Chapter 18 - 18: Marriage Certificate
Chapter 18: Marriage Certificate
Translator: Henyee Translations , Editor. Henyee Translations
Having heard their argument, the old lady poked her head out from the window. “Brat, are you upsetting my granddaughter-in-law?
Lewis’s face tightened. “No.”
The old lady cast a doubtful glance at Keira: “Granddaughter-in-law, is that
true?”
Keira gave Lewis a seemingly amused glare. She surprisingly noticed a trace of anxiousness on his otherwise expressionless face.
She chuckled. “No, he’s not upsetting me.”
The man seemed to heave a sigh of relief although barely noticeable.
Old Mrs. Horton chuckled, “Good. Dinner is ready. Come on in.
Their dinner was fairly simple.
Four dishes and one soup, just enough for three people.
But the old lady barely had any appetite. She put down her fork after a few
bites.
She tiredly said, “Granddaughter-in-law, I’m tired. Let’s go home.
Keira tried to persuade her. “Please don’t stress yourself. Rest here at home tonight.”
The small courtyard was like a mini nursing home, equipped with all kinds of medical equipment.
However, the old lady nervously clung onto Keira’s hand. “Can you stay with
me then?”
Keira pursed her lips.
She glanced at Lewis.
in fact, she was also worried about the old lady, but considering how much
Lewis loathed her and suspected her of using the old lady to get closer to him,
he certainly wouldn’t agree.
The man fell silent, then said, “Alright.
He then gave her a meaningful glance.
His intention was clear. He was doing all this for his grandmother, and she shouldn’t misconstrue anything.
Keira gave a slight twitch at the comer of her mouth.
Old Mrs. Horton was satisfied, “All right, wherever my granddaughter-in-law
is, there I am.”
After dinner, Keira helped old Mrs. Horton back to her room to rest.
The old lady must have been really tired today after making a scene when she fell ill. She fell asleep as soon as she took hold of Keira’s hand.
She was having an extremely restless sleep.
As soon as Keira let go of her hand, the old lady began groping around in her sleep, mumbling “Granddaughter-in-law .
Keira was helpless and could only sit by the bed, keeping her company.
Outside the window.
Lewis had a serious expression on his face. “What’s going on with grandma?”
The family doctor, who had studied psychology, sighed. “Although I don’t know why old Mrs. Horton recognized this girl, I can more or less guess why she is so restless. She’s afraid that her granddaughter-in-law will leave…”
“Why?”
The family doctor gave Lewis a glance, “It seems like old Mrs. Horton feels like she won’t be able to survive this year. She’s afraid if she’s gone, you’ll end up with no constraints, and ‘granddaughter-in-law’ is the only person she can leave behind to keep you company…”
Lewis was slightly startled. His dark eyes reflected suppressed emotions for a while before settling back into calmness.
He stood in the moonlight, seeming as if he was going to blend completely into
the darkness behind him.
No one knew how much time had elapsed before the man suddenly turned around and walked towards the main house in big strides.
***
For Isla, this meal was very difficult to get through.
The first branch of the family had lost 2% of the shares because of her.
Jake’s mother, Melissa Knight, was extremely dissatisfied and made cutting remarks toward Isla. “Isn’t Keira an illegitimate daughter? How come she can get into the good graces of old Mrs. Horton, but you can t?
isla could only lower her head in apology. “Auntie, I’m not as sweet-tongued as
her. I don’t know how to flatter other people.”
Melissa snorted in contempt. “I don’t care what method you use, but you have to get those 2% shares back! Otherwise, don’t even think about stepping into the Horton family!”
Isla was left with her inner grievances untold.
She was finally able to ask for leave after going through the hard ordeal of finishing her meal.
But before she could leave, Lewis returned.
The man was tall, and his presence filled the room with a strong oppressive aura the moment he entered. His gaze was sharp as a torch, and after sweeping over the leftover food on the dining table, his face soured even more.
