Chapter 23 FAMILY TIES
Dandelion.
The moment Mrs. Winifred Graham released me from that bone crushing hug, she immediately pulled me to sit beside her, her arm looped through mine like we had known each other forever.
I couldn't help the blush that crept up my cheeks.
She's so warm, and genuinely kind, she was definitely not what I had expected according to all the things Walter and Alexander said about her, I was expecting an overbearing strict grandmother in-law.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Alexander's jaw tighten, his expression darkening for just a moment before changing into that familiar mask of indifference.
Was he... jealous?
No. That was ridiculous, he probably just resented having to share his grandmother's attention with me, but it's still the same thing though. Such a petty man.
"Let me introduce you properly to everyone."Mrs. Winifred said, patting my hand.
She gestured grandly to herself first. "I am Winifred Graham, the matriarch of this family and current CEO of Graham Corp, though not for much longer, thank God. I'm far too old to be dealing with more quarterly reports."
I smiled understanding her need to retire.
She pointed to a tall, broad shouldered man standing near the window. He had Alexander's sharp features but softer eyes. "That's Tristan, my second grandson. He's the COO of Graham Corp. You know someone has to keep the company running while Alexander gallivants around with his oil empire." She said glaring at Alexander who rolled his eyes.
Tristan nodded curtly at me, his expression still unreadable.
Then Mrs. Winifred gestured to an elegant woman probably in her fifties, wearing lots of jewelry and a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "And this is Viola Fanning, Tristan's mother and my... daughter-in-law."
The pause before "daughter-in-law" was barely noticeable I almost missed it.
Viola's smile widened. "It's lovely to meet you, dear."
Liar, I thought, keeping my own smile plastered on. You probably hate that I'm here.
"It's nice to meet you too," I said politely.
Mrs. Winifred squeezed my hand. "And you've already met Alexander's friends, I assume? Nicholas and Xavier?"
"Yes," I said quickly. "They were witnesses at our.... Wedding"
Mrs. Winifred's eyes lit up. "So he wasn't lying! He really did get married."
I laughed awkwardly, feeling Alexander's gaze burning into the side of my head.
Don't mess this up, I told myself. Just keep playing along.
But then Mrs. Winifred's expression shifted, curious at first then almost suspicious.
"Though I must say, I'm a bit hurt you didn't invite me to the wedding. A courthouse ceremony? Really, Alexander?" She shot him a look. "You couldn't have waited for a proper celebration?"
Panic spiked through me.
I glanced at Alexander, silently begging him to take this one.
He sighed, stepping forward. "Like I told you earlier, we just wanted something private, Noona. No media or too much attention, just... us."
Mrs. Winifred studied him for a long moment, then nodded slowly. "I suppose that does sound like you. You've always hated attention."
Relief flooded through me.
Thank God.
"So you truly got married?" Tristan's voice cut through the room, sharp and laced with something I couldn't quite name, He was smirking.
Alexander's gaze snapped to him, coldly but still returning the same smirk. "What, are you surprised? I can show you the certificate if you want."
The temperature in the room dropped about ten degrees.
Tristan's smirk faltered slightly, but he said nothing.
Viola cleared her throat, her smile stretching wider. "Well, regardless of how it happened, welcome to the family, Dandelion. We're so happy to have you." Her words were perfectly polite, but I felt the razor's edge beneath them.
She definitely doesn't want me here, neither does Tristan but probably for another reason.
"Thank you," I said carefully.
Mrs. Winifred seemed oblivious to the tension or maybe she was just choosing to ignore it. She turned back to me, her expression softening.
"Now, I know you're all wondering how I know this beautiful girl." She glanced around the room, her eyes twinkling. "I bet Alexander doesn't even remember you, does he?"
I looked at Alexander.
He looked... confused, almost lost, and so was I.
"No," he admitted quietly. "I don't."
