Arrogant Man VS Unyielding Woman novel Chapter 138

Shirley screamed and shouted so loudly that Jean had to cover her ears. When she began cussing, Jean clenched her fists.

She couldn't believe how despicably her half-sister was behaving. It was hard to find someone who could rival Shirley's wretchedness in this world.

She was so malevolent that she wouldn't even spare grandma!

Jean raised her head and saw that her grandmother was watching her with curiosity. Jean realized that she had been scowling at Shirley's behavior and that her expression might scare her grandmother. And so, she smiled and offered words of reassurance, "Grandma, don't be afraid. It is just a wild dog barking outside."

And then she gently patted her grandmother's arm to comfort her.

A bright smile lit up the grandmother's face when she felt Jean's tender touch.

"Why didn't I know that you have a grandmother?" Zed glanced at Jean as he asked.

"After my mom died, grandma came to see me whenever she had time. She brought food and clothes for me. Every time I was wronged by the Wen family, it was grandma who comforted me."

As Jean recalled these fleeting moments of happiness in her childhood, a serene smile grew on her face.

"My grandma left a greater impression on me than my mom. Grandma was diagnosed with Alzheimer's five years ago. Because of her condition, she has good and bad days. In recent years, she's been having more bad days than good. She is agitated most of the time and barely remembers me. There are days, like today, when her IQ is like that of a child's." Sadness replaced the serene smile that had been on Jean's face just a moment ago.

As her grandmother's condition progressed, Jean had to face the fact the she would soon die. Just the thought brought tears to Jean's eyes. Her body shuddered uncontrollably.

Jean had once heard that there was some kind of expensive treatment that could slow the development of the disease. However, it was so expensive that she couldn't even afford it.

That was the reason she had agreed to Henry's demand to sleep with Zed for the land.

Henry had promised her that if she could get the land for him, he would do whatever she requested in return. And Jean had wanted to ask him to pay for her grandmother's treatment.

Her original plan had been to get Henry to send her grandma abroad for medical treatment after she divorced Zed. However, circumstances changed too quickly.

Henry's attitude went from bad to worse. After he got the land, he turned back on his promise. If that wasn't bad enough, Jean suffered tremendous humiliation and physical abuse at the hands of Joy and Shirley. This had led her to sever her relationship with the Wen family. Now that there was no legal connection, how could Jean ask Henry to keep up his end of the bargain? And even if she did, it was highly unlikely that Henry would agree.

"How did Shirley find your grandma?" Zed asked.

"She is as vicious as a snake. Shirley knew about grandma's condition and probably figured that she could use her as leverage to get what she wants. And so, she must have done her research. It wouldn't have been easy, but she found grandma anyway."

As Jean thought about Shirley, a flame of anger rose in her chest.

She had hidden her grandma in a secluded enough place. She had never thought that Shirley would still find her.

"Since she has evil intentions and she took great pains to find your grandmother, why would she give grandma back to you so easily?" Zed was puzzled. Something just didn't add up.

"Because she doesn't want to piss me off to the extent that I will not give in to her demands." Jean said with fury. She was quite certain that Shirley had done all this as a sort of warning to Jean. Shirley wanted to show her half-sister that she was aware of where Jean had hidden grandma. She also wanted to make it clear to Jean that she could do anything to her grandmother.

'That is not right. It couldn't be so simple.' Zed thought as he rubbed his chin.

Zed's instinct told him that something was wrong.

Shirley's repeated challenges, plus what happened during the dinner party, and Zed's parents not acknowledging the Wen's as their relatives through marriage had irrevocably hurt the Wen family's reputation.

The Weibo incident, the attempted kidnapping, all the beatings, everything the Wen family had done so far led Zed to believe that they were capable of going to nefarious lengths to get what they wanted. He also knew that they would never be kind or selfless.

And they had found Jean's grandma. This was huge for them as the Wen family finally had some leverage that would force Jean to give them exactly what they wanted. How could it be possible that they would just give up this opportunity?

