Chapter 271: Seeing the Guest Off

Chapter 271: Seeing the Guest Off

(Daniel POV)

Grandpa stood in front of me and looked up at me. He was more than half a head shorter than me, with narrower shoulders, but standing there, he made me feel like I couldn't lift my head.

"Let's go." His voice was soft. "You've seen what you needed to see."

I didn't move.

"She's doing well now," he said. "Better than when she was with you. You know it in your heart."

My Adam's apple bobbed. He was right.

She stood under the lights, wearing a champagne-colored dress, her hair falling over her shoulders, smiling at William, smiling at Chloe, smiling at her own family.

That kind of smile—I'd never seen it in my life. Not that she couldn't smile, but I'd never given her the chance.

"You can't let go, I know. But you need to think about one thing."

He looked at me, those cloudy eyes showing no emotion, but it hurt more than any accusation could.

"What you can't let go of—is it her as a person, or the things you failed to do back then?"

My fingers clenched into a fist in my pocket. He was telling the truth.

Those "things I failed to do" weren't just one thing—it was three years. Three years of coldness, three years of ignoring her, three years of letting her sit alone across the dinner table. What I couldn't let go of—was it her, or the debt I owed her? I couldn't tell anymore.

"Let's go." Mr. Henry Cooper patted my arm. "Grandpa will go back with you. Also, the evidence I asked you to gather on Thomas and his family—have you organized it?"

I closed my eyes briefly. "It's organized. Jack has it all."

"Good." His eyes darkened. "Since he doesn't know any better and dares to bring his bastard son to the Brooks family's event to make a scene, don't blame the Cooper family for being ruthless."

He turned and walked forward, leaning on his cane. I followed behind him, with Jack at the very back. The three of us walked through the side corridor, getting farther from the hall's lights, the surroundings growing quiet.

My steps were a bit slow, like something was tied to my legs, each step heavy.

Just as we reached the corridor corner, we ran into three people coming toward us.

Thomas, Layla, Jonathan.

Jonathan wore a black suit, his hair styled impeccably, holding an elegantly wrapped gift box, his face wearing an obedient and proper smile.

"Grandpa!" His voice was neither too loud nor too soft, just enough to be heard from both ends of the corridor. "We came to congratulate the Brooks family."

Grandpa's footsteps stopped. Luke stood nearby, his expression instantly darkening.

Layla wore a dark red dress, diamond earrings dangling from her ears, her lips painted perfectly, fine lines gathering at the corners of her eyes when she smiled.

"What a coincidence." She nodded at Grandpa. "We're late. We wanted to arrive earlier, but got stuck in traffic."

What a coincidence. A family of three, carrying gifts, showing up at a recognition banquet they weren't invited to. That's called a coincidence?

Grandpa didn't respond to her words, didn't even look at her.

His gaze fell on Thomas.

Thomas stood half a step behind Layla, leaning on a cane. He'd just had surgery not long ago, his face pale gray, but his spirits seemed okay.

"Dad, I know today is the Brooks family's event. We're not here to cause trouble. Jonathan wants to personally give Sophia a gift, to express his apology. What happened before—he did wrong, and he knows it himself."

As he spoke, he patted Jonathan's shoulder.

"Right, Jonathan?"

Jonathan cooperatively lowered his head, his expression sincere.

"Yes. Those things—I was immature. Coming here today, I just want to say sorry to Ms. Parker in person."

He pushed the gift box forward, raising his voice half a notch.

"Grandpa, just let me go in and say a few words to her, then I'll leave."

This end of the corridor connected to the hall's side door, which was half-closed. Jonathan's voice passed through the gap and into the edge of the hall. A few guests standing nearby turned their heads to look this way.

Grandpa stood still, his face showing no expression. He stared at Jonathan for two seconds.

"Who told you to come?"

Thomas's expression stiffened. "Dad."

"I'm asking, who told you to come?" Grandpa repeated, his pace unchanged.

The corridor went quiet.

Layla's smile still hung on her face, but her eyes started to waver.

Jonathan's hand stopped in mid-air, the gift box held up with no one taking it.

"This is the Brooks family's event." Grandpa's cane tapped the ground once. "Only people who received invitations from the Brooks family can enter. Which one of you three received one?"

No one answered. Because everyone knew the answer—none of them.

Thomas's expression changed, his mouth moving, wanting to say something, but Layla tugged his sleeve.

"We're not here to cause trouble."

Layla took over, her voice as gentle as if coaxing a child.

"Jonathan just wants to apologize. He's reflected a lot recently, and we as elders also think he should say it clearly in person."

"No need."

A voice came from the other end of the corridor. Everyone turned.

Noah walked out from the hall's side door, Sophia following behind him, Robinson walking at the back, closing the side door from inside. The corridor suddenly became crowded.

Noah walked to Grandpa's side and stopped, his gaze sweeping over the three people opposite, finally landing on the gift box in Jonathan's hands.

"Jonathan." He spoke without any courtesy.

Jonathan's smile froze for half a second, then came back. "Mr. Brooks, I came today..."

"You came today without an invitation." Noah cut him off.

"This is the Brooks family's recognition banquet, not a public event. I personally set the guest list and verified every single person. Your name isn't on it."

He paused.

"Your father's name isn't on it either. Neither is your mother's."

Layla's fingers tightened on Thomas's sleeve.

Thomas's lips pressed into a line, his cane jabbing the ground.

"Mr. Brooks, you can't say it like that."

Thomas spoke up.

"What happened between Jonathan and Sophia—he did wrong, that's true. But since today is a recognition banquet, and we're all familiar faces in Midland, him coming to apologize and asking for a chance—isn't that normal?"

"Thomas." Noah's voice didn't change. "This 'chance' you're talking about—who's it for? Your son, or my sister?"

Thomas's words caught in his throat.

"I don't need anyone performing an apology at my sister's recognition banquet." Noah took a step forward.

"She's wearing a new dress today, standing in front of her own family for the first time, being called Fiona by everyone for the first time. This is a day she's waited twenty-five years for."

His voice lowered a bit.

"The three of you—no invitation, no heads-up, showing up at my event with a gift box, then telling me you're here to apologize?"

He looked at Jonathan.

"You want everyone in the hall to see you standing in front of my sister bowing your head in apology? Then tomorrow everyone will be saying how sincere Jonathan from the Cooper family was, personally coming to make amends, and Fiona actually didn't forgive him?"

Jonathan's hand finally came down. The gift box was gripped in his hands, his knuckles white.

"That's not what I meant."

"What you meant doesn't matter." Noah cut him off directly. "What matters is, you don't have an invitation."

He turned to Robinson.

"Show them out."