Chapter 291 - 290: Save Me Some Face

「The next afternoon.」

Leo Grant checked every last detail at Falling Valley Mountain Villa over and over again. He then reviewed the entire plan with Silas Lynch and the others one more time before he could finally relax, just a little.

Mrs. Grant watched this jittery youngster darting all over the place and pursed her lips.

"That’s enough already. Just look at you, getting so worked up. How many times have I watched you inspect everything since I arrived today? You’re making my head spin. Can’t you just let me enjoy the scenery in peace?"

Leo Grant faltered mid-step and corrected her in a self-righteous tone,

"Ms. Ford, I’m simply being meticulous. I’m a perfectionist who wants the proposal setting to be absolutely flawless. I’m like this with my work and my daily life. I’m not nervous!"

"Oh, give me a break. I was constipated with you for ten months before you finally came out. You think I don’t know what you’re like? And ’I’m not nervous’—did I even say you were? You’re giving yourself away! Hmph, you’re just like your old man." Mrs. Grant rolled her eyes in annoyance.

The corner of Leo Grant’s mouth twitched. ’My mother graduated with a degree in Chinese Language and Literature. Was her diploma even real?!’

"Hm? What does this have to do with me?!" Mr. Grant put on a stern face, but his fingers were secretly tugging at the hem of Mrs. Grant’s shirt.

"What are you tugging at? Don’t snag my clothes." Mrs. Grant didn’t even spare him a glance. She swatted his hand away and continued,

"Let me tell you, when your old man proposed to me, he knew how to find his angles for the camera. To everyone else, he looked all serious and composed, but I could see his legs shaking like jelly. And when I said yes, he hugged me and bawled his eyes out. That’s why to this day, he still hides the video and refuses to let you watch it."

"That’s because the ground was uneven! It was the ground that was shaking, not me!" Mr. Grant stepped forward, put an arm around his wife, and led her aside to whisper,

"Honey, we have company. Save me a little face, will you?"

The Lowell and Sutton families hadn’t arrived yet, but all the juniors from the Forrest Family were here! ’How am I, their uncle-in-law, supposed to face them after this?!’

And Nolan Crawford, Martin Crawford, Nina Jennings, and Zachary Jacobs were all sitting right here, too.

’Especially those two Crawford boys. They can’t keep their mouths shut. They flap their gums all day as if they have megaphones attached, no different from the town gossip mill.’

’If these two brothers heard it, it’d be the same as their father, their grandfather, all the buddies who helped me with my own proposal, and the entire high society circle hearing about it.’

’Not to mention all the Grant family’s staff around. How could he command any respect after this? Did his reputation mean nothing?!’

Leo Grant’s eyes filled with mirth as he teased, "Well, who would’ve thought? The awe-inspiring former Head of the Grant Family is actually a bit of a crybaby, huh?"

’Then again, this gives me an idea,’ he thought. ’I’ll have to get someone to readjust the camera angles later. After all, being prone to tears seems to be hereditary...’

"That’s because the woman I love agreed to marry me, to spend the rest of her life with me! Of course I was excited, happy, and completely overcome with emotion!" Mr. Grant shot his son a glare and sneered.

"You just wait. I’m going to have the photographer focus right on your face tonight. Let’s see if you don’t end up blubbering! Then I’ll have a giant poster made of your crying face and hang it outside the corporate headquarters for a decade or so!"

’He didn’t dare snap at his wife, but he could certainly snap at the most vexing creation of his entire life, couldn’t he?!’

Leo Grant stroked the Jade Guanyin pendant around his neck and said coolly, "Regarding The Grants... I believe I’m the one who calls the shots now, aren’t I? And besides, Father, this is my house."

The implication was clear: forget about a poster on the corporate building; it wasn’t even certain the photographer would be allowed to press the shutter button.

He might be nervous, but that didn’t stop him from sassing his old man.

’And you know what? Sassing my own father actually made me feel a lot better.’

"Hey, you ungrateful brat! Fine, fine, fine! I’ll just grab my own cameras and lenses later. I’ll be waiting to capture your face all covered in tears and snot... Ow! Which son of a bitch just hit me?!"

Before he could finish his sentence, a cane struck Mr. Grant squarely on the back.

He whipped his head around to see Old Master Grant, his face livid, raising the very same cane again.

"It was I, your father’s father, who hit you! So what?! I’m warning you, don’t you dare say such tactless things on a day like this!"

Mr. Grant hurriedly caught the cane. "Dad, I wasn’t—I was just kidding! Please, don’t get worked up. Your health is more important!"

"Hmph! My health is perfectly fine, no thanks to you! And another thing, is that any way to joke? Are you really Leo’s father? Ugh! You’re so cringe! Such bad luck!"

Mr. Grant stared at the ceiling, speechless. ’I wish I wasn’t this brat’s father either!’

’I’m done. Just kill me now,’ he thought. ’I really am the lowest-ranking member of the Grant family.’

’This life—can’t talk back to my father, can’t win against my son, and terrified of my wife—is really... actually pretty great! So rich and colorful! So full of zest! Absolutely spectacular!’

’But no matter what, it’s become urgently clear that The Grants’ phone-development division needs to create a ’parental control’ mode for seniors!’

’It has to limit their daily screen time on all their apps!’

’Otherwise, his dad was going to be even more terminally online than he was.’

"Serves you right," Mrs. Grant said, shooting her husband a look. She had no intention of rescuing him, turning to Leo Grant instead.

"And you, get out of my sight! Stop being an eyesore. Wanda Sloan is waiting for you to pick up Yvonne. How are they supposed to come over if you don’t go get her?"

’Honestly, watching this father-son duo is giving me a headache!’

Leo Grant pinched the bridge of his nose in resignation. "It’s still early. We’re not supposed to meet for a little while."

"You have the brains of a pig! Can’t you just get there a little early? Besides, don’t you think hair and makeup will take some time?"

Mrs. Grant raised her finger to poke him on the forehead, but realizing she was a bit too short, she changed course and jabbed his arm instead.

"Okay, okay, I’m going."

Leo Grant was no match for her. Besides, it had been over a day since he’d seen his fiancée (the "official version" in six hours), so he called for Ian Lynch and left Falling Valley Mountain Villa.

...

"Mom, I’m heading out. Leogryph is in your hands."

Yvonne Lowell said to Ms. Sutton as she finished putting on her shoes.

"I know, I know. You youngsters go have your fun. I’ll take good care of Leogryph."

Ms. Sutton said without looking up, stroking the lion-maned head resting on her lap.

"Goodbye, Aunt Sutton."

With that, Leo Grant took Yvonne Lowell by the hand and they left the Grant residence.

The moment they left, Charles Lowell emerged from a room and stood at the top of the stairs. "They’re gone already?"

"Yes. Leo is taking her to get her hair and makeup done. We should get ready to leave, too."

Wendy Sutton glanced at Patriarch Lowell, who had clearly been pretending to be asleep just a moment ago, her eyes filled with amusement.

"I know. I’m going to get changed." Charles Lowell coughed lightly and reluctantly returned to his room.

Wendy Sutton pursed her lips and patted Leogryph’s head. "We need to get ready, too. We’re going to celebrate your mommy’s big day."

"ROAR!" ’No problem! I know the drill! Just make sure I look handsome!’