Early the next morning, after Deanna had breakfast, she sent the children to school. When she returned, she frowned as she looked at the sky.
Dark clouds loomed overhead, and the air was hot and humid, indicating that it was going to rain. Some of the medicinal herbs in her garden couldn't have too much moisture, or their effectiveness would be reduced. She needed to take some protective measures.
So, she busied herself in the garden early in the morning. It wasn't until noon that she finished her work. Suddenly, the rain poured down heavily with a howling wind.
Deanna sighed. It was indeed raining, but fortunately, she had brought her rain gear. It was a good thing she arrived early; otherwise, the herbs would have been submerged in the heavy rain.
After tidying up, she walked home under the umbrella. Just as she arrived home, she heard Old Ashley's painful cry.
"Ouch!"
Old Ashley lay on the bed in the bedroom, holding her waist in pain, grimacing.
Deanna hurried over, concerned, "Grandma, are you okay? Do you need to go to the hospital?"
With a furrowed brow and a worried expression, she held onto Old Ashley.
Old Ashley, sweating profusely and weakly shook her head, managing a smile, "No need, Deanna. It's just my old back pain acting up when it rains. Going to the hospital won't help. Don't worry, I'll be fine after resting a bit."
Deanna still looked worried. Her hand gently stroked Old Ashley's back, "Then let me massage it for you." Her master had taught her methods to relieve back pain, which should be effective.
Indeed, Old Ashley's complexion improved, and her lips regained some color.
"Deanna, your hands are truly magical. The pain subsides as soon as you touch me."
She was very relieved that her granddaughter was so filial. However, she still felt weak all over.
Deanna smiled, "In the future, whenever you feel uncomfortable, just let me know, I'll massage you anytime."
She glanced at the clock; it was time for lunch. She tucked Old Ashley in and gently said, "You rest for a while, I'll go make lunch for you."
The entire afternoon, Deanna stayed by Old Ashley's side, taking care of her.
It wasn't until evening when Deanna suddenly received a call from Garrett.
Could it be that he agreed to return her property?
This stingy old fox, when did he become so generous?
She answered the call suspiciously. Garrett's voice came from the other end, "Deanna, do you still want these two children?"
"What?"
She was stunned, a bad thought arising in her mind.
Had Chloe and Gregory fallen into his hands?
Garrett snorted, continuing, "If you do, come to Cloudpeak Tavern immediately. If not, I'll handle them as I see fit."
He spoke casually, as if what he was going to 'handle' were not his descendants but mere rubbish.
Her suspicions confirmed, she clenched her phone, burning with anger, and yelled at Garrett, "You took them away? I warn you, Garrett, if you dare to harm them, I won't let you off the hook!"
There was no response from him. Garrett sat in the car and hung up the phone.
The two children huddled together beside him, silent.
Just now, Garrett had forcibly taken them away under the pretext of being their grandfather.
Garrett glanced at them, his eyes full of disdain.
Were these two brats even worthy of being his relatives? He didn't acknowledge it.
The reason he brought them was to put pressure on Deanna.
As he stared at them, Chloe felt frightened and hid behind her brother, trembling.
Seeing her like this, Garrett inwardly scolded her: such a coward.
Gregory protected his sister, but there was no fear on his face.
He even looked directly at Garrett, his eyes icy.
Garrett frowned at his gaze, immediately furious, "What are you looking at? Don't you know you should greet your elders?"
He rolled his eyes, indeed taught by Deanna, with no manners at all!
Where was the demeanor of the Jones family?
Gregory calmly spoke, his tone indifferent, "Indeed, greetings are proper, but I'm not sure how to address you."
As he said this, Gregory looked away, refusing to look at him.
Garrett was instantly enraged. A brat like him was ignoring him?
"I am Deanna's biological father. You should call me Grandpa!"
He widened his eyes, speaking loudly.
Chloe shivered at his outburst, and Gregory furrowed his brows, holding her protectively.
"I know that you are my mommy's biological father. But you have already driven my mommy away. So, I don't see why I should call you Grandpa. Moreover, I don't want to. You're threatening mommy, and that's not something a gentleman does!"
Gregory showed no fear, staring back at Garrett, their eyes locking.
Gregory's words were clear and logical. Garrett was momentarily at a loss for a rebuttal, choking on his words.
Garrett could only sarcastically remark, "Sharp tongue!"
However, he was inwardly surprised. Such a young child spoke so coherently.
Gregory calmly retorted, "I'm just expressing my thoughts. When you were bullying my mommy, you didn't even blink! Now you're resorting to such despicable actions, thinking we have no power to resist. Everything online, I've seen it. It's that bad woman's fault! She framed my mommy first! Now, you're using us to threaten my mommy. You're not a good person either!"