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.”