Tristan and Ava did expect what welcomed them when they got to grandma's house.

About ten to twelve ladies were all gathered in the living room. They were gathering around grandma joyously chit chatting with them.

​​

"Grandma?" Tristan called out. He raised an eyebrow at her. He was not expecting to see so many people.

"You're here!" Grandma got up and went to receive them.

Grandma observed Tristan holding Ava's hand. It made her smile. Seeing them together made her happy. They looked like they were in love. They really suited each other.

"Tristan! You brought Ava with you," Grandma doubted for a second that Tristan might come alone. It would have made all of this wasteful.

Tristan nodded. It was still Ava's decision whether she wanted to come or not. He wanted his grandparents and Ava to know each other and bond. He did not want to force her to have a good relationship with them.

Ava gave grandma a small smile. "Hi grandma," she said and waved a little.

There were so many people in the house. It was a little intimidating.

"Why are you so formal? Come give grandma a hug," Grandma saw Ava gripping Tristan's hand. She looked a little terrified. She knows too many people can seem intimidating.

Ava came forward and hugged her.

"Come, I want you to meet someone," Grandma took Ava's hand and headed toward the ladies.

He was miffed. Tristan was left standing alone.

It seems like grandma has a new favorite. Now that Ava was here, she completely forgot about Tristan.

She wanted to make Ava feel important, and Tristan did not have any problem with this.

Tristan walked to where his grandpa was. He was sitting in a corner and reading the newspaper.

"So, I invited all of you here because I wanted you to meet a very special person. It is Ava, my grandson's girlfriend," Grandma said proudly.

Whispers and exclamations were coming from everywhere. You could hear the congratulatory remarks. There was clapping, and people were just delighted.

It was just like grandma was boasting about her new toy to her friends. She was waiting for them to praise her, and they did not disappoint her.

Under their scrutinizing gazes, Ava felt a little nervous.

They were checking her from head to toe.

Ava had not come prepared. She felt vulnerable.

She fixed her makeup and hair before coming here, but she felt underdressed. She was wearing jeans and a simple top.

"She is very beautiful," someone commented.

"Thank you," Ava said shyly.

"Isn't my grandson handsome too. They fit each other," Grandma boasted.

"Wow, I thought your grandson had no plans of marriage," someone said.

Everyone knew that Tristan was one of the most eligible bachelors in the country. He never dated anyone so they thought maybe he had no desire to marry.

"Well, he had not found a perfect girl until now," Grandma justified.

Ava felt shy hearing grandma's complement.

"She looks like she's too young for him," someone said. Some of them thought she was either a high school or college student.

"If these children love each other, then there is no need to worry about age," Grandma defended.

Honestly speaking, she had no issues with their age difference. The only thing that mattered was their love and devotion. Everything else will fall into place.

"Which family did she come from? I wanted to introduce my niece to your grandson," someone haughtily said.

Everyone knew how rich and influential the Ambrosio family was. So they wanted to marry their daughters to Tristan. Many people have pestered grandma to arrange a blind date with their daughters.

Grandma did not like where this was going. She got worried Tristan might have heard what they said. This would not go well if Tristan gets irritated.

"That can't happen now. My grandson is happily in love. This very lovely young lady is from the Wesley family," Grandma said. She wanted everyone to know that Ava belonged to a rich family as well.

Everyone else thought Tristan had selected a perfect girl.

"Did she invite them, or is this a coincidence?" Tristan asked grandpa.

"What do you think?" Grandpa said while rolling his eyes.

"She just wanted to show Ava to everyone," Tristan chuckled.

"Once she learned you were bringing Ava, she called all her friends and demanded them to come immediately," Grandpa thought about how a few hours back, grandma called her friends saying she was holding a kitty party in the evening and they should attend without fail.

A few people agreed, they didn't want to miss the chance to enjoy the luxuries at the Ambrosio house.

A few declined the invitation, but grandma tempted them, saying she got the tea from Nepal. Everyone who heard of it knew it was the most expensive tea in the world. She wanted to share it with everyone.

Grandpa could not believe that she was willing to share the tea she had been preserving for several months. She wouldn't even let him try that tea more than once.

Grandma was envious when her friends introduced their in-laws. Grandma wanted to have the same feeling of pride, introducing Ava to everyone. Finally, she had something to boast about.

