Chapter 55
Sylvia waited outside the courthouse for ages, but Byron never showed. Finally, she called him. “Byron, have you completely lost track of tre The hearing’s about to start. Where the hell are you?”
Byron’s casual voice came through the line. “I’m busy with something important today. We’ll deal with this later?
Sylvia was furious. “Byron, this is a court hearing, not some game! What do you mean we’ll deal with this later?“.
“Sylvia, I’ve already had my lawyer make my position clear. When it comes to Zack’s custody, no one is taking him from me. With that, Byron hung up abruptly.
Sylvia gritted her teeth and went into the courthouse alone. But with Byron absent, mediation was impossible, and the hearing fizzled out.
As Sylvia walked out of the courthouse, her phone rang. “Young lady, remember me?”
“Mr. Farren?” Sylvia paused, taken aback. She pictured the kindly old man–Zander Gage’s grandfather. He’d recently arranged for a media team to interview her, which had directly led to her finding manufacturers for her medical patches. “What prompted your call?”
Felix Farren laughed heartily. “I’m actually here in Silverton right now. Have you got time to come see me?”
“Of course. Just send me the address.” Grateful for his help and wanting to check on him again, Sylvia plugged the address into her GPS and drove over.
At the Sunset Ridge Resort, Felix Farren was sitting in a stone gazebo, slowly sipping coffee from the set on the table before him. Two young n attentively beside him.
men stood
“Zander, Byron, both of you, sit down.” The young men were Zander Gage and Byron Blair. Both had served under Felix back in their military days.
“Grandpa, how are you feeling?” Zander asked with concern, pouring Felix more hot coffee.
Felix chuckled, stroking his beard. “Not bad. Seems the man upstairs isn’t ready for me just yet.”
Though known to the world as the ruthless “Tyrant,” Byron respected the decorated veteran deeply. He managed a slight smile. “Mr. Farren, I think you’re in better shape than most men half your age. You’ll definitely live a long life.”
Felix nodded appreciatively at Byron, then turned his attention. “Byron, you and Zander go way back. In a bit, Lwant you to give me your opinion–I’ve picked out a potential girlfriend for this grandson of mine.”
Zander looked startled. “Grandpa, where is this coming from? Why didn’t you tell me?”
Felix snorted. “If I had, would you have even shown up?” Zander hadn’t dated in years due to a hereditary condition, but now that his health had recovered, Felix was clearly getting antsy about Zander’s still–single status.
Byron frowned slightly. He knew about Sylvia and Zander, even knew about their child. ‘And now Felix wants to set Zander up? Does the old man really not know?‘
He’d looked into Sylvia’s background; she hadn’t remarried since their divorce. ‘So Zander definitely hadn’t told his grandfather about them. The Farrens are a prominent family, after all. They’d never accept a divorcée.‘
A flicker of malicious amusement crossed Byron’s face. He even chimed in, “Zander, you really should listen to your g found for you is a good match.”
“No way.” Zander was dead set against it, shooting up from the stone bench.
- pa. I’m sure whoever he’s
“Whether you agree or not isn’t the point right now,” Felix said, his expression hardening with authority. “I’ve already invited her. You’ll meet her first,
and then we’ll talk.”
Chapter 55
Afraid of upsetting his grandfather and triggering another health scare, Zander pressed his lips together and sat back down. Fine, he thought resolutely ‘No matter who Grandpa brings over, I’ll just turn her down.
Just then, Felix’s assistant approached. “Mr. Farren, the Ms. Sullivan you invited has arrived.”
Ms. Sullivan?‘ Both Zander and Byron froze, instinctively looking up. Down the stone path, a familiar silhouette was slowly approaching
When he saw who it was, Byron’s expression darkened instantly. He thought, ‘It is Sylvia! Felix’s actually trying to set her up with Zander? A wave of irritation washed over him, leaving him deeply unsettled, even feeling a sharp pang of jealousy.
“Grandpa,” Zander asked tentatively, “you weren’t talking about Sylvia, were you?”
Felix snorted. “And what if I was? Is she not good enough for you? I’ve already had someone look into her background.
“Yes, she’s divorced, and she has a little girl, but she’s a person of integrity. Besides, she saved my life. You have a problem with that?”
Zander’s resistant attitude vanished. He smiled awkwardly, “Grandpa, you misunderstood, I don’t have any problem with her at all.”
A look of pleasant surprise spread across Felix’s face. ‘Aha,‘ he thought, ‘so my grandson might actually be interested in Sylvia!”
Now it was Byron who was agitated. He shot up indignantly. “Absolutely not! I don’t agree!”
Felix and Zander both stared at him in confusion.
Byron was on the verge of blurting out that Sylvia was his ex–wife, but he caught himself. He just snorted coldly. “Zander’s my best friend. He can’t get involved with a divorced woman.”
Before Felix could respond, Zander spoke up hesitantly. “Byron, that stuff doesn’t really matter when two people get together. What matters is if she’s a good person.”
Byron’s face turned thunderous as he glared at Zander. If Felix hadn’t been there, he would have dragged Zander out and beaten the crap out of him. His best friend was interested in his ex–wife. He couldn’t stomach it.
Just then, Sylvia reached the gazebo. Seeing both Zander and Byron there, she was clearly surprised. “Mr. Farren, you didn’t mention other people would be here. Why didn’t you give me a heads–up?”
Felix motioned for Sylvia to sit, explaining with a smile, “Sylvia, they’re hardly strangers. You and Zander already know each other, of course. And this is Zander’s good friend, Byron Blair.”
Byron fixed his gaze on Sylvia, teeth clenched. “Sylvia, don’t you think you should tell Mr. Farren and Zander about our relationship?”
‘I hadn’t wanted our past connection revealed before,‘ he thought grimly, ‘but now things are different. Otherwise, Zander might actually end up with
her.‘
Sylvia managed a cool smile. “Yes, Mr. Farren. Mr. Blair and I met a long time ago. We have… quite a difficult history. If I’d known he would be here, I certainly wouldn’t have come.”
Byron’s face turned absolutely thunderous.
