Keanu exhaled deeply, as if each breath weighed more than the last. He patted Allison’s shoulder, guiding her to sit beside him on the sofa. His gaze bore into Colton, every word dripping with disappointment.
“For three years, Allison has held this family together so you could focus on your work. In my lifetime, I’ve learned that gratitude is the heart of everything. If you can’t understand that, you don’t deserve to carry the Stevens name!”
Colton’s face reddened, a mixture of shame and anger. He bit his tongue, not daring to argue.
When the sting of Keanu’s reprimand finally settled, he turned to Allison, his expression softening. “If this fool doesn’t shape up, I’ll disown him without a second thought. From this day forward, I recognize only one granddaughter-in-law.”
The words landed like a bombshell.
Keanu’s favoritism towards Allison was no secret, but the extent of his affection took everyone by surprise.
Lindy, standing off to the side, had never seen Keanu speak with such finality. She had been married into the Stevens family for decades and had never earned even half the favor Keanu showed Allison. Now, in front of everyone, he was willing to discard his own blood for her? However, Lindy didn’t dare to lose her temper in front of him. She excused herself instead. “Keanu, I’m not feeling well. I’ll head upstairs.”
As she disappeared, Melany found herself standing on shaky ground.
Trying to salvage the situation, she put on her most fragile expression and turned to Colton. “Colton, it’s clear Keanu doesn’t like me. Maybe I should go, before I cause any more trouble.”
Colton, falling for her act, squeezed her hand. “I won’t let you leave.”
But Keanu’s patience had run dry. “Both of you, get the hell out!”
Keanu had lived long enough to see through every type of person who crossed his path.
With a sharp edge to his words, he quipped, “Miss Johnson, let’s not pretend. The Stevens family wasn’t some grand name in your eyes. I know that’s why you dropped the engagement and ran off to marry abroad. You almost turned us into a joke! And now, you waltz back in. Funny, isn’t it? Now that we’ve risen, you’re interested again. Did you really think I wouldn’t notice?”
Keanu didn’t mince words, delivering his scolding without restraint.
“You think you can fool me? I’d rather leave everything to Allison than let you get your hands on even a dime!” Melany’s face drained of color as Keanu’s words hit their mark. Colton instinctively pulled her close.
“She had her reasons back then. We were apart for three years, and now we can finally be together. How can you stand in the way of that? And you know what? She’s not after my money. Her family even wants to invest in the new business. All they want is for us to be happy. Grandpa, you’re being unfair to her.”
As Colton spoke, his gaze briefly flicked to Allison. She sat there, unbothered, almost detached, as if this had nothing to do with her. The sight of her calm demeanor only fueled his frustration.
Keanu’s temper flared. “Don’t you dare mention these last three years! You’re ungrateful! A fool, that’s what you are. You have no idea who truly cares for you!”
Keanu couldn’t understand how his grandson could be so blind when he had been so shrewd all his life. His fury was palpable as he glared at Colton.
“When you were sick, it was Allison who stayed by your side, day in and day out. And when our company was on the brink, who do you think faced Kellan? That man’s as unpredictable as a thunderstorm, yet she went alone to save our company. Do you think we’d be where we are today without her?”
Keanu’s voice faltered as the memory of those days stirred something deep. Everyone in town knew Kellan’s temper, but Allison, as young as she was, had somehow managed to handle him. There were whispers that she had knelt outside his office for hours, waiting to make her case.
Keanu never thought the day would come when Colton, after everything Allison had done, would treat her like this.
His heart ached with a bitter mix of sorrow and rage. “Ever hear the saying? Ingratitude never goes unpunished.”
Colton, his tone turning cold, shot back, “I haven’t forgotten what she did for the family. That’s why I gave her four million and a villa. She’s got more than enough to live comfortably for the rest of her life.”
He knew he owed her something, but in his eyes, he’d already repaid that debt.
“Allison was a good woman, sure, but you can’t force me to love her now.”
