Chapter 277: It’s Been Hard on You

Chapter 277: Chapter 277: It’s Been Hard on You

His words left the old woman choked up, unable to respond.

Years ago, she and her husband had indeed interfered in Mina Ford’s love life and marriage, but it had ended in a bitter falling-out, with Mina leaving them for good.

She certainly didn’t want to make the same mistake again. But she was also curious to see what kind of woman had captured the heart of her grandson, who had been single for all twenty-eight years of his life.

Grandmother and grandson stared at each other. Suddenly, neither of them said a word.

After a long silence, the old woman sighed and said, "Evan, don’t be so sensitive. Your grandmother has learned her lesson. If the girl you’ve chosen is really that wonderful, I won’t object."

Evan was a blunt person, so he came right out with her name. "You’ve met her. Sophie Shaw’s friend, Anne."

The old woman froze for a moment, racking her brain before recalling a person named Anne.

’She seemed rather petite, worked for someone else... what her profession was, she couldn’t quite remember.’

She fell silent, her expression turning serious, which made Evan’s face grow even more grim.

He was certain that the moment he mentioned her name, his grandmother would start finding fault. After all, the older generation’s obsession with family background wasn’t something that could change overnight.

He didn’t want to hear his grandmother nag any further, so he decisively stood up and stormed out, slamming the door behind him.

The old woman sat stunned on the tea room sofa, wondering what tantrum Evan was throwing now. ’But I didn’t say anything, did I?’

’Young people are so hot-tempered.’

She picked up her teacup and took a few sips. Deciding against sending someone to investigate, she simply called Sophie Shaw directly and asked for Anne’s phone number.

After breakfast, Anne was sprawled on the living room sofa, counting the money she had won last night, when her phone suddenly rang, shattering her train of thought.

She put the money aside for a moment and picked up her phone.

Seeing it was an unknown number, she didn’t answer. She picked up the money again and resumed counting.

She was halfway through when the phone rang again. It was the same number.

She put the money down once more, stared at the number for a bit, and answered.

"I am Evan’s grandmother." The person on the other end stated her identity directly.

Her heart skipped a beat. She scrambled up from the sofa in an instant, her back ramrod straight. "Hello, Grandma! I... I’m Anne."

"Come and meet me."

"Just tell me where, and I’ll head over right away."

The old woman was getting on in years and couldn’t be bothered to go out. She gave Anne the address of the old family residence and told her to come over.

After ending the call, Anne leaped up and dashed into her room. She washed up, changed her clothes, and put on some light makeup. Once she had herself looking neat and presentable, she hastily grabbed her purse and ran out the door.

She hailed a cab and rushed to the Ford family’s old residence as fast as she could.

The butler greeted her and respectfully led her into the tea room.

The old woman was sitting primly on the sofa. A freshly brewed pot of hot tea sat on the table before her, its fragrance filling the room.

Anne gulped nervously. She walked forward and gave the old woman a slight bow. "Hello, Grandma."

"You got here quickly."

Anne forced a smile. "You wanted to see me, Grandma? Is there something you need?"

"Sit down. Let’s talk."

"Okay."

She silently broke out in a cold sweat and sat down stiffly across from the old woman.

"Would you like some tea?"

She nodded.

The old woman immediately poured a cup of tea and offered it to her.

Anne quickly stood and took it with both hands.

Seeing that she had good manners, the old woman’s slightly furrowed brow relaxed. Her eyes sized up the young woman. "How old are you?"

"Twenty-three."

"What do you do for work?"

"I’m the vice president at Sophie’s company."

"What did you do before that?"

"I worked for Nina. I was her personal makeup artist, and I also worked as her nanny for a time."

"Who’s in your family?"

"Just me, my younger brother Ethan Austin, and an uncle I’ve cut ties with."

"What about your parents?"

"They passed away in a car accident a few years ago."

Watching her answer the questions truthfully, with a poised and composed demeanor, the old woman found she didn’t feel any aversion. "So you took care of your brother after that?"

"Yes."

"Why are you no longer in contact with your uncle?"

"The car accident my parents were in was caused by a drunk-driving couple. It was entirely their fault, so they paid a large settlement. However, my brother and I were minors at the time, so the money was in my uncle’s care. He spent it all. When my brother and I were later accepted into college, he couldn’t pay our tuition."

The old woman’s heart ached hearing this. "Then how did you and your brother manage to go to college?"

Anne smiled. "I didn’t go. My brother did. I paid for it."

Anne was proud as she said this.

The young woman was so young, yet she spoke of this so openly. It made the old woman’s heart ache even more. "So you graduated from high school?"

"Yes. I studied makeup for a year and then went to work on film sets as a makeup artist."

Being asked about her education made Anne feel a little insecure. After all, the Ford Family was considered one of the great houses of Kingsport. With Evan’s superior standing, she was undeniably reaching far above her station.

She lowered her eyes and gripped the fabric on her knees, terrified that the old woman would tell her to stay away from her grandson.

She was so panicked her heart felt like it was about to leap out of her throat.

After a long moment, the old woman said, "You’ve had a hard life."

Anne froze.

She slowly raised her eyes and saw that the old woman was looking at her with reddened rims. She couldn’t hold it in any longer, and tears began to well up.

In all these years, no matter how hard or tiring things had been, other than Sophie Shaw comforting her, no one had ever told her, "You’ve had it hard."

She bit her lip tightly as large teardrops fell, but she stubbornly refused to make a sound.

"What are you crying for?"

The old woman pulled a tissue from the box on the table and handed it to her. "Don’t you dare tell Evan I met with you beforehand. That boy will probably get angry with me."

She took the tissue and nodded repeatedly.

"Let’s just keep this as our little secret."

After speaking, the old woman heaved a long sigh of relief.

Her purpose in calling Anne over was to meet her in advance and, if possible, find some faults. But in the end, she couldn’t find any.

’This child is in a much better situation than Joseph Shaw was.’

Back then, Joseph Shaw had been truly dirt-poor. His family had nothing, and it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say they were too poor to even afford a meal.

Naturally, they didn’t want the daughter they had raised with such care to marry down.

Now, she sometimes wondered: if they had accepted Joseph Shaw back then, would the outcome have been different?

But there are no remedies for regret in this world. She was old now and no longer had the energy to meddle in her grandson’s love life. Besides, after meeting Anne in person, she found the girl to be quite good.

’Even if her background is a bit lacking...’

"Alright, once you’re done crying, you can go. Just pretend you never saw me today."

The old woman waved her hand dismissively.

Anne wiped her tears, bowing as she backed away.

Once outside the Ford family’s main gate, she broke into a run. She ran all the way out of the villa district, hailed a taxi, and without a second thought, dialed Evan Ford’s number.

The moment the call connected and she heard Evan’s "Hello?", she burst into tears with a loud "WAAAH!"

Evan’s heart tightened. "What’s wrong? Why are you crying? Where are you?"