Chapter 176 Playing Favorites
Alvin Curtis's ears were buzzing from the noise as he massaged them, a look of resignation on his face.
"Just surrender, quickly!" Alvin retorted.
Emma glared furiously, "No surrender! I can still fight!"
From behind the door, the butler's voice echoed, "Young Master and Madam have arrived, Vito Curtis asks you both to come downstairs."
Emma's eyes lit up as she flung her phone aside in an instant.
"The amazing sis is here! Come on, let's go!"
Alvin Curtis was utterly confused, "Huh? Thought you said no surrender?"
"Surrendered, surrendered! Can any game be as important as my elegant sister?"
With those words, Emma bounced off the blanket, slipped on her shoes, and dashed downstairs.
In front of Grace, she enveloped Luann Weaver in an exceptionally warm hug.
Grace appeared both exasperated and mildly disappointed, she addressed Vito Curtis, "Grandpa, since all us youngsters are here, maybe we should invite Joshua in as well."
Vito Curtis considered it briefly. It wasn't easy for Grace to come home; he ought to grant her that respect.
"Alright."
Soon, Joshua was assisted into the room by the butler, looking the worse for wear.
Vito Curtis frowned, "Look at yourself, what a mess you are! Hurry up, go wash and change your clothes."
Joshua ascended the stairs without a word.
Around ten minutes later, Joshua returned, somewhat deflated in demeanor.
He took a seat at the far end of the sofa, becoming practically invisible.
Luann Weaver found the atmosphere dull as Emma and Alvin Curtis engaged in brief chat before hunkering down with their video games again.
Meanwhile, Myron Curtis was engrossed in conversation with Vito Curtis, leaving her and Grace awkwardly staring at each other, unsure of what to say.
Thus, Luann Weaver leaned on Myron Curtis's shoulder, feeling sleepy.
"Luann..." Grace broke the silence, "Sis seems quite tired, I guess taking over as the new design director has kept you pretty busy, huh?"
Luann responded with a lazy hum.
Grace glanced at Joshua and seized the moment.
"It's a tough job indeed, having to deal with so much every day."
"Grandpa," she continued, "I think sis could use an assistant, someone to help out and offer guidance..."
Vito Curtis replied thoughtfully, "Hmm, you've got a point."
"Actually, Joshua would be a great choice. He's been at that director level for years; nobody else likely knows the daily ins and outs better. How about letting Joshua assist her?"
Vito Curtis cast a skeptical glance at Joshua.
Joshua looked down, not daring to make a sound.
Luann Weaver rubbed her eyes vigorously.
Myron Curtis, noticing her discomfort, asked tenderly, "What's wrong? Are your eyes bothering you? Don't rub them—you'll get germs. Keep them clean."
"It's kind of itchy, also a bit sore," Luann Weaver said.
"Too much screen time, huh?" Grace immediately responded. "It's always like this in the beginning—you have to get familiar with the company and everything..."
"No, it's from gaming too much," Luann replied candidly.
She had managed to breeze through all her work in under an hour and then spent the rest of the day gaming.
Grace was momentarily silent, about to scold Luann for her lack of professionalism when Vito Curtis cheerfully chimed in, "Luann, you've got to watch out for your eyes when you play those games. Take breaks, maybe look out the window at the sky once in a while—it's good for resting your eyes."
Grace looked at Vito Curtis in surprise.
What was going on here?
Was this the same man who snapped at everyone?
She could still recall a time when Vito Curtis had unexpectedly swooped into the office to check up on Joshua.
It just so happened that he caught Joshua slacking off.
Vito Curtis had given him a tongue-lashing in front of everyone in the company.
So why was it that with Luann...
Things were different?
"Okay."
Vito Curtis gestured to a servant, "Go, bring the steam eye mask from the study later. Have Luann take it with her when she leaves."
Myron Curtis then said to Luann, "Lean on me and rest your eyes for a bit. Dinner will be ready soon."
After he spoke, his gaze turned frosty as he stared at Alvin Curtis and Emma.
Emma, clueless, just stared back.
Alvin quickly got up and ushered Emma to sit elsewhere.
Once they made space, Myron helped Luann lie down and draped a light blanket over her.
Grace's expression turned to one of annoyance; she thought Luann was really pushing the limits.
"Grandfather, didn't you say... the living room is for guests to mingle? Isn't it improper to lie down here?" Grace recalled being criticized for her own posture by Vito Curtis once.
Vito Curtis remained calm, "There are no guests now, are there? And besides, Luann is just lying down for a moment—it's no big deal."
Grace was left speechless.
A little while later, Vito Curtis stood up to check on the food in the kitchen.
Joshua leisurely approached Grace and whispered, "You see? Grandpa's always had a soft spot for Luann. This isn't the first time this has happened."
Grace shot him a sideways glance, "That's just because you never showed any promise. Why else would Grandpa treat you like that?"
"Tsk, look who's the successful one," someone teased.
Before long, the chef signaled that dinner was ready. The group took their seats at the table. To Grace's astonishment, none of the dishes were to her liking – the whole table had none of her favorites.
"Why is there shrimp? I'm allergic to shrimp," she protested.
Each time she came home in the past, the chef made a point never to include shrimp in the meal. Casting a hesitant glance at Luann Weaver, the chef nonetheless revealed the truth to Grace, "Ms. Weaver favors shrimp. Mr. Curtis specifically asked me to prepare it."
"But..." Grace tried to argue but was harshly cut off by Myron Curtis.
"Just don't eat it," he said tersely, lacking any sense of sympathy.
"No one is forcing it on you," another voice chimed in.
Grace grasped the full weight of what Joshua had said earlier. She hadn't anticipated such dramatic changes at home in just the span of a month she was away. If things continued this way, Luann Weaver was going to turn the whole place upside down.
Emma's eyes gleamed; she felt like she had found common ground with her fairy sister. Whenever she accompanied Grace, there was always something she couldn't eat, and it was suffocatingly frustrating.
As Emma reached for a piece of shrimp, her thigh felt a sharp twist. She looked up at Grace with a pout, her eyes filled with grievance. But Grace's eyes were cool and slightly displeased, as if silently questioning: What, are you betraying me now?
"Stingy..." Emma muttered under her breath, resigned, her head hanging low.
Suddenly, a piece of shrimp appeared in her plate. She looked up in surprise towards her right and met Luann Weaver's smiling face.
"Go ahead, eat," Luann said gently.
Grace watched Luann's every move with a sense of deep resentment. She hadn't expected Luann to be so calculating.
Emma had just popped the shrimp into her mouth when a chilling voice whispered near her ear.
"Emma, do you now think Ms. Weaver is generous and kind, treating you so well, while I come off as exceedingly stingy, not even allowing you a single piece of shrimp?"
Without hesitation, Emma nodded vigorously.
"Oh my God, sis! You finally see yourself clearly!"
Grace was speechless...
