Autumn is a second spring

55. Grandmother 2

Mintra's gaze moved to Fluke who was sitting next to Prem. She could see that Fluke was trying his best not to look out of place, which was new to her.

From the day she had met Fluke, the young guy had always treated their family as his own. He addressed her as Khun Yay the way Ohm did. The same went for Ohm's parents. Fluke addressed them as Mom and Dad just the way Ohm would.

She couldn't comprehend the uneasiness that Fluke was trying his best to hide.

Mintra already had an idea that Ohm and Fluke might actually be dating, even though neither of them had revealed anything to the family about the matter. She had witnessed the care Ohm had for Fluke and vice versa.

Ohm had always been the distant kind and rarely showed signs of affection towards people. Other than Fluke, she had only seen Ohm being caring towards three people, Kao, Boun, and his younger sister, Dream. But the care those three received from him was way different from the care he gave to Fluke. It was so evident that Fluke was special to him.

She could say the same about Fluke. Even though Fluke cared about everyone and always tried his best to help others, Ohm was always his first priority. He would always ensure that Ohm's wishes were met before others.

She could feel it in her heart that Ohm and Fluke were made for each other.

The whole family knew that Ohm was her favorite grandchild. Out of the seven grandchildren, Ohm had always stood out in her point of view. It was mostly because Ohm had always been a self-sufficient kid. Despite the lack of parental care in his childhood, Ohm had never caused any trouble. He was a well-behaved child who minded his own business.

As a child, Ohm wasn't playful like Boun, silent like Oreo, calculative like Alan, or stubborn like Kao. He was a conscientious child, who was lowkey competitive and private. Unlike Dream, he never craved affection nor was he a carefree person like Kaew.

He always had a mind of his own and never let any external factors get in his way to get what he wanted. 

All these characters always made Mintra like Ohm more than the other six of her grandchildren. His personality was similar to her husband's.

The first time she noticed the affectionate gaze that Ohm directed towards Fluke, she was honestly very surprised. She wasn't expecting that. 

The reason for her surprise was not just the way Ohm looked at Fluke, but it was the fact that he was actually letting the smaller guy take care of him. She had never seen Ohm letting anyone do something for him. He always liked to do everything himself.

Just like how Ohm agreed to let Fluke be the one who made the arrangements for his engagement with Fame. In normal circumstances, Ohm would never allow it. He would never want someone to do something for him unless he pays them. Even Boun, who had been the closest person to him, had never gotten this privilege. Only Fluke had this advantage.

The most eye-catching fact was how Fluke always did things exactly the way Ohm wanted even without being told about his preferences. It was as if the two had a telepathic connection between them.

Mintra decided not to probe into the matter of Ohm and Fluke at the dining table. After all, Ohm wasn't there to give her the answers she needed.

After the dinner, Mintra summoned Ann and Seth to the lounge upstairs. The lounge was private and was attached to Mintra's room.

"Why did you ask us to come over, Mom?" Seth asked as he stood in front of his mother-in-law with his wife.

"Take a seat both of you," Mintra gestured for them to sit on the couch opposite to her. "I called you here to ask about Boun and Ohm."

"What about Boun and Ohm, Mom?" Ann asked.

"When is Tessa coming back?" Mintra asked.

Tessa and her husband Bob were currently living in the Hague.  Bob was a lawyer at the International Court of Justice in Hague. Tessa had moved there not long after she got married to Bob.

"I don't know mom. She didn't mention anything about coming back anytime soon to me. Did something happen, Mom?" Ann asked worriedly.

"No. Nothing happened yet. But Jen's health hadn't been good these days. When I was talking to them last time, Tuk even mentioned that they would like to prepone the succession ceremony." Mintra replied.

Jen and Tuk were Boun's maternal grandparents. As Boun had taken his mother's surname, he was titled as the heir of the Guntachai fortune. 

The succession ceremony was considered a big deal in the Guntachai family. It was a tradition within the family to transfer the responsibilities of the family to the next head of the family before the current head died. This was done to prevent future conflicts in the name of assets after the head's death.

"The succession ceremony? Wouldn't that require Boun to be engaged?" Ann frowned at the possible turn of events. 

Boun did tell her about his plan of proposing to Prem. But his plan was to propose after Kao and Earth's wedding, whose date was yet to be fixed. 

"Yes, he would." Mintra nodded. "That's why I called the two of you here."

"What do you want us to do, Mom?" Seth asked, understanding the gravity of the situation.

"I want you to call Tessa and her husband and tell them about the situation. I am sure that neither Jen nor Tuk would have let them know of their health issues to avoid worrying them. Once they come back, you two should accompany them to Chiang Mai to discuss the engagement with Prem's parents." Mintra instructed.

"But, mom~"

"I know what you are about to say, Ann," Mintra didn't allow her daughter to speak. "I know you want me to give Boun and Prem more time and let them do things at their own pace. But the situation calls for further action ASAP."

Ann turned quiet as she listened to her mother speak.

"I am not telling you to go and fix the engagement right away. I just want you to give Prem's parents a heads up." Mintra continued. "Go there and make sure that Prem's parents have no opposition to their son getting engaged to Boun. If anybody does, make sure to convince them otherwise. As far as I have observed, Prem's family is kind of closely knit. I don't want to see any of his family members opposing the marriage."

"Khrab, Mom. We will do as you say." Seth agreed.

Mintra looked at her daughter who was still silent. "Boun and Prem had been living together for a long time, Ann. Nothing much is going to change if they have an additional ring in their hands."

"Kha," Ann nodded slowly.