So, they definitely had some ulterior motive or some devious plan. Otherwise, they would not have allowed for this reunion between Jean and her grandma. Something was definitely fishy.

What was their purpose behind this action then?

Zed couldn't find a reasonable explanation. And so, he just had to be patient and let the situation unfold naturally. He would counter problems as and when they cropped up.

A noise brought Zed out of his thoughts. He watched as Jean took care of her grandmother.

Just looking at how this elderly lady was behaving and how Jean was running after her to prevent her from hurting herself, gave Zed a headache.

As Jean had said, there were days when grandma's IQ was that of a child's. And today was such a day. Grandma kept doing naive things that could possibly hurt her.

And Jean had to ensure that grandma didn't hurt herself.

When Jean had a moment to herself, she realized that Zed had gone quiet. She said apologetically, "I'm sorry you got dragged into this, Zed. But you know that I cannot let grandma go back to the sanatorium anymore. It is too risky."

"I understand." Zed nodded and spoke sincerely, "Jean, your grandma is my grandma. I know we are responsible for taking care of our parents when they get older. You don't have to apologize to me for being dutiful." He stopped to think about an idea that had popped up in his mind. Then Zed spoke tentatively, "Uh…Jean…Do you trust me with your grandma? I will make sure she gets the best treatment and nursing help she needs."

"But…" Jean's eyes widened. She couldn't believe her ears.

She and Zed had been forcibly wed. They had a tumultuous relationship ever since. Although they were on better terms now, she still felt as though Zed didn't need to take the responsibility of caring of her grandma.

In contrast, Henry…

The man she had called dad for over twenty years, could not keep his promise.

Jean's eyes reddened and her breath hitched, "Zed, you don't have to do that…"

"Don't be silly. We are a couple. You are my wife. Anytime you face a problem, you have to come to me, OK?" Zed took a few steps to get closer to Jean. Then he wrapped an arm around her shoulder. As she looked at him with her big, sad eyes, Zed smiled reassuringly. Then he gently rubbed the tip of her nose with his finger.

"OK." Jean said as she nodded. She had given up all hopes of being able to find a way to treat her grandmother. All her sacrifices for the Wen family had been for nothing as Henry hadn't kept his promise. But here was Zed, promising to give her what her heart most desired.

"Besides, I don't want to have to share you with anyone else. And that includes your loving grandma. I'm doing this for selfish reasons." Zed's seductive voice tickled Jean's ear.

Jean flushed immediately. She pushed Zed away and tried really hard to kill the tiny smile that was threatening to expose her true feelings.

She couldn't believe that Zed was trying to flirt with her in front of grandma!

He was getting bolder and bolder.

It was so sweet though.

Jean's cheeks felt like they were on fire. She tried cooling them by placing her cold palms on her face. She didn't dare to look to Zed's for fear of exacerbating her reaction.

At the sight of her shyness, a smile cracked Zed's lips. Deep in his dark eyes, a storm brewed. If only they were somewhere else and in a better situation, Zed would show Jean the extent of his desire for her.

'It was Shirley who had made the effort to find grandma and set up this reunion. It made no sense to take grandma back to the sanatorium.' thought Zed.

Regardless of what Shirley had planned, Zed felt that he needed to protect Jean's grandmother.

So it would be better to transfer her to a safe place as soon as possible.

"Hurt… hurt… hurt…"

Suddenly, the grandmother's pain filled voice broke the silence.

Jean looked around frantically.

She saw that grandma had grabbed her hair and that her face was twisted with pain. Her complexion was colorless and her eyes seemed wild.

"Grandma…" Jean rushed over and asked with concern, "Grandma, tell me, what is wrong? Are you uncomfortable? I will get the doctor for you. Don't be afraid."

Jean walked to the door as soon as she finished reassuring her grandmother.

"Jean, your phone is ringing." Zed said with brows furrowed tightly.

"Whoever it is, I don't care. Grandma is not feeling well and I have to get her some help." Jean replied hastily as she opened the door.

"I guess Shirley is calling."