CHAPTER 480 ANNIE CHANGED HER SURNAME
The old lady admitted that Olive Steele was not so simple of a woman.
This woman managed to capture her son’s heart. However, one year’s care had outweighed her upbringing for so many years. Mrs. Hoyle was extremely uncomfortable.
The discomfort gave her trouble sleeping. She felt that her son would leave her.
She didn’t know that she would hate Olive Steele this much. When she split them up, she felt that she was successful. She had to do this in order to get some support from the Meyers. Moreover, she always felt that Olive Steele’s background was not worthy of her excellent son, but apart from this, it seemed that she couldn’t find any other shortcoming.
Especially, after several positive contacts with Olive Steele, some understanding, and the fact that Olive Steele saved her once, she felt that she finally had a soft corner for Olive Steele.
Her heart was conflicted between a constant suspicion and self-persuasion. When she woke up the next day, she had a dark circle under her eyes.
“Ma’am, did you sleep well last night?” Doctor Gu followed Alan Hoyle’s instruction and stayed with the old lady for twenty four hours. He lived next door to the old lady in Hoyle family mansion.
The doctor was in charge of monitoring. If the old lady was not monitored, she often suffered from constant headache and some heart problems. However, most of the time when the old lady was in perfect health, the doctor existed like an invisible person.
Mrs. Hoyle sat at the dining table rubbing her painful temple and sighed, “I think my son is angry with me.”
“I don’t know if I should say this but—” Doctor Gu sat down opposite the old lady.
“Go on.” Mrs. Hoyle was still rubbing her temple with her head down. The table was served with delicious breakfast prepared by chef but she had no appetite.
Doctor Gu smiled faintly, “I think you’re upset with your son more than your son is upset with you. It’s a classic story, Ma’am. When a mother and a wife fall into the water, which one will this husband and son safe first? You think that your son has abandoned you, but I don’t think so. If he really wants you out of the picture, do you think he will let Annie accompany you? I don’t think you ever think what he needs, what makes your son genuinely happy. You cannot force your favor onto other people. I know you hope for him to have someone by his side after you leave, right?”
“Of course I hope the best for him—”
Every mother would wish for the best for their son, but before she could finish, Doctor Gu interrupted her again.
“Ma’am, when you were young, you fought your parents for the love of your life. You and your husband have always loved each other, right? So, why the double standard for your son? Why do you try so hard to dress him with your ideal?” Doctor Gu looked at her with a smile, but the doctor’s words hit way too close to home.
“I—” Mrs. Hoyle was speechless, but she continued, “I let Annie come to this mansion. Isn’t this a reconciliation for them? My son turns his back against me when he is with Olive Steele.”
Doctor Gu shook his head, “Although I don’t know Miss Steele well, but I observe that she is not that kind of person who turn people’s backs against each other. Miss Steele is quite a simple woman. If Miss Steele is that bad, I don’t think she will let you enjoy your time as a grandparent with your grandchild.”
“Well, who knows what’s in her heart is.”
Doctor Gu smiled, “Ma’am, if you don’t get closer to her, how are you supposed to find out her intention?”
Mrs. Hoyle thought about it and felt that it was quite reasonable.
Annie woke up earlier than expected. Before Mrs. Hoyle had her breakfast, she heard footsteps on the stairs.
“Morning, Grandma!” the little kid greeted.
“Good morning, baby.” Mrs. Hoyle wanted to win her granddaughter’s heart very much, but obviously, she had to admit that even though the little girl was young, she had a thought of her own. No matter how Mrs. Hoyle tried to win her, she was unmoved. Mrs. Hoyle was both satisfied and entangled.
She was satisfied to know that the granddaughter of Hoyle family was not easy to be curried favor with. Olive Steele’s daughter was not so bad.
However, she was entangled that she couldn’t even win a child’s heart. It might not be easy to win Olive Steele’s.
The satisfaction and entanglement had accompanied her to Albert Hoyle’s grave. She held Annie tightly. This was the little granddaughter that she had abandoned for so many years. The child suffered from the Meyers doing. She was eager to tell that to her husband who was buried in the grave.
Before she could speak, Alan Hoyle’s car stopped in front of the tomb.
