NovelEnglishChapter 175 Raymond had always been a picture of boundless energy in Citrine's memory, so seeing him so worn out now took her by surprise. She frowned, unable to hide her worry. "What happened to you? You look terrible." To get back as soon as possible, Raymond had worked almost nonstop, day and night, barely resting. On top of that, he kept having restless dreams about Citrine's childhood, gnawing away at him with guilt and regret. The stress had even sent him to the emergency room recently, leaving him in rough shape.
Not wanting Citrine to worry, Raymond forced a reassuring smile. "Just had a rough night, that's all. Nothing to worry about." Citrine shot him a pointed look and scoffed, "How many times do I have to tell you? You need to take care of yourself." Her tone was prickly as ever, but even she didn't realize just how much concern was hidden in her words. Raymond, however, caught it instantly. For a moment, he was taken aback-then a wave of joy washed over him, banishing a good bit of the exhaustion that had weighed him down for over a month.
He grinned, his eyes lighting up. "Sounds tolike my daughter's finally starting to worry about her old man. That makeshappy." "I am not worried about you!" Citrine's eyes went wide, bristling like a cat whose tail had just been stepped on. Raymond couldn't help but laugh. "Alright, alright, I must've been imagining things." "Con, let's go home," he said, reaching for her bag. Today, he'd cwith every intention of taking Citrine back with him.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtBut before he could take another step, a booming voice rang out from upstairs.
"You're not taking my granddaughter anywhere!" Weston churrying down the stairs, his footsteps echoing through the old house.
If he hadn't been up late and overheard their conversation, Raymond probably would've spirited Citrine away already.
Weston's face was set in a scowl as he glared at Raymond. "Raymond, you can go hby yourself. Citrine's staying here with me." Raymond could only sigh. "Dad, she's my daughter. Can we be reasonable for once?" His father never used to be this stubborn. Lately, though, he seemed to be getting worse.
"She's still my granddaughter! If you take her away, who's going to play chess with me? Who'll go fishing with me?" Weston dug in his heels, refusing to budge.
Raymond rubbed his temples, feeling a headache coming on. "Dad, please don't be so unreasonable." He turned to Citrine. "What about you? Do you want to stay here at the old house, or chwith me?" To him, her wishes cfirst.
If she preferred the old house, he'd just move back in himself if he had to.
Citrine glanced between her grandfather and her father, then answered, "I want to go hwith you." It had been a long tsince she'd last been home, and she missed it.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmWeston, who had been protesting loudly just a moment ago, fell silent at her words. Still, he couldn't help grumbling, "Ungrateful brat. Go on, get out of here." He fished a card from his pocket and thrust it into Citrine's hand, not taking no for an answer.
"The pin's your birthday. Now take it and go." With that, the old man turned his back, pretending not to care.
Over the past month, Weston had insisted on Citrine keeping him company-playing chess, fishingn just spending ttogether. While she always acted reluctant, Weston could feel her patience, and it warmed his heart. Not many young people would bother to keep an old man company like that.
Getting older meant feeling lonelier, and having someone nearby-even a stubborn granddaughter-brought back a sense of warmth and happiness he hadn't felt in years. Most importantly, Citrine never treated him like sintimidating patriarch; to her, he was just a regular grandpa.
Regina and Vicente used to visit often, too, but Weston always sensed a certain nervousness when they were around. Every tthey played chess or went fishing, they seemed to be watching his mood, afraid of upsetting him. It was like they were dealing with a boss: polite, but distant.
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