Chapter 349: Chapter 348: Meeting at the Birthday Banquet 3
Annabelle Linton walked calmly down the red carpet, her lips curved in a polite yet distant smile. As probing gazes fell upon her, she remained composed, as if she hadn’t noticed them at all.
News about the Grant family was always a hot topic. In fact, on the very day Leona Grant and Annabelle Linton divorced, someone had snapped a picture of them leaving the Civil Affairs Bureau.
The photos were supposed to run in the papers, but Leona Grant had them pulled. While no one dared to say anything to their faces, it was an open secret that Annabelle Linton was no longer connected to the Grant family.
’So, what’s this all about?’
Annabelle Linton stepped into the living room, and the members of the Grant family, along with the staff, all rushed over to greet her warmly.
"Annabelle, you’re here?" Roxanne Jennings showed no trace of distance toward Annabelle despite her divorce from Leona Grant. If anything, she seemed even fonder of her.
A smile on her face, she enthusiastically pulled Annabelle Linton by the hand, leading her further into the room. "Come, hurry and sit down. Everyone’s been waiting for you."
"Thank you, Mrs. Jennings," Annabelle said politely.
Roxanne Jennings visibly faltered at the formal address. She then squeezed Annabelle’s hand even tighter, her expression clearly one of regret.
After all the years they had spent together, both the staff and the Grant family had grown fond of Annabelle Linton. Now that the two were divorced, everyone assumed it was Leona Grant’s fault.
They had collectively given Leona Grant the cold shoulder for days, much to Leona’s frustration.
Annabelle Linton was led into the main hall.
The final notes of a piano piece echoed through the grand hall. On a raised platform, Ashley Grant, dressed in a pale pink cocktail dress, rose to a round of applause and took an elegant bow.
Her hair was swept into a gentle updo, accentuating the contours of her face. Her normally lively eyes now looked exceptionally clear and alluring.
’This must be the kind of quality all children of wealthy families possess.’
’No matter what vices they might have, their worldliness and exposure from a young age far surpassed that of an ordinary person.’
Ashley Grant had shed her usual devil-may-care attitude, walking demurely down the stairs behind Patrick Grant and Nathan Grant.
Patrick Grant wore a festive, bright red Tang suit, looking every bit the man of the hour.
The moment he saw Annabelle Linton, his face broke into a smile. "Annabelle, you’re here."
"Yes. Happy birthday, Grandpa," Annabelle offered politely before turning to Nathan Grant with a well-mannered nod.
Nathan Grant gave a slight nod in return.
Annabelle looked over to see Ashley Grant waving at her, and she returned the gesture with a smile.
Then, she presented the gift she had prepared for Grandpa.
’Just like in her previous life, it was a tea set she had made by hand. When she had given it to him in her last life, the old man had been overjoyed for the longest time.’
Patrick Grant accepted it happily. When he opened the box, he grinned from ear to ear. "Annabelle’s gifts are always the most thoughtful. You always know just what your grandpa likes best."
Annabelle smiled faintly. "I’m just glad you like it, Grandpa."
Patrick Grant gave Annabelle another kindly smile, his eyes shimmering with a faint, nostalgic light. "Annabelle, could you grant your grandpa one more wish today?"
"Of course, Grandpa. What is it?"
Patrick Grant smiled and pointed to the white grand piano on the platform where Ashley had just been playing. His clear eyes misted over. "Your grandmother and I pledged our lives to each other when we were seventeen."
"That piano was the most expensive gift I ever gave her. We made a promise... that on my seventieth birthday, she would play a song for me. But her illness... she never made it to this day. Today... would you be willing to play the piece for me that she never had the chance to?"
