Chapter 193: Chapter 183: If You Want to Hold a Great-Grandchild (1)
"The engagement was just a stopgap. I’ve said all along that I wouldn’t marry her!" Elliot Sheridan said casually.
This grandson of hers, Elliot Sheridan, had grown up right under her nose. Miss Sheridan didn’t dote on the eldest or the youngest, but she spoiled this middle one rotten.
It wasn’t that Elliot Sheridan was an opportunist; from a young age, his temperament had always set him apart.
He had his own mind, refused to follow the herd, and was wise and decisive.
All that spoiling in his childhood meant that now, even if they wanted to rein him in, they couldn’t.
Miss Sheridan stomped her foot in frustration. "Joanne is a good girl, no worse than Georgia Thorne! We know her and her family inside and out. We could rest easy if you two were together!"
He wasn’t worried about Sharon Ennis; the one Elliot truly worried about was that old diehard, James Sheridan.
He believed the Sheridan family owed the Donovans, and that Elliot had to repay that debt by marrying Joanne Donovan.
Before he met Georgia Thorne, he felt it made no difference whom he married. Joanne Donovan even came with a powerful mother. But after he met Georgia, everything changed.
Ever since they broke up in Akashima, not a day went by that he didn’t reminisce about their three days there. Not a single night passed where he didn’t close his eyes and feel a pang of regret.
"If I actually marry Joanne Donovan, Grandma, you’re the one who will regret it for the rest of your life!"
"What do you mean by that!"
"Joanne Donovan... she’s had an abortion. Let’s not even get into whose child it was. After she terminated the pregnancy in Vesperia, she was left unable to have children!"
"Unable to have children?" Miss Sheridan’s voice rose in astonishment. "Are you serious?"
"You think I’d lie to you about something like this?" Elliot eyed her narrowly. "Grandma, if you still want to hold a great-grandchild, then for the rest of your life, Georgia Thorne is your only hope!"
’Nothing, absolutely nothing, was more important than continuing the family line.’
She was having trouble processing it all. ’So, what Elliot meant was, back then, Joanne insisted on going abroad because she was pregnant with another man’s child. And after the abortion in Vesperia, she was left infertile.’
’No, no, that won’t do. They couldn’t possibly accept Joanne Donovan.’
’How could she not have children!’
"But the engagement has already been announced. If you back out now, your parents will find out and you’ll never hear the end of it. On top of that, if they find out you married one of Selena’s classmates, they’ll definitely..."
Elliot patted his grandmother’s shoulder. "So, Grandma, this is all up to you and Grandpa!"
Miss Sheridan slapped his hand away. "You little rascal! So you’re scheming to use me and your grandfather again. That’s the only reason you brought Georgia Thorne to meet us, isn’t it!"
"Grandma, if you still want to hold a great-grandchild, you’d better help your grandson out, wouldn’t you say?"
Elliot was using the Sheridan family line to threaten her. Miss Sheridan glared at him indignantly. "You little rascal, you had this planned all along, didn’t you!"
Elliot smiled faintly. ’It wasn’t exactly a premeditated plan.’
’He was just planning for the future.’
"Grandma, for now, you and Grandpa have to keep this a secret for us. No one else can know we’re married yet!"
While Elliot was communicating with his grandmother outside, Georgia was inside the hospital room, facing her grandfather-in-law’s interrogation.
Well, it wasn’t really an interrogation. It was more that Georgia was just too nervous.
Mr. Sheridan picked up his teacup and said kindly, "Young lady, have a seat."
"Thank you, Grandpa!" Georgia laughed nervously, perching awkwardly on the edge of her seat.
’She was, after all, the girl his grandson brought to see him. The granddaughter-in-law he’d personally acknowledged. Their relationship must already be serious.’
He sized Georgia up carefully, the corners of his eyes crinkling in satisfaction.
’Hmm, the girl has smooth, delicate skin and exquisite features. She just looks a bit young.’
Mr. Sheridan raised his teacup, took a couple of sips, and asked softly, "How old are you, young lady?"
"I’m twenty-two!"
Georgia’s voice was very soft, and the old man’s hearing had faded with age. He couldn’t help but raise his own voice. "How old?"
Georgia raised her voice and repeated her age.
"Twenty-two? Isn’t he a whole twelve years older than you?"
Georgia laughed awkwardly. ’It’s a twelve-year gap, plus one more year on top of that,’ she thought.
’But if I say that, will it make Elliot sound too old?’
The old man was open-minded, though. It didn’t matter how young the girl was, as long as his grandson was happy, that was enough.
He asked another question, "How did you meet my grandson?"
"Um... I’m Selena’s classmate..."
Georgia said hesitantly. This time, the old man’s hearing seemed to miraculously return. His hand jerked, nearly sending his cup crashing to the floor. "What? You’re Selena’s classmate!"
He remembered now—Selena was about Georgia’s age.
It felt like a bolt from the blue. ’That rascal, Elliot! Did he think that just because I’m laid up in a hospital, he could go and take advantage of some young girl!’
Mr. Sheridan slammed his teacup down on the table and stared at her grimly. "Young lady, you tell me the truth. Did my grandson use some kind of trick to force you into this?"
