"You had a second child?" Elder Grant was shocked again.

In her dealings with the Grant Family, Sophia Shaw had always been cautious, waiting for Vincent Grant to be the one to tell them.

Apparently, Vincent Grant hadn’t said a word!

A sharp pain pierced Sophia Shaw’s heart. No matter how much she had braced herself, she was still wounded by Vincent Grant’s attitude toward Bun.

Sophia Shaw nodded silently.

Elder Grant mulled it over for a long while before finally agreeing, "Alright."

Of course, he didn’t want a child of the Grant family left out in the cold, but he had already held her back for his grandson’s sake.

Although they hadn’t explicitly forced Sophia Shaw’s hand back then, they had, in fact, already set her on a predetermined path.

This was the compensation he owed Sophia Shaw.

"Grandpa, don’t worry. If you want to see Bun in the future, you can call me anytime."

"I’ll find time to bring her to see you."

The two of them quickly changed the subject and started discussing their business collaboration.

Several hours passed as they talked.

When Sophia Shaw came out, she ran into a secretary at the door.

The secretary had someone with him, standing right behind. The man was a head taller, with a restrained yet outstanding aura and an overwhelming air of nobility.

It was Vincent Grant.

Sophia Shaw then remembered that Vincent Grant had to report to the family every quarter.

It was a strict rule the Grant Family had established, fearing he would go astray.

Vincent Grant saw Sophia Shaw too, and his brows lifted slightly.

Sophia Shaw completely ignored his gaze, simply nodding to the secretary before walking away.

"Faye."

She had only taken a few steps when she saw Grandma Grant standing at the end of the hallway, watching her with a loving gaze.

"Grandma."

Sophia Shaw quickened her pace and walked over to the elderly woman.

Grandma Grant looked her over with affectionate concern. "Long time no see. Why do you look so worn out?"

Because Vincent Grant was in business, the two of them rarely met, but Grandma Grant had adored Sophia Shaw from the very first time she saw her.

They had just exchanged a few words when they heard someone shout from inside the room, "Secretary Morgan, bring the family cane!"

Sophia Shaw and Old Mrs. Grant looked over together.

They saw Elder Grant standing with his hands behind his back, not even looking at Vincent Grant, but his frigid aura was impossible to ignore.

Vincent Grant stood with his hands at his sides, his lips pressed into a tight line.

Secretary Morgan ran out, his forehead beaded with sweat. Seeing Old Mrs. Grant, he said in a low voice, "I don’t know what happened with Elder Grant. Vincent just went in and greeted him, and the next thing I knew, he was calling for the family cane."

"Ma’am, please go talk some sense into him."

Old Mrs. Grant had been with Elder Grant for many years. She knew his temper; he wouldn’t hit someone for no reason.

She waved her hand. "If he told you to get it, then go get it."

Old Mrs. Grant didn’t leave. Instead, she pulled Sophia Shaw a couple of steps closer.

Secretary Morgan brought the family cane, and Elder Grant called over a sturdy young man, who began to swing it forcefully against Vincent Grant’s back.

The sound of the cane hitting flesh was clearly audible.

Sophia Shaw didn’t try to intervene. She watched impassively as the veins on Vincent Grant’s neck bulged from the beating, as if looking at a stranger.

"Faye, tell Grandma, did Vincent do something to wrong you?"

After Vincent’s beating was over, Old Mrs. Grant led Sophia Shaw downstairs.

She had been observing Sophia Shaw the whole time. Sophia’s attitude was completely different from before.

Previously, she would have been a nervous wreck even if Vincent were just being scolded.

But just now, she had been utterly unfazed.

Hearing the question, Sophia Shaw pressed her lips together.

Seeing her reaction, Old Mrs. Grant knew she had guessed correctly.

She sighed in frustration. "That Vincent!"

She knew her granddaughter-in-law’s personality. She would never be so cold unless Vincent had hurt her to an unimaginable degree.

"Is he with that Sherman woman now? Did he bully you because of her?"

Old Mrs. Grant was so angry she wanted to go back upstairs and give Vincent another beating.

"Grandma," Sophia Shaw said softly. "I’ve known from the beginning that Vincent had someone else in his heart, but that didn’t stop me from loving him for six years."

The implication was clear: she didn’t love him anymore.

Old Mrs. Grant felt her heart drop.

Although she had already guessed it from Sophia’s expression, hearing the words spoken aloud was still a bitter disappointment.

"Vincent, oh, Vincent! To reject such a good girl and go chasing after those useless, scheming little things!"

"Is he blind?"

"He’s making a mess of his own home and has chilled his wife’s heart to the bone."

