Chapter 62 He Has Been Waiting for Her
Leonard and Willow flinched.
“Grandpa, why… why are you telling us to kneel?” Leonard stammered.
Geoffrey shot back, “Don’t you think you should, after what you did at the memorial hall today?”
“But Great–Grandpa, how was I supposed to know that Chloe was really one of us?” Willow rushed to explain. “She doesn’t even have a passed–down name. It’s easy to mistake her for an outsider. Plus, there are plenty of people with ulterior motives trying to cling to the Qualls. I couldn’t be sure.”
“Couldn’t you ask your uncles? Sure, maybe you didn’t know if Chloe belonged to the Quall family, but you expect me to believe that none of them knew either?” Geoffrey snapped.
At that moment, Winston hurried in. The hall workers had called him, saying something serious had happened. He broke into a cold sweat as soon as he heard the details.
He hadn’t had much contact with Chloe’s side of the family. The most contact he had was when he saw them at old family events, but he knew their history. If the Qualls had a branch remembered for sacrifice, it had to be the fifth branch. Everyone from that side had either passed away or been crippled.
The only person left was Chloe.
He thought Willow could handle Chloe for him, leaving him with some time to relax. Instead, Willow had made a mess of everything.
The moment Geoffrey laid eyes on Winston, he threw his cane at him in a fit of rage. “Shameless, aren’t you? You were supposed to greet Chloe in the hall today! She was bringing her parents‘ ashes here. This was such an important occasion, yet you didn’t think to mention it?”
If Winston had notified the family about Chloe’s visit, she wouldn’t have been humiliated outside the hall. She should’ve been welcomed by the entire family. Instead, the last descendant of the fifth branch had stood at the gate while clutching an urn and shouting to be let in.
The thought tore at Geoffrey’s heart.
The cane struck Winston squarely. He couldn’t bring himself to dodge it.
Geoffrey wasn’t finished. He stepped forward and kicked Winston hard. Despite being in his 80s, he still had plenty of strength left. No one dared to intervene.
Winston doubled over in pain. “It was… it was Willow. She said she would handle welcoming Chloe, so ! left. I’ve already told her that Chloe is one of us!”
Every head turned to Willow.
“I thought Uncle Winston had been tricked,” Willow muttered and paused to take a deep breath.
She continued, “The fifth branch hasn’t returned to Yarfdale in years. Not to mention that the news about
Chapter 62 He Has Been Waiting for Her
her parents‘ death while in service came three years ago. Why would she only bring back their ashes now?
It doesn’t make sense!”
Chloe glared at Willow. “The reason I’m only returning with their ashes now is because they died abroad. It wasn’t until a month ago that I was able to bring them home. Do you have any idea how many soldiers who die overseas never return? Do you know how hard it was to bring them back?”
Willow’s face first flushed red, then drained of color. She couldn’t retort under the weight of the family’s
stares.
“You three will kneel before the memorial plaques all night and reflect on how shamefully you’ve acted!” Geoffrey thundered. “If it weren’t for these heroes who defended this family and country with their lives, do you think this memorial hall would still be here today?”
Winston and Leonard exchanged glances. Willow lowered her head and bit her lip. Fury flickered in her eyes. She had wanted to humiliate Chloe, yet now she was the one being humiliated.
In front of Chloe, no less.
“What are you waiting for?” Geoffrey barked.
Winston, Leonard, and Willow dropped to their knees before the plaques.
Turning back to Chloe, Geoffrey said, “I’ll have your parents‘ urn guarded here in the hall. I’ll personally
send them off when the funeral is held in three days.”
“Grandpa, you’re too old for that. Let the rest of us attend the funeral,” Wade said. “Besides, isn’t it considered bad luck for elders to send off the younger generation?”
Geoffrey glared at him. “Don’t you understand that Walter and Jenna were heroes? They went to war as teenagers and bore the burden so you could live in peace. If I don’t go to their funeral, then I don’t deserve to be here right now!”
Wade fell silent. He knew better than anyone what they meant to Geoffrey.
“Chloe, since you’re back in Yarfdale, why not stay at my house? I’ll have a room prepared for you,” Geoffrey suggested.
“Thank you, but I already have somewhere to stay,” Chloe declined. “I have other things to take care of, but if you’d like to see me, I promise I’ll visit often.”
Geoffrey nodded. “Sure. Come by my place whenever you can. And if anyone tries to stop you from entering the hall, hit them. I’ll take responsibility for whatever happens.”
Chloe could see that his concern was genuine. “Alright. I’ll come see you as much as I can,” she replied.
When she finally stepped out of the hall, she saw a figure standing in the empty space in front of her.
It was Brian.
Chloe froze. He was still waiting in the same spot where she had left him.
Chapter 62 He Has Been Waiting for Her
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As if sensing her gaze, he lifted his head and looked straight at her. Their eyes met, and something
churned in her chest.
Brian walked toward her. “Are you done?”
She nodded. “Yes.”
“Did they give you any trouble?”
“No,” she replied. “But why did you wait here?”
When Brian said he would wait for her, she had assumed that he would find a spot nearby to rest. She
hadn’t expected him to stand at the entrance the entire time.
She had been in the hall for over an hour. That meant he had stood there for the same amount of time.
“Standing here meant that I’d be the first to see you when you came out of the hall.”
Chloe’s breath caught at his words.
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