As if sensing the weakness in his argument, Colton glanced at Allison and added, almost pleadingly, “I know you love me, but I just don’t feel the same way. You can’t twist my arm into loving you, and whatever game you’re playing with Grandpa, it won’t work. I’m staying with Melany, no matter how much you try to drive a wedge between us!”
Allison’s voice was calm, but there was a sharp edge to it. “Drive a wedge? I haven’t even said anything.” To say she wasn’t hurt would have been a lie, but after the divorce, she had distanced herself from the memories. Now, she found the situation almost absurd.
Maybe it wasn’t Colton she had loved all those years, but the version of him from a time long past – the one who had been full of life, passion, and sincerity.
Colton caught the flash of anger on her face, though she quickly masked it. It felt like a slap in the face. “Take the money and go. I’m never going to be with someone like you…”
Before he could finish, Keanu’s patience snapped.
With a swift motion, he raised his cane and brought it down hard on Colton’s back.
The sharp sound of the strike echoed through the room. Keanu’s anger had boiled over. He struck without holding back, and Colton crumpled to his knees. Melany tried to rush forward, but the butler blocked her path, his face expressionless.
“Miss Johnson, this is a family matter.”
Colton, who had been spoiled since birth, had never experienced anything like this. Keanu, having recovered impressively after his hospital stay, wielded his cane with precision, striking the tender spots where the pain would linger the longest.
Colton’s face drained of color, while Allison stood by, as indifferent as if the entire scene were unfolding in a distant land, far removed from her concerns.
“Get out! From this moment forward, neither of you is to set foot in this mansion again without my permission!” Keanu bellowed, his voice echoing through the room as he shoved them both outside. Once the door slammed shut, he collapsed onto the sofa, his chest heaving with heavy breaths.
Allison, unmoved by the storm that had just passed, calmly poured him a glass of water and handed it to him. “Keanu, mind your health. That cane of yours has been with you for years. It’d be a shame if it broke.”
Outside, Colton struggled to stand, pulling Melany along as he staggered forward. He hadn’t even caught his breath before Allison’s dismissive words, carried by the wind, nearly made him stumble in fury.
Did Allison seriously think he was worth less than a cane? Keanu, now sinking into the weight of it all, spoke with a quieter voice, filled with regret. “I’m sorry for you.” After decades of navigating the choppy waters of business, never shedding a tear for anything or anyone, Keanu found himself feeling genuine remorse. He had raised an ungrateful soul, a disappointment who had not only betrayed his benefactor but stained the reputation of the Stevens family.
“Are you really never coming back?” Keanu asked quietly, his voice strained under the heaviness of the question.
Allison turned toward him, her expression a mix of sadness and certainty. In her mind, there was no debt to be settled between her and the Stevens family.
This was simply the closing of a chapter.
“You know how I am,” she began, choosing her words carefully to avoid hurting him. “I’ve always hated unfinished business. Colton and I? That’s in the past. But you… I’ll always think of you as my grandfather. If you ever need anything, don’t hesitate to reach out. I’ll be there.”
Her words were both a promise and a farewell.
Keanu, understanding all too well, sighed deeply, knowing her mind was set. After exchanging a few more heartfelt words, Keanu reluctantly saw her to the door. He watched her disappear into the garden, her grace never faltering.
Her figure blended with the greenery, and he was struck by how beautiful and strong she was. All he could do was release a sorrowful sigh. “What a tangled web we weave.”
Outside the mansion, Melany clung to Colton’s arm, her eyes filled with guilt. “I’m so sorry, Colton. This is all my fault. If it weren’t for me, your grandfather wouldn’t be this angry.”
“It’s not on you,” Colton reassured her, stroking her hair gently. “Grandpa’s got a temper. The more time we spend with him, the more he’ll see who you really are.” Even as Colton spoke, his mind began to wander.
Though Melany was the woman he loved, the one he had fought for, his thoughts kept drifting back to Allison. Her distant, serene demeanor stirred a growing unease within him.
Allison had always maintained a courteous distance from his mother as well.
The woman who had once shared his life now seemed like a shadow, slipping further away with each passing day. He couldn’t shake the feeling that something essential was slipping through his fingers like sand through an hourglass.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.