'' I knew you dated Luke, I've known you since you two started dating.''

I was taken aback, I was baffled. I felt as though a narrative twist had been revealed right in front of my eyes. She had known all along. Despite the fact that she was aware that I had dated one of her grandkids, she welcomed me. I couldn't figure out why. And how did she find out I was dating Luke? We were, as far as I recall, fairly discreet.

"I kept tabs on both of my grandsons since they lived far away and I needed to stay up with their news." She responded as though she had heard what I was thinking.

"By breaching their privacy," I said, lifting my brow. She clenched her teeth.

"They're young, wealthy boys, and I had to keep an eye on them, in case some damsel in distress was about to wrap them in her fingers." She smirked as she looked at me.

I kept my cool, but the same rage erupted in my veins. I gave a nod.

"How come you invited me?" I didn't waste any time getting to the point.

"Back to square one, I see," she said, tilting her head and staring at me.

She gazed at me for a long time, almost as if she was trying to understand what I was saying. After a brief pause, she cleared her throat and averted her gaze from me.

"I was curious as to what your current intentions are."

I raised my brow.

"What are my intentions?"

Even after all this time, questions about the girl will continue to be raised. People are clearly still very narrow-minded, despite living in the twenty-first century.

Is she even aware of why we split up?

She nodded in response to my previous question.

"How would you have known if you hadn't told me how you knew me before?" I inquired.

"You don't always need to speak your intentions, I believe," she shrugged, and smirked.

The soft lady had vanished, and she had been replaced by the cold one.

I nodded.

"So, what are your plans for my grandsons now?" She was emphatic.

I remained unconcerned.

"Nothing. Luke is now my boss, and I report to him "I responded without emotion in my words.

"Luke seemed to be too in love with you still," she said accusingly.

I burst out laughing.

Luke, madly in love with me? That could be the joke of the day, no, joke of the year, just like our relationship.

As I clenched my jaws, bitterness surged through my veins.

"Do you know why we split up?" I inquired.

She shook her head.

"I just heard one day all of a sudden you guys broke up after a date, I thought it was mutual,"

I nodded, unsure whether I should inform her of her grandson's heinous behavior.

I won't, I reasoned. I didn't want to taint his image in his family's eyes, nor did I want to do anything else with him; we just needed to be acquaintances, that's all.

Still, it's difficult to move on when your best friend betrays you.

But when she said what she said, I lost it; gone were the wise words in my head, replaced by nothing but rage.

"I think you left him because you found someone wealthier than my grandson."

I clenched my teeth and tried to relax. Tears welled up in my eyes as her hurtful remark struck my heart, but I blinked them away.

"It's so far from the truth," I said flatly.

"So you're saying-"

"Your grandson cheated on me every day of our three-year relationship," I said flatly, without remorse or regret in my voice. But just like that a tear dropped from my eyes.

I did forgive him. But the pain never dissapitates.

"He shattered my heart. He betrayed my trust, despite the fact that he was my best friend. I had put my trust in him, and you know what? That's not even the worst part. He separated me from my friends. They were all aware of what he was doing, but they remained silent because your cretinous grandson had asked them to. I did forgive him.

Because forgiveness is the most efficacious form of retaliation."

Grizelle sat motionless in front of me. Her features were tinged with perplexity.

She shook her head angrily.

"Luke would never commit such a heinous crime. Stop telling lies!" Her nostrils flared, but uncertainty swirled in her eyes.

I understand how difficult it is to accept a loved one's bad behavior.

"I wish I was lying. However, I am not."

She shook her head.

"You're a liar," she snarled.

I nodded, exhaling a sigh of tiredness.

"We can prove it right now. Let us call Luke and ask him" I proposed.

She paused for a moment before shaking her head and sighing.

"Even if he did, they'll both be angry when they find out I was spying on them and invading their privacy."

"You have every right to know what your grandchildren are up to. However, invading a child's privacy is something that neither parents nor guardians should do."

"I still don't believe, my Luke has cheated on someone," she sniffled.

"I wouldn't have believed it either if I hadn't seen it in front of my eyes," I said, sounding distant as that day flashed before my eyes.

And I told her about our date night or just how I discovered him cheating on me that night in his dorms.

"Even if you don't believe it yet. I would never have abandoned him for money. My father is wealthy enough to feed me and my siblings for the rest of our lives. If you've done your homework on me correctly, you'll know that my father is a well-known lawyer."

She fixed her gaze on me.

"I can feel it in your veins," she replied quietly.

I laughed, blinking away some more tears.

"Everyone says that," I replied, my gaze fixed on the wall in front of me. I was always good at debates in school, which is why my father wanted me to be a lawyer. However, the future is full of surprises.

"I apologize," Grizelle says quietly. Her eyes were red and tired.

"It's all right. If I were in your shoes, I wouldn't have believed it as much" With a soft smile, I told her.

"And what about Sebastian?"

I tensed before relaxing.

"And what about him?" I inquired, not revealing anything in my demeanor.

"I'm sure there's something going on between you two. Everyone might be blind to not notice but I did"

"There isn't anything going on." I gave a quiet response.

"As a child, my Seb has suffered a great deal and witnessed a great deal. If there's nothing going on, I'm happy, but if there is, you need to put an end to it " She spoke softly.

I kept my mouth shut.

