The voice that Joanna had not heard for four years was still as cold and distant as she remembered it to be.
Joanna listened quietly, with a calm expression and no inner turmoil.
"Umm, M-Mr. Moran, sorry to bother you…"
Elon did not expect Ace to pick up this fast, so he got nervous and stammered incoherently, "It's like this… My niece, Joanna, just got back to the City today. It's a real surprise to see her again after she disappeared for so many years. You've taken good care of me in the last few years, so I want to invite you to my house for a meal together with Joanna. You…"
'There's no need."
Ace, on the other end of the phone, refused without any hesitation or emotion.
After that, without saying anything else, he hung up the phone.
"But Mr. Moran… Mr. Moran?"
Elon called out to him a few more times but the only response he got was the sound of a disconnected call.
He tried calling again, but it seemed like Ace had blocked him.
"Joan, don't mind it… Mr. Moran must be busy. He's a CEO after all. I'll try again with Mandy's phone later."
Elon glanced at Joanna with a guilty and awkward expression, afraid that Joanna might feel hurt.
He did not expect Ace, who had always taken good care of the Barnes family, to suddenly become so unfriendly. It was obvious that he was avoiding Joanna. Joanna must feel really bad about it!
"It doesn't matter!"
Joanna shrugged and smiled. "If he comes, we'll prepare a seat for him. If he doesn't, I'll eat more. It's no big deal."
Joanna was not playing it cool. Ace was just a stranger she used to know now. He could not stir any emotion in her.
Mandy's brows furrowed as a disappointed expression crept onto her face. She shook her head repeatedly. "TskTsk Tsk, I was wrong about him. He should man up. He doesn't even have the guts to have a simple meal with Joan, when Joan is okay with it."
Elon said, "You brat, what do you know? I stand by my opinion. If you've gotten over it, you wouldn't care. You'd only act awkwardly if you haven't gotten over it. Mr. Moran has always been a straightforward guy. For him to suddenly act like this, it must be because he hasn't gotten over Joan, so he's not ready to meet her yet. I'll ask him again sometime!"
Joanna chuckled and said, "You're overthinking it. Isn't it normal for a high- and-mighty CEO like him to refuse to eat with us ordinary folks? Besides… our relationship is so awkward. It's understandable that he would want to avoid me to avoid any misunderstanding with his current partner."
'That's true!"
Mandy rubbed her chin and nodded, "In recent years, he has been in a stable relationship with that Alice woman. Reporters often catch them out on a date or on a vacation. I think he must have forgotten about you by now."
"No, no, I don't think it's like that…"
Elon held a different opinion. "I'm a man so I know men. If a man has really gotten over a woman, he wouldn't take care of the woman's family. Mr. Moran has taken good care of us all these years and he visits your parents' graves every year. He doesn't look like he's gotten over you."
'Then why refuse to even share a meal with Joan? Why find a new girlfriend? Doesn't that make him a scumbag?"
Mandy suddenly became enthusiastic. She grabbed Elon's hand and said," Dad, wanna bet? I bet Mr. Moran already got over Joan…"
"No, no, I already quit gambling!"
"It's fine. If you win, I'll do the dishes for a whole year!"
"Oh, that's fine. In that case, I bet Mr. Moran has NOT gotten over Joan. If you don't believe me, just wait and see…"
The father and daughter argued heatedly and even made a bet.
Joanna did not know whether to laugh or cry. She quietly withdrew from the battlefield and walked around the house.
Elon's house was not luxurious. It was a simple house but very cozy. Being in the house somehow made her feel warm and relaxed.
On the piano rack in the study, there was a family portrait. Elon's family of three, Joanna's family of three, and her dead grandparents were all in it.
Joanna stopped in front of the portrait and stared at it for a long time. Her eyes gradually turned red.
She was in her teens in the photo. Her parents were young and beautiful. That was the happiest time in her life.
Now, she had been through storms and hell, and was riddled with wounds and scars. There was no way to go back to those innocent, carefree days now…
"Joan, look at you and auntie back then. You're both so beautiful that you glowed. You look completely different from us, as if your genes have mutated."
Mandy had come in at some point. She sighed looking at the family portrait.
"Nonsense. You're beautiful too. As expected of a girl from our Barnes family."
Joanna turned around and held Mandy's face, that still had some baby fat, in her hands while praising Mandy from the bottom of her heart.
Mandy's facial features were not stunning, but they were very soft and lovely, and they drew people in.
It was a face that would do very well in the entertainment industry because it would be popular with the general public. She was blessed!
"Hehe, I agree with that. I'm beautiful too. Let me tell you a secret, Joan. I'm actually an influencer that has over two million fans online. My ID on TikTok is Cutie Pie. Let me show you!"
While saying that, Mandy opened the TikTok app and proudly showed it to Joanna.
The young woman was not bragging. She really did have over 2.2 million fans!
'That's amazing!"
She gave Mandy a thumbs up, then told her seriously, ' But you should still prioritize your studies. The BC Arts Academy is a good school. You must study hard after you enroll, alright?"
"I know. The BC Arts Academy only accepted me because of Mr. Moran. I'll work hard so that I don't embarrass you and Mr. Moran!"
Mandy patted her chest and promised earnestly.
Then, she asked cautiously, 'Joan, are you feeling sad or disappointed right now?"
Joanna looked puzzled. 'Why would I be?"
'You used to love Mr. Moran so much, but now that you're finally back after being gone for four years, he wouldn't even have a meal with you. That's so heartless. Anyone would feel sad about that."
'You said it yourself, I used to. Now, I've nearly even forgotten what he looks like. I honestly don't care."
"I'm glad to hear that…"
Mandy suddenly had a bold idea. She whispered in Joanna's ear.
Joanna's expression was awkward. "Is that… really okay?"
"Of course it is!"
Mandy clasped her hands together and begged Joanna, "Please, Joan, help me out this one time. If we succeed, I'll be grateful to you forever!"
"Alright."
Joanna could only reluctantly agree.
The headquarters of Moran Group.
Employees all across the company went crazy watching Joanna's viral video on their phones.
"Aaaah, isn't that the CEO's wife who vanished without a trace? She's back!"
"Oh my god, Mrs. Moran is so cool!"
"Is there still hope? Could the ancient ship that I stan be coming back to life?"
Jack was also one of the many people who were gossiping about it. He rushed into the CEO's office holding his phone, looking extremely excited.
"Mr. Moran, this is huge! Have you seen the trending topic on Twitter?! Hurry up and take a look!"