As the eldest grandson, Cedric Grant was expected to come and see Skye Sutton one last time.

Joanna Sherman pulled him aside to say a few words. Cedric Grant nodded, his eyes red-rimmed as he ran inside.

As he passed Sophia Shaw, his steps faltered, and he stopped.

"Mom."

Sophia Shaw was too tired to remind him not to call her "Mom" anymore. She said softly, "Go see your grandmother."

Cedric Grant opened his mouth as if to say something, but in the end, he just grunted his assent and hurried inside.

Joanna Sherman stood outside the door, her chin raised, glaring at Sophia Shaw with a look of provocation and hatred.

’So Vincent Grant even called Joanna Sherman here.’

’He’s clearly accepted her status and plans to make it public.’

Sophia had no intention of commenting on their relationship, but Joanna Sherman’s arrogant expression was utterly loathsome.

She deliberately met her gaze.

One stood inside the door, the other outside.

The Grant family had a rule: non-family members were not allowed to enter.

Her mere presence here was the ultimate humiliation for Joanna Sherman.

Joanna Sherman’s fingers clenched into fists, her glare fierce enough to devour someone.

"If I hadn’t decided to go abroad back then and ’let’ you have Vincent Grant, what right would you have to be standing here!"

"Sophia Shaw, you won’t be able to act so smug for long!"

Sophia Shaw chuckled softly. "If I remember correctly, just this morning you were saying Vincent Grant would be back by your side soon, right?"

"But he just swore to my mother-in-law that he would never divorce me for the rest of his life, or else he’d be struck by lightning!"

"It seems the thing you believed in so firmly isn’t so reliable after all."

"The man you love doesn’t love you as much as you think!"

’Sophia Shaw’s smile was so jarring.’

’It was blindingly bright, full of provocation.’

’Like a sharp sword, stabbing viciously at her heart and lungs.’

’Tearing her insides to shreds.’

Joanna Sherman was so furious her features twisted. "It was you! You instigated this! Shameless! You’re even using a dying woman!"

Sophia Shaw savored the sight of Joanna Sherman’s flustered rage.

’When it comes to being shameless, she couldn’t hold a candle to one ten-thousandth of what the Shermans were capable of.’

’Leeching off their mother, showing no gratitude, and even ruining her reputation!’

’They’d even trample on the dead.’

"So what?" she retorted, the vermilion mole beneath her eye seeming to quiver slightly.

’There’s no need to be polite with wicked people.’

"Who’s to blame for you not having anyone to use?"

"You!"

Joanna Sherman gritted her teeth, her face contorted. She clenched her fists, looking as if she was about to charge forward and tear Sophia Shaw to shreds at any moment.

But she knew this was the Grants’ territory.

She couldn’t act wildly here, so she could only dig her fingers into her palms before turning and storming back to her car.

She vented her frustration by slamming the car door shut with a BANG.

Shut off from the outside world, Joanna Sherman began violently throwing things around inside the car.

She was so angry that tears welled up in her eyes.

Just then, a call came from Yvonne Sherman. "How did it go? Did you make it to the Grant estate?"

Joanna Sherman had learned of Skye Sutton’s critical illness from Justin Hughes and had told Yvonne Sherman.

Yvonne Sherman had told her to drop everything and rush over on the pretext of bringing Cedric Grant, all for the purpose of showing her face to the Grants at this critical juncture, leveraging the father and son’s connection.

She believed that if the Grants saw how much Cedric cared for Joanna Sherman, it would certainly deepen their impression of her.

Yvonne Sherman was constantly paving the way for Joanna Sherman to enter the Grant family.

Thinking about what Sophia Shaw had just said, Joanna Sherman’s eyes grew red with anger. She trembled all over, gripping the back of the seat so tightly she could barely speak.

"Mom, I just saw that bitch Sophia Shaw! She actually said that Vincent Grant made a solemn vow to Skye Sutton that he’d stay with Sophia for the rest of his life!"

Yvonne Sherman’s heart gave a violent lurch. "Did you see Vincent Grant? What did he say?"

"I didn’t see him." Joanna Sherman’s mind was a complete mess.

"Mom, what if Vincent really did make that vow?"

"Doesn’t that mean that stinking bitch Sophia will be tied to him for life?"

"Then... what about me?"

’She had just seen a glimmer of hope. Was it about to be extinguished already?’

Yvonne Sherman was also incredibly furious. "That stinking bitch Sophia is despicable!"

’Why won’t she just die? She’s always blocking my daughter’s path at every turn!’

