705  Chapter 704

Keira’s heart clenched at Lewis’s words.

When old Mr. Sims passed, she had already felt a deep sense of sadness and loss. If it were old Mrs. Horton…

She couldn’t even bear to think about it.

If she was feeling this way, how much worse must it be for Lewis?!

Keira immediately reached out and took his hand. “Lewis, let’s put everything aside for now and spend some real time with Grandma.”

Grandma was nearing the end of her life. She wasn’t suffering from any major illness, just the inevitable decline that came with her age.

Saving Jodie South was important… but saving her required timing and opportunity.

Last time, Erin had already said the chance to return home only came every three months, and the next opportunity was still over a month away.

For now, there wasn’t much else Keira could do. She decided to focus on spending quality time with old Mrs. Horton.

Lewis nodded in agreement.

Erin popped up beside them. “You think capturing the Special Division means you’ve got everything under control now? Let me tell you, that lioness in country A is still lurking somewhere, waiting to pounce.”

Keira glanced at her. “Lions don’t stalk prey like that. Tigers do.”

Erin was taken aback.

Her lips twitched. “This is not the time for your jokes!”

Keira sighed. “Erin, there’s nothing more important than spending time with family.”

Erin paused. “Is that so?”

Keira didn’t respond but squeezed Lewis’ hand. “Come on, let’s go home.”

Lewis nodded, and the two of them headed for the car. Naturally, Erin climbed into the back seat, pulling out her bag of pistachios and starting to munch on them again.

Sitting in the front passenger seat, Keira glanced over at her.

Erin was wearing a baseball cap today, her long hair falling loosely over her shoulders, and she held a small trash bag for the pistachio shells. She had packed the pistachios neatly in her bag and hadn’t eaten any at the cemetery, showing her respect for old Mr. Sims.

For someone who seemed to always have something in her mouth, Erin wasn’t as annoying as she sometimes appeared.

Keira shifted her gaze away.

Soon, they arrived at the Horton residence.

Old Mrs. Horton was sitting in the garden, soaking up the sun. Next to her was Selena, Oliver’s illegitimate daughter. Selena was smiling sweetly as she massaged old Mrs. Horton’s legs. “Great-grandma, does that feel good? It’s nice to sit in the sun like this.”

Old Mrs. Horton chuckled lightly but didn’t say much.

Selena continued. “I know I wasn’t allowed to come home before, which is why I haven’t had the chance to show you how much I care. But from now on, I’ll visit you every day…”

Old Mrs. Horton couldn’t help but cut her off. “Are you here to keep me company, or to keep an eye on my shares?”

Selena’s face froze for a moment, but she quickly recovered, smiling again. “Of course not! I’m here out of genuine care. An elder is like a treasure in the family. My dad says the same thing. It’s just that Uncle Lewis has always been taking up your time, so my dad hasn’t had the chance to be close to you, but I promise, he’s always thought of you…”

Selena went on. “He often tells me about how he once saved you. Great-grandma, you should let him show his respect and devotion to you. I’m just here on his behalf.”

After saying that, she picked up a piece of fruit from the plate beside her and held it up to old Mrs. Horton. “Here, have a piece of watermelon. I just cut it—it’s really sweet!”

Old Mrs. Horton replied, “I have diabetes. I can’t eat that.”

Selena didn’t seem fazed and offered a slice of apple instead. “Apples are low in sugar. Just have a little. It’ll help your digestion.”

At her age, old Mrs. Horton was simply waiting for time to catch up with her. The elderly often felt internal heat, as if their stomach was on fire, so she usually found apples soothing.

Seeing Selena’s persistent smile and somewhat shameless determination, old Mrs. Horton hesitated but eventually leaned forward and took a bite of the apple.

Keira and Lewis exchanged glances as they watched.

Keira raised her eyebrows, silently asking: Do we kick her out?

Lewis, however, kept his focus on old Mrs. Horton.

Grandma had distanced herself from Oliver because of him.

As a child, whenever Oliver came over, Lewis would run away, and eventually, Grandma forbade Oliver from visiting. But no matter how things played out, Oliver was still her grandson…

Lewis remembered what Selena had said earlier—that it was Lewis who monopolized Grandma’s attention, preventing Oliver’s family from seeing her. Maybe Grandma really felt that way, too?

Lewis clenched his jaw, standing silently.

Sensing his hesitation, Keira stayed still as well.

Seeing that old Mrs. Horton had taken a bite of the apple, Selena pressed on. “Great-grandma, about Jake… Dad only punished him to get him to come home and apologize. But then Miss Olsen stepped in and invested in him, making things worse between them. Now they don’t even have a chance to reconcile. Great-grandma, if you can, maybe you should talk to Aunt Keera and smooth things over…”