LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT - SEASON 2 CHAPTER 95
“How did it go? Did my grandson agree?” asked Old Madam Liu as soon as her son entered her room.
“I think we should give him some more time, Mother,” Thom answered. He dropped by their ancestral mansion to check on his mother’s condition.
“Thom, time is very crucial… I’m already old, and I want to have my grandson with me. He is a Liu, Thom! He is one of us!” insisted Old Madam Liu with a dark face. Zach was her own blood. She wanted him to have everything that she had once she was gone from this world.
Thom and Jeru would need Zach in the family to keep and manage everything she had put her life into. It was because of her own sweat and blood that the Liu Empire was able to reach its pinnacle and be where it was right now. Charles’ son deserved to have it, but why did he refuse it?
Thea had already told her that Zach might decline, but she didn’t believe it. Why would Zach refuse to have the name of one of the most powerful and well-known families in their society? She let out a distressed sigh and thought of the plan that was previously proposed by Thea.
‘So I have to accept Thea in our family, then?’ She sneered inwardly. But then, she would do anything to get her grandson, Zach, into her family. Including accepting Thea as Jeru’s wife…
“Mother?” Thom asked when he noticed his mother seeming to be deeply absorbed in thought.
“Oh yeah… Alright, Thom, maybe we should give him more time then. Son, could you please call Thea for me and ask her to bring my meal?” Old Madam Liu requested, which left his son totally flabbergasted.
Since when did his mother care for Thea?
“Thom!” Old Madam Liu called her son with an arched brow. Then she amusingly murmured, “What? What’s with that surprised look on your face?”
Thom couldn’t help but release a cackle of laughter and answered, “I’m indeed surprised, Mother… But it’s good that you are trying your best to adjust because the fact still remains that Thea is Jeru’s wife now. She’s already part of our family, so I’m hopeful that the two of you can get along well.”
Thom immediately left the room when his mother dismissed him with her favorite hand gesture of shooing someone away…
Old Madam Liu grabbed her mobile phone and quickly dialed her most trusted assistant.
“Let’s proceed to plan B. Release all the lab results as soon as I arrive at the hospital and make sure to do it discreetly. I don’t want any loose ends, understand?” She firmly instructed.
Upon hearing her assistant’s confirmation, she ended the call.
Then she heard a knock on her door, and she assumed it was Thea, so she answered, “Come in.”
Thea entered the room with a tray of breakfast in her hand. She smiled at Old Madam Liu and greeted, “Good morning, Grandma… How are you today?”
Old Madam Liu sighed. She knew Thea was trying her best to gain her approval, but it was still hard to accept her due to her past involvement with the underworld. Old Madam Liu had experienced having her family crumble from her late husband’s connection with those dregs of society, and now Thea? She would need to wipe out everything about Thea’s past to make sure the name Liu would not get dragged down with it in the future.
‘Geez, another troublesome thing to do!’ She mused helplessly as she looked at Thea.
“We will proceed with your plan, so make sure you do your part to convince my grandson to accept and embrace his real identity as a Liu,” Old Madam Liu casually said.
Thea’s lips curled up, forming a big smile, which made Old Madam Liu’s mouth twitch.
“You look so excited… Remember, you will only get your reward if this plan of yours succeeds,” Old Madam Liu scoffed.
“Noted, Grandma. I understand. I’ll just have to make sure the plan will be successful,” Thea said with determination as she put down the breakfast tray on the bedside table.
Old Madam Liu raised an eyebrow and said, “Off you go now because I’m supposed to faint in about an hour. We must not waste time and execute everything with precision. Act naturally, and you must convince Zach later…”
Thea nodded in agreement and tried to hide the twitching of her mouth as she walked out of the room.
……
After an hour, Thea instructed Old Madam Liu’s private nurse, who was in the middle of watching television, to check on her grandmother-in-law in her room.
Then…
“Madam Thea!!!” She heard the private nurse shouted from upstairs, so she hurriedly went up to the room.
“What happened?” She asked with a worried look on her face.
“The old madam has fainted… I already called for an ambulance.” The private nurse answered with a shaky voice.
Thea quickly got her phone to dial her husband’s number. Then she called Senior Liu, who just left the mansion a bit more than an hour ago.
“The ambulance is here. Yes, I’ll be with her, Dad…” reported Thea to her father-in-law as she heard the sound of the sirens.
Thea watched her grandmother-in-law being transferred with a stretcher to the ambulance. She went inside the ambulance with her.
She tried her best not to smile nor chuckle as she marveled, ‘Wow, she’s a great actress…’
‘How does she do that?’ she wondered as she observed Old Madam Liu’s closed eyes. It didn’t move nor flinch at all.
“Old Madam Liu… You can open your eyes now and relax while we’re on our way to the hospital,” said the doctor, who was also in league with them.
Old Madam Liu opened her eyes instantly and looked at Thea, who was sitting beside her. She asked, “Did you inform Keira already?”
Thea nodded. “Yes, she messaged me saying she will inform Zach and let me know as soon as they are on their way to the hospital.”
“Okay, that’s good then…” said Old Madam Liu with a smile.
Thea scratched her head and wondered what would happen if Zach found out about their plan. Then she sighed… As long as she would not have to harm anyone, she would do anything to be on the good side of Jeru’s grandmother.
