Chapter 514
Upon hearing this, Ann’s eyes lit up. She turned to Amanda, her voice tinged with hope. “But Grandma’s heart is already halfway across the Atlantic. Do you really think she’ll take me with her to visit the Richards family p>
Amanda narrowed her eyes, a sly smile playing on her lips. “You’re still her granddaughter. Of course she’ll take you. Oh, and Ann, didn’t you mention before that Daniel Richards has feelings for you p>
“That’s right.” Ann nodded, unable to keep the excitement out of her voice.
Just thinking about Daniel made her heart race uncontrollably.
“If that’s the case, things couldn’t be better,” Amanda continued. “You know your situation—there’s no way the Sylvester family would take in a daughter-in-law with a bad leg, and Gordon is hardly approachable. You need to focus all your energy on Daniel! He’s the youngest grandson of the Richards family, and everyone knows grandmothers spoil their youngest. I’d bet anything he’s Hannah’s favorite grandchild. If you manage to marry him, you’ll become the new lady of the house. The first lady of Neon Spire p>
“Even Caitlin would have to defer to you then p>
If her daughter married Daniel, everything the Richardses owned would eventually be under Ann’s control. And Caitlin? She’d be nothing less than nothing. Not even worth the dirt under Ann’s shoes.
The thought of putting Caitlin in her place brought an unrestrained joy to Ann’s face. “Alright, Mom. Let’s go see Grandma at the Gonzales estate. I can’t promise everything, but I guarantee, once Daniel sees me, he won’t be able to look away. He’ll have eyes for no one else but me p>
Ann was absolutely confident when it came to Daniel.
Though Daniel had never told her he loved her, Ann was sure she saw it in his eyes—an unmistakable longing. The most telling thing was, despite all the time they’d spent alone together, Daniel still hadn’t added her on WhatsApp. Why was that?
It was obvious! He was too shy to say it out loud. Everyone knows men get tongue-tied around the girls they like. They can’t even bring themselves to look them in the eye.
Ann had observed carefully: whenever she was around Daniel, he never dared meet her gaze, never once initiated a chat, not even when everyone sat together at dinner-he seemed to avoid sitting too close to her.
All these signs pointed to one thing: Daniel loved her.
Loved her madly and hopelessly.
Amanda looked at her daughter with pride written all over her face.
So what if her daughter had a limp and couldn’t walk without help? Even with that, Ann would still marry into the Richards family and become their matriarch!
There were heiresses out there, prettier than Ann and with no physical flaws, who would give anything for a chance to marry into the Richards family. But they didn’t even have a shot at getting noticed let alone welcomed in.
Half an hour later.
Amanda arrived at Gonzales Manor with Ann in tow.
Inside, Keira was gently wiping Stuart Gonzales’s face with a damp cloth.
“Stuart, you need to wake up soon, so you can help Freya find Carey,” she murmured.
Stuart lay motionless in bed, as unresponsive as a mannequin.
Amanda narrowed her eyes at the scene. Wake up? Maybe once, there was the faintest hope for Stuart to recover, but after Caitlin’s so-called treatment, any chance was as good as gone.
She pushed aside her thoughts and took Ann into the room. “Mom, Ann and I came to see you p>
Keira wiped a tear from her cheek and turned to greet them.
Ann’s voice was sweet as honey. “Hi, Grandma p>
Keira nodded kindly. “Ann, you’re here. Have a seat p>
Ann took the cloth from Keira’s hand, eager to make herself useful. “Grandma, let me help wipe Uncle Stuart’s face p>
Keira smiled gently. “That’s alright, dear. I’ve already done it p>
Ann put the cloth down without protest. Truth be told, she wasn’t particularly eager to fuss over a man in a coma.
Though Stuart was her uncle by blood, Ann felt little connection to this shell of a
man.
Amanda exchanged a few pleasantries with Keira before shifting the conversation. “By the way, Mom, when’s your flight to Neon Spire p>
“Nine o’clock in the morning on the 8th,” Keira replied.
Amanda looked at her intently. “Mom, you haven’t been feeling well, and with Freya not around, why don’t you let Ann go with you to Neon Spirer’d set my mind at ease Besides, I’ve prepared a small gift for Hannah-Ann can take it with her p>
Amanda’s excuse was flawless: it showed Ann’s filial devotion and served Amanda’s real purpose in one move.
Now all that was left was for Keira to agree.
Take Ann to Neon Spire with her? Keira’s brow furrowed ever so slightly.
Not only did Ann have no connection to the Richards family, but after that fiasco with the mistaken identity, Keira simply couldn’t take her along. If she did, it wouldn’t be a
celebration it would be asking for trouble.
Keira might be getting on in years, but she wasn’t senile. She knew perfectly well
what lines shouldn’t be crossed.
She smiled at Amanda. “Amanda,
ever since Freya came back, I’ve been feeling better every day. I’ll be fine going to Neon Spire on my own on the 8th. No need for Ann along. Besides, I’ve already prepared a gift for Hannah there’s no need for you to worry about it. After all,
Precome
the Richards family is Freya’s grandmother’s side, not Ann’s. If you send a gift through Ann, people might get the wrong idea p>