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Chapter_207
A warm smile spread across everyone’s faces.
Mr. Snyder Sr. chuckled, leaning back in his chair. “Why didn’t you tell me you were home, Felicity?”
She grinned mischievously. “Last-minute lunch invite for two friends.”
He groaned playfully. “In the main dining hall? What will the Snyder name think of us?”
Angelica sat wide-eyed, her heart racing—she’d never feasted like this, not even in a five-star hotel.
Just then, an ancient white-haired lady reached a gnarled hand toward Nash’s cheek. “Ru… Ruby… you’re back?” Her voice quavered like the wind through dead leaves.
Felicity darted forward. “Grandma, this is Nash—my dear friend!”
“Don’t come between me and my Ruby…” the old woman mumbled, clamping her teeth on Felicity’s shoulder.
Suppressing a wince, Felicity allowed her parents to gently guide their matriarch away. Embarrassment washed her face. “I’m sorry, Nash. Grandma isn’t… entirely herself.”
Nash offered a comforting smile. “Don’t worry—it’s perfectly all right.”
Felicity turned to her grandfather. “Grandpa, I need to follow up on a few things. I’ll be going now.”
Together, the three friends departed Snyder Estate. Felicity drove Nash and Angelica to the airport, calling her inspection teams to launch an unannounced raid on the Telfair Hotel as she went.
By the time Felicity staggered home that night, exhaustion weighed her down. In the foyer, she found Caleb suspended from the ceiling, their father delivering a merciless thrashing.
“Felicity… help me!” Caleb wailed. “I promise—next time, I’ll behave!”
Unfazed, Felicity holstered her resolve. “Dad? Where’s Grandpa?”
“He’s in the study,” Mr. Snyder panted.
Study, Snyder Estate
Mr. Snyder Sr. exhaled heavily. He approached the vault and, with trembling fingers, dialed its combination. Gears ground as the heavy door creaked open.
Inside, a secret compartment held a single yellowed photograph. He lifted it reverently to the table. “Our only image of her,” he murmured. “I know how much you miss Ruby.”
His wife’s frail hands shook as she accepted the picture: a beautiful girl with braided hair, simple blouse, and a straw hat—a portrait of grace in humble attire. Tears welled in her eyes as she traced the face. “Ruby… have you come back to see Mother?”
A sudden knock snapped his attention. Swiftly, he reclaimed the photograph, locked the compartment, and closed the vault.
“Come in,” he called, turning to greet Felicity.
She rolled up her sleeves with a triumphant grin. “Grandpa, I shut down Hugh Sullivan’s entire hotel chain!”
He sighed. “The Green Bamboo Association wields frightening power. Be cautious.”
Felicity squared her shoulders. “I accepted this role to disband them—and bring peace back to Sagen.”
His proud smile faltered only briefly. “An admirable goal… but they’re entrenched. Toppling them will be a Herculean task.”
Unbowed, Felicity declared, “If I fail in a year, I’ll work ten. If I still fail in ten, I’ll fight fifty more—no matter what, the Green Bamboo Association won’t outlast me.”
Wanting to ease his worry, she changed the subject: “Grandpa… who is this Ruby Grandma always calls for?”
He met her eyes solemnly. “One day, I will tell you.”
The next morning, Nash laced up his running shoes and slipped out for a jog. Returning to find Harrison and Lauren’s car in the drive, he greeted Maria in the kitchen.
“Good morning, Mr. and Mrs. Lewis,” he called politely.
Lauren raised an eyebrow. “Now that you’re family, can you drop the formalities? You’re our son!”
Nash’s cheeks warmed as he stammered, “Mom… Dad…”
Harrison beamed, but Hera’s face flushed. She was still adjusting to calling him “husband.”
At Lauren’s insistence, they shared breakfast before heading to Hubert’s estate—whatever her brother wanted, they’d need energy to face it.
As Nash drove with Harrison at his side, Hera snuggled into her mother’s shoulder in the back seat.
“Mom,” she murmured, “what does Uncle Hubert want?”
Lauren glanced ahead with a thoughtful smile. “He’ll tell us soon enough—let’s get moving.”