She looked at the Old Master and listened as he said, "You told me about those four years after you left the Jones Family, and some things about Adam."
Upon hearing the name "Adam," Elly instinctively thought of Adam Jones she had seen outside the hospital ward earlier, and her brows furrowed unconsciously.
Seeing that she remained silent, the Old Master sighed and spoke in a grave tone, "A month after you left, he came looking for me. When I first saw him, he gave me quite a fright; the lad was in a terrible state of decay, without any energy or spirit. His eyes were full of red blood vessels. His assistant told me he was searching for you day and night like a madman, and when he finally couldn’t find you, he had no other choice but to seek my help."
"At the time, looking at the kid’s condition, I did feel quite sympathetic. But then I thought about how he treated you those three years, and I got angry, so in the end, I turned him away."
As he said this, the Old Master glanced at her and added, "Elly, I’m telling you all this not to make you easily forgive the lad, but don’t block all his ways out. I know you still can’t let go of him. Since that’s the case, give him an opportunity to make amends, alright?"
Elly pressed her lips tightly together and looked at the Old Master, the image of Adam Jones’s pale face coming to mind and a sense of heaviness settling in her heart.
After a long while, she sighed and said, "Grandfather, I’m just scared..."
Although she had willingly endured those three years, the feeling of being coldly treated was truly unpleasant.
"Scared of what? Scared that what happened in the past will repeat itself?"
The Old Master was somewhat perplexed: "Would that lad dare?"
Elly gave a helpless chuckle; who could say for sure whether he would dare or not.
What she feared was not whether he dared, but the fear of falling deeply again. If that happened, she truly wouldn’t be able to extricate herself.
But for now, she at least had an escape route for herself.
She couldn’t fully explain this to the Old Master, so in the end, all she said was, "Grandfather, let me think about it. You just focus on recovering in the hospital, and don’t worry about my affairs."
She held the Old Master’s hand and said, "I’ll stay in Boston these next few days. Once you’re discharged, I’ll go back."
The Old Master’s face lit up with joy, "What about the company’s matters? Aren’t you taking care of them?"
"The company’s matters are being handled by the hired CEO; nothing will go wrong in just a few days."
The Old Master smiled happily, and then, as if something else came to mind, his expression darkened and he said, "Oliver told me that the woman who can’t be shown in public is ordering the household servants around to set up the wedding scene?"
Elly was startled, then nodded in response.
"You go and cancel the hotel reservation, move back home. Also, have someone tear down the entire wedding setup for me. That’s my place—what dirty things have the right to marry on my turf?"
Elly had expected that setting up the wedding at home was orchestrated by James Campbell and his misbehaving couple on their own accord, without the Old Master’s consent.
But she hadn’t expected that the Old Master would be so angry as to have her tear down the wedding setup.
He was intentionally not giving James Campbell a good look.
"Grandfather, if the wedding scene is dismantled, James Campbell might take it out on you again."
"He dares!!! If he dares to come again, see if I don’t break his damn legs. That beast, I’ve long considered him dead to me, and I don’t need him for anything anymore—not even in my final days."
The Old Master grew increasingly angry as he spoke, "Elly, you go back. Don’t let that pair of dirty things sully my territory. Rest assured, just go ahead and do it, I’ve got your back."