Old Mrs. Horton didn’t get to eat anything tonight, and they are here satisfying themselves?
Melissa didn’t dare to speak when she saw his face. It was Jake’s father, Oliver Horton, who frowned and asked, “Lewis, what brings you here?” Lewis ignored his namesake older brother and instead turned to Isla. “Since the marriage isn’t off, she’s considered part of the Horton family as of now, right?”
Everyone was left puzzled. “Yes.”
“In that case, she has to follow the rules of the Horton family. She has shown disrespect to her elders today, therefore she is to kneel in the ancestral hall for a night.”
Lewis gave a signal without further explanation, and two bodyguards walked
up toward Isla. “Miss Olsen, please come with us.”
Isla was dumbstruck.
Kneeling for the whole night in the ancestral hall?
As a pampered child from a very young age, how could she bear that?
She sought help from Jake.
But she saw that he didn’t dare to rebel against the person in power.
She took a deep breath and had no choice but to follow the bodyguards.
Just as she was about to step out, she heard Jake ask, “Uncle Lewis, where’s Keira? Has she left?”
Then she heard the man’s warning reply, “She’s my guest and is staying at the Horton’s tonight.”
Isla followed the bodyguards to the ancestral hall. V/\IssịT n0(v)eL/b(i)(n).𝘤𝑜/𝓂 for the b/est novel reading experi/en/ce
The bodyguards said, “Mr. Horton has instructed us. Since you haven’t married into the family, you cannot enter the Horton family ancestral hall, so just kneel outside.”
Outside was a paved area made of green bricks!
Isla wanted to say something, but the two bodyguards seemed to stand tall like gatekeepers, their cold eyes watching her. “Miss Olsen, please.
The weather in October was already quite chilly at night.
Isla was shivering, the bone-piercing cold seeped into her bones from her kneecaps. She wanted to slacken a bit, but those two bodyguards stared at her intently as if they were prison guards.
They didn’t say a word, but still, their silence made one shudder.
On recalling that at this very moment, Keira must be lying on a warm and soft bed…
Isla gritted her teeth in hatred.
But Keira would only stay with the Horton family for a night, while Isla could stay here for a lifetime in the future!
She was about to meet with Dr. South soon, and she had to make good use of this card…
***
When Keira woke up, she found herself lying in bed.
There was also a small grey blanket placed over her, which didn’t match the interior of the old lady’s room.
She didn’t think much of it. After getting up and freshening up, she had breakfast with old Mrs. Horton and Lewis.
A plate of doughnuts was placed on the dining table.
Old Mrs. Horton immediately picked one up.
Lewis frowned.
His grandma had high blood sugar, and it wasn’t suitable for her to eat foods high in fat and sugar like these.
As he was thinking of how to dissuade her, he heard Keira say plainly, “Grandma, these doughnuts aren’t suitable for you…
Right after that, the old lady who was picky about her food and liked to eat whatever she pleased, diverted her hand in mid-air and put the doughnut into Keira’s bowl.
Old Mrs. Horton smiled at her pleasantly. “Granddaughter-in-law, I was getting it for you.”
Lewis was speechless.
He looked at Keira scrupulously, unable to understand why Grandma was so willing to listen to her.
Keira started to eat the doughnut unreservedly. She then looked at Lewis. “By the way, bring your ID card and household registration book when we go to the Civil Affairs Bureau later.”
Old Mrs. Horton asked curiously, “What are you going to the Civil Affairs Bureau for?”
Keira answered casually, “We lost the marriage certificate, so we need a new one.”
A marriage certificate was needed for a divorce, and she wasn’t just fobbing old Mrs. Horton off.
However, much to her surprise, upon hearing this, old Mrs. Horton quickly retorted, “It’s not lost!”
She hurriedly went into the bedroom and swiftly brought back two red marriage certificates before handing them to Keira and Lewis!!