Love at First Night: The Billionaire's First Love-Chapter 55: He’s not difficult to love

> Mallory

"Pardon?" I asked before I could stop myself.

The word slipped out sounding small, thin—almost like it wasn’t mine. My hands froze in mid-air, fingers suspended awkwardly between reaching for my tea cup and pulling them back to me. I didn’t even know what gesture I had been about to make. My thoughts scattered like someone had tipped them straight off a table.

The old man didn’t blink, he stared straight through me. His expression serious.

"I won’t repeat myself." His voice was flat and cold, like he’d asked me to pass him the salt instead of something that could change my child’s entire life.

Like I have no choice to say otherwise.

Both of his hands rested on top of his cane. He leaned forward just enough that the light caught his eyes, turning them even darker.

"I want you to change my great-grandson’s surname to Archeval."

The words echoed in my head. A slow and heavy sound playing on repeat.

My fingers curled together without my permission, twisting into each other as if that would help anchor my emotion.

"B-but..." Heat crawled up my neck, spreading across my ears. Why was it suddenly so hard to breathe? Why did his stare make my thoughts fold in on themselves? My throat tightened painfully.

"Grandpa, she’s not ready yet," Venz jumped in fast, leaning slightly in front of me like he meant to shield me. His hand rested gently on my back—warm, steady, firm. The warmth that kept me from completely shrinking into myself.

"This isn’t a matter of being ready," his grandfather snapped. "Our blood runs in his veins. Of course he should bear our surname."

Venz clicked his tongue softly, a sign he was trying very hard to stay level.

"Five years," he said, his voice dropping, colder than before. "I’ve been absent in the child’s life for five years. I’ve only been present in the kid’s life for a few months."

His hand kept tracing small circles on my back, trying to ground me. "I think it’s reasonable to give her time to process this. We can’t just claim the kid right now."

I swallowed, the bitter taste rising again. I had known—deep down—that something like this would happen eventually when I agreed to this marriage contract. But knowing something was coming didn’t mean I was ready when it finally arrived.

"Are you going against me?!" the old man barked.

The sudden rise in his voice made me flinch. My hands floated up toward my chest like they were trying to shield my pounding heart. I curled my fingers in and out, in and out, as if the movement could calm the tremor rising in my arms.

Venz immediately pulled me closer hooking me from my waist until our sides touched. His hand landed on my shoulder. A grip that was solid, reassuring, and almost protective.

"This isn’t up for discussion," Venz answered, matching his grandfather’s tone but not his volume. "My wife’s decision is my decision."

Vale finally stepped forward, raising his hands like a referee trying to separate two fighters.

"Okay, okay, both of you—how about we talk about this later?" he suggested with a strained smile. "Maybe after lunch? When you two have calmed down a little?"

His forced laugh died instantly when no one reacted.

"Sister-in-law," he said gently, turning toward me. "Can you give us a moment?"

I took a slow breath, lips pressed together until I tasted the dryness on them. I could walk away. I could leave them to shout at each other while I hid in the hallway like I always had,running away from everything.

But the thought of leaving them discuss my son’s fate alone, right in front of me. It doesn’t feel right.

So instead, I swallowed the knot in my throat.

"I... don’t know if me saying something will change anything," I admitted quietly, forcing myself to look at the old man. "But I’m only asking for time. I just need time to think about it."

My voice trembled on the first words but steadied by the end. I could do anything for my son if the consequences fell only on me. But if he had to suffer because of a decision I made carelessly, then no—I wouldn’t be able to live with that.

"For now, I don’t think I’m ready," I said, firmer this time. My hand tightened around the cloth of my skirt, nails scraping lightly.

"What does someone who never had a father understand?!" the old man suddenly shouted.

The words didn’t just hit—they pierced inside me.

My body went still.

Heat shot up inside my chest, it’s not anger, not like sadness—something sharper, rawer. Like a thorn pushed straight into my lungs.

For a moment, I forgot how to breathe.

"Grandpa!" Venz yelled, voice slicing through the room.

I straightened abruptly, posture stiffening on instinct. My jaw clenched hard enough to ache. I took a shaky breath—not to be brave, but because if I didn’t focus on breathing, I would fold in on myself.

"Why am I being punished then?" I asked quietly.

Both men looked at me. Even Vale lifted his head.

My voice wasn’t loud, but it didn’t waver. I kept my eyes locked on the old man’s, even though his gaze felt like it might burn holes straight through me. Venz’s hand slipped toward mine, but I peeled my fingers away, needing to stand on my own for at least this moment.

The old man frowned. "What?"

"Is it my fault I grew up without a father?" The question cut out of me, it was thin and steady. "If there’s something wrong with me because of his absence, then you should be blaming him. Not me."

My hands trembled, so I brushed my hair back to hide it.

"Isn’t that why you appeared at my grandson’s wedding to begin with? To climb into the ladder?" he shot back.

I took a slow breath. I could feel the sting in my eyes, but I didn’t let it reach my voice.

"Honestly, I don’t know if I can give my son a better life than your family can," I said honestly. "But I’m trying. I’ve always tried. Everything I did—I did it to protect him. And I am damn proud I made it this far on my own."

Silence fell in the room instantly.

It wasn’t a peaceful silence. It was heavy and suffocating. The kind that presses down on your shoulders and fills all the air around you.

Vale’s forced smile had disappeared completely. Venz’s fingers slid over the back of my hand again, firmer this time, as if anchoring me to him. His thumb brushed against my knuckles in small circles.

The old man looked away. His gaze haven’t softened, but not as sharp as before. His eyes darted over my face, searching, almost calculating... like he was peering deep into my soul.

It was the same look Venz got when he wanted to understand something he couldn’t see.

"So," the old man finally said, letting out a dry laugh, "you’re telling me you married my grandson because you love him?" his brow arched.

The disbelief in his voice struck something inside me. It was something that made my spine straighten like it struck a memory I couldn’t recall but I can feel.

There isn’t a single person born unlovable. People become difficult to love because of what they go through.

"Why not?" I replied. "He’s not difficult to love."

Venz’s mouth literally dropped open. His hand froze around mine. A deep red spread across his cheeks.

"Wife—" he breathed, stunned but I ignored him keeping my eyes straight.

"Then prove it," his grandfather said.