In the room, Ava grabbed the old man’s sleeve with a pitiful look.
“Grandfather, do you see now? My two aunts look down on me, and they don’t like me at all.”
“Why do you think that? We’re one family, and no one will look down on you.”
The old man patted her hand lightly, and his heart ached when he saw the injury on her hand. It had only been a month since she returned with him, but she had been in several accidents. Did someone from the family have a grudge against her?
“Ava, why don’t you tell me what happened today?”
He heard that she was almost hit by a car, but neither he nor Butler Milo knew what had actually happened.
“I am also not sure. My mother and I… Aunt Grace and I were walking on the road when a car suddenly hit me from behind.”
“Yes, Old Master Garcia, had our Ava not been vigilant, I am afraid that she…”
Grace looked as though she feared for Ava’s life when she recalled what had happened.
“Did you see who was in the car?” the older man asked.
Ava shook her head as she muttered, “I was too scared at that time. How would I bother to look for the details?”
“Yes, Old Master Garcia, our Ava almost went to hell and back.”
Grace added quickly, “You are putting her in distress by asking her to recall the scene.”
Ava had tears in her eyes.
“Grandfather, don’t you believe me? But I… I am your granddaughter!”
“How could I not believe you?” The old man quickly explained, “I am just concerned about you and wanted to know what had happened.
“Also, where did it happen? I will get someone to investigate, and we should be able to find out what had happened.”
“No!” Ava immediately grabbed his sleeve and anxiously said, “Grandfather, if… if it is really someone from this family, how would we face each other in the future if you found out the truth?”
“I want to investigate to eliminate your doubts. Wouldn’t it be good to know that it wasn’t someone from this family?”
If she thought that someone in the family had wanted to harm her, why would she fear that the investigation would hurt everyone’s feelings? Had she cared for the family’s harmony, she would not have thrown out those hurtful remarks to offend everyone.
“Grandfather, please don’t investigate this! I’m terrified!”
Ava glanced at Grace, who secretly winked at her. Ava grabbed the old master’s sleeve again, and her tone softened.
“Grandfather, I know that everyone looks down on me because I’m an outsider who has just returned to the family.”
“Furthermore, everyone in this family has a high status and good reputations, and I am just a nobody.”
“You are Harley’s daughter and my only granddaughter. How can you be a nobody?”
The old man felt distressed. Whenever he thought of his deceased son, his heart would ache.
“But I don’t have anything with me, and all of them have shares in Garcia Corporation.”
Ava bit her lips as tears welled in her eyes.
“Even if I am my father’s daughter, who is willing to acknowledge my status?”
The old master looked at her, but he said nothing. Grace gave Ava a look; she was flustered. Ava must have delved too fast into the topic, and she was probably too direct. Grace was afraid that the old master might not be too happy about that.
He was the Garcia family’s head, so they had to be careful with what they would say. Even though the old master had retired, he was still a prominent figure in society, and he was not someone to be taken lightly. Most legends were shared and experienced. It would not be easy to mislead them. However, it did not seem like Ava was worried about him at all. She had already figured out how to deal with the old master. She knew that he would agree with her request!
“Grandfather, did my father also not have any status in this household?”
“What? Why would you think that?” the old man asked bitterly.
Harley was like a thorn in his heart. No one in the family would dare to bring up topics about him because the memories were simply too painful to remember. However, Ava had mentioned him repeatedly. He felt as if his heart had been shredded multiple times.
“What do you think you’ll need so that everyone won’t look down on you?” The old man decided the direct approach was the best way to avoid any mention of his late son.
“Grandfather, I don’t want anything, really. You know that I never cared about those materialistic things.”
Ava rubbed the corner of her eyes pitifully. “I just… I just don’t want anyone to take me lightly because I’m my father’s daughter. Otherwise, he would be sad if he were to look in on me from the heavens.”
“Very well. When I get to the office next week, I will transfer all the shares that were meant for Harley.”
“Really?” Ava’s eyes suddenly lit up.
However, she remained cautious after that. She did not want to appear too obvious about her intentions.
She hastily hid her smile and whispered, “I think you must have really loved my father, and I’m so happy to be his daughter. I’m really happy.”
“It’s good that you’re happy.” The old man nodded at her. It looked like he was content that she was finally happy.
“Have a good rest. I will need to make preparations before I bring you to the office next Monday.”
He wanted to leave, but he noticed that Ava had something she wanted to say. It seemed like she hesitated.
In the past, whenever the old master saw such a reaction from her, he would if there was anything wrong with her. However, he did not bother to ask her that day; he had turned around to leave. That made Grace and Henry anxious, and Ava was nervous about that as well. She wanted to reach out when she almost fell from the bed.
“Grandfather… Grandfather!” She called out softly.
The old master stopped in his tracks and looked at her. “What’s wrong? Are you uncomfortable?”
“No, I’m not very uncomfortable, but my wound still hurts.” Ava grimaced as if she was troubled by the pain.
The old master quickly returned to her side to examine her arm. “Does it hurt a lot? Maybe I’ll get the doctor to get a look at you.”
“No need, Grandfather! I feel so much better knowing that you care about me so much.”
Ava smiled at him. Even though it was a difficult question, Ava had to know the answer, no matter what.
“Grandfather, how many shares did you leave for my father?”
The old man kept his silence for a few moments.
Ava panicked. “Grandfather, are you…unhappy with the question? I won’t ask if you don’t like it!” She lowered her head and acted as if she was depressed.
“I wanted to know more about my father. It will feel like he is by my side if I know more about him.”
“Grandfather, I don’t mean anything by it. If you are not happy, then I won’t ask…”
“I had wanted to give him all of my shares.” The old man’s face was sullen, but he did not seem to be angry at all. He just looked heavy-hearted about it.
He continued, “But you are still young, so I will first give you ten percent for now.”
“Ten percent?”
“Don’t worry. Your aunts only have five percent each.”
The old man patted the back of her hand as if to comfort her. “I will leave all of Garcia Corporation to you in the future.”