Reclaiming Her Heart

He whipped out his phone, hesitated for a sec, and then decided to hit up William.

But guess what? William ghosted him.

Raymond took a deep breath, stayed quiet for like half a minute, then turned to John and said, "Call the Montague crib and let 'em know I'll be there for dinner tonight." John got on it right away.

By 7 PM, Raymond rolled up to the Montague mansion, right on time.

William was chilling on the couch, playing chess solo. The board was pretty packed, showing the game was almost done.

Seeing William about to move a piece back, Raymond couldn't help but say, "Once you move, you can't take it back."

William looked up at him. "Yeah, once you move, you can't take it back. So, why are you here tonight?"

William saw right through Raymond's game.

Raymond figured Selena listened to William, so he came to ask for a favor.

Raymond dropped his gaze and placed the gift he brought on the coffee table. "Grandpa, this is that painting you've always wanted. I snagged it at a high price from overseas." William raised an eyebrow and checked it out.

This painting had been locked away by some foreign collector who wouldn't sell it. Raymond must've jumped through hoops to get it.

It also showed he had some serious cash stashed abroad, and even William didn't know how much.

Satisfied, William put the painting down but didn't mention Selena. Instead, he happily asked the butler to bring out the grub.

"It's rare for you to come back and hang with me tonight. I'm touched," William said.

Knowing why Raymond was really there, he chose not to call him out.

Back in the day, to get the two together, he even came back early from abroad. And what happened?

Raymond didn't play ball, dodged Selena like a pro, and even made it clear he couldn't stand her.

William had put in a lot of effort back then, and now Raymond had a change of heart.

Too little, too late.

During dinner, Raymond played the good grandson and served William a bowl of soup.

William chuckled, "Not bad, you do know how to take care of people."

Just as William was about to sip the soup, Raymond finally got to the point.

"When Selena saved you, she took care of you in the hospital for a while, right? Grandpa, you got pics from that time, don't you?"

At some point, William had said he'd show him the pics, saying Selena was super cute, serious, and responsible.

But back then, Raymond couldn't stand her and shut it down without a second thought.

If he had seen the pics then, he wouldn't have just now realized that Penny was his wife.

He regretted it big time.

"Oh, that one," William said, all excited, and told the butler to fetch the photo.

A photo landed in front of Raymond.

It was Selena from her early college days, rocking a high ponytail, looking all young and full of life.

Even though she had a bit of a cold vibe, she was smiling at the camera, just wearing a simple white shirt and jeans, but still bursting with energy.

Raymond had never seen Selena from back then and felt like he'd been hit right in the heart.

He stared at it for a minute, hearing William say, "Selena's a real sweetheart. If she hadn't saved me, I would've been a goner. After getting me to the hospital, she took care of me and even asked her teacher for leave right in front of me. I thought then, how awesome it would be if she were my granddaughter-in-law-beautiful and capable."

Raymond felt a pang in his chest, gripping the photo tight but afraid of messing it up, so he slowly let go.

He turned to the butler. "Got any scissors?"

The butler, clueless about why he needed scissors, quickly brought a small pair.

So, right in front of William, Raymond cut the photo, snipping his own grandpa out of it.

William was so shocked he grabbed a nearby cane and whacked him. "You idiot! Trying to kill your grandpa?"

Raymond took a couple of hits on the back, almost messing up the cut, and couldn't help but say, "Grandpa, hit me later. There's only one photo, and if I mess it up, it's gone."

William was so mad he couldn't speak, staying silent for a long time before gritting his teeth. "What's the point of cutting Selena's photo now? She doesn't like you. How many times have I told you not to regret it, and you said you wouldn't. So, do you deserve this?"

Only William could talk to Raymond like that, and every word hit home.

Raymond paused but kept cutting the photo carefully.

In it, Selena smiled at the camera, looking super sweet.

Just like William said, kind and serious.

To help a random old man without a second thought back then, no wonder William liked her.

Having been in that position for years, he could read people in a snap, and Selena's actions back then clearly impressed him.

The more Raymond looked, the more his heart ached.

Why didn't he meet her earlier? Maybe things would've been different.

There was still food in front of him, but he had no appetite.

William ate heartily, feeling pretty pleased with Raymond's disappointment.

This was something he had imagined countless times, hoping Raymond would regret it, and he didn't expect it to come so soon.

"Grandpa," Raymond called out, slipping the photo into his wallet. "She listens to you. Call her back, and I'll remarry her."