Carr Powell looked bookish and gentlemanly, with gold-rimmed glasses and a gentle smile on his face.
Laurie, on the other hand, looked more outwardly attractive. Aston was more similar to his mother in appearance, but his aura was closer to his father.
Back then when Aston had video called his mother, Georgia had seen Laurie's appearance, but this was her first time seeing Carr.
They were nominally her uncle and aunt, but Georgia couldn't quite get the words out.
She went in with a polite smile, but couldn't really call them family.
In the end, she went with "Mr. and Mrs. Powell."
Laurie, though, smiled.
"Come, sit. You must find it strange that we suddenly called you here to see us, and you probably aren't too used to it. But we'll get to know each other better once we meet and talk some more."
Georgia could only nod, then sat somewhat cautiously before the couple.
Laurie beamed at Georgia.
"No need to be nervous. We didn't come to you for anything too important. We mainly just wanted to meet you. After all, you've gotten back together with your mother, but you haven't seen the other Powells yet. Your uncle here particularly wanted to meet you. He just took an operation that needed for him to be in the city, and Aston is in hospital, so I came over with him to see our son and see you along the way."
As Laurie finished, Carr showed a gentle smile to Georgia.
"Your aunt and I mostly just wanted to meet you and get to know each other better. When your mother's fully healed, you might still need to visit the Powell family with her. The family's in a complicated situation, which your mother doesn't know too well. Aston probably wouldn't have told you too much, and he's left the family, probably for good. As for Emilia, she's more radical, and I'm afraid her words might give you some misunderstanding. So, thinking about it, we decided to come meet you in person."
So that was what this was all for. Georgia had thought that Aston's parents were seeing her over Aston's situation. She showed a mild smile.
"Regarding whether or not I'll come back to see the other Powells, we'll see how it goes."
Probably noticing that Georgia wasn't too willing to go back to the Powell family, Laurie and Carr exchanged a glance.
Carr turned back to Georgia afterwards.
"The Powell family never raised you, and your mother was only found afterwards, so you don't owe the Powell family for raising you at all. It's normal that you're unwilling to head back, but some things are beyond your imagination. I'm afraid you and you mother will be hurt.
"With that father of mine, it's always been his way or the highway. He disregards the younger generation entirely, and sometimes even does things to hurt them. I've caught wind of some things, so thinking it over, I decided to talk to you about it."
Georgia showed a shocked expression.
"What, if my mother and I are unwilling to go back, he's planning to force us? What can he do to threaten me?"
Georgia couldn't help but show a mocking grin.
She really didn't have any feelings towards the Powells. Aston, who was her friend to begin with, was an exception. So was Emilia, whose personality was loose enough for her to chat with.
As for the rest of her mother's family, if her mother didn't care, of course she didn't care one whit either.
"It might seem funny to you, but to my father, it makes complete sense. If he wants to see you, he feels like you should go see him outright, and show him respect. If you didn't go, he'd just feel like you're offending him, then he'll have people kidnap you and bring you over. If they can't kidnap you, he'll kidnap someone close to you instead to threaten you into seeing him. Don't find it strange. He can do this sort of thing.
"That's why, in the beginning, my son Aston disliked his grandfather's methods and didn't want to inherit the Powell family or his grandfather's way of doing things. So my father up and threw down the gauntlet at Aston, saying that if he didn't want to inherit the Powell family, he ought to just get out. So from that point on, Aston left the family and didn't go back again. Other than occasionally contacting his mother, he rarely even meets with me."
"No offense, but with your father's way of doing things without a care for anything or anyone in the world, is there nobody who can rein him in?"
Georgia really wanted to say that, no matter how powerful the Powells were, there had to be families stronger than them still.
Has this old man never been beaten down by society and taught how to do things?
Or was this old man just too capable for anyone else to do anything but okey?
"My father rules with an iron grip. But he mainly uses that iron grip on the Powell family. Us younger generations have to follow his commands. Anyone who's not down with his decisions either get punished into being obedient, or get booted out after repeatedly refusing his plans. Aston's not the first to leave the Powell family, and my father doesn't care about this sort of thing, which is why he only gets authoritarian with other Powells."
"Okay."
Georgia was a bit speechless. She smiled gratefully at the couple before her.
"Thank you for reminding me of this. I'll pay attention. If he's going to use other methods, I'll go see him if he really wants to meet me. It's just a meeting. Can't be that important."
With that, she asked Aston's parents another question.
"Since you've caught wind of his intentions, do you know why he wants to meet me?"
"That I don't know. It might have something to do with your status now. You inherited the SY Group and now you're Robert Simpson's wife. He might see a chance to profit off you, or something else. If my father's people really do come for you and ask you to go over and meet them, just don't refuse.
"He's stubborn as a mule, but he won't harm you with dirty tactics. The most he'll do is get forceful if you don't agree to meet him."
Finishing that topic with Aston's parents, they finally moved on to Aston.
"Back then, with what happened between Aston and Kayden, you seemed to be there, and you knew why they broke up. As parents, we don't get involved in our children's emotions. I'll only support him getting married with the person he loves. I don't know why he left Kayden, but I could tell from before that he liked her.
"I only found it regretful in the beginning that they didn't end up together and was torturing himself with work over how much pain he felt. As his mother, it hurt me to see it, and I was ready to come persuade him along with his father as we came to the city. But for these past two days, a pretty girl always came to his room to speak with him. I know what personality my son had. He'd only treat someone he didn't like coldly, trying to force them to leave.
"But this time, he actually agreed to be with the girl. I could see that he didn't like her at all. But as his mother, there's not really much I can say. Georgia, can you look over Aston for me and also look into that girl? After all, Robert is from this city, and it'd be easier for your side to investigate the girl. I'd like to ask you to do so for me. I don't want another unusual girl to appear close to my son, then hurt him."
Georgia was stunned by that. She'd known Aston for so long, and she knew how cold and ruthless he was to women he wasn't interested in.
Now he was willing to be with a woman he didn't like. That wasn't normal at all.
Was it because he'd taken a blow in love, and now wanted to feel love from another woman?
That was such a cliched development that Georgia felt goosebumps pop up across her body.
She turned to Laurie and raised another question.
"Mr. Powell, do you know that girl's name or do you have any of her photos? It'd be easier for me to investigate that way."
"I know the girl's name, but I don't have her photo. Her name is Anaya Mitchell."
"Anaya?"