Chapter 22

I returned to my desk, feeling annoyed. I had no idea what he meant by teasing me like that. Clearly, what I needed was an explanation, but he refused to say a word.
"Take a day off." He suddenly walked up to me.
"For what?" I looked up at him. In fact, we hadn't spoken for several days, and I even felt like he was avoiding me just to avoid giving me an explanation.
He looked up at the clock, smiled, and said, "I will drive. It takes six hours. If we leave now, we can make it for dinner."
"Where are we going?"
He glanced at me and said, "You’ll know when we get there."
"It’s troublesome for me to ask for leave. My team leader might not approve." I made an excuse, but I was actually acting out of spite.
"Do you want me to help you ask?" He asked me in return.
Um...
"That's not necessary." I forced a smile.
So, when my team leader finished the meeting and came out, ready to scold me, he found out that I wanted to take a leave.
"Vanessa, you've truly lost your mind from being in a relationship recently, and now you want to take a leave for love?" He was so angry that he stuttered, "Love is important, but work comes first."
"Yes, yes." I nodded, "Can I take the leave then?"
Alright, my team leader was so exasperated that he rolled his eyes, took my leave slip, signed it quickly, and tossed it to me, "Don't let me see you today again."
"Okay, see you tomorrow." I flashed him a big smile and slipped away.
Brian drove for six hours, and Daniel and I fell asleep in the back seat. When it got dark, the car entered a suburban estate. As soon as we got out of the car, Daniel ran inside, shouting, "Grandpa, Grandma!"
I was stunned. Was this Brian's hometown? Were the two people inside his parents? I was marveling at how modest Brian's parents' home was when he grabbed my hand and said, "Come on."
It was the first time he held my hand, and his palm was so big that my hand felt tiny in comparison. Feeling his warmth, my heartbeat began to accelerate. He led me into the estate. As soon as we entered, we saw two old people hugging Daniel, delighted.
"Old lady, Brian is here," the man said. He looked at me, paused for a moment, and then looked at Brian. "Who is this?"
"Mr. Anderson, her name is Vanessa, my new mom," Daniel introduced me quickly.
The man was surprised, but then smiled happily.
"Mrs. Anderson, this is Vanessa, my wife," Brian introduced me solemnly.
The woman who was sitting stood up and groped her way towards me.
"So you're married, hurry...let Vanessa come in and sit down."
Yes, she was groping. Her eyes seemed to be unable to see.
"Okay." Brian pulled me into the house.
The old couple brought out some fruit and candies for Daniel. The man asked Brian about work-related matters, and I sat quietly beside them, not knowing their exact relationship, but I could feel Brian's deep respect for them.
I don't know when, but the woman came over slowly with an oil painting.
"It's my first time meeting you, I don't have anything nice to give you, so how about this oil painting as a wedding gift?" She came over, held my hand, and solemnly placed the oil painting in my hands.
I opened it, and it was a famous painting depicting the happy life of a noble couple and their children. It was clear that this oil painting was valuable and a collectible piece. I didn't know whether to accept it or not, so I looked to Brian for help.
"Keep it," Brian said, then lowered his head, and when he looked up again, his eyes were slightly red.
Later, Brian went to help the man water the flowers, and they were talking outside. The woman pulled me aside, but when she saw that I didn't respond, she retreated.
"Vanessa, even though I can't see, I can feel that you are a good girl," she said with a smile. "I can finally relax now that Brian has opened up and married you."
I listened with a sense of confusion and pondered for a long time before I couldn't help but ask her, "What did he open up about?"
"He didn't tell you?" she mumbled, "Well, he's the kind of person who keeps everything buried in his heart and never says anything, but he's the most loyal and affectionate person." "He didn't tell you about the story behind the name Daniel?"
"No," I answered honestly.
She sighed.