“Now? Don’t you think it’s a bit late?” Mr. Johnson frowned.
“It’s okay. Lana will understand.” Miles tried to act calm.
“But I don’t think her grandma will understand.”
Miles smiled a bit, “It’s okay. Lana’s grandma adores her. She will do whatever Lana says.”
****
Miles went to the White mansion that afternoon, but Mrs. White’s assistant, Rachel, stopped him by saying, “Please go back. Mr. Johnson. Ma’am is not in the mood to meet anyone.”
“Where’s Lana then? Can I see her?” Miles smiled, not seeming to be offended.
Rachel was quickly annoyed by his behavior. He had the gall to demand to see Lana!
“I’m sorry, Mr. Johnson. But Lana just went to the airport to pick up Betty and her father. I’m afraid you can’t see her as well.”
Miles instantly realized that Mrs. White had sent her granddaughter away purposely.
“Does Lana even know that her grandma wants us to get divorced?”
Rachel smiled back politely, “Lana must have heard about this a little even if Mrs. White hasn’t brought it up with her yet. However, Mr. Johnson, don’t you think it’s a bit foul to continue the marriage when you’re gay? Miss White is a good girl. She can’t waste her time on you. It’s unfair.”
Miles’s face went dark at the word “gay” But he soon managed to let out a polite smile, “Rachel, I didn’t know you would also believe that nonsense made up by those ridiculous paparazzi as well. I thought I wouldn’t need to explain everything. Everyone could tell that my business rivals made up those news stories.”
“Made up or not. What happened has already happened. Why don’t you go back and sign the agreement so we can keep the whole situation in a low-key manner and avoid the court? It’s good for everyone.” Rachel kept a straight face.
“Well, going to the court will shame the two families at the same time. I bet Mrs. White is smarter than that,” Miles said.
Rachel’s face went stern, “Ma’am is doing this for Lana’s happiness. Besides, Ma’am has gone through a lot. Threats of this level won’t shake her. Please go back,” with that, the assistant just turned away and shut the doors in Miles’s face.
Miles hummed, not seeming to be offended at all, as he turned and walked away.
****
Meanwhile, Lana was driving down the highway. Her brother, Marcos White, and his wife, daughter, were all in the backseat.
Marcos had heard about Miles on the news. He tried to persuade Lana to get a divorce, but Lana wouldn’t listen.
Lana immediately went to find her grandma when they arrived at the house.
Marcos and his wife exchanged a look. Betty had gone out to the yard to play. They could finally have some conversations privately.
Marcos’s wife was not happy. “Why did you stop me from telling Lana the truth in the car back then? That Miles Johnson is 100% gay. What will Lana have if she spends the rest of her life with that man? It will be tragic. How could you brush it away?”
Marcos sighed, “I know. But didn’t you see Lana’s face? She clearly doesn’t want anyone to talk about this issue. Besides, Lana’s a tough girl. She’s been trained in the military before. She knows what she’s doing. You will only annoy her by telling her what to do.”
“But… She’s ruining her life.” Marcos’s wife actually only cared about the reputation of the family. But she would never say that explicitly.
“How did you know that Lana doesn’t know what she’s facing right now? She probably chose this route herself,” Marcos reminded his wife.
“So, she already knew that Miles is gay? But why is she still doing this? How could she treat herself this way?” Marcos’s wife couldn’t believe what she had just heard.
“Come on, Yuri, and you know how stubborn Lana is. If she doesn’t get what she really wants, she will be stuck with that issue forever,” Marcos shook his head, “Grandma will handle everything. Let’s just go downstairs and have some food. Grandma probably wants to see us now.”
With that, the couple left the parlor.
Mrs. White was playing with Betty in the dining hall.
“Great, Granny, I brought you a gift,” Betty said cheerfully and took out a small handmade bracelet from her bag, “Look! I made this for you!”
“This is beautiful,” Mrs. White instantly took the bracelet, “You’re amazing, Betty.”
The dinner was magnificent. Mrs. White asked Marcos and Yuri about their life abroad. The couple explained why they didn’t come back for Christmas.
Mrs. White knew they went to visit Yuri’s parents, but she just pretended that she didn’t know.
Lana looked preoccupied the whole time. She tried to talk to Mrs. White before the dinner, but Mrs. White just avoided the conversation, saying her brother finally came back from abroad and that she didn’t want them to worry about too many things at a family union night.
Rachel proposed to take a walk in the garden after dinner.
Lana smiled, “It’s almost 9. Besides, you can’t see anything in the garden this time. It’s winter. Marcos and Yuri have traveled all the way back from abroad. They must be exhausted. Just let them go back to their room and get some rest.”
Lana still wanted to talk to grandma a bit about Miles.
However, Mrs. White took her seat again, “I don’t see why we can’t talk while walking. You know, getting some fresh air is also nice. You guys are too tired to walk?”
Yuri denied instantly, “No… no…no… Taking a walk will be nice. I’m not tired at all.”
Mrs. White looked at Lana coldly, “Go back to your room and get some sleep if you’re tired, Lana. We’re going to the garden.”
“Grandma!” Lana was angry. She finally realized now that her Granny didn’t want to talk to her at all. She was avoiding her on purpose.
Lana didn’t want to hide her anger anymore. She stood up from her chair, “Granny! You know I want to talk to you. Why are you doing this?”
“What do you want to talk about, Lana?” Mrs. White snapped. Her voice was so sharp that Betty was startled.