Chapter 294 Stupid
Reed finally got his bearings, but that quick glimpse of someone made him second-guess himself.
"Hold up! Who's that sitting next to you?" Reed asked, surprised.
Nathaniel, feeling a bit smug, replied, "Grandpa, it's Aurelia."
Reed's face lit up with a grin that almost reached his ears. "Is it really Aurelia? Let me see if she's gotten prettier over the years."
Nathaniel glanced at Aurelia, looking for her okay. She shrank back, not sure how to face Reed. She just wasn't ready.
But Reed spotted her anyway.
She moved closer and greeted him, "Grandpa, it's me."
Reed got a bit emotional, with so much to say but not knowing where to start. After a moment, he finally said, "Aurelia, why have you lost so much weight?"
Aurelia smiled, "Grandpa, losing weight is trendy now. I've been dieting."
Reed's eyes narrowed, and he snapped, "Nonsense! That's bad for your health. You should eat more. Whatever you want, let Nathaniel buy it. He's loaded!"
Aurelia chuckled, "Grandpa, I can buy it myself."
Reed was momentarily stunned, then burst out laughing, "Right, we don't need him. Given how clueless he is, he won't be able to buy anything a girl would like. If you ask him to buy bubble tea, he'll probably tell you milk is healthier and bring back a whole crate of milk."
Aurelia laughed. He really knew his eldest grandson well. Nathaniel was indeed that straightforward, not understanding a bit of romance.
Nathaniel's face turned red. He had brought Aurelia into the video, hoping Reed would shift his attention and stop scolding him. But it backfired, and the scolding got worse.
How was he dumb?
Nathaniel furrowed his brows, feeling a bit down.
On the other end of the phone, Reed seemed to have endless questions.
"Aurelia, you guys hurry back. I'll be waiting for you at home," Reed said.
Aurelia snapped back to reality, glanced out the window, and saw that the car had already passed the tree-lined intersection and was heading towards Nathaniel's place.
She avoided the camera and gave Nathaniel a sidelong glance, feeling he did it on purpose.
Nathaniel pretended not to see Aurelia's glare, tilted the phone, and moved closer to Aurelia so they both appeared on the screen.
"Grandpa, we're about ten minutes away. Let's hang up for now and talk when we get back," Aurelia said.
The video call ended, and Aurelia glared at him angrily, "Did you do that on purpose?"
"What?" he asked, playing dumb.
Nathaniel calmly put on his clothes, acting like he didn't get what Aurelia was hinting at. Aurelia was so mad she didn't want to speak.
She had planned to go home and catch up on sleep, but now it seemed impossible. It wasn't that she didn't want to see Reed, she just needed to adjust her mindset. She was also afraid Reed would say something to matchmake them, which would disappoint him.
The car ride returned to silence until they pulled into the garage.
"Mr. Heilbronn, Mrs. Heilbronn, we're home now."
Upstairs, Reed wandered through the rooms. The house was exceptionally clean, almost to the point of being cold and lifeless.
He sat back on the sofa.
When he saw Aurelia and his eldest grandson sitting together with their clothes in disarray, he assumed Nathaniel had managed to woo her, but now it seemed that wasn't true.
There wasn't even a pair of women's slippers in the house.
Reed knew that kid didn't have what it took. Nathaniel was great at business but clueless about matters of the heart.
Over the years, Reed had planted informants around his unreliable grandson Nathaniel, keeping tabs on his activities in Imperick. The kid had indeed been well-behaved, with no women around.
Reed was lost in thought on the sofa.
There were footsteps outside the door, and then with a click, the door opened from the outside.
They came into the house.
Reed first looked them up and down, noticing Aurelia was even thinner than before, which made his heart ache.
"How did you get so thin? This won't do. Listen to me, even if you're dieting, your health is the most important. Don't mind those men's aesthetics."
Aurelia gave him an awkward smile. She had just said it casually, but Reed took it seriously, really thinking she was dieting.
"Grandpa, I've been eating a lot lately. How's your health? Everything okay?" Aurelia asked.
Reed's eyes were moist as he nodded and said, "Everything's fine."
Neither of them dared to mention what happened four years ago.
That incident was something neither could get over, not in this lifetime. So they chose not to reopen that wound and relive the pain.
Nathaniel checked his watch; it was already mealtime. He instructed Zack to order food. Watching Reed and Aurelia completely ignore him, he felt a bit dejected.
He went into the bathroom.
There were still wounds on his back and legs that hadn't been treated.
He looked in the mirror, applied the medicine all over, changed into pajamas, and came out to find that the food Zack ordered had arrived. It was from a restaurant Aurelia used to love, and he had also asked Zack to get a sandwich from a place in the city.
The table was set with delicious dishes, and Aurelia and Reed were still chatting in the living room.
Nathaniel called out, "Grandpa, Aurelia, dinner's ready."
There was no response, as if they hadn't heard him.
He called again, "Grandpa, Aurelia, let's eat and talk."
Only then did they stand up and walk to the dining room, continuing their conversation.
Nathaniel set the table, but no one paid him any attention. He took a bite of food. During the meal, he served meat to Aurelia and Reed, but they still ignored him.
He felt like he was invisible.
Zack remembered Dr. Carter's advice: Nathaniel's stomach was still weak, so he needed to eat light and avoid greasy and spicy food. Looking at the table full of dishes chosen to suit Reed and Aurelia's tastes, he realized there was almost nothing Nathaniel could eat.
He asked, "Mr. Heilbronn, you shouldn't eat spicy food or seafood. Should I make you something else?"
Nathaniel's stomach was still uncomfortable, though he wasn't vomiting anymore. The small bite of stir-fried meat he had just swallowed already made his stomach feel like it was on fire.
"Is there anything suitable for me to eat at home?" Nathaniel asked.
Zack cleared his throat, thinking there really wasn't much to eat at home.
"Mr. Heilbronn, there's some noodles Mrs. Heilbronn bought in the fridge. Having a bowl of hot noodles might make your stomach feel better."
Nathaniel raised an eyebrow, saying, "Then cook it."
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