Chapter 50 Leave Panic flickering in Luna's chest. She knows I visited her grandmother? Alden didn't catch the subtext, but he saw the venom in Kaia's eyes. "Why are you targeting her?" Luna shrank behind him, her voice small and pitiful. "Alden, I think Kaia's got the wrong idea about me. I didn't visit her grandma. You drove me straight home yesterday, and I didn't leave after that." "Kaia, stop throwing shade at Luna!" Alden barked. "Maybe take a look in the mirror before you start pointing fingers!" Normally, if Alden dared raise his voice at Kaia, Zane and Joanne would've jumped in to scold him. But today, Kaia had burned every bridge between them. To them, she was nothing more than an outsider now. Kaia let out a cold laugh, her lips parting to retort when a deep, furious voice cut through the room. "Alden, shut your mouth!" "Allen, it's not his fault!" Joanne protested, her voice sharp. "Grandpa!" Alden shouted, defiant. "Enough!" Allen roared, his face flushed with anger. "You've disappointed me, Alden. Instead of blaming others, why don't take a hard look at what you've done?" you He jabbed a finger toward the massive screen. "You and Luna are going to apologize to Kaia right now!" This marriage had been Lydia's dying wish, something Allen had sworn to honor. Today's disaster was the last thing he'd wanted. "Grandpa, why should we apologize?" Alden snapped. Allen's eyes blazed. "What, my word doesn't mean anything now?" Alden couldn't bring himself to say sorry. Grabbing Luna's delicate wrist, he stormed out of the hall. Allen pressed his hand to his chest, struggling to breathe. "Fine, Zane. Look what your kid has become. I'm done with that grandson of mine. He can forget about calling me Grandpa and stay away from Graves Manor. I don't need another heart attack!" Zane and Joanne rushed to Allen's side, easing him into a chair as his face darkened with rage. It took a while for Allen to catch his breath and calm down. His softened as he looked at Kaia, his voice warm but heavy gaze with regret. "Kaia, I'm so sorry. I let you down." A flicker of guilt passed through Kaia's heart. But it was just a flicker. Nothing more. "Sir Graves, please don't say that." Her thoughts turned to her grandmother, still lying in a hospital bed, and her eyes darkened. "Sir Graves, I need to get back to the hospital. My grandma had a stroke yesterday. I'm sorry, but I have to go." Allen seemed momentarily lost, his voice faltering. "A stroke? How did that happen?" Kaia gave a bitter scoff. "Who knows? Luna visited her, and then she had the stroke." Her words landed like a bombshell, shifting the mood in the room. Allen's sharp eyes flickered with suspicion. He had a sinking feeling Luna might be behind this. "You should go," he said gently. "I'll swing by the hospital tomorrow to check on her." He gestured toward Lucien. "Lucien, give Kaia a drive. Make sure she gets there safely." Lucien met his gaze with an easy smile. "Of course. Kaia, shall we?" For a split second, Kaia's heart skipped a beat. "Okay," she said softly. Alyssa blinked, pouting, "Grandpa, why not let me take her?" Kaia followed Lucien into his Maybach. To her surprise, there was no driver today. She felt slightly awkward, unsure if it was because she had just caused a scene at the wedding, or if something else was making her uneasy. "Mr. Graves, driving yourself today?" "Yeah," Lucien replied, settling into the driver's seat, his low, lazy drawl filling the car. "Driver's off. Said his wife's in labor or something." Kaia's brow furrowed. Wait, isn't his driver already in his fifties? Going for a second kid at that age? "Got it," she murmured, her eyes dropping to her lap. She waited, but the car didn't move. "Mr. Graves, aren't you going to start the car?" she prompted. Lucien's cool fingers brushed across her waist, grazing the thin fabric of her dress, sending a shiver through her. She held her breath, frozen. "I will," he said, his voice steady, "but you need to buckle up first." Kaia, still jittery from the day's events, shifted and accidentally tugged at her injury. "Does it hurt?" Lucien asked, his gaze fixed on the bandage peeking out from her dress. "A little," she admitted, nodding slightly. The physical pain she could handle. But her grandmother's condition? That was a weight she didn't know how to carry. Lucien's expression tightened, his jaw set. "Don't wear off-shoulder dresses. You're still recovering. Keep warm." After saying it, he realized how parental he sounded. Cautiously, he glanced at her, softening his tone. "Even a fracture needs warmth to heal." Kaia barely registered how he knew about her injury, just nodding absently. Her mind was elsewhere, consumed with worry for her grandmother's recovery. They drove to the hospital in silence, Lucien's steady gaze following her as she headed upstairs. She declined his offer to come with her. Lucien watched her go, wondering if Kaia was regretting her decision to call off the engagement. Meanwhile, Panicking, Paul dialed Lucien. "Mr. Graves, bad news!"