"He had a difficult childhood."

Hearing that made my chest tighten.

"What happened?" I inquired softly.

"It's not for me to say. But keep in mind that nothing should be going on between the two of you "She mumbled.

Why?

"It's not your decision to make; it's his," I said, a surge of protectiveness coursing through my veins.

"Even if he owns his decision. I don't want him to get to know you."

"Why? What have I ever done to you?" I inquired softly.

Because the truth was unmistakable and sour. I knew there was no future for us, but I wanted to stay as much as possible in my bubble.

"You haven't done anything. It's because of the circumstances" she responded while looking elsewhere,

"You were involved with Luke. You are not allowed to date or be with Sebastain. People will speak up. There will be a commotion between my grandsons, which I do not want."

"I will never get in the way of your grandsons," I said, firmly.

"You won't. Men, on the other hand, are protective and possessive. Sebastian will always be aware that you were with Luke before him, and this will taint their brotherhood."

"And a part of me will always know that he fucked thousands of others before and after meeting me," I grumbled. I despised how much her words affected me, as well as how correct they sounded.

"You seem to like him." She stated, her gaze fixed on the wall ahead.

"I don't," I said, shaking my head.

Liar.

She nodded but remained silent.

"You're probably aware that I've married twice, aren't you?" She inquired.

I didn't, in fact.

"I didn't," I shook my head.

She turned her head to face me and smiled "It's funny. Things like this, I assumed, would not have gone unnoticed. "

"I'd never heard of it," I said, shrugging.

"Have you ever wondered why Sebastain's surname is Greyson and Luke's surname is Henderson?"

"I assumed they were maternal cousins, but-" I stopped.

It made sense now.

"Turns out they are paternals," she finished for me; I was still perplexed and nodded hesitantly.

"Sebastian's father, Christian, is my eldest son and the only child of my first marriage, which I had with Nicholas Greyson. He was my very first love." She smiled, her mind lost in her memories.

I was stiff and surprised.

"What transpired?" I gently prodded.

"He died young, he had lymphoma that was discovered at the third stage, doctors couldn't help him, and he named all his properties and offices after me." A tear dropped of her eyes.

"When Nik died and I had to take over the company, Christian was four years old. It was difficult for me because I didn't know what I was doing and was frightened that everyone around me would say how much of an undeserving candidate I was; that I was tainting Christian Greyson's name." Her chin sagged, but her voice was strong and soft.

In their anguish, my heart cried out.

"That's when I met Luke's grandfather, Garette. I ran into him at a company meeting. He was a charming man, and every lady in the room looked up at him in awe. But he was interested in me. He wanted to marry me, he said he doesn't care if I have a child, he said he would care for my child as if it were his, and he did" She gave me a friendly smile.

"He said that marriage would be a deal breaker for him; he wanted to marry me so that the Hendersons and Greysons could form a chain." At first, I disagreed. Christian would have never agreed to that, and I couldn't deceive my love, but I had no choice; Greysons was falling apart, and Garette had promised to save it if we married. He did manage to save it. Not only that, he taught me business, but he also forced me to study, obtain a BBA and an MBA in business, and took care of my growing son while I was away studying. It wasn't difficult to fall in love with Garette; he was a charming and family man, but most or all, Christian adored his father, both of his fathers.

After a few years, we had Terry and our own full family. There is always this sense of guilt in me. That-if Nick feels duped- that I've fallen in love again, but he'll always be in my heart. Nick will always be my right heart chamber if Garette is my left."

"Did Garette care that you loved Nick?" I inquired quietly.

"Of course, he did. It was difficult; most of our fights revolved around Nick. We overcame it, though. Garrett realized Nick will always be a part of me, but my lifetime was with him." She smiled and turned to face me, blinking away her unshed tears.

"You've seen and endured so much pain in your life," I murmured, hesitantly squeezing her hands.

"Do you realize why I'm saying that to you?"

I shook my head.

"Because I don't want you to end up like Nicholas, Grizelle, or Garette."

"I'm sorry, but Luke will never be my Nicholas," I joked.

"But Sebastain can be your Garette," she said with a genuine smile, and I was surprised we were even talking about it.

With a smile on my face, I shook my head.

"Sebastian is too spoiled to be such a gentleman as Garette."

She smiled and nodded.

"Agreed"

I gave her a friendly smile and looked her in the eyes.

Women. We go through so much and still manage to keep that smile on our faces; it's magical and wonderful.

"People talk Arabella, they will call you a 'gold digger,' and a slew of other derogatory terms. I know because I was there."

I gave a nod.

"People were very cruel to me maybe because I was married; perhaps they will not be so cruel to you because you are not married. But please, if anything happens between you and Seb, the bond between my grandsons will be severed."

My heart was broken, but my face was expressionless.

"I may sound selfish, and perhaps I am, but please keep this in mind. Nothing should happen between you two." She pleaded.

I nodded, and remembered. I kept thinking about it all night, which is why, perhaps, before the night was over, Seb stood beside me in the living room, where everyone was busy doing their own thing, and asked,

"Is everything all right?"

I memorized the beauty of orbs as I looked into his eyes.

I nodded a soft smile coating my lips.

And as the night came to an end and we were leaving, I realized Seb wasn't the gentleman his grandfather was, but he was the gentleman I had always wished for.