Chapter 215: Something Beautiful

Tristan’s eyes never left the approaching figure, and Celine instinctively followed his gaze. A strict-looking older woman, poised and dignified, moved toward their table with deliberate steps.

Unlike his grandfather, who had been playful and light-hearted, she carried the kind of presence that commanded attention, a quiet authority that made the room seem to pause in her wake.

However, the moment her gaze fell on the children, her expression softened. She looked at Leah first, then Leo, her eyes widening slightly in astonishment.

“My word…” she murmured, almost to herself. “They’re… almost an exact copy of Tristan when he was their age.”

Leah, ever curious, peered at the woman with wide blue eyes and a small tilt of her head. Without hesitation, she stepped forward, the little girl’s natural warmth softening the woman’s stern features. A faint smile tugged at the corners of her lips.

Leo, however remained calm as always as he observed quietly from the side. His composed demeanor, so different from his sister’s bold curiosity, seemed to pull the woman in even more.

“Grandma, these are my children.” Tristan spoke up, pride undisguised in his voice. “And this is my fiancee, Celine Roberts.”

“Hello, madame Blakewood…” Celine began.

Tristan didn’t expect his strict grandmother to instantly show such a warmth towards Celine she directly pulled her in for a hug.

“Lovely to meet you, dear child. Welcome to the family. And please, call me Grandma.”

“Thank you, Grandma.”

Celine had heard a lot of things about the Blakewood matriarch, many said she was once a female demoness, and now she was a strict and unfriendly older woman who made many people’s lives hell, but the person Celine was meeting right now seemed like a warm and kind woman.

The woman’s eyes moved to her grandson, lingering on him with a mixture of pride and something that looked like relief, perhaps, or the satisfaction of a long-awaited moment.

“This is everything I’ve ever wanted for you, Tristan. Now you have a family of your own. You can be happy, finally…away from the pain of the past. You might have thought I antagonized you but all that I did, I did it for you to have this happiness, do you know now what it feels like?”

Tristan’s lips curved slightly, a shadow of emotion passing through his deep hazel eyes. “Yes, Grandma.”

His grandfather, who had been watching the exchange with a twinkle in his eye, leaned forward and added craftily, “Now that you’ve crossed one milestone, how about taking your father’s last name once again?”

“Grandpa, don’t push it.” Tristan said and the old man laughed in surrender,

“Alright, alright, we won’t force you to take your father’s name, you already made a name for yourself and I’m sure your mother will be proud, but we hope… we hope you won’t tear us away from your family, from yourself. And maybe someday… find it in your heart to forgive your father.”

Tristan’s chest tightened at the words. He didn’t speak immediately, but his hand found Celine’s and squeezed gently, drawing comfort from her presence.

Celine knew any mention of his parents still awakened a half healed wound inside him, so she gave his hand an even gentler squeeze, a soft reassuring smile on her face.

The older woman glanced down at the kids again, unable to tear her gaze away from them, a rare warmth softened her strict features. For a moment, the years of rigidity seemed to melt away, the little ones fascinated her, their laughter, their curiosity, the innocent love that flowed between these children and the man she had long called her grandson.

“You’ve built something beautiful, grandson. Guard it, and never forget… you’re no longer alone.”

Tristan’s eyes flashed with a rare emotion, but he nodded, understanding the weight of her words.

He had faced shadows in his past, mistakes and regrets, but now…here, with Celine, with Leah and Leo, and with the family acknowledging his own little family, he felt an ease he hadn’t known in years.

Celine’s hand tightened around his, her smile reassuring, and the children’s laughter, soft and innocent, filled the space between them.

Tristan’s grandfather leaned over to ruffle Leo’s hair playfully. “See, Tristan?” he said with a grin, “You’ve got yourself a wonderful little crew here. Make sure you show them off well!”

“I’ll be organizing a grand gala to officially welcome the new members of the family. Eve will be back from London in two days, it’ll be a great surprise for her to meet her brother’s kids. We have to establish these little angels as ours in front of the whole world.” Eleanor Blakewood said, her voice warm, the excitement underneath hardly disguised.

“Another party?” Leah exclaimed excitedly.

“Yes, little one, a very public, big party this time.” The older man replied to her.

“Yay!” She clapped her hands together in anticipation.

But no one saw, somewhere hidden in the shadows of the hall, a figure watched the family, bitterness sharp in her eyes and her hands tightened against the table into a fist.

It was supposed to be her at that table, showered with such adoration by the Blakewood family.

It was supposed to be her, having those kids, heirs to the Blakewood and Grayson empire.

Who was that woman? What made her think she deserved to be with Tristan?

She had been the one beside him all these years, hoping and hoping that he would look at her, love her someday or at least like her…

She had done everything…

“How dare you take it all away…?” Her voice was drowned out by the music just as another voice suddenly interrupted,

“Wine, miss?” A waiter held a tray towards her asking politely.

She was frightened momentarily by a sudden interruption, before she relaxed seeing it was just a waiter and she snatched a glass off the tray and downed it instantly, the waiter’s eyes widened in surprise as she downed another glass and then another before tossing the empty glass towards him and began to storm off towards the couple.

Erica hated what she was seeing right now, she hated it so much as was going to ruin it, but before she could even get to where Tristan was, a mysterious figure grabbed her arm and pulled her away from the hall into the farther darkness…

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