The hall was lively, with the members of the Kaufman family rejoicing in welcoming back one of their own.
But Antonio just stared at Grace in front of him, his eyes fixed on her.
He looked at her with a pained expression as she stood there, so polite and respectful. In the past, he used to hate it when she was too polite to him. It made them seem distant, almost like strangers.
But he had refused her strong feelings for him more than once. He was a coward,
other people would
say.
Purchase completed
Time and time again, like a relentless tumbleweed, Grace grew braver with each setback.
After Antonio brought back Zelma and kept letting her bully Grace, the stubborn girl finally came to her senses.
“Antonio, what are you staring blankly at? Grace just greeted you,” Derek said, snapping Antonio out of his daze.
Everyone there was part of the Kaufman family, all connected by the same family tree. Even though Antonio was adopted, he was still a Kaufman.
It felt like a pair of big hands were gripping his neck, making it hard for him to breathe or talk. Every time he tried to swallow,
it hurt.
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Chapter 9
Grace looked at Antonio, feeling a bit surprised. She thought to herself, “Shouldn’t Antonio be happy about this? Why does he look so upset?”
With all the family pressure and the way things were
supposed to be, Antonio had to say something. His voice came out kind of rough. “Hmm.”
With Antonio’s grunt, Grace’s ceremony of being recognized and reinstated into the family was over. Barrett took a pen and wrote “Grace Kaufman” right under Evan’s name in the family book.
Even though Evan hadn’t been very respectful, Barrett never wanted to disown him.
“Grace, you must have had a tough time out there these years, right? It’s all Evan’s fault for being so stubborn and dragging you into his troubles,” Candice said, holding Grace’s hand with a caring look.
Grace shook her head. “Thank you for your concern. I had Antonio to take care of me when I was little, so I did alright.”
“Oh, right! I almost forgot about Antonio. He’s the pride of our family, excelling in business and character alike,” Candice added.
Antonio stood nearby, listening to their chat, hoping to catch a hint of displeasure or desire for revenge in Grace’s words.
That way, he could tell himself that she was just upset. But he didn’t hear anything like that. Throughout the whole conversation, Grace spoke about him with a lot of respect.
After writing Grace’s name in the family book, Barrett cleared
his throat and spoke in a strong voice, “Everyone, Grace is not. a little girl anymore.
“She can’t keep relying on Antonio’s care forever, especially since he needs to marry and have children of his own. While I’m still fit as a fiddle, I might as well take Grace under my wing and enjoy the pleasures of family life myself.”
After saying that, Barrett turned to Antonio and thanked him. seriously.
“Antonio, it’s been quite a burden for you these past ten
years. Now that Grace has come back and things are settled, you can move all her stuff back here. I’ll look after her from
now on.”
A strained smile appeared on Antonio’s face. With all his connections, there was no way he couldn’t find Grace in three days. He finally realized that Barrett had been protecting her all along.
Seeing that Antonio looked a bit upset, Grace thought he didn’t like Barrett’s idea, so she quickly said, “That won’t be necessary. I already brought my things with me when I came. There’s no need to trouble Antonio.”
Since she was now officially Antonio’s niece, there was no need to make things more complicated.
Barrett nodded. “Well then, let Antonio take you back. I need to discuss something with Derek.”
Grace was about to say no, but Antonio quickly took her by the sleeve. “Okay, I’ll get Grace back.”
As soon as they stepped out of the hall, Grace gently pulled
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Chapter 9
her sleeve out of Antonio’s hand and explained, “It’s not far to the house from here. You don’t need to go out of your way.”
Antonio snorted, “You’ve put me through enough. What if you run into some bad guys at night?”
Grace didn’t know what to say. She had no choice but to let him walk her back, but he couldn’t hold her sleeve.