’People talk about robbing the cradle, but he takes the cake, marrying his own niece’s classmate.’
The old man’s fury made Georgia flinch. Steeling herself, she explained, "No, that’s not it! I was the one who proposed to him!"
"Proposed?"
"Yes, we registered our marriage this morning!" Georgia said, watching Mr. Sheridan’s angry expression and speaking with extreme caution.
’Since Elliot brought me to see his grandparents, it must mean he intended to tell them about our relationship, right?’
Mr. Sheridan’s expression was grim. If his grandson had forced the girl, he’d know what to say.
But the fact that this young woman, Georgia, was the one who’d proposed... what was he supposed to make of that?!
Even though the old man was furious, he couldn’t very well explode in front of Georgia.
A wave of anger surged, nearly boiling over. He grabbed the cup of tea beside him and drained it, trying to cool his temper.
Suppressing his rage, he asked, "How long have you and my grandson been together?"
"Almost four years!"
This time, the old man completely lost it. His face was livid with rage, and the veins on the back of the hand clutching the cup bulged.
’Four years ago... she would have just barely come of age!’
Mr. Sheridan knew Elliot all too well. ’He must have targeted this poor girl from the very beginning, using some underhanded trick to make her propose to him.’
"Go get that bastard grandson of mine in here!" Mr. Sheridan said furiously.
"Uh, okay!"
Georgia thought she must have said something to make the old man angry and hurried out of the room in a panic.
She had barely taken a step when Elliot and Miss Sheridan came in from outside.
"You bastard grandson, get your ass in here!" the old man roared.
Georgia went to his side, tugged on his sleeve, and whispered, "I think I said something wrong. What do I do?"
’Will Elliot’s grandfather dislike me now because of this?’
Elliot placed his hand comfortingly over hers. "It’s okay, I’ll handle this. You go outside and chat with Grandma for a bit."
Elliot turned and gestured for Miss Sheridan to take Georgia outside, then walked over to the hospital bed and sat down.
"If I’m a bastard grandson, then Grandpa, what does that make you?"
"...You! You little punk, you’ve grown up and learned how to talk back to your elders!" Mr. Sheridan nearly choked on his rage.
’He actually turned it back on me!’
"I assume your new granddaughter-in-law has already told you we’re married. So, Grandpa, what are your thoughts on the matter?" Elliot leaned back lazily in his chair, arms crossed.
’Now that he’d successfully won over Miss Sheridan, he didn’t have to worry about anything else.’
’In this family, everyone listened to Grandma. As long as she said the word, no one would dare to object.’
’So, regardless of Mr. Sheridan’s attitude, Elliot could just have Miss Sheridan come over and give him a talking-to, and everything would be fine!’
"That girl is so young, and you don’t even stop to think how old you are!" ’It’s infuriating!’
Elliot’s expression soured. ’The age gap is too big? Is that my problem?’
"I’ve already married Georgia. You can either accept it or not. I don’t care either way."
"Hey! You punk, what kind of way is that to talk?!" Mr. Sheridan’s eyes bulged, and his anger flared even hotter.
Although the two Sheridan elders were furious with Elliot for robbing the cradle and acting without their approval,
they both quite liked Georgia Thorne.
This was especially true for Miss Sheridan. After learning that Joanne Donovan couldn’t have children, all her attention was now focused on Georgia’s womb.
Still, she had one reservation. ’The girl is so young, right at the point where she should be building her career. Would she be willing to put all that aside to have a baby?’
’Sigh, how did the Sheridan family produce someone so headstrong?’
Miss Sheridan was torn between worry and joy. Her eldest grandson’s child was the same age as her second grandson’s wife.
’He’s already in his mid-thirties. When will he finally have a child of his own?’
After Elliot and Georgia left, Mr. Sheridan asked, "So, what do you think of our boy’s wife?"
"What’s there to think? They’ve already got the marriage certificate. I can’t exactly drag them to the courthouse for a divorce, can I?" Miss Sheridan sighed. "Besides, since when has that grandson of yours ever been the obedient type?"
’He didn’t discuss it with anyone in the family, just went off and got married. And now he’s asking us to keep it a secret. Who knows what that boy is plotting now.’
Back in the car, Georgia could finally breathe.
Elliot’s grandparents weren’t fierce, but she’d still been terrified meeting them for the first time.
Elliot squeezed her small hand. "How are you feeling?"
Georgia looked like she’d just survived a near-death experience, the tension not yet faded from her face. "What did you say to your grandparents?"
’It feels like Elliot’s grandparents are really hung up on our age difference.’
’Thirteen years is a really big gap.’
Seeing that it was still early, Georgia thought for a moment. There was one more place she wanted to go.
She had Elliot drive to a cemetery. Even though their marriage was a secret, she wanted to let her mother know that she had found someone to spend her life with.
Elliot seemed to know who they were there to see; he bought a bouquet of flowers before they got out of the car.
The two of them walked along a small path until they arrived in front of a gravestone.
Yara Joyce had passed away very young. The photo on her gravestone was from her youth, her eyes filled with a gentle warmth.
Elliot placed the chrysanthemums in front of the gravestone. Georgia smiled and made the introduction. "Elliot, this is my mother."
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