While Natalie enjoyed a harmonious and joyful time with the Walker family, the atmosphere at Holden Residence was far from pleasant.


    Marcus entered the living room expressionlessly. Charles wasforting Grace, who was weeping in distress.


    "Grace, Natalie has always been sensible. She''s been so worried about you. If she asked you such questions, she must have had a reason. Tell me the truth. Did you do something to harm her?


    "Even if you did, it''s not the end of the world. You had that car ident and weren''t fully in your right mind. Anything you might have done could have been beyond your control. You just need to exin things to her. Crying will only hurt your eyes and ruin your mood. It won''t solve anything."


    Charles saw Grace as a younger sister. Interestingly, their first meeting had been because of a fight.


    When Natalie was only three years old, Grace took her to Dithoria for business. Afterward, she brought Natalie to a theme park.


    Charles happened to be taking Marcus there on the same day. The two children ended up fighting over thest cotton candy.


    Grace and Charles, both protective, jumped into the fray too. In the end, Natalie and Marcus stopped quarreling and tried to break up the scuffle instead.


    Finally, Grace and Charlesughed it off and became like siblings.


    After that, Grace took Natalie back to Amberton. She and Charles kept in touch by phone, but both were busy and never really reunited.


    Charles had liked Natalie from the very start, not just because of the time he met her in Amberton, but since she was little.


    However, as Natalie and Marcus grew older, neither remembered those early events. Wesley and Laura didn''t like him pairing Marcus with other little girls, so he never mentioned it again.


    Still, Charles and Grace remained in contact all these years.


    Seeing her cry made Charles'' heart ache, but he didn''t believe Natalie was the only one at fault. She wouldn''t have asked such questions out of nowhere.


    "We''re not young anymore. Why are you crying like a child?" Charles sighed. "Grace, if we did something wrong, we need to admit it. Being older doesn''t mean we can just ignore it or shut others up. That''s not right." Grace dabbed at her eyes with a tissue. "Charles, do you really think I did something to hurt Nattie?"


    "I didn''t say that. I just told you not to cry. If there''s a misunderstanding between you and Natalie, clear it up. You''re her grandmother, and she''s your most devoted granddaughter. Just talk it through. Don''t you think so?"


    He spoke gently and patiently. "If I make a mistake, I apologize too." He turned to Marcus and asked, "Marcus, haven''t I apologized to you before?"


    Marcus hesitated. He didn''t really remember anything like that.


    "Yes," he replied, ying along with his grandfather.


    Taking a seat opposite Grace, he added, "Grandpa, I''ve already booked a hotel for Mrs. Langley Senior. I''ll arrange to take her there soon. I''ve also asked Sheldon to assign a maid to look after her. It''s not appropriate for Mrs. Langley Senior to stay with us.


    "Grandpa, don''t get upset just yet. Dad and Mom will be back soon," Marcus said, taking out his phone and showing Charles. "If they find out you let Mrs. Langley Senior stay here, they might think all your promises to Grandma were insincere. Grandpa, you wouldn''t want them to resent you, would you?"


    Marcus mentioned his grandmother and said his parents would be back soon. Charles couldn''t refuse even if he wanted to.


    Sure enough, Charles, who was about to say something, fell silent and took a sip of tea.


    Charles had spent his life being faithful to his wife. After her passing, he never remarried and raised his only son alone.


    Wesleyter married Laura, a graceful woman with a schrly background. Charles respected his son''s choice and never forced him into an arranged marriage.


    Laura gave birth to Marcus, but something unfortunate happened, leading Wesley to take her away to seek treatment. Charles stayed behind to raise Marcus, devoting himself to making his grandson into an outstanding young man.


    However, Wesley and Laura didn''t want Marcus to know the truth, telling him only that they were traveling the world. They would rather he resented them than worried about them.


    Grace observed Charles'' silence and slowly stood up, speaking bitterly. "I was thoughtless toe here and trouble you and Marcus. I don''t need Marcus to send me to the hotel. I''ll have my son do it.


    "Charles, what you said makes sense. Over these recent years, my mind was never clear. I honestly have no idea if I did something to Nattie. If I do, and she points it out, I''ll fix it. But she asked me those questions so suddenly. I can''t remember a thing, so I didn''t know how to answer her."


    Tears started welling up in her eyes again. "Charles, don''t worry. I''ll make things right with Nattie. As you said, I''m her grandmother, and she''s my most devoted granddaughter. Nothing can trulye between us. There''s no need to see me off. I''ll head to the hotel on my own."


    Then, she turned to Marcus and said apologetically, "Marcus, I''m really sorry. I just recovered and wasn''t thinking clearly. If I did anything wrong, please don''t mind."


    "He wouldn''t dare!" Charles red at Marcus, grumbling under his breath that Marcus should have spoken to him privately rather than demanding Grace leave in front of her.


    Marcus kept his face nk. "Mrs. Langley Senior, I appreciate your understanding. You''re in Dithoria as our guest, so I''ll make sure you''re well taken care of. You simply won''t be staying here, but it won''t affect your daily life."


    "Why do you keep calling her Mrs. Langley Senior? You should call her Grandma Grace. Where are your manners?" Charles scolded, pulling Marcus aside. "Go back to your room. Is this how I taught you to treat guests?"


    From Grace''s perspective, it looked like Charles was pushing Marcus into the elevator.