Chapter 527 Seeking Peace
Jacob paused at his grandmother's words, but the clever boy wasn't so easily swayed. He remembered every cruel word this woman had hurled at his mother during that awful confrontation at their home.
Blinking thoughtfully, he said, "My mommy didn't marry up into the Heilbronn family. She's the most amazing woman in the world, and she doesn't want your money either. Mommy has her own money—she doesn't need anyone else's."
Beatrice's cheeks burned with shame. She hadn't expected such a young child to hold grudges so fiercely, but she vividly recalled every humiliating word she'd spoken about Aurelia. The memory filled her with regret.
"Sweetheart, all of that was just a misunderstanding. How about this—why don't I arrange for your mommy to join us for dinner tonight? We could have a proper welcome ceremony to bring her home to the family."
Dorothy's resolve softened, her voice taking on that sweet, lilting tone. "Mommy loves little cakes and strawberries, and she likes sandwiches and seafood too."
Beatrice seized on this opening eagerly. "We have all of those! We'll get everything she likes!"
Matthew, however, bristled at the children's distance. How had Heilbronn children been raised to think of themselves as belonging to another family, even taking the Semona name? It was utterly preposterous. Still, since this was his first real interaction with his grandchildren and they hadn't fully accepted the family yet, he swallowed his irritation and said nothing.
"Let's call your mommy first and see where she is," he suggested.
Dorothy flashed a row of perfect little teeth. "Okay! My watch phone is dead though, so you call her."
Beatrice hesitated before dialing Aurelia's number on her own phone, but was met with a busy signal. She tried again with the same result.
Jacob grew impatient and used his own watch phone to call his mother. The call connected within seconds.
Beatrice's face darkened—clearly, she'd been blocked.
At that moment, Aurelia was relaxing at Ulysses' house, enjoying a casual chat.
"Jacob, how are you and your sister getting along at Daddy's?"
Jacob answered honestly, "Daddy hurt his knee and he's sleeping now. Dorothy and I are playing with the dogs in the yard."
"Be careful not to get bitten—dog bites mean shots, you know!"
"We won't. Auntie tied up the big dog, and we're just playing with her puppies."
As he spoke, Jacob noticed Beatrice gesturing frantically at him. He paused before asking, "Mommy, Grandma tried calling you but couldn't get through. She wants to invite you for dinner tonight. Will you come?"
Beatrice nodded encouragingly beside him.
Aurelia was quiet for a moment before responding, "Jacob, you and your sister stay there and play. Mommy has some things to take care of, so I won't be coming over. You two can go back to the Bloom Villa with Daddy tonight."
Since Jacob's watch was on speaker, everyone heard her response clearly.
Matthew stood up from the ground, his expression unreadable, while Beatrice's face grew even more strained. She had swallowed her pride to extend this invitation through her grandchildren—a gesture meant to signal reconciliation—only to have Aurelia dismiss it entirely.
Aurelia was too intelligent not to understand the significance of the invitation, which meant her refusal was deliberate. She simply wasn't willing to show Beatrice any respect.
The rejection stung deeply. Once, Aurelia had been completely submissive, hanging on Beatrice's every word and never daring to contradict her. Now Aurelia treated her as if she were invisible.
After a moment of silence, Beatrice gazed at the two adorable children—her own flesh and blood grandchildren who looked so much like her son—and couldn't resist trying again.
"Jacob, Dorothy, since your mommy can't make it tonight, how about we invite her another time? Would you like me to show you the swing your daddy used to play on when he was little?"
Both children remained wary.
"No thank you, I don't like swings," Jacob said flatly.
"I want to go back to Daddy," Dorothy added.
Ashley, who had developed a slightly better rapport with the children, quickly stepped in to ease the tension. "Dorothy, your daddy is hurt and very tired these past few days. Let's let him rest, and I'll show you where the toys are, okay?"
The children nodded and followed Ashley back into the house, leaving Beatrice and Matthew watching helplessly as their grandchildren walked away. They longed to hold and cuddle them, but the children simply wouldn't warm up to them.
This distance between grandparents and grandchildren ultimately came down to lack of contact over the years.
Matthew turned to his wife with a pointed look. "I hear you've been causing trouble for Aurelia lately?"
Beatrice snorted defensively. "You've been gallivanting around town for years, and only now that you've seen your grandchildren do you remember you have a son? Where were you when he was struggling with depression? Go live with your precious antiques."
Matthew's jaw tightened as his phone rang.
"Matthew, get down to Willowbrook Lane right now! The old shop has some fresh pieces, but if you wait much longer, someone else will snatch them up!"
Beatrice caught the gist of the conversation and shot Matthew a withering look before stalking back into the house.
Meanwhile, Aurelia was at Ulysses' place, sipping tea and petting cats. Since she rarely had the chance to visit, she wanted to spend time with her dear friend. But seeing Ulysses alone in his house with only his cats for company struck her as rather melancholy.
"Ulysses, if these cats are becoming too much trouble, I could take them with me—ship them back to Coral Bay."
Ulysses looked at the cats he'd hand-raised from kittens. He wasn't naturally a cat person, but someone had convinced him to get them for the children, and now he'd grown attached. He couldn't bear to part with even one.
"Don't you dare touch my cats, or we'll have words," he warned.
Aurelia laughed. "I'm just worried they might trigger painful memories. Life has to go on—you need to move forward."
"What else can I do? Stand still forever?" Ulysses replied with resignation.
"Has Oscar tried to come back?"
Ulysses paused, thinking that Oscar would return eventually.
"No rush," he said.
Aurelia nodded knowingly. "I came back in such a rush this time—I'll probably head back to Coral Bay in a day or two. My sister is waiting for me."
Ulysses smiled softly. "It makes me happy to see your family growing. Reed's passing was such a tragedy—he was the only one in that family who truly cared about you."
Aurelia sighed deeply. Thinking about Reed's death still left her feeling hollow. She'd never known her own grandfather, so she couldn't say what having one felt like, but she imagined it would be much like Reed's treatment of her. During her years with the Heilbronn family, Reed had never shown any favoritism between her and Ashley—if anything, he'd been even more protective of her.
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