Chapter 16 I Apologize on Her Behalf

• Anne's return broke the peaceful atmosphere at home.
• Amy moved her arms away from Harper and placed them on her knees. She greeted Anne. "Oh Anne, you're back?"
• Although Amy did not do anything wrong, people would judge her if they saw what she did earlier.
• Harper furrowed his eyebrows.
• Jaiden stood up and quickly approached Anne when he noticed her.
• "Anne, you're back? Hurry up and have a seat, your father was just talking about you."
• "Oh really? What did you say about me? Let me take a wild guess then, he's talking about how rebellious I am?"
• Anne felt uncomfortable and did not find anything she said pleasantly to hear.
• Harper was displeased with how rude Anne was.
• "How could you say such a thing? We never owed you anything."
• "Do you really think you owed her nothing, Mr. Lloyd?"
• Zeke stood in front of Anne and protected her.
• Anne was stunned by his actions.
• He had not seen Zeke for many years.
• Ever since Anne's mother passed away, the Lloyd family had lost contact with the Miller family. Except for Anne, who visited them occasionally. Harper stopped keeping in touch with the Miller family in general.
• Zeke was still ten years old when Anne's mother passed away.
• Now that Zeke was shielding Anne behind him, Harper was taken aback by how menacing he seemed, since he was also dressed in uniform.
• "Who are you?"
• "Oh, Mr. Lloyd, you're so forgetful. Well, since that's the case, then there's no need to ask. I'm bringing Anne here to pack her stuff up. She'll move to my place and I'll take good care of her from now on. I think that's all I have to say."
• Harper was offended by what Zeke said.
• "Who do you think you are? How dare you come to our house and speak to me like this. Get out of here!"
• "Dad, he's my uncle." Anne could not stand how rude Harper was toward Zeke.
• Uncle? Your mother's an only child. How could he possibly be your uncle? Harper thought and was reminded of something which stunned him immediately.
• "Are you Zeke?"
• He could not believe it.
• When did that frail little boy from ten years ago turn into such a stalwart man?
• Nevertheless, he was still a part of the Miller family. Harper's expression softened a little.
• "I heard that you served as a soldier, when did you come back?"
• Zeke sneered, "When did I come back? Your wife is probably the most aware of it, right?"
• Jaiden was a little flustered when she saw Zeke. Now that Zeke directed the conversation to her, her face changed in an instant.
• "You're good at joking, Capt. Garrett. I'm just a housewife, how would I know that you're back?"
• "Oh really? Then how would you know my military rank? Anyway, I'm grateful for the arrangements you've made for me."
• Zeke grinned lightly.
• "I don't know what you're talking about, Capt. Garrett. I'll get you some tea then."
• Jaiden fled in a panic.
• Harper could sense the tension from the exchange, so he put more thought into his sentences before he spoke.
• "Did Jaiden do anything bad to you, Zeke? Since our families are related, I apologize to you on her behalf."
• Harper intended to solve this matter once and for all. Besides that, with Zeke's current military rank, there could be times when he would be useful in the future.
• Anne clenched her fists because of what Harper said.
• "Dad, you didn't even ask about what she did, and you just apologized to him like that? Would you go to jail for her if she killed someone?"
• "What kind of nonsense are you talking about? Jaiden isn't that kind of person."
• Harper furrowed his eyebrows as he raised his voice instinctively to scold Anne.
• Anne's heart ached when she heard that.
• He was her father.
• However, anything she said was nonsense to him. On the other hand, whatever Jaiden did was always right.
• She wondered why he would treat an outsider better than his own biological daughter.
• Anne looked at Harper as tears welled up in her eyes.
• She thought that she would no longer be sad because of him and this family. However, she could not control herself anymore.
• She wondered what she was even hoping for at that point. She also wondered if she expected him to do something for Jaiden just to prove his innocence.
• Don't be silly!
• Anne's fingernails dug into her palms as she clenched her fists. However, this was less painful compared to the ache in her heart.
• Looking at Anne's current state, Zeke stretched out his hands and wrapped them around her shoulders. He said, "Go ahead and pack up. I'll wait for you here."
• Zeke's words comforted her.
• She turned back and noticed Zeke's gentle gaze. It was like a warm and gentle spring breeze that soothed the pain in her heart.
• It was then did she realize that she still had her one and only uncle.