Chapter 10 Visiting Judy
The estate was huge, and it took a while for them to reach the front hall. Before they even stepped inside, Anne caught the faint sound of someone crying.
“Stop crying. Your grandmother will sort it out.”
It was Victoria’s voice.
Anne quickly composed herself, putting on a neutral expression, and followed her parents into the room.
Inside, the atmosphere was tense. At the head of the table, Judy sat with an air of authority, her graying hair framing a face sett in a serious expression. Standing beside her were Joshua and Victoria. Alicia, eyes red and puffy, was hiding behind Victoria, looking like she’d just been wronged.
When Judy saw them, she slowly lifted her gaze, her sharp eyes giving them an appraisal.
Anne hadn’t expected to see Alicia’s family here, and it seemed things were more complicated than she’d guessed.
She looked around, noting how Joshua’s expression immediately turned cold when they walked in. It was clear he wasn’t happy to
see them.
This family had always been good at whispering poison in Judy’s
ear, especially when it came to discrediting James. After Anne’s incident, Joshua had been pressuring James to hand over his shares.
Back then, to protect her, James hadn’t hesitated for a second to give up his position and shares. Judy had gone as far as to scold him, saying that Joshua should’ve been in charge from the start and that James was just too weak.
Anne’s fists tightened as determination flooded her. She wouldn’t let them win.
She met Judy’s gaze calmly and spoke softly, “Grandma, you wanted to talk to me?”
Judy eyed her for a moment, then huffed, “You’re hard to get ahold of, you know? I had to get the butler to pass a message through your dad, then he had to pass it to you before we could even talk.”
Judy’s tone was already harsh, and Anne shot back calmly, “Grandma, you have my number. If you wanted to reach me, you could’ve just called. No need to trouble my father.”
“You…” Judy’s face hardened. She gave a dismissive glance at James. and Chloe before scoffing. “I’m just having a word with Anne. What’s the big deal? Are you afraid I’ll bite her?”
Chloe almost lost it, struggling to keep her expression in check. Thankfully, James was standing in front of her, blocking Judy’s line of sight.
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James glanced at Judy, a smile on his face. “Mom, come on. That’s not fair. I know you wanted to talk to Anne. We’ve been so busy with the company lately, I haven’t had a chance to visit. We figured we’d come by today to see you.”
“Always the smooth talker. You haven’t visited Judy in ages, and yet, no gift to show for it?” Victoria muttered under her breath, but just loud enough for everyone in the room to hear.
James‘ smile stiffened slightly. He’d been in such a rush that they hadn’t brought anything with them.
“Judy, we didn’t come empty–handed,” Chloe said, stepping forward and gently linking her arm with James‘. “In fact, we’ve been preparing this gift for a while now.”
Judy raised an eyebrow, clearly intrigued. “Preparing for a while?”
“Chloe, you sure know how to talk. What kind of gift takes that long to prepare?” Victoria teased, her tone dripping with sarcasm, making it clear she wasn’t letting Chloe off easy.
“Well, this one’s a little special,” Chloe smiled, then turned to the servant, giving a soft order. “Go bring the white truffles from the trunk. That’s our gift for Judy.”
Victoria froze for a second, her displeasure flashing in her eyes. When she saw the servant actually heading for the gift, she decided to hold her tongue for now.
Soon, the servant returned with the white truffles and handed
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them over to Judy. Her expression softened, but not by much.
“Well, this is thoughtful,” Judy said, smiling, though her air of authority remained as strong as ever.
Anne, watching this change in Judy’s demeanor, barely managed to hide a smirk.
The white truffle had taken Chloe a lot of effort to find for
James. If only Judy were kinder to their family, Anne would happily do whatever it took to please her. Unfortunately, she didn’t deserve any of it.
The more she bowed down, the more they would push her. This was especially true for Joshua’s family.
Today, Anne wasn’t going to let them have the upper hand.
“Dad, your back’s been bothering you lately. Come sit down!” Anne stepped up and helped James toward the seat next to Judy, the head of the family’s place.
That seat had once belonged to her grandfather, and after his passing, only her father had ever sat there, after taking over the family leadership.
As James settled into the seat, Judy’s expression darkened. Joshua and Victoria looked like they might explode with fury, their hostility obvious.
Anne didn’t care. She sat down with her mother, directly opposite Judy, and suddenly, Joshua and Victoria’s earlier
Chapter to Visiting July
confidence seemed to deflate.
Anne noticed Victoria giving subtle signals to Joshua and the silent. Alicia behind them. She knew they were all ready to have Judy back them up. Without waiting for any of them to speak, she cut in, “Joshua, Victoria, Grandma called me over… What’s with all of you gathered here? Did you bring something special for Grandma too?”
Victoria’s face shifted with barely concealed annoyance, and even Joshua’s expression darkened. They hadn’t expected Anne to speak so sharply. She’d always been polite, never challenging the elders before.
Seeing the couple losing ground, Judy quickly cleared her throat and said, “Anne, I asked you here because I need to talk to you about something.”
Anne’s gaze shifted toward Judy, who began, “Alicia…”
“Hold on!” Before Judy could continue, Anne’s voice interrupted sharply.
All eyes turned to her.
Anne spoke with calm precision, “Grandma, I respect you as an elder. If you need to talk to me about something important, I’ll listen carefully. But if you’re here…” She glanced over at Alicia and the others, her tone growing colder, “then there’s really no need for you to say anything. It’s better not to, so I don’t have to say things you won’t like and make things awkward for everyone.”
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Alicia’s face darkened immediately, and Victoria and Joshua’s expressions were as sour as can be.
Judy, hearing Anne’s bold words, immediately lost her temper. “How dare you speak like that? I haven’t even finished yet, and you’re already being so rude. How did you turn out like this. after going abroad? Your father’s busy managing the company, and yet no one bothered to teach you any manners?”
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