Chapter 5 Five

Before clocking out, assistant Nina Morgan brought him all the information related to Lucy. Elias took a glance and could barely remember that her mother died in a car accident when she was five. Afterward, she had a stepmother who joined the Carter family, who "accidentally" got lost during a shopping trip. A former driver from the Dalton family found her in the orphanage and decided to adopt her. However, the driver later became a taxi driver and had a hard life with a sick mother and a child with a heart condition at home."Let's go," Elias said, treading ahead.

Lucy immediately followed him.Once they walked inside, Elias called out "Dad" to Grayson Anderson, sitting on the couch, and "Mom" to Amara, standing at the entrance. Following suit, Lucy also greeted them. Grayson Andreson and his wife watched their children walk in and their eyes revealed the joy they couldn't hide. "Since you are here, let's have dinner. Maid Yolanda, prepare the meal," Grayson instructed Maid Yolanda who stood by their side.Upon hearing his command, Maid Yolanda initiated the dinner preparation.Amara affectionately pulled Lucy to the couch, asking if she had acclimated to her new living environment.Watching his mother being so intimate with Lucy, Elias furrowed his brows and darkness filled his eyes. He started a casual conversation with his father, Grayson."I'm quite alright, thank you, Mom," responded Lucy. Noticing a slight impatience in Elias's demeanor, she began to wonder about his relationship with his parents.Amara continued the conversation asking, "By the way, are you still studying?""Yes, I will be in my fourth year when school starts again," said Lucy."Oh, that's nice. Since seniors don't have as many classes, maybe you could give us a grandchild to play with?"Upon hearing this, Lucy almost spat out the water she was drinking. However, she managed to swallow it quickly, resulting in her coughing uncontrollably, her face turning a deep shade of red. After finally controlling her cough, she apologized to everyone."No worries, your mom is just a bit impatient," Amara said, laughing.Grayson Anderson cast a glance at Elias and saw his son's stoic face and his eyes lighting up with a trace of mischief. He sighed inwardly.Before long, Maid Yolanda informed them that dinner was ready so they all made their way to the dining table and sat down.The whole meal was difficult for Lucy. Grayson Anderson, the patriarch, sat at the head of the table. On his right was Amara and on his left, was Elias, who was seated next to Lucy. Throughout the meal, the three members of the Anderson family were dead silent apart from serving themselves, even drinking soup didn't make a sound. Lucy found herself missing her old home where Uncle Evans would share interesting stories, Grandmother Evans would gossip, and her little brother Cyrus would tell funny tales from school. They would laugh and eat, even helping her eat more than she usually would. But here, she didn't want to eat more than half a bowl. However, leaving leftovers felt inappropriate, so she ate everything forcing herself to endure.When Elias saw that Lucy was eating reluctantly, he didn't say anything.After dinner, Grayson called Elias to his study, while Amara took Lucy to Elias's room. Although it was Elias's room, it seemed quite desolate since he rarely came back.Amara showed Lucy the room before inviting her to sit on the sofa. She said, "Lucy, Elias is a bit hot-tempered. Please try to understand him."Lucy slightly nodded, responding, "I understand."Gazing at Lucy, Amara hesitated, wanting to ask her about what had transpired between them last night. However, she found it hard to broach the subject. She knew her son's temper and how reckless he could be. She had heard from the housekeeper that her son had brought a woman home, and she was so upset that she felt like having a heart attack. Yet, learning that her son and Lucy had shared a room, she felt both happy and worried; happy that they were together, and worried about how her son would treat Lucy.Observing Lucy's expression, Amara concluded that she did not seem mistreated. Feeling reassured, she patted Lucy's hand and asked her, "Do you know why we wanted you to be our daughter-in-law?"Lucy shook her head; she too was curious about this matter.Amara sighed and continued, "Years ago, Grayson broke off his engagement with your mother, Isabella Dalton, and I've always felt guilty about it. Later, we were expelled from the Anderson Family; penniless. It was your mother who found us, gave us a large sum of money, and helped us to go abroad. That was how we managed to get through those difficult times."After another sigh, she went on, "We've been abroad all these years and thought that a kind-hearted woman like your mother would definitely find happiness. We hadn't inquired about her life until a few months ago when we heard about your mother's circumstances after we returned. It's never been easy for you. Initially, we intended to adopt you, but then Grayson suggested that Elias ought to get married, so..."Lucy nodded in understanding. They wanted to repay her mother's kindness by taking care of her, taking advantage of the Carter family's financial crisis to marry her into their family."Thank you, Mother," Lucy said, understanding that their intentions were good even though she found it difficult to accept their methods."You're a good girl. Don't worry, I'll ask your father to talk to Elias, to make sure he treats you well. He will also have to put an end to his affairs with other women," Amara added, not hiding the fact that Elias had relationships with other women. After all, everyone knew about that.Lucy acknowledged her words, although she had a feeling that the more Grayson Anderson said, the more ill Elias would treat her.This prediction came true soon after.Elias casually mentioned to his father, "Your daughter-in-law seems not to be the legitimate daughter of the Carter family." Then expectantly watched his father's face for a reaction. However, instead of the shock or anger he anticipated, his father's expression was one of understanding, followed by a solemn reminder, "You need to treat your wife well."He was perplexed, his heart obviously yearned to know, yet his face revealed an indifferent expression as he looked at his father.Grayson Anderson sighed again, recounting the past slowly, and finally said, "I can tell, Lucy seems a bit reserved, but she is not bad."Elias could not contain his anger, realizing that they were exploiting his marriage to repay the kindness Isabella Dalton had shown them in the past. Why didn't they let their beloved younger son, Anderson Adrian, repay the kindness instead of involving his marriage? Coincidentally, they were of the same age, and he was, at least, five or six years older than Lucy.Maybe it was because of their biased hearts, Elias thought to himself bitterly, who asked him, the eldest son, to not grow up by their sides?And so, Elias felt a chill rising from the depth of his heart to his body. Minutes later, he no longer wished to continue his act as a filial son and excused himself saying, "I have other matters to attend," intending to leave. Before leaving, he managed to maintain some of his sanity and didn't forget about his newly-wed wife. He had someone call for Lucy. After getting into the car, he drove himself and drove very fast, like an arrow shot from a bow, Lucy who sat in the backseat almost threw up.