Chapter 137: Can I See Grandma

Finally, the car came to a stop.

The school teacher, however, informed them that Ben had fallen ill and hadn't attended school for three days.

Ava quickly called the butler who was looking after Ben; the phone rang for over ten seconds before it was answered.

"Who is this?" The butler's voice on the other end had aged considerably.

"Butler, it's me, Ava."

And so, Ava and Ryan arrived at the beachside, where the butler was keeping watch, his gaze fixed intently on a small figure in the distance, not daring to let his attention waver for a moment.

That was Ben, sitting motionless on the sandy beach facing the sea.

"I'll go, you wait here," Ava shook her head at Ryan, signaling for him to stay put, and then she began to walk step by step towards the distant figure.

Hearing the footsteps behind him, Ben did not turn around; his eyes remained blankly fixed on the sea before him, showing no concern for the movements behind.

At that moment, it didn't matter to him who had come.

Ben thought this way until a pair of slender hands rested on his shoulders, and a familiar scent filled his nostrils.

This smell was...

In an instant, Ben's heart began to race, and he suddenly realized whose fragrance this was.

"Ava."

Ben turned his head, surprised and exclaimed, "It's you? It really is you, I'm not dreaming, am I?"

"It's me, Ben, I'm here, I've come to see you."

The next moment, Ava nestled against him, quietly sitting down beside him.

"Why didn't you go to school?"

Ben let out a bitter laugh, "Ava, you know the reason."

The scandal involving Golden Group had become a nationwide topic, and Ben was no longer a child; he couldn't have been unaware.

Ava did not continue with this subject and, in the next moment, changed to a lighter tone,

"Ben, are you hungry? I'm a bit hungry myself. To be honest, this is my first time in Oxford. Can you take me to get something to eat?"

Upon hearing this, Ben's gaze towards her became surprised. After several seconds, he nodded numbly in agreement.

Turning their heads, Ben's line of sight suddenly caught Ryan's face, and he noticeably flinched, clearly not wanting to see him.

"It's okay, Ben. If you don't want to see your uncle, we won't bring him. How about just the three of us, you, me, and the butler?"

Ben hesitated for a moment. Although he was somewhat resistant to Ryan, he also knew that it would be impolite to be so rude, considering he was his elder.

"Let's go together," Ben said indifferently.

With that, the four of them arrived at a distinctive restaurant in Oxford, sat down, and ordered some dishes. Next to them, a mother and son were also seated, quietly having their meal. The mother placed a large drumstick into the child's bowl.

"Here, eat more."

Over here, Ben quickly glanced at them and then quickly withdrew his gaze, pretending not to care.

But soon, the child at the neighboring table began to cry loudly for some reason. Seeing this, the mother immediately held the child in her arms and whispered comforting words.

Ava seemed to hear Ben let out a soft sigh beside her.

The dishes arrived quickly, and the atmosphere among the four of them was somewhat complicated. Ava tried her best to take care of Ben's emotions when, with a "plop," a droplet of water cut through the air and slid down.

"Ben..."

She turned her head to look, only to find a tear sliding from his eyes.

Mother, what did this word mean to him? In his memory, the image of his previous mother had become very vague; he could not even remember her face.

Ryan was also stunned for a moment, and his gaze towards Ben became more complex. Just looking at his face, he indeed resembled Grace, but even more so, Daniel.

"Ben, come back to London with us." In the end, he still spoke up, uttering the words he had wanted to say all along, which was also the true purpose of his visit today.

Now, Grace lay in the hospital every day, unwilling to see anyone. Ryan knew well that she couldn't get over the hurdle in her heart. Since she couldn't, he would help her. He was very clear that Ben was the thorn in her heart; only by removing it and encouraging her to face the child herself could she fully move on.

Upon hearing this, Ben was taken aback and instinctively showed a fearful expression. Ava quickly shook her head at Ryan, signaling him to stop.

At this moment, the butler sighed softly but also asked Ben, "Young master, would you like to go back and see the old lady?"

Ben's heart was actually very complicated. At that time, he naturally already knew that this so - called "grandmother" was actually his "mother." Even in terms of moral public opinion, people all over the world would condemn such an absurd and outrageous relationship, but... he could finally struggle with another voice in his heart:

He, Ben, also had a mother; he was not parentless, not an orphan.

"Never mind, butler, don't force him. He's still a child." Seeing Ben's embarrassed look, Ava took the initiative to answer on his behalf.

However, as soon as she finished speaking, she felt Ben tugging at her sleeve, seemingly displeased with her response.

Could it be...

Ava was taken aback, but then she heard Ben's indifferent voice ringing in her ear,

"I can see grandma."

...

Grace lay in bed, her eyes lifelessly staring at the ceiling. At this moment, the butler came in and mustered his courage to say,

"The second young master has arrived."

Grace's expression changed slightly, her lips trembling ever so slightly,

"I don't want to see anyone."

"Does mom not want to see him, or is she afraid to see him?"

At this moment, Ryan's tall figure had already appeared at the ward door.

"Get out..."

Grace was startled and quickly turned her head away, unwilling to meet his eyes.

"Is mom planning to never see me again?" Ryan's footsteps drew nearer and nearer, and Grace's breathing suddenly became rapid, as if her throat had been clenched.

Ryan stopped and sat on the chair in front of her bed, his voice taking on a rare softness.

"Life must go on, and you must also face the public."

Grace's nose twitched, a sense of bitterness inexplicably washing over her, and her eyes quickly blurred.

"In fact, mom also wants to see Ben, right?" Ryan's voice sounded again, low and lingering. "I've investigated. The last time Ben had a car accident and urgently needed a blood transfusion, the mysterious person who donated blood to him was mom, wasn't it? I almost forgot, mom also has RH negative blood."

Grace's body jolted violently. She hadn't expected that he would find out about this. She had thought it was a secret that could be kept for a lifetime, unknown to anyone. She was the one who had secretly gone to the hospital to donate blood that night.

But now, everything is no longer a secret that cannot be spoken. Her scandal is known to everyone, and she doesn't even have the chance to refute it. The iron-clad evidence released by the person who exposed the news leaves her with no room to turn things around. Therefore, Golden Group only suppressed the news and the heat, but did not choose to respond.

No response was, in effect, an admission. The public all understood this, taking it as a given.

"You know everything now," Grace finally spoke, but her eyes never found the courage to meet his. "You can hate me; I won't blame you. It's my fault, I've wronged you, I've wronged Golden Group."

"What happened between mom and the eldest brother is no longer important. I don't want to dwell on it anymore. But there is one thing I would like you to answer me seriously, without lying."

A flash of surprise crossed Grace's eyes as she awaited the question he was about to pose.

"Was the eldest brother's accident actually related to you?"

Ryan finally asked the question he most wanted to know.