Chapter 9 She Has Changed

"Are you serious? When can you come visit me then?" Magda asked, her voice filled with anticipation as she cradled the phone to her ear with a tender smile.

Lucian started to feel tense, and it seemed that Giselle had stopped talking on the other end of the line.

Moments later, she finally broke her silence. "Grandma, I'm tied up with some things right now. I'll come visit you when I can."

"Is that so?" There was a touch of disappointment in Magda's response. She let out a sigh and remarked, "If you don't want to see me, that's fine. But you and Lucian have been married for a while now. Isn't it about time to think about having a child?"

Once more, Lucian fell silent.

Giselle, on the other end of the line, was silenced too.

As Magda saw Lucian reaching for her phone, she sternly rebuked, "Sit down and don't say a word!"

"Grandma..." Desperation could be heard in Lucian's voice.

Hearing Lucian's voice, Giselle's demeanor shifted. She didn't expect him to be present. Glancing at the people in her meeting room, she responded to Magda in a flat voice, "It's not entirely in my hands, Grandma. I've got to attend to something. I must hang up now."

Without waiting for a response from Magda, she disconnected the call.

The abrupt end left Magda momentarily disoriented. It was the first time Giselle had cut her call short. She turned a questioning gaze onto Lucian.

"What's going on? Is there a rift between the two of you?" she asked.

Lucian was at a loss for words.

Rubbing his forehead in exasperation, he replied, "How could that be? You know she's usually quiet and reserved. She must be tied up with something important. That's probably why it's inconvenient for her to chat."

Magda eyed him skeptically, yet couldn't detect anything amiss. Perhaps she had misinterpreted the situation. However, recalling Giselle's last statement before ending the call stirred her annoyance once more. "I see. It's all on you! When are you planning to start a family with her?"

Once more, Lucian was unable to say a word.

He wasn't quite sure how to navigate through this predicament.

A mild headache set in as he rubbed his forehead and said, "Grandma, grant me some more time. Once I sort out a few things, we can start thinking about a baby, alright?"

"Don't pull that same excuse on me again. Just answer this, when will you sort out those things? I want news of Giselle's pregnancy within the year, or else you'll cease being my grandson!"

Throughout dinner, Lucian was subjected to a barrage of reprimands. It was only after promising to make good on his word that he was able to pacify Magda.

Two hours later, Lucian finally left the mansion.

As he drove, the sporadic streetlights played against the windshield of his car. Even through the sealed windows, snatches of loud music from nearby establishments occasionally seeped in.

Along the roadsides, couples clung to each other. Thoughts of Giselle's past affectionate embraces, which he had consistently shrugged off, emerged in Lucian's mind.

Unexpectedly, she had become the CEO of the Murphy Group. The memory of her confronting Collin in that private room flashed through his mind, and his expression hardened. Deception was something he could never stomach. Yet his wife and soon to be his ex-wife, had deceived him for three years.

Once the divorce papers were signed, they would each go their separate ways.

Three days raced by in the blink of an eye.

Upon exiting her car, Giselle spotted a handsome figure in a black suit awaiting her by the City Hall gates. A slight chill flickered across her eyes.

It seemed Lucian had already secured a new blood donor for Erin. What else could explain his eagerness to sever ties with her?

As Lucian turned, he saw Giselle striding towards him in white high-heels, clad in a white blouse and a snug pink skirt.

Her black sunglasses only accentuated the fairness of her already beautiful face.

Lucian was taken by surprise. He had not seen Giselle dressed like this in a long time.

He had been indifferent and even repulsed by her past penchant for loungewear.

But now, she was a fashionable and beautiful woman before him.