Chapter 377 Reed Held His Great-Grandchild
Reed laughed heartily, "I am so old, I can't grow any taller. If I did, I'd turn into a monster."
Jacob sat on Reed's lap, touching his arm, "Great-grandpa, you're too skinny. You need to eat more."
Reed laughed even more happily at Jacob's words, hugging the two little ones tightly,
"Oh, you two smart little darlings know that eating well helps you grow tall and strong. Great-grandpa doesn't want to turn into a monster, and I'm already so old, I can't grow any taller. I'll just have to wait for you two to grow up."
Ted pushed the lunchbox forward again, but Reed didn't relent. He turned his attention to the two little ones.
"Jacob, Dorothy, will you two eat with me?"
Dorothy grinned, "Of course, I love Great-grandpa the most."
Ted took the opportunity to open the lunchbox, placing the nutritious meals on the table and setting out the utensils.
Jacob, being a little clever one, jumped off Reed's lap, picked up a fork, and held a piece of egg to Reed's mouth, "Great-grandpa, you need to eat more eggs to get your protein."
Reed, at his age, was being fed by a four-year-old for the first time, and he couldn't stop smiling, "Alright, Great-grandpa will eat more eggs for nutrition!"
Just a moment ago, Reed had said he had no appetite, but with the coaxing of the two children, he ate quite a bit.
Ted cleaned up the leftovers on the table, a satisfied smile on his face. Reed hadn't enjoyed his meals this much in a long time and had been getting thinner. These two little ones were really something.
"Reed, I'll go to the Heilbronn Villa to get the gifts you prepared."
Reed nodded, "Hurry back!"
Nathaniel and Aurelia had been standing since they entered, with Reed's attention fully on the two kids, they couldn't find a chance to speak.
Nathaniel took a small step back to stand beside Aurelia, subtly intertwining his fingers with hers, gently rubbing her palm.
Aurelia nudged him with her elbow, signaling him to behave in front of the elders.
Nathaniel didn't stop, instead, he became even more audacious.
Aurelia's palm was getting numb from his teasing, and she finally couldn't help but give him a side glance, warning him with her eyes, indicating that if he continued, she'd tell Reed.
Nathaniel stifled his laughter and let go the next second.
Reed saw their little actions clearly, and for once, he didn't find Nathaniel annoying today.
"Nathaniel, Marcus didn't like any of the girls I found for him last time. Do you think he might be gay or have some other issue?"
Nathaniel, lost in his own world, didn't hear Reed talking to him until Aurelia nudged him. Thinking of the mysterious woman Marcus had abroad, Nathaniel hesitated and took the opportunity to ask, "Grandpa, did you know Uncle Marcus was married in Elvenia?"
Reed's eyes sharpened, his expression turning serious, full of disbelief, "What? He was married in Elvenia? Why didn't he tell the family?"
As Nathaniel expected, Reed didn't know about Marcus's marriage abroad, but this revelation eased Reed's anxiety—Marcus wasn't gay.
Reed frowned slightly, "Then why didn't he bring her back?"
Reed then cursed, "He wouldn't be so heartless as to abandon his wife and return alone, would he?"
Reed felt uncomfortable. He had been loyal to his wife all his life, despite the temptations in the business world. He never strayed.
How could his youngest son do such a thing?
Since the topic was already out, Nathaniel didn't plan to hide it, "Grandpa, I heard that Uncle Marcus and his wife were very close, but then something happened, and she went missing."
Reed was stunned, realizing he had misunderstood. Hearing about his daughter-in-law's accident, a look of regret crossed his face, "Is she dead?"
Nathaniel shook his head, "Not sure, there was an avalanche, and she just disappeared."
Nathaniel didn't dare to say she was dead, partly to avoid upsetting Reed, who couldn't bear such cruel news. He also thought that missing didn't necessarily mean dead; she might still be alive somewhere in the world.
Especially after reuniting with Aurelia, he believed nothing was absolute. He hoped that mysterious aunt was still alive, so Marcus wouldn't be obsessed with Aurelia.
Reed was lost in thought for a few seconds, suddenly understanding why his youngest son hadn't had any women around since returning four years ago. Marcus hadn't forgotten his wife.
Reed had planned to have Nathaniel find some suitable girls for Marcus, but now he thought it was pointless. Forcing him to date was no different from forcing women on him.
Reed sighed, lamenting that despite his good deeds, the Heilbronn family's men had such difficult marriages, always facing life and death separations. He looked at Nathaniel and Aurelia, feeling relieved that Nathaniel had made it through, but what about his youngest son?
"Has anyone been looking for her?"
Nathaniel replied honestly, "Uncle Marcus has been searching since the accident, probably never gave up."
Reed was silent for a while, then advised, "Marcus has always been in poor health, and I haven't paid enough attention to him. Who knew he was even more reserved than you, not mentioning such a big thing. If you hadn't told me, I wouldn't have known. You should use your connections to help find her. The longer it drags on, the harder it gets."
Reed knew the chances were slim after so many years, but he didn't want to give up hope.
Nathaniel responded, "Grandpa, we're looking."
He wanted to find that mysterious aunt and understand her connection to Aurelia.
Reed and Nathaniel discussed these family secrets without hiding from Aurelia. To Reed, Aurelia was always the Heilbronn family's daughter-in-law.
"Aurelia, do you have any plans? Do you want to settle in Imperick?" Reed meant permanently.
Aurelia smiled, "Grandpa, I plan to return to Coral Bay next weekend. There's a lot of work waiting for me there."
Reed felt a pang of sadness, thinking that in a week, the two kids would go back to Coral Bay with their mom, making it harder to see them.
Moreover, relationships needed nurturing. A long-distance marriage wasn't good for their relationship. He had just seen some improvement and didn't want any misunderstandings to arise.
"Nathaniel, if Aurelia decides to settle in Coral Bay, consider moving the Heilbronn Group's core team there. You two can support each other and run it together."
Nathaniel had already planned this. "Grandpa, I'm working on it, but the process won't be quick."
Reed nodded in understanding. Moving a decades-old company like the Heilbronn Group wasn't easy; it had to be done gradually. "Arrange it as you see fit."
Log in with Google Account
Chapters
Favorite
Settings