Ava had the grace and manners of a lady and was interacting with the ladies quite successfully.

Grandma started to like her even more. She remembered when she introduced Tristan's mother to her friends. Tristan's mother was very arrogant and did not have the patience to talk with elderly people. Grandma lost face in front of her peers.

But with Ava, it was the opposite. She easily mingled with them like water with ice. She was a natural, and they were welcoming her into their circle.

She was happy that Tristan had chosen a well-groomed wife. She had class and finesse. They couldn't have found a better match for him.

"You woman was taught well. She has the grace of a queen," Grandpa said, noticing Ava's manners.

He saw how she asked the maids to serve her elders first before herself. He found that endearing. She was very thoughtful.

"Yes, she does," Tristan beamed. He felt proud of his little one.

Frankly speaking, he didn't really care if Ava behaved properly or if she pleased their guests because he didn't really care about anyone except for the people close to him. But still, he was proud everyone liked her.

He fell in love with Ava because of her beauty and innocence but it was a bonus that she excelled at other things as well.

He felt like knowing Ava was like having your birthday every day. It was like she always had a gift for him to uncover every time they were together. The gods must have bestowed him with such a gem to make up for his awful childhood.

If all the suffering meant it prepared him to meet Ava, then it was worth it. He had no complaints now that he has her.

All the guests left, and grandma took Ava to her room. Grandma opened her closet and took out a big jewelry box. She laid all the expensive and antique jewelry she had on the bed.

"Ava, what do you think of all these jewelry?" Grandma asked.

"Wow, these are very beautiful, and some of them look like they are rare," Ava said, thinking grandma was casually asking for her opinion.

Some of the pieces were made by skilled craftsmen, they were one of a kind. While the other pieces were made way before grandma's time. These cannot be replicated. The purity and design in these pieces cannot be found in today's shops.

"I'm glad you like them. Grandma is giving this all to you," Grandma said excitedly.

She had more jewelry than these. Some of them were safely kept in the bank. And the ones she uses daily were in her other jewelry box. She brought these out, especially for Ava.

"No grandma, you cannot give this to me," Ava was shocked, she knew she had to say no.

"Why? Don't you like this old fashioned jewelry?" Grandma said in a sad tone.

"No, it's not like that. I like them, but this is too much. These are very expensive pieces," Ava said immediately so as not to hurt the old lady's feelings.

"Money is not an issue. Grandma wants to give them to you as a gift," Grandma said happily. She thought Ava was rejecting her gift because she thought they were ugly.

"But grandma …," Ava stammered. Tristan entered the room looking for Ava. He thought grandma was monopolizing Ava to herself.

"Tristan, come and see, Ava doesn't want to accept my gift. She says they're too expensive," Grandpa complained sweetly.

Both Ava and grandma were looking at Tristan and asking him to support them.

"Little one grandma is giving it to you with love, take it," Tristan said.

He knew his grandma favored Ava. Otherwise, she would never give her her jewelry.

His grandma did not give his jewelry to his mom when his mom openly asked to have one of them to use for a party. Grandma rejected his mother, saying her husband got all this jewelry for her, and it holds a lot of memories, so she cannot afford to lose them.

Ava frowned and pouted at Tristan. Tristan chuckled and patted her head.

"Okay, how about this grandma. Give Ave one of your jewelry today, and she will take the others when necessary," Tristan told grandma.

Grandma agreed to Tristan's suggestion feeling Ava was overwhelmed with her gift.

Ava agreed. She thought that was a good idea.

Ava selected a ruby bracelet, but grandma insisted that if she was taking just one, then she has to take a larger piece. Ava liked the look of a ruby necklace, and she settled for that.

Grandma brought the ruby necklace when she went on a trip to Southeast Asia, it was the primary source of top-quality rubies in the world. There were only 5 of these necklaces made in the entire world, and Ava did not know she was holding one of them.

Grandma insisted Ava should try all the jewelry since she was not taking them home anyway. Ava agreed. She loved donning jewelry from her mother's collection when she could.

Tristan had on a mesmerized look on his face. Ava looked like a princess trying on jewelry. With her snow-white skin, it enhanced the beauty of the jewelry.

He decided then and there that Ava would only have the best and rarest jewelry from all over the world.