Chapter 217 Visiting Nichs (Part One)
"Ca, what''s wrong? Are you feeling okay?" Terence asked anxiously. Ca was sitting beside him,
sweating with nervousness.
As soon as they were about to get off the car, Ca started to feel uneasy. This was the first time she
was going to visit Nichs officially and the way she acted amused Terence.
Terence knew how important this meeting was for Ca, so he put his arms around her waist and gave
her a quick,forting and reassuring hug.
"Calm down," he whispered to her ears.
Ca took a deep breath and nodded, too nervous to speak. She frowned and looked at the rear-view
mirror with concentration even though there was nothing to look at. Her palms sweated and she started
fidgeting around.
"Terence, I am suddenly not feeling well. I need to get out of here. I can''t breathe." Ca looked even
more flustered after she removed herself from hisforting embrace, "I want to create a good first
impression. I''ve never met Nichs like this before. What if he doesn''t like me at all? What if I don''t
know what to say or worse, what if I say something wrong! What if he''d instantly hate me for
everything?"
Terence lovingly patted her on the back.
"Hey, hey, sweetheart, look at me. You need to stop worrying about these things. It will be all right! I
promise you that. My grandfather is the kindest person in the world. You met him before and you knew
it, right? And what do I always tell you? Don''t cross the bridge until you get there," Terence said
patiently. He held her delicate hands in his firm ones to calm her down. She was frantic with worry, and
this was not a good sign. Ca might chicken out again. He was not going to let that happen. He was
holding her and this seemed to calm her down for now. He could feel her ice-cold hands grew warm
again.
Ca stopped moving and let Terence help her remove the creases in her dress.
"Ca, my sweetheart. Listen to me. You are the most beautiful and wonderful woman I have ever
seen. And you will also be the most beautiful, elegant and extraordinary woman for my family. They will
surely love you. Grandpa will love you. You have nothing to worry about. Trust me on this. Do you
understand?" After saying thoseforting words, Terence looked her in the eyes with a mischievous
and teasing smile, "But... maybe you dock something important."
On hearing that, Ca panicked, "What? I knew it! I knew I had forgotten something! You have to tell
Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org.
me what it was!"
Terence couldn''t hold back hisughter and yfully said, "Well, the only thing you forget at home is
your confidence."
Ca blushed. "Oh you idiot! Don''t make fun of me! I am so nervous!" "Are you still? You pretty little
thing, you don''t have to be nervous," Terence mumbled.
Ca was stupefied. She pushed his chest yfully and got off the car swiftly.
He was right. She didn''t feel nervous anymore. But she would never admit that in front of him.
"You idiot! You are such an idiot!" grumbled Ca inaudibly to herself. She would never admit that she
knew he was just trying to distract her.
Terence knew she wasining behind his back. "Oh Ca, my sweet, sweet Ca."
Terence shrugged and got off as well.
Ca got out of the car and stretched out for a bit next to it. The journey was so tiring that her back
ached.
Terence stretched out as well. The drive was not that long; she was just too tense.
"Mr. Terence and Miss Ca! Mr. Nichs is waiting for you." Race weed the couple with a voice
that was loud and clear befitting an esteemed butler of the estate.
Race presented the most elegant and restrained smiled that only a well-trained butler would have.
The moment he saw the young master and the mistress, he weed them humbly bowing down.
"Mr. Nichs requests to see you, mister and miss. Please follow me in. We don''t want to keep Mr.
Nichs waiting."
Terence held Ca''s hand in his firm one and led her in.
Ca looked right in front of her and tried to keep her head held high proudly. She was still quite
nervous. They walked in through the arch steadily. Race walked along side with them.
Terence asked Race about Nichs while keeping an eye on Ca. "Race, you did a great job here. I
thank you on behalf of the family. So now tell me. How is my grandfather doing?"
"Yes Mr. Terence. Thank you, young master. Mr. Nichs is feeling a lot better now. The doctor just left
the mansion several minutes ago. And ording to the doctor, there should be nothing to worry about,"
Race responded humbly. As contrast with Terence and Ca, Race always kept his head low and they
could not even hear his steps.
Ca was a bit surprised by this, so she decided that she would be more careful about what to do and
what to say inside the mansion.
Nathan and Rainer followed them behind silently. Nathan brought with him a framed painting that was
covered by a white cloth.
Rainer asked for a maid''s assistance and handed over the health care products Terence bought in
advance.
Terence nodded his approval while Ca was still oblivious to what was happening behind her.
She just followed Terence closely behind. She thought she had walked at least for a mile but it was just
the corridor and the spiral staircase.
There he was, the famous Nichs An, an old but smart, respectable looking man. Ca''s heart
skipped a beat.
Nichs was sitting in front of the window. The old man behaved withposure. He lifted his right
arm gently and drank his tea out of the cup. His face was bathed in sunshine. And there was a soft,
luxurious cashmere nket covering his legs.
"Grandfather, it''s Terence and Ca. We are here," said Terence. Ca could sense the excitement in
his voice of seeing his beloved grandfather.
But Nichs didn''t respond. "Grandpa?" Terence asked again. There was still no answer.
The old man was just enjoying the sunshine and his tea, like everything else around him was invisible.
Terence thought Nichs didn''t hear him. It might happen because old people were losing their sense
of hearing. It was quite natural.
So he walked toward him with big strides.
Nichs, on the other hand, didn''t even turn around. Not until Terence stood right beside him.
"Grandpa," he called out again.
Nichs raised his head sluggishly. "Terry? Is it my Terence?"
Nichs was smiling happily.
The peace and serenity that you could see in his face suddenly became the look of pure joy. He
reached out his bony hand, trembling. Terence grasped it firmly.
Terence could see that his old grandpa''s skin was now wrinkled. It almost broke his heart.
Nichs was a little surprised that Terence would react like that so he patted on his grandson''s back as
if reassuring him of something.
"Good! Good! I am good and you are good. That''s the best news in the world," he said.
Though he was old and retired, Nichs was still clear-headed and even sharp-minded. He paid a lot
of attention to what had happened these past few days.
So basically the old man knew everything that mattered. He was not as useless as he appeared to be.
It was more of a camouge, an act.
Nichs felt sorry that his acting broke his grandson''s heart.
But Terence knew what Nichs was up to. So he didn''t let the mood influence him much.
"Grandfather. I wanted to apologize to you. I said I woulde home but I didn''t. I am sorry. I owe you
an apology. Now I am returned with Ca, your future granddaughter-inw. Can you please forgive
me?" Nichs sighed. He shook his head in disapproval.
Terence didn''t expect that so all of a sudden, and he didn''t know what to do.
Was it a gesture of epting his apology or not? Terence had no choice but to apologize again, this
time more seriously.
"It is my fault. I''m sorry I did note home earlier. I''m sorry if I have let you down. I won''t do it again."
Nichs resumed his serenity and quietness.
Terence knew that it was the sign that grandpa was really mad at him. Nichs used to look at him
without saying a word for hours. But at that time Nichs was still in the prime of his time and Terence,
who was still a little boy, was really afraid of him.
But now, grandpa''s face was wrinkly and his eyes were not as sharp as before. Nichs An became
an old man. Terence felt sad that he didn''t fear his grandfather anymore.