Chapter 209: Chapter 207: Change of Perspective
Not only did Old Mrs. Lyle find it inconceivable, but everyone present was no exception.
Elliana Lyle accepted everyone’s gaze, some were surprised, others full of ridicule.
She didn’t really understand why Hannah Collins had to bring this up, making her feel a bit awkward now.
Old Mrs. Lyle looked her up and down, then nodded: "Hmm, growing up does make a difference, knowing how to do good deeds, it seems reading hasn’t been in vain."
"Grandma is right." Since the old lady had softened her attitude, there was no need for her to engage in a futile argument.
Even though the old lady urged Shawn Lyle to remarry when her mother passed away, even though the old lady wasn’t the least bit sad about her mother’s death.
If it were in the past, she would definitely quarrel fiercely with this person, but things are different now. Perhaps her mindset has changed, and she feels there’s no need anymore.
Arguing is for changing something, but clearly, there are people and things that can’t be changed.
Seeing this, Hannah Collins also breathed a sigh of relief. From her observations earlier, Old Mrs. Lyle clearly didn’t like Little Sprout.
Although she didn’t know the specific reason, her heart was always towards Little Sprout.
Ultimately, the elderly just hope the children can bring honor to the family, and by her relaying some matters, it might change Old Mrs. Lyle’s view of Little Sprout.
"Elliana, now that you’re back, just stay home. The Lyle family isn’t unable to support you." Shawn Lyle suddenly spoke up, bringing the issue back to the surface.
Old Mrs. Lyle also chimed in: "An unmarried girl running to others’ homes all the time; a person needs dignity, just like a tree needs its bark."
"Grandma is right." Elliana still answered, whatever you say is right. Whether to listen or not is another matter entirely.
She came to mourn her uncle, not to argue with these people from the Lyle family.
"Hmm, good you know." Old Mrs. Lyle nodded satisfactorily, her attitude towards Elliana improved significantly.
Shawn Lyle looked at his daughter with an inquisitive gaze, puzzled because in the past his daughter would have definitely gotten into a fierce argument with the old lady at this point.
He didn’t know since when he’d never seen his daughter talk back to the old lady anymore; this change left him unable to continue with the prepared remarks.
"Stay a few more days this time." Old Mrs. Lyle held Hannah’s hand and then said to Ms. Wu: "Quick, take our guest to see where they’re staying, so they can familiarize themselves."
"Alright." Ms. Wu responded, then walked over to Hannah with a smile: "Miss Collins, come with me."
Though they went to see the room, in truth it was to send them away. Hannah naturally understood Old Mrs. Lyle’s intention, glanced at Elliana with slight unease, and followed Ms. Wu away.
Afterward, the family sat together, and Old Mrs. Lyle would occasionally make a few unpleasant remarks, to which Elliana responded obediently with no rebuttal whatsoever.
Joy Lyle, sitting beside her, squeezed her hand, feeling somewhat comforted that her sister had finally grown up.
"Your grandmother came by a few days ago, saying she wanted to move your mom’s grave to her family home. What a joke, once she’s through the Lyle family’s door, even if she’s a dog, she’s part of the Lyle family."
Old Mrs. Lyle’s words were harsh and unpleasant to hear. If it weren’t for Joy holding her hand, she might have stormed out the door.
No one present refuted her; even Ada Lee agreed and then glanced at her defiantly.
"Shawn, you’re not young anymore. When will you give me a grandson?" The old lady questioned Shawn, which was also what she cared about most.
Naturally, Shawn Lyle also cared about this a lot. After all, if he never has a son, then the Lyle Corporation will end up with his brother’s son in the future.
This is something he absolutely does not want to see happen.
At this moment, Florence Lyle said: "Mom, I have a friend who just divorced her husband and doesn’t have any children. She’s also of good character."
Upon hearing this, Old Mrs. Lyle was immediately displeased and scolded Florence angrily: "Ridiculous! Does a filthy divorcee deserve to enter the Lyle family’s door?"
"I..." Florence immediately fell silent.
Then Old Mrs. Lyle continued: "Don’t associate with such people in the future. Is a good character woman being divorced by a man?"
"I’ve seen bound feet but never a bound brain."
A subtle voice reached Elliana’s ears, and she instinctively looked in the direction of the voice, which came from her cousin’s mouth.
Since she and this cousin were both sitting in the corner, despite the voice being small, she heard it clearly.
She didn’t know much about this cousin but knew the reason he was in an even more cornered spot than herself was his distaste for the old lady’s nagging.
Christopher Lyle saw her look over and suddenly felt a bit nervous, thinking no one had heard him.
Their eyes met briefly before both looked away, pretending nothing had happened.
"Alright, I’m tired too, everyone disperse." The old lady sighed wearily, then propped herself up with a cane and was aided upstairs by Ada Lee.
Watching the old lady’s frail figure, Elliana sighed heavily, pondering what’s left to fight for. There’s nothing worth fighting for.
Apart from Joy and Phoebe Lyle, none of the people here mattered to her, nor did any of them care about her.
"Elliana, go rest for a while. I still have some things to attend to, so I won’t accompany you."
Joy said, rubbing Elliana’s hair.
She replied, "No need, I’ll go with you to keep vigil for Uncle."
"..." Joy hesitated slightly because keeping vigil is exhausting, and due to their generation, only the younger generation like them could do it.
Phoebe directly said: "Then let’s go together, come on."
At the prepared mourning hall, she also changed into mourning clothes and knelt in front of the hall with several peers.
On the other side.
Tiana Harris began pacing around the room after lunch, each step taken with difficulty as her ankle was swollen from clearly falling down the stairs.
Yet she still couldn’t keep still, so she left the room and, holding onto the railing, went downstairs.
"Who are you?"
A male voice startled Tiana, causing her to lose her footing and fall!
This gave Shawn Lyle quite a scare, and he hurriedly rushed over to support her in just a few steps. Fortunately, it was the last two steps of the stairs, so it wasn’t too severe.
But her already injured ankle got twisted again.
"Hiss―――!"
Tiana’s face contorted in pain. After being helped up by Shawn Lyle, she finally looked up at the man whose words had frightened her.
At the moment she looked up, both of them were stunned.
Though this man seemed to be in his forties, his features were refined, exuding the charm of a mature man. A close inspection made her think this person should be Elliana’s father.
"Emma, how come..." Shawn Lyle’s expression was a mix of excitement and joy, as the girl before him looked almost identical to his first love.
However, he didn’t finish his question because logic told him the age didn’t match up. He wondered and even thought that this girl might be Emma Young’s daughter.
"Uncle?" The man’s silly gaze made her somewhat uneasy and even a bit scared.
Interrupted by this "Uncle," Shawn Lyle came back to his senses, smiling amiably, he asked: "And you are?"
"Hello, Uncle. I’m Elliana’s friend, sorry for disturbing you all..."
"Oh, no disturbance at all." Shawn Lyle waved his hand and continued: "Did I scare you?"
With Shawn’s assistance, Tiana Harris moved to the side of the sofa. The two of them sat down, separated by only an inch.
"You look a lot like someone I know, do you know Emma Young?"
Faced with his question, Tiana shook her head: "No, I don’t."
In fact, she hadn’t even heard of this person.
Upon hearing this, Shawn Lyle inevitably felt a sense of disappointment, realizing it was just his imagination.