Lucas held his granny on the small of her back as they scrambled into the house. He heard his granny grinding her teeth, seething just because Danika is here. Well, he knows his granny wouldn’t want Danika here but since Hera is around, he needs to prove to her that he loves Danika.
He needs to convince them even if it warrants doing things he despises the most. He heard Danika’s footfall behind them and with the way it sounds, he could tell she’s stomping her foot with sheer anger.
Both Danika and his granny are sworn enemies. Not like the granny has issues. No. She’s a very frisky woman and always chatty but Danika tried to dominate her the first time they met.
Just like the way she dominates Lucas but she forgot not everyone would accommodate demeanors like that.
When they made an entrée to the hub of the living room, Lucas began humming a birthday song for his granny and accompanied it with a mild ovation.
The granny felt her heart jerking in joy at Lucas’ acts. She began twitching her lips in a profound smile and before long, she inched to the window and called on John and other seniors outside to come into the house.
The others assembled and they joined Lucas in singing and clapping for his granny.
However, the caregiver the granny lives with finished setting the table of food and joined the merriment.
Their sing-song voice filled the air and the ambiance was that of shrieks of laughter. Danika estranged herself by the corner of the small living room, watching the others as though they have a contagious disease.
“Many more beautiful, love-filled, and healthy years granny.” Lucas said when the room quietened down.
He drew closer to her and brought out a small velvety box from his hand. He flipped it open and the small gold necklace in it beamed in front of his granny. The old woman crinkled her cheeks in a smile.
“For me?” She asked pointing at the box and Lucas nodded.
As he rounded his granny to put the necklace on her, John stopped him.
Surprised, Lucas paused and stared at the man. John crept closer to Lucas and asked him to hand the necklace to him. Wordlessly, Lucas gave him the necklace and he took it
He stared at the woman with smiles on his face. You could see the wrinkles at the corner of his eyes as he smiled.
“I…I want to make this official.” John said, his voice wavering. But it’s only because he’s old already.
“Everyone…I want you…to witness this today.” He turned to face Lucas and the others. Thereafter, he spiraled to face Lucas’s granny.
“Will be my girlfriend, Elizabeth?” He said trying to increase the sound of his voice to the best of his ability.
Lucas couldn’t control his laughter. He crossed his arms over to his chest, watching to hear what his granny would say.
To Lucas’s surprise, his granny blushed like a high school girl who’s being wooed by her crush. His granny bashed her eyes at him when she heard him laughing but Lucas muted immediately and shrugged.
Rolling her eyes, she stared back at John and fanned her face with her right hand still blushing.
“John!” She called.
Everyone in the room held a hint of laughter on their faces.
Romantic escapades at old age. That’s a whole different story and appealing to watch.
“I like…you John.” She admitted and everyone laughed but Lucas’s laughter was more high-pitched.
Danika wore a sneer on her face watching the scene. She couldn’t stop rolling her eyes in contempt.
“Yes…John. I’ll be your girlfriend.” She yelped joyfully and the room was filled with another ovation.
John rounded her and clipped the necklace on her neck then encircled her waist from behind, pressing his chest hard on her back.
Lucas’s granny held his hands on her waist and reclined her head on his.
“Thank you for accepting my proposal,” John whispered in her ears and they giggled.
Lucas then instructed the granny’s caregiver to serve everyone their food. They ate with words in their mouths.
Danika didn’t attempt to mingle with them even the food offered to her she rejected it and was fiddling with her phone all the while.
As time crawled by, the seniors left the house. Now, the granny had more chance to express herself since her birthday celebration has ended.
“Lucas…you know I don’t like having devil as visitors. I wonder why you brought a devil to my place instead of an angel or a saint.” She began taunting.
However, Lucas plodded into the restroom to pee so he didn’t grasp a thing from what the granny blurted.
Danika on the other hand heard every bit of the word she said. She rose from her seat and crawled closer to the granny where she sat looking outside from the windowsill.
“And I hate coming to Lucifer’s house too. Can’t you see the hatred so raw and so mutual?” Danika whispered in her ears.
The granny jumped backward when she heard Danika whispering in her ears because her mind was too focused outside as she and Lucas were chattering before.
So she didn’t know when Lucas left for the restroom. The granny fell from the seat she was on due to the sudden impact. She wasn’t expecting such, so she was beyond startled.
“You…gold digger.” The granny spat with her mangled lips as she struggled to rise to her feet.
Danika dropped to her haunches, staring down at the old woman.
“You actually got that wrong there…crone,” Danika muttered, fiddling with the pendant on the necklace Lucas got his granny.
She puffed a long breath and a scoff sounds from her lips.
“Your grandson is the real ass gold digger here.” Danika wheezed, her long breath fanned the granny’s face.
The granny jerked her head back in disgust and scrunched up her lips.
“My boy can never be a gold digger like you…” She said defiantly but Danika cut her off.
“I’m afraid he is.” She tsked and forcefully tugged the necklace on the granny’s neck. The impact sent searing pains down the woman’s body. She let out a groan but was muffled when Danika placed her palm on the woman’s mouth.
“Shush…don’t draw attention now, okay?” She murmured. But the old lady was too consumed by pain to give off any bit of reaction.
“So, like I was saying…your boy is apparently depending on my family for survival.” She huffed.
“He needs money. Real big money to survive. So do you see why I said he’s the real ass gold digger?”
Danika’s heart bubbles with laughter.
She heard footfall closing in on them and immediately let go of the granny’s necklace and rose to her feet.
Lucas dashed in immediately and beheld his granny tossing on the floor and wincing in pain.
In matters of seconds, he already loomed over his granny, trying to pick her up.
“Danika!!” he yelled her name, making Danika skid to a halt. She twirled and faced him.
“What!?” she asked, narrowing her eyes.
“What did you do to her?” He demanded, voice steely.
Danika twirled around and began walking outside.
“I told her about our forthcoming wedding!” She exclaimed and slammed the door shut.
The granny gasped as Danika’s words swept her off her feet.
“What!? What wedding is she talking about?” She asked shock beclouded her.
Lucas scratched the back of his head, clicking his tongue as he hunt for words to explain the whole thing to his granny.
“Well uh…grandma.” He turned to a stammering mess as words failed him.
“Speak up Lucas!” She demanded.
“I might marry her!” He blurted. The granny’s face was awash by shock.
“You won’t marry a devil. She’ll destroy your life. She’ll kill your happiness and joy and dreams and future!” The granny yelped, throwing her hands in the air.
“Grandma. My future is already a mess.” Lucas blurted, taking the woman by surprise.
She twisted her head in disapproval. “Your future is not a mess. She made you believe you’re a mess.” She whispered.
Lucas pulled her close and crushed her in a hug.
“Grandma. My company is folding and I need help to revitalize it. So, I don’t have options but to marry Danika and gain help from her family.” He explained, voice gruff.
“No. She can’t be your wife. That woman will only turn you into a puppet and destroy your life. No” She disagreed, extricating from their crushing hug.
“I have to granny…” Lucas tried to speak but his granny raised her hand up, shushing him.
She turned her back to Lucas and worded.
“If you decide to marry her. Then don’t ever call me. I’ll sever ties with you and never accept you as my grandson. And I’ll never attend your wedding.”
After saying this, she paced to her room and slammed the door shut.
Can it get any worse?
Lucas’s mind dipped in a slush of confusion.
He kicked his foot on the couch, slammed his fist on the table, and pummel his head on the windowsill.
Frustration took over him.