with stone pathways winding through manicured hedges and elegant fountains.

Ethan turned toward Alexander.

“Do you live here?”

“Sometimes.”

“Seriously?”

Alexander laughed. The sound had become more common lately, yet every time she heard it, something inside Sophia thawed.

Dangerously.

◆ ◆ ◆

The heavy front doors opened before they even reached the steps.

An older woman emerged.

Silver hair.

Perfect posture.

Sharp eyes that missed nothing.

Eleanor Knight.

Sophia immediately understood where Alexander had inherited his commanding presence.

Eleanor’s gaze landed on Ethan and stayed there.

The mansion, the gardens, the ambient noise—everything else seemed to fade.

For several long seconds, the matriarch simply stared.

Sophia’s protective instincts flared. She moved subtly closer to Ethan.

The older woman noticed.

Then she did something unexpected.

Eleanor smiled.

The expression wasn’t soft, but it was warm.

“Hello.”

Ethan blinked.

“Hi.”

“I’m Eleanor.”

The little boy considered this, then smiled back.

“I’m Ethan.”

Something brightened in Eleanor’s eyes.

“A pleasure to meet you.”

The formal greeting made Ethan glance at Sophia in confusion.

Sophia bit back a smile, while beside her, Alexander looked suspiciously amused.

◆ ◆ ◆

Inside, the atmosphere was far less hostile than Sophia had anticipated.

Eleanor led them into a sunlit sitting room overlooking the gardens, where tea and a truly excessive number of cookies waited on a polished table.

Ethan noticed the spread immediately.

“Are those for us?”

Eleanor followed his gaze.

“Primarily for you.”

His face lit up.

Eleanor looked absurdly pleased with herself, leaving Sophia staring in disbelief.

Alexander caught her eye, his expression clearly saying, I told you she wasn’t completely terrifying.

Sophia wasn’t convinced just yet.

◆ ◆ ◆

For the first half hour, Eleanor focused entirely on Ethan.

She didn’t interrogate or evaluate him; she simply talked.

They discussed school, his friends, dinosaurs, and his favorite books.

The conversation flowed naturally.

Eventually, Ethan forgot to be nervous, and the lingering tension in the room began to dissipate.

Sophia studied Eleanor carefully.

The older woman listened with genuine interest, a surprising contrast to the ruthless monarch Sophia had braced herself to face.

◆ ◆ ◆

At one point, Ethan climbed out of his chair to investigate a towering bookshelf.

The moment he wandered away, a dangerous quiet settled over the room.

Eleanor turned toward her grandson.

“Leave us.”

Alexander blinked.

“Grandmother—”

“Alexander.”

It was a warning, ancient and absolute.

He sighed, and Sophia stiffened.

Alexander noticed her reaction.

“It’ll be okay,” he murmured.

The familiar protectiveness in his voice affected her far more than it should have.

Always again.

After a brief hesitation, he left the room.

◆ ◆ ◆

The moment the door clicked shut, Eleanor shifted her full attention to Sophia.

The weight of that scrutiny was immense.

“You love him,” Eleanor stated.

The blunt words caught Sophia off guard.

“What?”

“My grandson. You still love him.”

There was no judgment in her tone, only observation, which somehow felt worse.

Sophia stared down at her hands, the silence stretching between them.

Finally, she exhaled.

“That’s complicated.”

“No.”

Eleanor lifted her teacup.

“The situation is complicated. The emotion is very simple.”

The accuracy stung because it was true.

Painfully true.

◆ ◆ ◆

Across the room, Ethan spun an antique globe, completely oblivious to the emotional landmine unfolding nearby.

Eleanor watched him for a moment before looking back at Sophia.

“Alexander has loved exactly one woman his entire life.”

Sophia’s heart stumbled.

“Eleanor—”

“It wasn’t Victoria,” the older woman interrupted, her tone sharpening. “It wasn’t anyone after you, either.”

Sophia looked away, the confession landing in a vulnerable place she tried very hard to guard.

“He hurt me.”

Eleanor nodded.

“Yes. He was arrogant.”

“Very,” Sophia agreed.

A sudden laugh escaped her before she could stop it.

Eleanor looked entirely satisfied.

“As I said. Arrogant.”

◆ ◆ ◆

The door opened, and Alexander returned.

His gaze immediately found Sophia, lingering as he checked for any sign of distress.

Sophia hated how much she noticed the gesture—and how much she liked it.

Eleanor observed the silent exchange, letting nothing escape her.

◆ ◆ ◆

Lunch followed, then a tour of the gardens.

By the end of the afternoon, Ethan had completely charmed the household staff.

Sophia watched him run across the lawn with a paper airplane, his bright laughter drifting through the warm afternoon air.

For the first time in weeks, he looked carefree.

The sight brought tears to her eyes.

Alexander stepped beside her—close, not touching, yet always present.

“He looks happy,” he said softly.

Sophia nodded.

“He does.”

For a moment, they simply watched their son.

The concept still felt massive, fragile, and life-changing.

Alexander glanced at her, the sunlight catching in her hair, and a familiar ache spread through his chest.

God, he had missed this.

Standing beside her.

Sharing quiet moments.

Pretending, even briefly, that the world wasn’t trying to tear them apart.

Sophia felt his gaze.

The heavy awareness settled between them immediately—warm, dangerous, and unfinished.

Neither looked away.

◆ ◆ ◆

“Ethan,” Eleanor’s voice carried across the lawn.

The little boy jogged over, the paper airplane clutched in his hand.

“Yes?”

The older woman crouched gracefully to his eye level.

As she studied him, her expression slowly changed.

Sophia noticed the shift first.

Then Alexander.

The warmth faded from Eleanor’s face, replaced by a stunned realization.

For one suspended moment, she simply stared at Ethan’s eyes, his smile, and the distinctive tilt of his head.

Alexander frowned, taking a step forward.

“Grandmother?”

Eleanor didn’t answer.

Her gaze lifted slowly from Ethan to Alexander, then back again.

The resemblance was suddenly impossible to ignore.

It wasn’t merely a passing similarity.

It was unmistakable.

They shared the same eyes, the same expression, and the same stubborn determination already visible despite the boy’s youth.

A miniature version of Alexander stood directly in front of her.

Eleanor inhaled sharply, looking genuinely shaken.

“My God,” she whispered.

Sophia’s stomach dropped as Alexander went completely still.

Eleanor’s eyes never left the boy.

Then she voiced the thought that would inevitably haunt the entire Knight family.

“He looks exactly like you.”

The silence that followed felt enormous.

And Sophia knew everything was about to change.