Now They Want My Forgiveness - Chapter 217: Chapter 217
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"Nothing's wrong, Grandma. You must be imagining things," Stella answered quickly.
"No, I'm not. You weren't fighting. It felt more like something was heating up between you two. Did something more personal happen?" Eleanor gave her a knowing look.
Stella was surprised at how sharp Grandma was. But then again, with her age and experience, it made sense. "Well... today... Grandma, I don't know how to explain it," Stella said, clearly embarrassed.
Eleanor laughed softly. "It's okay. You don't have to say anything if you don't want to. I understand some things are just between you two."
Stella blushed even more. Eleanor was genuinely happy. Even though their marriage hadn't started really, seeing them get closer made her smile.
"Take good care of Jordan. Don't listen to what others say about him. I can tell he's a good guy. Maybe all that stuff people say is just his way of protecting himself.
"Maybe it's because of what he's been through. But one thing's for sure—he's genuine when it comes to you," she said.
Stella looked at Eleanor, confused. Eleanor didn't say more. She just patted Stella's hand and said she was going to bed.
As Stella left, her mind kept replaying Eleanor's words. 'What did Grandma mean by 'he's genuine when it comes to me'? Could she think Jordan likes me?'
Stella didn't believe it. To her, Jordan probably just saw her as a friend. Meanwhile, in the study, Jordan was reading the files his assistant had gathered.
Everything was laid out in front of him. The documents showed that the Hayes family's relatives looked down on Stella, so both her maternal and paternal grandparents treated her terribly.
Every time the family went to her maternal grandfather's house, her maternal grandmother never let her sit at the table. All the other kids got to eat, except her.
While the other kids ate well at their maternal grandmother's, Stella went home hungry every time. The kids, led by Max, bullied her constantly. If she ever fought back, she got beaten badly.
And those were just the minor things. The worst thing was brutal. If Stella sneaked into the kitchen for a bite, her maternal grandmother would criticize her harshly.
They didn't treat her like a family. Anyone in the house could hit her, and Andrew and Fiona never cared. Then there was Silas, the worst of all. He knew Stella was his niece, but he still did terrible things to her.
When Jordan read that, his calmness vanished. His hands clenched into fists. He slammed one hard on the desk. And there was more.
At her paternal grandmother's, things were even worse. They made Stella do housework. If she accidentally broke a dish, she got scolded.
Once, kids pushed her into the water. She nearly drowned. If a passerby hadn't saved her, she wouldn't be here today. These kinds of things happened all the time.
The assistant's report was dozens of pages long. Every page was packed with tiny text, showing just how awful Stella's childhood had been.
And yet, despite all that, she still stayed warm, hopeful, and full of life until that kidnapping happened, which broke her completely.
Now, the Hayes family had forced her to become tough and ruthless. Jordan felt heartbroken. But even more than that, he wondered why he hadn't met her sooner.
The files said that before Stella met Kevin and Emily, the only light in her life had been Lionel. But Lionel did something terrible. He deserved a terrible end.
"No, I'm not. You weren't fighting. It felt more like something was heating up between you two. Did something more personal happen?" Eleanor gave her a knowing look.
Stella was surprised at how sharp Grandma was. But then again, with her age and experience, it made sense. "Well... today... Grandma, I don't know how to explain it," Stella said, clearly embarrassed.
Eleanor laughed softly. "It's okay. You don't have to say anything if you don't want to. I understand some things are just between you two."
Stella blushed even more. Eleanor was genuinely happy. Even though their marriage hadn't started really, seeing them get closer made her smile.
"Take good care of Jordan. Don't listen to what others say about him. I can tell he's a good guy. Maybe all that stuff people say is just his way of protecting himself.
"Maybe it's because of what he's been through. But one thing's for sure—he's genuine when it comes to you," she said.
Stella looked at Eleanor, confused. Eleanor didn't say more. She just patted Stella's hand and said she was going to bed.
As Stella left, her mind kept replaying Eleanor's words. 'What did Grandma mean by 'he's genuine when it comes to me'? Could she think Jordan likes me?'
Stella didn't believe it. To her, Jordan probably just saw her as a friend. Meanwhile, in the study, Jordan was reading the files his assistant had gathered.
Everything was laid out in front of him. The documents showed that the Hayes family's relatives looked down on Stella, so both her maternal and paternal grandparents treated her terribly.
Every time the family went to her maternal grandfather's house, her maternal grandmother never let her sit at the table. All the other kids got to eat, except her.
While the other kids ate well at their maternal grandmother's, Stella went home hungry every time. The kids, led by Max, bullied her constantly. If she ever fought back, she got beaten badly.
And those were just the minor things. The worst thing was brutal. If Stella sneaked into the kitchen for a bite, her maternal grandmother would criticize her harshly.
They didn't treat her like a family. Anyone in the house could hit her, and Andrew and Fiona never cared. Then there was Silas, the worst of all. He knew Stella was his niece, but he still did terrible things to her.
When Jordan read that, his calmness vanished. His hands clenched into fists. He slammed one hard on the desk. And there was more.
At her paternal grandmother's, things were even worse. They made Stella do housework. If she accidentally broke a dish, she got scolded.
Once, kids pushed her into the water. She nearly drowned. If a passerby hadn't saved her, she wouldn't be here today. These kinds of things happened all the time.
The assistant's report was dozens of pages long. Every page was packed with tiny text, showing just how awful Stella's childhood had been.
And yet, despite all that, she still stayed warm, hopeful, and full of life until that kidnapping happened, which broke her completely.
Now, the Hayes family had forced her to become tough and ruthless. Jordan felt heartbroken. But even more than that, he wondered why he hadn't met her sooner.
The files said that before Stella met Kevin and Emily, the only light in her life had been Lionel. But Lionel did something terrible. He deserved a terrible end.
End of Now They Want My Forgiveness Chapter 217. Continue reading Chapter 218 or return to Now They Want My Forgiveness book page.