"Tsk, Of course you don't. You were only seven." She cupped my face gently, her thumb brushing my cheek. "But you still have the same features you did as a child. Your mother's eyes. Her lips."
My breath caught, she knew my mother?
"Alexander's mother, Flora, and your mother, Genevieve, were the best of friends," Mrs. Winifred continued, her voice thick with emotion. "Really Inseparable, they met in the university and stayed close through everything, marriage, children even careers. When you were born, Flora was your godmother."
The world tilted.
"My Godmother?"
"Yes dearie, you used to come here all the time," Mrs. Winifred went on, her eyes distant with memory. "Your mother would bring you to the estate, and you and Alexander would play together for hours. You were just three years old, he was seven. And oh, he really doted on you." She smiled softly. "He wouldn't let anyone take your toys, he always made sure you had the best snacks and he wouldn't stop calling you Angel back then" she laughed.
I was speechless, so I played here as a child? With Alexander?
I tried hard to remember, a fragment, a flash, anything. But there was nothing, just memories from when I was ten.
I glanced at Alexander's, His expression shifted into confusion and then something else, like a flash of recognition, before he went blank again.
Nicholas nudged Xavier with wide eyes, both of them clearly trying not to grin at the 'Angel' revelation, Xavier's lips twitched despite his usual indifference.
Meanwhile I noticed Viola's smile remained frozen, but her fingers tightened around her champagne glass until her knuckles went almost white,did she also know my mother?
Only Mrs. Winifred seemed oblivious to the tension because she was lost in her memories, still smiling at me like I was a treasure she'd thought she had lost forever.
"But then..." Mrs. Winifred's voice broke as she continued. "The accident."
I knew this part of the story because my mom was involved too, but hearing it again still felt like a knife to my chest.
"They were driving home from a charity gala," she continued, her hands trembling slightly. "When the driver suddenly lost control and drove into the mountain cliff..." She closed her eyes. "They all died."
I swallowed the sob that threatened to erupt from me, so our mothers died together and we've been connected this whole time, and neither of us knew. No wonder he was at the cemetery at the same time as me.
"After that," Mrs. Winifred continued quietly, "everything changed. Your father remarried quickly, too quickly, in my opinion, he married his mistress who had a child for him out of wedlock, Margaret if I recall correctly. And I..." She looked at me, regret shining in her eyes. "I tried to stay in touch, I tried to see you, but both Margaret and your father made it very clear that I wasn't welcomed, so eventually, I stopped trying."
Her voice cracked.
"I should have fought harder, I should have insisted, but I was drowning in my own grief," She shook her head.
"It's not your fault Grandma," I whispered, my voice barely audible, she nodded slowly.
Alexander was still staring at me with an expression I couldn't read, but it wasn't his usual indifference.
"So how did you two meet again"Mrs Winifred suddenly asked.
I froze, what do I say? The truth? That I tried to kill myself and he saved me?
But Alexander was faster.
"We met at the cemetery," he said smoothly. "We were both there to visit our mothers' graves."
Mrs. Winifred's eyes widened. "You were?"
"Yes." He didn't miss a beat. "We started talking and realized the connection. And..." He glanced at me, something unreadable flickering in his gaze. "Things progressed from there."
It was a white lie because it was not entirely untrue.
We had both been to the cemetery that night, Just... under very different circumstances.
Mrs. Winifred pressed a hand to her heart with her eyes glistening. "It's fate. Don't you see? Your mothers brought you back together, they're watching over you from wherever they are, making sure you find each other."
Alexander and I exchanged a quick look, his expression hiding something.
At that moment, I realized something terrifying, she's going to be devastated when she finds out the truth.
Because this wasn't just about fooling some distant relatives or board members anymore.
This was about lying to a woman who had lost her daughter and her best friend in one night. A woman who saw me as a piece of the past she thought she had lost forever.
A woman who genuinely and deeply cared.
And if she ever discovered that Alexander and I were nothing but a contract...it would break her heart completely.