hapter 14
Grace’s words shattered Antonio’s defenses.
She just thought of him as an uncle, nothing more.
With a bitter smile, Antonio downed the drink that Grace had raised to him, right in front of Barrett.
Just then, a car pulled into the courtyard.
A man in a black coat stepped out of the car and walked over, greeting Barrett with a grin.
“Sir Kaufman and all, it’s been ages.”
Barrett quickly got to his feet, and Grace hurried to greet the man, “Mr. Huffman.”
Bryce Huffman was in the same age group as Antonio. He was a few years older than Grace and had been running businesses overseas for years.
“Bryce, when did you return? If you don’t mind, come join us.”
Bryce didn’t hesitate. He took a seat between Barrett and Grace and served himself some beef ribs.
“Home cooking is much better than foreign food. I’ve lost weight since I’ve been abroad,” Bryce said, smiling as he took a drink from Grace.
Grace smiled at him. “Mr. Huffman, have more. My uncles made dinner tonight.”
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After eating for a while, Bryce turned to Grace and asked, “Grace, what made you take the Kaufman name?”
Antonio’s hand froze mid–air with his fork. Grace casually said, “I’m just reconnecting with where we come from. I think my dad wanted to return as well.”
This wasn’t just about making things easier for Antonio. It was also about fulfilling her dad’s wishes.
After their chat, Barrett said to Antonio, “Grace’s ID is from Benbury, right? Take her to change her last name to Kaufman tomorrow. We don’t want her honoring our roots with a Parrish.”
Antonio was caught off guard, surprised that Barrett had remembered the last name change. He figured the ceremony to honor the roots was enough. Why did she have to switch her last name to Kaufman?
He looked at Grace with anticipation, as if to say, “You’ve been Parrish for ages. There’s no rush to change that.”
He didn’t want Grace to crush his last hope.
Grace met Antonio’s gaze, her heart totally at ease. She didn’t have feelings for him anymore, so naturally, she wasn’t affected by his emotions.
“I’ll join them. It’s a great chance for us to hang out,” Bryce said.
Grace nodded. After dinner, Grace grabbed her bag to head to the supermarket. Both Bryce and Antonio offered to walk her there.
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Barrett waved his hand. The three of them walked to the supermarket entrance together.
“Grace, any food recommendations? I’ve been away for ages,” Barrett asked.
Antonio snorted and said nonchalantly, “Can’t you just google
it?”
Bryce had once openly written a love letter to Grace, but Antonio had stopped it.
They were both like uncles to Grace. Why did he have to feel trapped by the rules of ethics and morality?
Antonio burned the love letter out of jealousy. Bryce left the country soon after.
Why was Bryce back so suddenly? Antonio felt uneasy as he watched Bryce help Grace get stuff from the high shelves.
Bryce was clueless about Antonio’s feelings for Grace. He returned because Barrett asked him to.
“Grace’s taken the Kaufman name again. Bryce, does that mean your engagement is still on?” Barrett inquired over the phone.
“It sure does. But I want to come back and make sure Grace marries me because she wants to, not just because of the engagement,” said Bryce.
By the time they got back to the Kaufman’s home, it was almost 11 p.m. Antonio took a call from Rufus, his expression odd.
“Mr. Kaufman, Ms. Stanton just showed up at the office
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saying she’s pregnant,” said Rufus over the phone.
Chapter 14
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