Out of Ashes Into His Heart

When Elena brought up marriage, I froze for a moment. Marriage?

My instinctive response was to glance at Rose. Her smile, so warm just moments ago, had faded slightly.

Was it because Elena's question was too abrupt? Or was there some other reason?

Rose didn't address the question directly. Instead, she shot Elena a subtle look before turning her attention to me. "Gracie, where are you from? Do your parents know you're with Tom?"

Ah, this was her way of asking about my family background.

Quickly composing myself, I replied evenly, "I'm from Fuvine. My parents have both passed away, but I have an older brother..."

"You poor child. What a hard life you've had," she said softly, her eyes brimming with what seemed like genuine sympathy.

Then, without missing a beat, she turned to Tom. "Tom, you'd better treat Gracie well from now on. No bullying her."

"Me? Bully her?" He gave my hand a quick squeeze and smirked. "I'd be lucky if she didn't bully me."

I immediately lowered my gaze, pretending to be shy, but under the table, I discreetly dug my nails into his fingers in retaliation for his nonsense.

Tom, of course, acted as if nothing had happened. His grin only grew wider.

The tension from earlier had eased, and the atmosphere settled into something light and harmonious.

"Laurel? What are you doing here all of a sudden? Couldn't you have called ahead?" Alvin's voice rang out from the doorway, shattering the calm.

"None of your business! I'm here to meet Tom's girlfriend!"

"Pfft, like I care what you're here for!" Alvin retorted.

Their bickering continued as I instinctively turned toward the source of the commotion. A young woman, who bore more than a passing resemblance to Alvin, walked into the room.

"You little brat, you still remember how to come home, huh?" Rose scolded her with playful affection before turning to me with a warm smile. "Grace, this is Laurel, who's also from Charlie's family. She and Alvin are twins."

It suddenly all made sense-no wonder those two looked so similar.noveldrama

Laurel gave me a quick once-over, her brows furrowing slightly as a faint hint of disdain flickered in her expression. She stayed silent, though, likely because the elders were present.

"Tom! I've missed you so much..." She laughed as she lunged toward Tom, her arms spread wide like she was going to engulf him in a bear hug.

Since I was sitting right next to Tom, her sudden movement shoved me to the side.

Out of instinct, I started to scoot over to make room for her, but Tom pressed a finger to her forehead and pushed her back without hesitation. "What are you squeezing in for? Go sit somewhere else, kid."

Laurel pouted. When her gaze shifted to me, her expression hardened into something openly hostile.

"You're too old to still be this reckless," Elena said with a light laugh, stepping in to gently pull Laurel aside.

Though Laurel let herself be dragged to another spot on the couch, she did so reluctantly, her expression sullen and unrepentant.

I frowned slightly, puzzled. What had I done to make Laurel dislike me so much?

After chatting with Rose for a little while longer, Tom finally made an excuse about me being "exhausted from all the traveling" and whisked me upstairs to rest.

The moment we stepped into the bedroom, I let out a long sigh, the tension draining from my body as I finally let my guard down. It turned out that acting wasn't as easy as it looked.

"What's wrong? Worn out?" Tom asked, stepping behind me and lifting his hands to knead my shoulders. The pressure was just right, enough to make me nearly sigh in relief.

"I feel like Laurel doesn't like me very much. Did I do something to upset her?" I blurted out, unable to suppress the question that had been nagging at me.

"Don't worry about her. She's just a kid," Tom replied casually, brushing off my concern as if it were nothing.

I pressed my lips together, still feeling uneasy. "When are we going to reveal my real identity? Do you think Mrs. White Senior will be upset when she finds out the truth?"

From the way she treated Tom earlier, it was obvious how much she cared for him.