Jack Judd nodded eagerly. "Don’t you worry, Ma’am. I’ll make sure this is handled properly!"

After he left, a chill came over Vera Xavier’s face. ’Rona Langdon, if you’re so determined to dig your own grave, then I’ll be happy to oblige this time!’

She recalled the events of her past life. The image of Zachary Preston, lying in his hospital bed, paralyzed on one side, flashed through her mind. She clenched her fists.

Early the next morning, she told her grandmother, "Nathaniel Nathan fronted the money for Dad’s medical bills. Dad’s condition is stable now, but his future treatment is still going to cost a lot. I’m thinking of going home to get the money from Mom for him."

’It wasn’t that Vera was unwilling to pay for Zachary Preston’s treatment. Rather, in her current position as a girl who had just turned eighteen, suddenly producing such a large sum of money would only arouse suspicion about its origins. And knowing how vicious Rona Langdon and Cara Preston were, they would probably try to stir up major trouble over it.’

’Besides, she had already decided to go on the offensive. She just needed a pretext, and money was undoubtedly the perfect catalyst.’

Her grandmother hadn’t known how the medical bills were being paid. She had assumed it was the Preston family’s own money.

Between Zachary’s illness and Vera’s exams over the past few days, her grandmother had been too unsettled to ask for the details.

Hearing this, her grandmother was shocked. "Goodness, child, why didn’t you tell me something so important sooner?" she said hurriedly. "We can’t just borrow money from people like that! Go home and get our money at once. The first thing we need to do is pay Nathaniel back!"

Vera breathed a huge sigh of relief at her grandmother’s words. ’To be honest, across both her past and present lives, she’d never known her grandparents very well and had worried they might be the type of people who were greedy for money.’

She nodded firmly. Her grandmother took her hand and asked, "Vera, dear, tell me the truth. What is the relationship between you and Nathaniel Nathan?"

Her grandmother had been wanting to ask this for a long time, but a suitable opportunity had never presented itself.

A faint blush crept onto Vera’s cheeks. She didn’t hide it from her grandmother, saying directly, "He’s my boyfriend."

Although her grandmother had suspected as much, she was still shocked to hear it confirmed. 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

Her grandmother knew full well the kind of standing the Nathan Family had in Crestfall. She had never imagined that Vera would actually be dating Nathaniel Nathan!

Her grandmother said worriedly, "Our family is just ordinary folk, but the Nathans are an incredibly prominent family. Now that you’re dating Nathaniel, will he... mistreat you? And what is his family’s attitude about it?"

A warmth spread through Vera’s heart. She said softly, "Grandma, he’s very good to me. You don’t need to worry. Your granddaughter is clever, you know. I won’t let him mistreat me!"

"You silly girl." Her grandmother sighed. "Of course I know you’re a smart and sensible child, but you’re still young. You don’t understand what marriage truly entails. When two people from such vastly different backgrounds get together, their mindsets, their family dynamics... everything is different. You’ll be the one at a disadvantage!"

Vera’s respect for her grandmother deepened upon hearing her words. Most people were so short-sighted. The moment they heard someone had good prospects and high status, they would be desperate to latch on, hoping the whole family could ride their coattails to a better life.

But her grandmother, speaking from experience, was looking at the situation with Vera’s best interests at heart, her eyes filled with unconcealable worry.

She took her grandmother’s hand. "Grandma, I understand all that. I know what I’m doing. You have to trust me. I will be happy, I promise!"