Old Mrs. Grant had gone through life and death with Elder Grant, so she had a very frank and forthright personality.

Hearing this, Sophia Shaw let out a small laugh.

’Vincent has sized up countless people. Can he really not see that Joanna Sherman is full of schemes?’

’But so what if she’s a walking disaster? He has her in his heart.’

"Grandma." Sophia Shaw gently patted Grandma Grant’s chest to help calm her down. Seeing Vincent coming down the stairs in the distance, she said softly, "The reason my heart grew cold wasn’t Joanna Sherman. It was his attitude toward the daughter I gave birth to."

"What? You had a second child?"

"Why don’t I know anything about this?"

If Vincent wouldn’t even mention this, what else did it say about him?

Old Mrs. Grant’s chest ached with anger.

Fortunately, she was in good health and wasn’t about to collapse from some age-related illness on the spot.

"Grandma."

After the beating from Elder Grant, Vincent’s usually noble face was tinged with pallor. Cold sweat beaded on his forehead, and his back was damp.

Even so, he stood perfectly straight.

He slowly bowed to Old Mrs. Grant.

"I’m not your grandma!" Old Mrs. Grant kicked Vincent in the leg.

Vincent was already injured, so even though Old Mrs. Grant’s kick wasn’t heavy, he still stumbled.

Old Mrs. Grant looked around for something.

Sophia Shaw thoughtfully handed her the cane.

Old Mrs. Grant grabbed the cane and started whacking Vincent with it. "You bastard! You don’t take care of your own family, but you go sticking your nose into other people’s messy business!"

THWACK! THWACK! THWACK!

Old Mrs. Grant laid into him without holding back.

Vincent stood motionless, letting her hit him, his gaze fixed on Sophia Shaw.

Sophia Shaw stood there quietly, not avoiding his gaze, and met his eyes.

Her clear, bright eyes were perfectly composed.

’As a father, he hurt his own daughter time and time again. He deserved to be beaten!’

This was a lesson he deserved.

Seeing that Old Mrs. Grant was getting tired, she finally stepped forward. "Grandma, that’s enough."

Old Mrs. Grant slammed the cane down on Vincent one last time before stopping. Pointing at his nose, she said, "If you can’t treat Sophia well, then don’t ever step foot in this house again, and don’t you dare call yourself a Grant!"

Despite her harsh scolding, Old Mrs. Grant still had Vincent stay for lunch.

Naturally, Sophia Shaw couldn’t leave either.

Old Mrs. Grant went into the kitchen herself to instruct the chef on how to make Sophia’s favorite dishes.

Unwilling to be in the same room as Vincent, Sophia Shaw went outside on her own.

Levin Sawyer had left after dropping her off.

Sophia Shaw walked into a gazebo and made a phone call, discussing the work-related matters from her meeting with Elder Grant.

They discussed it briefly, but Levin Sawyer had other things to attend to, so they hung up.

Sophia Shaw turned around and saw Vincent Grant standing outside the gazebo.

His wounds must have been treated, and he had changed his clothes.

He stood tall with his hands at his sides, watching her.

He waited until she hung up the phone before walking in. A half-smile played on his lips as he looked at her. "This is the first time Grandma has ever hit me."

"Oh."

Sophia Shaw’s response was faint, as if she didn’t understand what he was implying.

Before, she used to be so afraid of him misunderstanding. She would dissect his every word, trying to guess if he was angry or if there was some hidden meaning.

She would think and rethink everything she said, terrified of displeasing him.

But now, even knowing he was accusing her of using Grandma to get revenge, she couldn’t care less.

After lunch, Sophia Shaw and Vincent Grant went to the south wing of the Grant family home.

Mrs. Grant, Skye Sutton, lived there.

Skye Sutton had fallen gravely ill a few years ago and had been bedridden ever since, kept alive only by medication.

As they went upstairs, Vincent Grant took her hand.

Sophia Shaw didn’t pull away.

No matter how ugly things got between them, they always maintained a tacit understanding in front of Skye Sutton, playing the part of a loving couple.

"Vincent, Faye."

Seeing them enter, Skye Sutton struggled to sit up in bed.

A little color finally returned to her gaunt, pale face.

The housekeeper placed chairs for them beside the bed.

Sophia Shaw and Vincent Grant sat down.

"Mom, are you feeling any better?" Sophia Shaw asked softly.

Skye Sutton gave a low cough and nodded.

The emptiness beneath her clothes was a sign of her fading life.

Seeing Sophia Shaw’s flat stomach, Skye Sutton’s eyes fell in disappointment. "No... second child?"