Old Mr. Moran remained silent for a long time after watching Joanna's press conference. He seemed to be deep in thought.
'Now, Grandpa will finally understand that it takes two to tango,' Ace thought in relief.
Truthfully, he didn't love Joanna, and he certainly had done things to hurt her. In his defense though, Joanna didn't love him either. While he and Alice pretended to be close, Joanna and Liam had genuine feelings for each other. They were even prepared to have children.
That's why both of them had agreed to the divorce. How could she make him the sole scapegoat?
"Grandpa, as you've just seen, this woman wanted nothing more than to divorce me. That way, she can officially be with Liam. Otherwise, she wouldn't be so eager to make a public announcement that we're divorced. She's not as innocent as you think she is. Everyone's just fooled by her appearance!" Ace couldn't hide the anger in his voice.
Old Mr. Moran looked away from the television and turned to face Ace with a frown. "Is that how you perceive it? Hmph, that explains why you always did badly in languages. Your comprehension is terrible!"
Ace looked at his grandfather in confusion. "How do you perceive it?"
"Idiot!" Old Mr. Moran punched Ace in the back. "Do you even have to ask? Joan obviously wants to get back with you!"
Ace sighed, beyond the point of caring if it would make his grandfather upset. "I'm sorry, but I really couldn't tell."
"Of course you couldn't… That's because you're blind!"
Grandpa adjusted his glasses, rewinded the video to a specific scene, then pointed at the subtitles below it. He began to explain as if he was conducting scientific research. "Look here. The main point is… Joan said she's grateful for having known you for the past three years. Do you know what this means?"
"What does it mean?" Ace had to will himself to not be sarcastic.
"It means she still has feelings for you. She's hinting that she wants to get back together with you!"
Ace wasn't sure whether he should feel angry or laugh at how confident Grandpa was. While it was true that he wasn't too good at reading between the lines, there was no way one could relate 'thankful for having met someone' to 'wanting to get back together with someone'.
She was clearly saying that to placate the outsiders. How could it possibly mean that she wanted to get back with him?
I don't "I don't care! Joan has already made it very clear. If you don't do something about it, you have the right to call yourself a man. Stop yapping and get to it!" Grandpa barked orders at Ace like a commander.
Ace replied helplessly, "Grandpa, I know you want us to stay together, but it's impossible. Stop trying to interfere."
"How am I interfering? I'm only speaking from experience. You two are clearly in love with each other, but you're both too stubborn to do anything about it!"
Grandpa knew how stubborn Ace could be. He normally kept his feelings to himself, and rarely showed his emotions. However, when he had talked about Joanna earlier, Ace got very emotional. It was impossible that he didn't have feelings for her!
Forget it. If Grandpa had to wait for Ace to realize his mistake, his granddaughter-in-law would be long gone by the time it happened. He had to step in to save the day!
Grandpa coughed softly before speaking. "I don't care. You disobeyed me, and you deserve to be punished. However, I won't punish you physically today. Stay for dinner, and I'll let you off the hook."
'That's all?' Ace thought in disbelief. He suspected it wouldn't be so simple, but he didn't ask anything further. Grandpa could do whatever he wanted to do as long as he didn't force Ace to marry Joanna again.
However, Ace would soon realize that the old man was indeed a cunning old fox. Ace never would've guessed that he could be so merciless…
A feast had been laid out for dinner, with various types of poultry and seafood served.
Ace frowned slightly when he sat down. Grandpa normally had light meals, so why were there so many dishes prepared?
This was no simple dinner… The old man was definitely up to something.
Ace didn't ask any questions. He just picked up his cutlery and prepared to eat.
Grandpa, who was sitting at the head of the table, cleared his throat. "We're still waiting for someone. What's the rush?"
Just as Ace thought! He raised his brows slightly before silently putting down his cutlery. He figured that Grandpa probably invited Joanna too. Clearly, he was trying to set them up.
His tone was icy as he growled, "Grandpa, I know what you're thinking, but these things can't be forced. Joanna and I are over, so stop wasting your time."
"Hah! Dream on." Grandpa leisurely stroked his beard and smiled mysteriously. "I wouldn't force Joan to get with a scumbag like you. That'd only make her suffer!"
Ace was confused. He didn't expect the old man to change sides so quickly, and he kept wondering whether he was being honest.
Right then, a maid cheerfully stepped forward. "Old Mr. Moran, Master Moran, Mrs. Moran is here!"
Joanna was right behind the maid, and she confidently walked into the dining room.
Ace subtly straightened, looking at her coldly as if he didn't know she was going to show up.
After that, he nearly threw up.
Behind Joanna was Liam, Robin's son! Ace couldn't stand the sight of that man.
Ace's face was like thunder. He glared at his grandfather in obvious dissatisfaction, hoping for a reasonable explanation.
However, the cunning old man ignored him and continued to smile as he waved at their two guests. "Come, children. I've been waiting for you all night long. Let's sit down and eat."
Joanna was stunned, and she had an awkward expression on her face. Clearly, she didn't know Ace would be here. She looked around, unsure if she should sit down or find an excuse to leave.
Grandpa really was good at coming up with such schemes. This was so embarrassing!
Liam, on the other hand, didn't seem to be afraid at all. Almost like a declaration of war, he pulled Joanna by her hand and stepped forward. "General Moran, you're my idol. I'm so honored to finally meet you. This is the most exciting moment in my life!" He exclaimed, his eyes sparkling.
The old man was very surprised. "You actually know who I am, kid?"
"General Moran, you probably don't know this, but I admire you a lot. During the Battle of Marsden, you led an army of 50,000 soldiers and still outflanked the enemy's army of 300,000! That's practically unheard of!"
"Ah, the Battle of Marsden was nothing. My proudest moment was at the Battle. Looking back…"
The two men, who were nearly fifty years apart, began chatting as if nobody else was around.
Ace and Joanna couldn't find anything to say. Neither of them expected something like this to happen. They met each other's gaze briefly, then quickly looked away. The whole thing felt extremely awkward.
After nearly half an hour, Grandpa was still laughing from Liam's jokes. He was in a great mood. "Hahaha! I finally know why there were rumors of Joan being with you. I have to say…
Robin is very lucky to have a son like you!"
"General Moran, you've misunderstood," Liam replied with a chuckle. He lifted Joanna's hand, and smiled widely. "Joanna and I aren't rumored to be together. We actually are."
Grandpa's smile froze, and the joyful atmosphere suddenly became tense. He looked at Joanna and asked sternly, "Joan, is what this kid said true?"
"Well…" Joanna suddenly felt nervous. She didn't want to lie to Grandpa, but if she denied it right now, Grandpa might think she still had feelings for Ace. It'd be even more awkward if Grandpa tried to set them up again.
Ace's gaze was cold, and his tone was arrogant as he snapped, "If it's true, just own up to it. You and I are already divorced, so there's no need to pretend!"