Piper’s POV
“Grandma, this is about what happened seven years ago. You probably remember everything that happened to me. Do you know what happened to me after that?” I asked.
“Oh, yes, of course. I still remember the incident at the hotel. I’m sorry I don’t know what happened to you after I kicked you and your mother out of this mansion. Forgive me, Piper. I feel so bad for both of you, especially your late father. If only my heart had been softer back then, maybe we wouldn’t have had to stop talking and seeing each other for seven years. Can you tell me what happened to you after you left the mansion?” she asked with teary eyes and a few tears falling down her face.
I touched her hand and caressed it. “Don’t blame yourself, Grandma. I understand your principles. And I never blame you, and neither did Mom. We never hate you as well. So, when Mom and I left the mansion, we stayed in the apartment that Lisa gave me. She’s my best friend who’s been coming here since I was little. You must still remember her. A month after that incident, I got pregnant. Eight months later, I gave birth to twins. And these are my twins. And the man who accidentally spent the night with me was Jay.”
“Wh-what? Didn’t I hear wrong? What exactly happened to you?” she asked with wide eyes and a much higher tone of voice. There was great curiosity lodged within her.
“It’s an endless story. And it all has to do with Megan,” I replied.
“Megan? What do you mean? I don’t understand,” she asked, even more curious.
Suddenly, from the direction of the kitchen, I saw Erin, Megan’s mother, walking towards us. I could see the arrogance in her walk and the look in her eyes. She didn’t change. She stared at me like a lion staring at its prey.
“Oh, Piper. Long time no see. How are you?” Aunty asked without accepting my hand. Annoyance, anger, and a desire to teach her a lesson were all mixed, but I had to control myself and not be provoked. I had to deal with it elegantly.
“Good morning, Aunty. I’m fine. How are you, Uncle, and Megan?” I asked, smiling at her.
“We’re fine and happy. Thank you for your concern, Piper. Oh, you must be Jay, right? It’s true, you’re handsome,” Aunty asked Jay. She immediately smiled. It was a far cry from the look on her face when she spoke to me.
She has never changed. A fan of young and handsome men.
“My name is Jay. Nice to meet you, Aunty,” Jay replied as she shook Jay’s hand. This time I was really upset. Her treatment of the two of us was so much different. It turned out that what Mom said about her was true. She never considered us to exist. Even though since childhood, I thought I had a good relationship with her since she and Uncle John moved to grandma’s mansion and did not live in an apartment anymore.
With a red flush on her face, she looked at Jay with soft and warm eyes. Then, by chance, she noticed a box sitting beside Grandma’s chair.
“Mom, what is this box?” Aunt Erin asked as she picked up a small box that we hadn’t seen before. It was blue and decorated with a blue ribbon.
Grandma quickly took the box back from Aunty’s hand. Her face looked unhappy, and she frowned slightly.
“This is none of your business. I am going to give this box to Piper. Can you please leave because we have something to talk about in private,” Grandma pleaded while glaring at Aunty.
Instantly, Aunty became awkward and a look of displeasure crossed her face. She probably didn’t think Grandma would say something like that to her in front of us. But, this kind of scene is nothing new to me. Ever since she married Uncle John, Grandma never liked Aunt Erin.
“Mom, can’t you respect me more? I’ve been patient all this time with your unfriendly attitude. But how long do I have to be patient? Can you tell me?” Aunty asked with sharp eyes and a lofty tone of voice while throwing the tissue she was holding onto the table.
“Erin, I’ll answer your question later, after my business with Piper and Jay is done. Sorry, please leave us alone,” Grandma replied.
Despite the annoyed look on her face, Aunty left while exhaling a quick breath. She said nothing to us and just walked away. A familiar sight to me.
“What was our last conversation?” Grandma asked.
“Megan.”
“Oh yes, I remember now. Please explain to me,” she pleaded as she sipped her tea.
“From the results of the investigation conducted by Jay on the night of the incident, Megan intended to give me to a masher. He wasn’t an ordinary man. Megan must have made a deal with him. She deliberately got me drunk and took me to the hotel room. Apparently, by accident, the room keys that were in Jay’s and the guy’s hands were switched and Grandma knows the rest of the story,” I replied.
Jay took my hand. Occasionally, we looked at each other. He smiled, trying to give me support.
“And our purpose here is to ask for your blessing. I want to marry Piper and start a little family with her. I hope you don’t mind,” Jay said.
Grandma let out a quick breath. “So. Since that incident, I’ve travelled to another city to take care of my business for two years. I knew nothing about you, and no one told me about you.”
Grandma’s eyes looked at me and Jay. “Jay, make Piper happy, and don’t make her suffer. I entrust Piper to you.”
Big smiles instantly spread across our lips. Jay took Grandma’s hand and thanked her several times.
“Thank you, Grandma,” I said as I wiped away the tears that had fallen on my face.
“Don’t cry, Piper. It’s time for you to get your happiness. I will always support you,” she said.
“So, what did you want to tell us?” I asked.
Grandma picked up her tea glass and downed the contents, then I poured some tea into her empty glass. “Here’s the tea.”
“Thank you, dear,” she replied. Then, she looked around us like someone checking the surroundings.
“What’s wrong, grandma? Are you looking for maids? I’ll call them here,” I asked, confused.
“No, no. I want to make sure Erin isn’t around,” she replied, checking our surroundings.
“But why? What’s going on?” I asked curiously.
“It’s about Erin, Megan, and Freddy. You still remember Freddy, right?” she asked in a semi-whisper.