“I don’t know you’re still visiting your father.” said Mrs. Hoyle.
Alan Hoyle didn’t speak. He nodded slightly to Jun Xiang and Jun Ling and held Olive Steele around the old lady. He gently laid a bouquet of chrysanthemum on his father’s tombstone.
There was a portrait of Albert Hoyle smiling on the tombstone. Olive Steele found that Alan Hoyle looked a lot like his father. He had his well-defined face and piercing eyes.
“Dad, this is my wife, Olive Steele. She gave birth to a clever and lovely angel for me. If you’re still alive, you will like her very much.” Alan Hoyle waved to his daughter, “Annie, come here.”
Annie looked up and looked at the old lady. Then, she walked to her father.
Alan Hoyle patted her little head, “Come on. Say something to grandpa.”
“Hm.” Annie knelt down, prayed, and said, “Grandpa, I’m sorry I came to see you so late. My name is Annie. Don’t forget, okay?”
The old lady coughed heavily and attracted everyone’s attention.
“Come back to the family mansion with me including you.” the old lady said to Olive Steele.
“Is this an order or—” Alan Hoyle was dumbfounded.
Olive Steele pinched him reminding him not to go too far, “Well, it’s rare of Mrs. Hoyle to invite me and I’ve been more than happy to see where you live.”
“What is there to see? Aren’t you afraid of trap waiting for you?” Alan Hoyle squinted at his mother. The old lady stared at him and he said, “Mom, did the sun rise from the west today?”
Mrs. Hoyle wanted to slap his son so bad. He thought that she was that bad of a mother, didn’t he? She added, “I have the trap. You don’t have to come if you’re afraid.”
Aoba and Ada Hoyle held themselves back from talking. Before they went out this morning, Mrs. Hoyle ordered the kitchen to cook Alan Hoyle’s favorite food. She even asked Annie to taste the food so that it matched Olive Steele’s liking. What trap was he talking about?
Olive Steele smiled and looked at the car the old lady came with. She pulled Alan Hoyle’s hand and said, “Let’s go.”
The Hoyle family mansion was lively because the maids were present. They were bowing their heads looking a little uneasy while occasionally checking on Mrs. Hoyle’s face.
Everyone knew that Alan Hoyle fought his mother for the sake of a woman. Although the old lady got along well with the little lady these past two days, but the family problem had been present for way too long. They had an idea of what happened. Accepting the child didn’t mean accepting the child’s mother.
The child was lucky, but the mother, it was unsure.
Sure enough, when Olive Steele was seated, Mrs. Hoyle began to talk, “Olive, I will accept you to enter the family, but the child must change her surname.”
Olive Steele gave her a look. She didn’t much about it. In the past, she would have been happy to have her child surnamed Hoyle and to finally get a recognition from this family. But now, it made her chest stuffy somehow.
“Mom, I have told you about this matter. There is no room for negotiation.” Alan Hoyle said.
Mrs. Hoyle slammed the table. The plates clanked, “You’re presumptuous.”
With the arrival of Olive Steele, the atmosphere of the mansion became spooky and the maids were being extra careful. After Mrs. Hoyle slammed the table, the atmosphere went down below zero.
Aoba Hoyle and his sister rolled their eyes and said, “Well, Mom, actually this thing—”
“Shut up. I haven’t dealt with you about that woman.”
“Stubborn as always.” Aoba Hoyle grunted discontentedly. He needed to avoid trouble. So, he could only shrug his shoulder apologetically at Alan Hoyle and Olive Steele. Content © copyrighted by .
The old lady was too much. When she didn’t want things, she would abandon them without a second thought. But, when she wanted the, she wanted them delivered to her door. She thought the world revolved around her. How could it be fair to Olive Steele and her child?
Alan Hoyle put down his chopstick and picked up Annie, “Baby, say goodbye to grandma.”
Olive Steele rolled her eyes. Did her man just go on a passive strike? She knew that face-to-face collision didn’t solve a problem, but—
She pulled his arm and smiled at the old lady, “Mrs. Hoyle, I think we should take about this privately.”
Before Mrs. Hoyle could speak, Alan Hoyle said, “I disagree.”