Chapter 525 He Seems a Bit Off
The farewell service stretched on for over two hours before finally concluding, after which they would escort Reed to the cemetery to be laid to rest beside his beloved wife.
Reed had left specific instructions that several of his wife's cherished mementos, which he'd carried with him always, should accompany him in death. Nathaniel climbed the stairs to Reed's bedroom to retrieve these precious items. As he reached the landing with his grandfather's most treasured possessions, a wave of dizziness swept over him. After a few seconds, it passed, and he looked up to find Aurelia's concerned gaze fixed upon him.
His knee hadn't fully healed, making every step a struggle. Aurelia hurried up the stairs to steady him. "You shouldn't have come up here with your leg in that condition. Someone else could have gotten them."
Nathaniel leaned heavily on Aurelia as they descended, his movements labored and careful. "These were Grandfather's most personal belongings—I couldn't trust anyone else with them. Aurelia, I'm fine. Don't worry about me."
At the bottom of the stairs, Nathaniel pulled away and continued on his own, though Aurelia remained close beside him. Her intuition told her something was wrong—there was a politeness in his manner that felt distant, foreign to their relationship. In the past, whenever he was injured, he'd milk every ounce of sympathy, practically demanding to be waited on hand and foot. Now, despite clearly favoring his injured leg and moving with a pronounced limp, he refused her help.
Aurelia studied him with growing concern. He'd lost considerable weight recently, his cheekbones more pronounced, and Reed's death had etched lines of grief across his features. Dark circles shadowed his eyes like bruises.
She knew that of everyone in the world, Nathaniel was suffering the most from Reed's passing. Her own heart ached with helplessness, uncertain how to offer him comfort.
They made their way outside, and the entire party drove to the cemetery for Reed's burial. By now, Nathaniel had no tears left. As he watched each shovelful of earth cover the casket, hatred consumed him—hatred for his own failures, for the troubles he'd caused that had forced his grandfather to clean up his messes.
Now he understood what Reed had meant when he'd said, "Even in my old age, I can still be your foundation." That foundation had crumbled forever into silence, never again to scold him or hear him call out "Grandfather."
Life's greatest tragedy, he realized, was losing those you love before you've had the chance to repay their devotion.
After the mourners departed, only the Heilbronn family remained at the graveside—several dozen relatives gathered in their grief. Matthew, who typically avoided family responsibilities, stepped forward as the eldest son to take charge now that Reed was gone. Looking at his rudderless family, he could see the household beginning to fracture.
"Everyone needs to accept this loss and move on," he announced. "With Father gone, we won't need so many staff. We'll keep two in the kitchen, two for the grounds, and two for cleaning and laundry. The rest of you will need to find other positions. I'll settle your wages when we return to the Heilbronn Villa."
The servants bowed their heads in resignation. Most hadn't worked for the Heilbronn family long, but Reed had been a kind and undemanding employer who rarely found fault and often gave them bonuses. They'd never find another master so generous and easy to please. This made Reed's death even more devastating, and several began to weep quietly.
Matthew ignored their distress, his attention shifting to the two red-eyed children. His expression softened as he crouched down. "What are your names, little ones? Come let I hold you."
Jacob and Dorothy looked uncertainly toward their parents. Nathaniel said softly, "He is your grandfather."
The children politely said "Grandfather" and took a tentative step forward, but maintained their distance. Matthew closed the gap, pulling both children into his arms. "Tell Grandfather your names."
"Jacob," the boy replied.
"Dorothy," his sister added.
Matthew's eyebrows lifted slightly as he glanced meaningfully at Aurelia, though he said nothing. "Would you like to come home with me?"
Both children shook their heads firmly. "We want to stay with Daddy and Mommy."
Jacob glanced at Beatrice and Ashley standing nearby, having no desire to go anywhere with these strangers. On the drive to Imperick, Mommy had mentioned that Daddy had other relatives, and he supposed these must be them. But people they'd never spent time with couldn't be very important, and Jacob only wanted to stay with his parents.
Matthew felt disappointed by their rejection. "I will buy you presents. What would you like?"
Beatrice pushed forward eagerly. "Yes, tell me what you want. I'll buy you anything that's for sale."
Ashley smoothed her hair and knelt down. "I'm your aunt. Call me Aunt Ashley, and I'll take you to the amusement park to ride the Ferris wheel."
Despite all these tempting offers, Jacob and Dorothy remained unmoved, continuously looking back toward their parents. Dorothy wriggled out of Matthew's embrace. "I don't want toys. I want Daddy and Mommy to stay with me."
Jacob also freed himself from his grandfather's arms. "I have lots of toys at home that Daddy and Mommy bought me. Daddy says we shouldn't accept things from people for no reason."
Their words shattered their hearts. Matthew tried again. "Sweetheart, we're not strangers. You're part of the Heilbronn family—you'll come back eventually. Your father is a Heilbronn, and your mother..." He paused, then continued, "Your mother will come back too. We're all family."
Dorothy pouted. "Daddy has his own home. Me and brother and Mommy live in Daddy's house."
Matthew stood abruptly, hands on his hips, exasperated by these grandchildren he was meeting for the first time. He'd never been good with children—he hadn't even tried to connect with Nathaniel and Ashley when they were young. His own children had never been close to him, and now his grandchildren were following the same pattern.
Nathaniel called the children over. "Would you like to see Daddy's childhood room?"
Jacob remained wary. "Can I just look around and then go back to our own house? I don't want to sleep there."
Nathaniel nodded. "Of course. We'll have dinner together, then I'll take you home tonight."
Only then did the children relax. Dorothy asked, "Daddy, can I see your toys from when you were little?"
"Absolutely."
With Reed finally laid to rest, the family returned to their cars and headed back to the Heilbronn Villa. As they drove through the city, Aurelia asked to be let out. "Nathaniel, take good care of Dorothy and Jacob. I need to see Ulysses—I won't be coming back with you."
Nathaniel made no attempt to persuade her otherwise, simply instructing Zack to pull over.
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