My Precious Family 3 [Jenlisa]

Chapter 429: You are old

[OLD MANOBAN RESIDENCE]    

"Grandma, are you still upset with me?" Eric smiled helplessly, staring at the woman knitting on the bed. "I already learned my lesson. Although I played a bit, I didn't mean to harm anyone."    

Grandma Manoban had her back against the headboard, keeping her attention to her activity. "Eric, it's time for my afternoon nap. Just say what you want to say."    

"Grandma, I just came to keep you company. I heard Jennie went out with Lucas, so I was worried you'd be alone."    

"Hmph! What's new?" Grandma Manoban harrumphed, casting her grandson a glare. "I was always alone before everyone moved in here."    

"Haha. My bad... I forgot." Eric let out a chuckle, taking the Old Madam's Manoban's remarks lightly. "Grandma, seeing how lively you are puts my heart at ease."    

"If that is all, then escort yourself out. I'm tired, Eric."    

"Grandma, this is unfair. I know you're biased, but how can you always rub that I'm not your favorite every time?" Eric frowned, sighing. "I heard my dad is already dead, skinned alive."     

Grandma Manoban's breath hitched for a second, turning her head to him. The moment she did, Eric burst out in laughter, bringing a frown to the old madam's face.     

"This brat..." Grandma Manoban grumbled. "Are you really trying to anger me to death, huh?!"    

"Grandma, don't be like that. I'm just playing." He shook his head as his laughter faded. "I don't care about him. I still blamed him for everything. After all, you would not be so heartless to me if not for him, right?"    

No.    

Grandma Manoban kept her lips in a tight slash, assessing the young man on the chair beside her bed. There was no point in explaining why she was like this toward Eric, because no matter how she would try it, Eric already knew it. And Eric didn't care.    

"I heard Lisa had been looking for him months ago." Eric leaned back comfortably, sporting an amicable smile. "That's how I heard about my father's death. I'm not sure how he died, though, but definitely not of old age. If anything, I'm surprised he lasted this long. But then again, they said bad people tend to last long while the good goes back to the paradise where they belong."    

"What nonsense." Grandma Manoban hissed, sprawling her arm toward the bedside to ring the bell to call Butler Fu. However, just as she took hold of the bell, Eric grabbed her hand, stilling it and the bell on the bedside table.     

Grandma Manoban froze at the tight grip around her hand, looking up at Eric, only to catch the menacing glint flashing across his eyes.     

"Grandma, you don't have to pretend," he whispered, smirking like a devil. "Even without ringing this bell, Butler Fu is already outside, ready to kick the door and cut me with his knife."    

His smirk stretched, peeling her fingers from the bell one after another. "I heard an interesting story while I was abroad. They said back in the day, there was this infamous hitman who could go against the world if he wanted to. However, all of a sudden, this person vanished from the world as if he didn't exist in the first place."    

"This story impressed me so much, so I researched everything about this legendary person in the underworld." When Eric placed the bell back on the bedside table carefully, he held Grandma Manoban's hand with gentleness and affection. "I was surprised when I saw the only existing photo of this legend. Although the photo was old, I was speechless. Grandma is surely amazing. How did you keep such a person so loyal?"    

"Eric Manoban, what do you think you're doing?"    

"Admiring you, Grandma." Eric held her hand with both of his hands, nodding at her reassuringly. "After all, my only problem now is how to keep some people loyal. You see, in business, it's really hard to keep people without conditions. It's rare to have someone who will stick around even when you have nothing to offer anymore."    

He let out a deep exhale once more and his shoulders lowered. "All the people I meet don't seem to know what loyalty means. They can all toss people aside once they are no longer useful. It stresses me out."    

"Hah..." Grandma Manoban used every bit of energy she could to snatch her hand from Eric's grip. Fortunately, the latter loosened his hold and Grandma Manoban succeeded.     

Eric raised his brows, blinking.     

"If you want your people to stay loyal, you should be one yourself," she spat out in dismay. "Marcus surely brought a nightmare to this family. How can you threaten me in my own home?"    

"Grandma, when did I threaten you?" Eric sighed helplessly. "I just want to talk, but every time, you're always like this. The only thing I tell myself whenever you treat me so terribly is that because you are old."    

Eric slowly leaned forward, planting his hands on the edge of the bed. Grandma Manoban leaned back slightly until his face was half an arm's length from hers.     

"That's right, Grandma. You are old," he repeated, stressing each syllable as if he wanted her to realize something about that sentence. "I don't need to threaten you to prove a point, nor do I have to sully my hands just so you stop bitching on me. Your time is running out and I only need to be patient."    

Grandma Manoban slowly clutched the blanket over her legs, eyes glued on him. "You brat..." she ground her teeth, feeling her breathing slow down at the overwhelming anger swelling in her chest.    

"I used to hate you for being so biased. But now that I think about it, I wish that you live a long life, Grandma." The corner of his mouth stretched from ear to ear until his eyes were squinting. "That's my only wish now, Grandma. That you will live a very long life so you can witness how your beloved family falls one by one."    

"Sir Eric."    

Eric didn't respond to Butler Fu's voice behind him, holding Grandma Manoban's gaze. "You hear me, Grandma? So, you don't have to be scared of me because I'd do anything to keep you alive..." he trailed off when he heard the cock of a gun, letting out a brief chuckle.     

"Gosh... old people surely have short patience." Eric pushed himself away, raising his hands over his shoulders. When he lazily turned around, Butler Fu was already holding a shotgun and aiming at his head.     

"Please, don't kill me," he begged half-heartedly, cocking his head back as his eyes fell on Grandma Manoban. "I'll go now, Grandma. It's already your time to take your medicine, though I had fun spending this quality time with you."    

He then snapped his eyes back to Butler Fu, showing no sign of fear at gunpoint. Eric flashed the latter a smile before turning on his heel, strutting away as he dropped his hand as if he knew Butler Fu wouldn't shoot him.    

"That brat..." Grandma Manoban clasped her chest as soon as Eric left the room, closing the door behind him.     

"Madam." Butler Fu glanced at her, placing down the shotgun on the chair before rushing to her side. Seeing that the old madam's complexion was not good, Butler Fu hurriedly grabbed her medicine kit and called the in-house doctor to check on her health.