Chapter 15 A Wedding Without The Groom 1

• “Veronica, she's your grandma now,” Richard urged.
• “Grandma,” Veronica greeted shyly.
• “Good girl. Come over here.”
• Mathilda took Veronica's hand and asked her to take the seat next to herself.
• “Veronica, this is a good friend of Nathaniel, Robert Baker. He had just returned to the country.” The old lady introduced them both.
• Robert stood up, the smile on his lips unwavering. He stuck his hand out and said, “Hello, Ms. Saville. Nice to meet you.”
• “Hello, Mr. Baker. Likewise.” Veronica shook his hand politely.
• After giving Veronica a courteous bow, Robert turned and told Mathilda, “Madam Mathilda, I still have some matters to attend to, so I shall take my leave now.”
• “Okay. Come visit me when you have time.” Mathilda's lips curved into a smile.
• “Sure.” Robert inclined his head toward Veronica and Richard's direction before striding out.
• As Veronica seemed nervous, Mathilda took her hand and uttered, “Veronica, don't be nervous. We're a family now, so there's no need to put your guard up. Just be yourself.”
• The more Mathilda spent time with Veronica, the more she grew to adore the latter.
• Veronica shot her an amiable smile. It didn't take her long to grow to like the old lady. Inwardly, she decided to be nice to her.
• “Got it, Grandma,” she replied sweetly.
• “Salvador, where's the gift that I prepared?” asked Mathilda, her eyes crinkling up happily.
• “I'll go get it now,” said Salvador as he turned to get it.
• Veronica could only suffer in silence as everyone else chattered along merrily. She didn't want to hurt any of them, so she forced herself to put on a radiant smile.
• She concealed her true feelings well, but Richard still noticed her discomfort. Anguish rippled across his chest. Still, he had no choice but to play along.
• Suddenly, he stood up and gave Mathilda a nod. “Madam Mathilda, I shall head out now. You can talk to Veronica in private.”
• Veronica flashed a knowing smile in her father's direction.
• “Alright, go ahead.” Mathilda didn't realize that something was amiss with Richard.
• Soon, Salvador arrived with a box in his hands. “Madam Mathilda, here you go.”
• Mathilda took the box from him and held Veronica's hand. Her voice grew stern as she said, “Veronica, you're going to marry Nathaniel today. I know it's unfair to you, but don't you worry. We'll treat you well.”
• She lifted the box and announced, “My mother gifted me this box when I married into the Langford family. Think of it as a wedding gift from me. Remember, don't tell anyone about it, including Nathaniel and his parents.”
• After finding out how valuable the contents of the box were, Veronica hastily replied, “Grandma, this is too valuable. I can't accept it. Besides, I agreed to marry into the Langford family myself. There's no need for you to feel guilty.”
• Mathilda placed the box in Veronica's hands and pretended to huff angrily, “If you refuse to accept it, that means you're looking down on me.”
• “Mrs. Langford, you should just take it,” Salvador urged.
• Veronica was stumped. She looked up at Salvador, who shot her a nod. In the end, she took the box reluctantly. “Alright, I'll take it, Grandma. Don't be mad.”