Chapter 346 Emotional fulfillment

But she couldn’t deny that she loved him just the way he was... he gave her so much emotional fulfillment.

Since Stephan had injured his hand, he couldn’t drive.

So he called his assistant to pick him up.

Alana was concerned for him. “Your hand’s injured, are you really going to work? Why not just stay home and rest for a day?”

Stephan smiled and kissed her cheek. “Things have been a bit hectic at the office lately. I just want to get it all handled quickly so I can free up some time to go on more dates with you.”

Besides, he’d neglected his work quite a bit recently when he went back to her hometown to visit her grandmother.

Now he had to make up for it.

“Alright.”

Watching him so absorbed in his work, Alana suddenly felt a desire to go to the office with him and help lighten his workload.

She was startled by the thought.

Not long ago, she had even thought that if she were to look for a new job, she definitely wouldn’t want to work at Stephan’s company.

After all, working at the same company as a couple, especially when her boyfriend is her direct supervisor... would inevitably invite gossip if his subordinates found out.

It was precisely because of this concern that she hadn’t planned on joining his company.

Stephan ruffled Alana’s hair. “Alright, I’m off to the office. If anything comes up, or if you hit a rough patch, give me a call.”

“Okay.”

Alana nodded, stood on her tiptoes, and kissed him on the cheek.

“Goodbye.”

Stephan curved his lips, returned the kiss, and only then left.

Alana watched his retreating figure and thought to herself that perhaps working at his company alongside him wouldn’t be as complicated as she’d imagined.

Besides, she hoped that one day, through her own hard work, she could stand by his side and be his strong support.

However, she’d put that thought aside for now. Until her grandmother was discharged from the hospital, Alana had no mind to look for a job.

Because Agnes had come to see her yesterday, she hadn’t been able to visit her grandmother.

She’d have to go visit her again today.

She went to visit her grandmother almost every day now just to chat with her.

Grandma is getting on in years, and what she needs most is someone to be by her side. Even though Grandma doesn’t say it, whenever Alana is by her side, Grandma is always smiling.

The caregiver looking after Grandma also mentioned that when her family isn’t around, Grandma just lies there in her hospital bed, not saying a word, and occasionally stares at the door.

So, in the end, Grandma really does enjoy the lively atmosphere of having her family around.

When Alana came to Grandma’s hospital room, Grandma still liked to pull Alana close to talk.

Grandma seemed to be thinking of something; she hesitated for a long time before speaking. “Lana, there’s something I’m not sure if I should tell you.”

Alana smiled. “Grandma, just say whatever’s on your mind.”

“Yesterday... your mother came to see me...”

Alana’s breath caught, and she nodded.

“Yeah, I know.” Grandma was surprised. “You knew?”

Alana nodded. “Yeah, I was right outside the door when she came to see you yesterday.”

“Why didn’t you come in?”

“I didn’t want to interrupt you.”

Grandma couldn’t help but ask, “And then? After that, did you...?”

“I chatted with her for a while.”

“What did you talk about?”

“Nothing much. I just found out she married a rich man, so she must be living a pretty good life.”

“Lana...” Grandma hesitated, then asked, “Did she... ask you to go with her, to take you back to live with her?”

Alana shook her head. “No.”

Not only did she not, but she actually told her to break up with her boyfriend and give him to her stepdaughter.

Grandma’s expression changed.

She had assumed that since Agnes was willing to come back, she must have already decided to formally acknowledge Alana as her own and raise her by her side. But she never expected...

Grandma felt a pang of heartache, unsure how to comfort this pitiful granddaughter standing before her.

Alana immediately guessed what was on her grandmother’s mind and smiled. “Grandma, it’s okay. I’m doing just fine now.”

Hearing this, Grandma felt like crying.

Yesterday, she had seen her Agnes, whom she hadn’t seen in over a decade, come to her on her knees to apologize.

She had assumed her Agnes would also apologize to Alana, the daughter she had abandoned, and had even planned to take Alana home to make up for the lost years of maternal love.

But little did she know, this was nothing but a pipe dream for Alana.

“All right, Grandma, I understand.” Grandma’s voice choked up a little. She had also guessed the reason.

It seems she has no intention of taking Alana back as her daughter.

She has a new family, and as for Alana... if she were to join that family, she would be nothing more than an outsider who couldn’t fit in.

Just as Alana had been unable to fit into the Martin family all these years.

This child is truly pitiful. No matter where she goes, she seems like an outsider; no one will ever truly accept her.

The more the grandmother thought about it, the more her heart ached. What had Alana ever done wrong?

Why won’t they accept her?

“Lana, I’m sorry. It’s Grandma’s fault for being so helpless... I couldn’t help you.” Alana sighed helplessly, “Grandma, what nonsense are you talking about?”

Grandma said sadly, “Back when your mother abandoned you, it was Grandma who didn’t fight to the death to stop her, that’s why she was able to leave you and run off with another man. Now that she’s back, Grandma hasn’t been able to do anything to help you. Grandma is so sorry.”

Alana shook her head. “Grandma, it’s not your fault. It’s not your problem. She chose to run off with another man on her own. You could stop her for a moment, but you can’t stop her forever. If she wanted to leave, she would have left sooner or later.”

“Besides, she has a new family now, so I won’t get involved. I have you, Grandma, and Stephan, and his family. I feel completely content.”

Grandma sighed. This poor child was still too sensible, too honest, she never knew how to stand up for herself.

She didn’t want to say anything more, afraid it would only make things more painful. She decided to leave the topic at that.

Alana stayed with her grandmother for a while before receiving a message on her phone.

[Lana, come out. I need to talk to you.]

Alana saw the message Agnes had sent her but didn’t react.

After all, she had already made her position clear yesterday, why was Agnes coming to her again?

Did her first attempt to persuade her fail, so she’s trying again?

Hmph.

Agnes really does care deeply about her adopted daughter, Darla.

Alana put away her phone, made up an excuse to her grandmother, and left the hospital room.

Agnes was standing just outside the room; she seemed to have arrived only a short while ago.

She looked somewhat haggard, with noticeable dark circles under her eyes.

Alana glanced at Agnes and thought to herself, “I’m just refusing to break up with Stephan, is that really enough to keep her up all night?”

It just goes to show how much Agnes cares about Darla.

“Ms. Agnes, I believe I made myself quite clear to you yesterday. No matter how many times you come to me, I’ll give you the same answer, it won’t change.”

When Agnes heard Alana address her as “Ms. Agnes,” her face paled even further.

Now, she wasn’t even worthy of being called “Mother” or “Mom” by Alana.

Ultimately, it was because Alana harbored too much resentment toward her.

“Lana, how could you do this? Yesterday, I was the one who came over to you to break up with your boyfriend. How could you take out all your anger on Darla?”