She did not want to see news about her husband being on a blind date set up by his grandmother, just like the one she heard from Lana. Nor did she want to be separated from Jeru, ever. So her goal was for her grandmother-in-law to accept her as Jeru’s wife, no matter what…
____
Zach picked up his wife from work as soon as he received her call about Old Madam Liu’s situation. Thea said they should go to the hospital directly because Old Madam Liu had been mentioning Zach’s name before she fainted.
“Thea told me that she has changed a lot from that day she met you at our wedding. She often saw her crying, asking Charles for forgiveness and hoping for you to accept her and the Liu family, as your own,” Keira explained during their ride to the hospital.
Then she added, “Maybe she genuinely wants to have you in her family… After all, your dad is her real son, and your mom said she loved him the most.”
Old Madam Liu was known as someone who was overprotective of her own family. She had taken Thom Liu under her custody and raised him even though he was not her own son. If she could do that much for him, who was her late husband’s mistress’ son, imagine how much more she longed to have Zach by her side, who was her own blood.
Zach did not respond, and Keira could tell that he was deeply absorbed in thought. She took her mobile phone to inform Thea that they were already on their way to the hospital.
“What? Alright… Got it,” Keira sighed as soon as she ended the phone call.
“What’s wrong?” Zach muttered. Although it had only been a short time since he knew about his real identity, he could already feel a soft spot in his heart toward the old lady. He didn’t understand it either, but maybe it was because of their blood relation.
“They are double-checking her test results right now. The results don’t look so good… Old Madam Liu has regained her consciousness, but she keeps on crying and asking for you…”
The couple arrived at the hospital and saw Senior Liu and Jeru outside the old madam’s private ward with their shoulders slumped. Jeru saw them approaching and whispered, “They’re here…”
Senior Liu gestured for them to follow him first, so they did.
They went to a waiting area not far from Old Madam Liu’s room. Senior Liu looked at Zach and said, “The results are out… Mother has a heart disease.”
Senior Liu informed them what he had learned from the doctors. The doctors had emphasized how important it was not to stress the old madam for fear of triggering another attack.
“Another attack could be fatal. So please, I beg you, Zach. Just this once… Please, just agree to wh@??ver she’s asking. I know I’m selfish for asking you this, but she is my mother. Though not by blood, but she has protected me well, and she has provided me with everything my real mother did not even care to do… No matter what, she will remain the only mother for me, and I will do anything for her,” begged Senior Liu with a shaky voice.
His mother might be a horrible person to others, but she had only done things that she thought were right to protect his and Jeru’s best interest. Senior Liu knew that deep inside, his mother really cared for him and Jeru. She loved them in her own way that others might not be able to understand.
Keira’s face softened upon seeing how desperate Senior Liu was at that moment. She held Zach’s hand and met his eyes.
Zach drew out a long breath before he looked at Senior Liu and said, “I understand, Uncle…”
…..
Inside Old Madam Liu’s private ward, Thea, who was looking after her, whispered, “They’ve arrived, Grandma, so keep sobbing… They will be here any moment…”
Old Madam Liu crumpled her face and complained, “My eyes sting already…” Her eyes would run out of tears soon, so how come Zach and Keira were not inside yet?
Thea tried her best to hide her laughter. Their situation right now was so awkward, but funny. Who would have imagined that the time when she would become the infamous old madam’s partner in crime would come?
‘Oh, Zach, please forgive me… This a white lie… Please help me again this time,’ She begged silently, hoping that Zach would not mind.
“Please check again,” Old Madam Liu asked Thea impatiently.
‘At least she knew how to use the word Please…’ Thea noticed before she got up and walked to the door to peek outside.
She saw Jeru talking to the doctor. Then she saw Zach and Keira approaching the room with Jeru’s dad…
She rushed back to Old Madam Liu’s side and hurriedly said, “They’re coming… Cry more, Grandma, but don’t overdo it. You’re not allowed to cry so hard. Not good for your heart.”
When they heard the sound of the door opening, the two women promptly continued their performance. They acted as though they didn’t hear the door. Old Madam Liu continued to sob and hug Thea, while Thea was patting the old madam’s back and said, “Grandma, stop crying. I’m sure Zach will understand and accept your request. Besides, you only want it because you want to get to know him more and spend time with him. Any family would do the same, Grandma, so I believe Zach will understand it…”
Their hug was interrupted by Jeru’s voice, “Grandma, Zach is here with Keira.”
Old Madam Liu feigned surprise, as she immediately released Thea, wiped her tears, and smiled, “Oh, they are here? Come, come… I want to see my grandson near me. Thea, please give them some chairs…”
Jeru was quietly observing his wife with a raised eyebrow. He found it so odd seeing his grandmother and Thea being so affectionate with each other.
‘Have I been staying in the office too much and missed a lot of things?’ He thought to himself but quickly brushed it off. Maybe Thea’s hard work had yielded a good result, and she was now a step closer to winning his grandmother’s heart.
Or perhaps his grandmother had really changed for the better. It was not impossible because he had changed too.
Senior Liu put his hand on his son’s shoulder and signaled him to let Zach and Keira alone with his grandmother. Jeru looked at Thea, who nodded and walked toward them in understanding.
Jeru, Thea, and Senior Liu were at the hospital’s cafe to grab some coffee when Jeru asked, “Do you think Zach will agree?”
Senior Liu sighed and answered, “I’m not sure, but I think he will.”
Thea smiled widely as she was hopeful. She looked at her husband lovingly and unknowingly whispered, “Zach must agree…”