"I appreciate your concern, but my eyes are fine. You should go in and see your grandfather. He''s ill, yet he''s been thinking of you."


    With that, Yvonne followed Mrs. James Sr. into the inner room of the hospital suite.


    Inside, Mr. James Sr. was sitting up in bed, hooked up to monitors. He seemed to be in decent spirits, but he had lost some weight, a clear sign that he was genuinely unwell.


    And how could he not be, with all the trouble the James family had been facing recently?


    Jerome, unable to win the fight, had finally relented and agreed to marry his daughter off to Darcy Rogers, a good-for-nothing scoundrel. But just as the two families were finalizing the arrangements, the Rogers family copsed.


    Now, the rumor mill was churning with whispers that the eldest granddaughter of the James family was cursed and brought ruin to her fiancés'' families.


    Seeing his granddaughter''s prospects ruined, Mr. James Sr. could only pin his hopes on his other granddaughter. But Steven hadn''t been interested in Marcia''s daughter; he had taken a liking to Yvonne instead.


    However, not only was Yvonne distant from the James family, she was alsopletely uncontroble.


    The more Mr. James Sr. thought about it, the more his heart ached. He wished he had been kinder to this granddaughter.


    "You''re here. Sit," Mr. James Sr. said, tapping the spot next to his bed with a finger still attached to a heart monitor.


    Yvonne casually smoothed her skirt and sat down.


    Mrs. James Sr. had followed them in and now stood behind Yvonne, looking guarded.


    Mr. James Sr. nced up at her and said coldly, "You can leave us. I want to have a word with Yvonne alone."


    Mrs. James Sr. hesitated, her reluctance obvious, but she maintained a polite smile. "Of course. You two have a good chat. Call me if you need anything."


    Before leaving, she gave Yvonne a motherly look and added, "Yvonne, be gentle


    with your grandfather. His heart is weak, so don''t upset him."


    Yvonne was busy fiddling with her nails, pretending not to have heard.


    Mrs. James Sr. walked out, her face stiff with embarrassment.


    Once the door to the inner room was closed, only Mr. James Sr. and Yvonne remained.


    Out of respect for his age, Yvonne asked, "How are you feeling? Jeffrey told me you have a weak heart and high blood pressure Though it''s not life-threatening, you still need to b? careful."


    For once, Yvonne had said something considerate, and Mr. James Sr. nodded. "When you get old, the body parts stop listening to you. I don''t know how much longer I have."


    "May you live a long and healthy life,” Yvonne said perfunctorily.


    Mr. James Sr. knew she didn''t mean it and grunted. "With you lot giving me so much


    grief, I''ll be lucky if you don''t send me to an early grave, let alone live a long life."


    “Well, you chose to have children with two different women. Of course, it wouldn''t be peaceful. You reap what you sow," Yvonne retorted.


    "I knew I couldn''t expect anything nice from you," Mr. James Sr. said, ring at her before continuing, "I didn''t attend the Thompson family''s banget yesterday but I heard what Happened Wash Thomas pursuing you? How did you get involved with Mr. Thompson?"


    Yvonne raised an eyebrow. So that was it. Mr. James Sr. had called her here so


    urgently just to find out about her rtionship with Bet.


    "What does my rtionship with Bet have to do with you? You''re at an age where you should be focusing on your health, not worrying about pointless matters No wonder you''re not well.


    Yvonne examined her freshly manicured nails, her tone casual.