Chapter 810


    Chapter 810


    Isaac breezed past Manuel without so much as a nce and made a beeline for Brittany, taking her


    hand gently. “When did you get here?”


    “Just this afternoon. I was helping Grandma with the pruning in the garden.”


    Brittany set down the shears; she had been toiling away in the garden all afternoon and was beat.


    Isaac reached for a napkin and tenderly wiped the sweat from her brow. After finishing, he escorted her


    toward the dining room.


    Manuel, bristling with indignation, couldn’t believe Isaac hadn’t even greeted him.


    “Isaac!” Manuel’s voice boomed with fury. “I’m your father. How did your mother raise you? Have you


    forgotten even the simplest greeting?”


    Isaac paused mid-stride, then turned around coolly. “Why don’t you go ask her yourself?”


    “You’re cursing me…” Manuel was seething, unable to fathom how he’d ended up with -such a


    wayward son.


    “I mean, you’re the one who asked,” Isaac retorted, and with that, he proceeded into the dining room


    with Brittany in tow.


    Leda couldn’t believe how cold the Salter family was toward Manuel, not even Grace showed a shred


    of warmth!


    The family settled at the table.


    Grace signaled for Emily to fetch a velvet box and handed it to Brittany. “Bri, this is a Salter family


    heirloom. You and Zac are about to tie the knot, and I want you to have this.”


    Leda’s fingers clenched in herp.


    Brittany epted the box, her gaze soft and sincere. “Grandma, I promise Zac and I will make a


    wonderful life together.”


    Grace sighed with relief, her face alight with satisfaction. “Good girl.”


    Manuel, seeing the family heirloom brought out, couldn’t stay seated. “Mom, Leda is your daughter-in-


    law too. She deserves the heirloom!”


    “The Salter heirloom goes only to the wife who joins the family through a proper wedding,” Grace


    replied evenly. “If you and Leda wanted to get married, that was your choice, but don’t expect me to


    ept her. Dream on!”


    Manuel stood up abruptly, his voice filled with indignation. “Mom, you’re being incredibly unfair!”


    “If you think I’m unfair, you’re wee to cut ties with me,” Grace shot back, her gaze icy.


    Grace was well aware that Manuel couldn’t be relied upon. She observed Manuel with a detached gaze


    and remarked, “Throughout all these years, you only cared about Leda and Marcel. Have you ever


    shown me any concern?”


    Manuel was speechless.


    After a long pause, he managed to say, “Mom, if you just ept Leda, I’ll move back in, I’ll be here for


    you whenever you need…”


    “No need,” Grace cut him off firmly. “I won’t ept Leda, and I don’t need yourpany. I only have


    one daughter-inw, and you know very well who she is.”


    Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.


    Manuel lost his appetite entirely.


    Yet, for Brittany, seeing Manuel put in his ce was a delight, and she even took an extra serving.


    After the meal, Manuel’s family took their leave.


    Before departing, Marcel turned to Grace. “Mom, I’m getting married soon. I hope you can make it to


    the wedding.”


    Grace had never been fond of Marcel, and the idea of attending his wedding didn’t appeal to her in the


    slightest.


    But some things are better left unsaid.


    “If I find the time, I’ll be there,” she said diplomatically.


    Once Manuel’s family had left, Grace took a deep breath and turned to Isaac. “Let’s put the past behind


    us. If hees after you again, don’t hold back.”


    “I won’t,” Isaac assured her, his resolve clear.


    Brittany spent the night at the Salter Manor. Before bed, she opened the velvet box to find a pair of jade


    bracelets, each one as exquisite as the finest pieces from Cartier.


    The style, the material, the luster-it was all impable.


    Holding such a precious gift in her hands provided her sce. Being epted by the Salter family was


    a blessing in itself.


    Fresh out of the shower, Isaac noticed she hadn’t yet gone to bed. He approached and wrapped his


    arms around her waist. “Still admiring the bracelets Grandma gave you?”


    “Yes, they’re very valuable. I’ll treasure them,” she replied.


    “Do you like them?” Isaac asked, catching the scent of her perfume. “Mom left behind a lot of jewelry.


    I’ll show you someday, and you can wear whatever you like.”


    “No need, it’s too much,” Brittany murmured, closing the velvet box and cing it carefully in the


    drawer. Her fingertips grazed some small characters, and she nced at them-a sequence of numbers.


    What could it mean?


    Before Brittany could puzzle it out, Isaac’s lips captured hers, and any thoughts she had vanished into


    thin air.