She had originally thought that with Levin Sawyer detained in the desert, Sophia Shaw would surely be unable to handle the rocket project on her own. When a major problem arose, she would not only be abandoned by Levin Sawyer but also be disdained by the Grant family.

But then she turned around and had Skye Sutton force Vincent Grant to make such a solemn vow!

"Daughter, don’t panic," Yvonne Sherman said, her voice low and reassuring. "Even if Sophia can sway Skye Sutton, she can’t solve the predicament she’s in right now."

"Let’s just let her be smug for a few days. When she fails, we’ll be there to stomp her down hard!"

Joanna Sherman gritted her teeth, hatred flaring in her eyes. "I don’t just want her to fail. I want her to fail so miserably she won’t even have an excuse to run away!"

"I want the whole world to know how incompetent she is!"

’Anyone who dares to oppose me will meet a terrible end!’

Sophia Shaw slowly walked back.

Inside the room.

The men and women were separated on two sides, quietly waiting for the final moment to arrive.

Sophia Shaw walked over to the women’s side, closed her eyes wearily, and leaned her back against the sofa.

She had been busy all day and had traveled for several hours; she was running out of strength.

After some time, a gentle warmth spread over her as someone draped something over her body.

Soft fingers. ’It must be Eleanor Crawford.’

Sophia Shaw didn’t open her eyes.

Eleanor Crawford’s voice sounded in her ear: "Vincent."

Immediately after, the person who had been sitting beside her moved away, and another body took their place.

The scent of pine resin filled her nostrils. The person beside her was a bit too close, and she could clearly feel the man’s tall and sturdy frame.

Someone spoke to Vincent Grant. "What about the funeral arrangements?"

The man’s voice was low but close, his breath brushing against her ear. "According to her own wishes, she will be buried back in Crestfall."

"Why...?"

Skye Sutton was from Crestfall, but given her personality, everyone had assumed she would definitely be buried at the Grant ancestral home.

In life, she had to possess Julian Grant; in death, she had to occupy his grave.

No one expected that in the end, she would choose to return to Crestfall.

Vincent Grant didn’t respond, and the other person didn’t ask again.

A hand pulled the blanket on her up further.

Sophia Shaw was exhausted and hadn’t planned on making a fuss about Vincent Grant sitting next to her.

But when he touched her with a hand that had touched another woman, Sophia sprang away, putting half a person’s width of distance between them.

Eleanor Crawford saw this and sighed softly.

Claire Grant and Lena Grant exchanged a silent glance.

Eleanor Crawford had been through this before and could empathize with how Sophia felt. She walked over and said, "Vincent, Cedric was just here. This is his first time experiencing something like this. You should go check on him."

Vincent Grant acknowledged her with a sound.

If it were any other matter, it could wait, but when it came to Cedric Grant, he was deeply concerned. He rose gently and walked away quickly.

Eleanor Crawford sat down in Vincent Grant’s spot. "If you’re tired, get some real sleep. If she really doesn’t make it through the night, you won’t be able to close your eyes for the rest of it."

Cedric Grant was brought downstairs by Miles Grant.

Experiencing the parting of life and death for the first time, his face was pale.

Tears brimmed in his eyes, filled with the fearful anxiety of death, as well as reluctance to part with Skye Sutton and deep sorrow.

He seemed dazed.

When he saw Vincent Grant, he cried out, "Dad!" and threw himself into his arms. 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

Vincent Grant gently patted his back.

Cedric Grant nestled in his father’s arms, but his eyes couldn’t help but search around the room.

’Mom didn’t come looking for me!’

’She definitely saw me arrive.’

’Is it because she saw Auntie Joanna that she’s deliberately not coming to find me?’

’But he was really scared and sad right now. He wanted a hug from his mom.’

No matter how solid his dad’s embrace was, it couldn’t compare to the warmth of his mom’s.

Ever since he was little, whenever he went through a major event, his mom was always the one to comfort him.

The more Cedric Grant thought about it, the more wronged he felt, and tears started streaming down his face.

Vincent Grant and Miles Grant still had many things to do. Miles found Lena Grant’s son to go play with Cedric Grant.

The two men leaned against a tree in the small courtyard, each smoking a cigarette.

Miles Grant silently blew a smoke ring, then looked at Vincent Grant. "Mom made you swear such a heavy oath. Why did you actually do it?"

Even though the Grants didn’t believe in such things, a promise was worth a thousand pieces of gold.

A promise made could not be taken back.