Chapter 37 Holding Him Back
After leaving the restaurant, Joye bid goodbye to Yvon with the excuse that she wanted to get her car from the police station. Janina sat in the passenger seat and rubbed her full stomach. "Just drop me off at a hotel nearby. Hey, where's my luggage?"
"Oh no! I must have left it in that scumbag's bar. What should I do? My passport and ID are still inside."
"It's alright. Come stay over at my place."
Joye drove the car with a focused look on her face. She did not tell Janina her thoughts. "I just have to find time to get the luggage back for Janina, so she won't have to make any unnecessary contact with Connor."
"Your place? Won't Shawn get mad if I stay over at your place?"
Janina raised her eyebrows suggestively, completely oblivious to the truth. Joye did not bother to explain, so she drove quietly into her apartment, Birming Apartment.
"You and Shawn live here? I thought you two live in a luxurious villa."
After Joye unlocked the door, Janina entered the apartment. She frowned a little when she entered the room, but quickly smiled again. "Apparently, the dignified Shawn is a man who likes to live a simple life." Joye did not want to confuse Janina. She found a set of clothes and handed it to her before saying, "I live on my own."
"What?"
Janina was taken aback upon hearing such shocking news. Joye was staying on her own?
"Janina, please don't ask me anything. You'll understand soon."
After that, she got up and headed to her bedroom. Only ten days were left between Shawn and Joye. Soon, they will become strangers.
Suddenly, her phone rang. She frowned when she looked at the caller ID but still picked up the call.
"Hello, Grandpa?"
"Little girl, can you please come home? I have something to tell you."
Joye's grip on her phone tightened upon hearing Baird's pleading. She did not want to go back and face Shawn.
"Little girl, come back and visit grandpa for a while. Please?"
Joye hesitated for a moment before giving him her answer.
"Okay, I'll be right there."
Since she could not bring herself to refuse him, she could only agree to go back.
"Janina, please make yourself at home. I'll be back soon."
"Where are you going?"
Noticing Joye's pale expression, Janina began to grow curious and wondered who Joye was talking to on the phone earlier.
"Don't ask so many questions. I'll be back soon. There's yogurt in the fridge. Drink some. It helps improve digestion."
Joye took her car key and left the apartment after reminding Janina.
Meanwhile, Shawn had also received a call from the Richard family. He dropped Connor off at the door to Red Sleeves's then turned back to the Richard family's old house.
As soon as he entered the house, he noticed something flying toward his head from the corner of his eye. Fortunately, he was swift enough to dodge the flying object. The next instant, a teacup fell to the ground with a clang and broke into pieces.
"How dare you come back!" A fierce roar came out from inside the house.
Shawn glanced around the living room and saw Baird glaring at him angrily.
"Dad, please don't be mad. Shawn and Vivian used to be a couple, and they had the child way before Shawn and Joye got married. It's not Shawn's fault."
Fearing that Shawn would be hurt, Xaria moved to stand in front of him. She was not fond of Vivian due to her impoverished status. However, she would rather choose a gentle and easy-going daughter-in-law than Joye, who was a spoiled woman and a bully.
"Not his fault? Hmph! Shawn, let me tell you something. As long as I'm alive, I'll never let that woman and her child into the Richard family! When Joye comes back, you'll apologize to her and promise that you'll never make contact with those other women in the future. Do you hear me?"
Baird was so furious that he kept hitting the floor with his cane. He worried in his heart, "I have set aside my dignity and went all out to beg Joye for a month so shamelessly only because I hope that Shawn will get her back!"
Baird grumbled soundlessly, "But the d*mned brat keeps wasting his time on Vivian and that child! Does he really want to piss me off?"
"Dad, that child is your great-grandson. You've always wanted Shawn to have a child for you to play with, haven't you? Now that the child has finally come, you should be happy."
Xaria had already acknowledged Dalton as part of their family before Shawn began persuading Baird. However, this made Baird even angrier.
"My great-grandson can only be Joye's children! You brat, I want you to immediately cut off contact with that woman. How much money does she want? I'll give it to her!"
Baird had never spent so much money on anyone before. But this time, if money could solve the problem, he would willingly do so to make that woman leave, no matter how much money it took.
"Grandpa, I can't agree to your request," Shawn retorted, his expression turning cold as he spoke.
He glanced at Joye, who was already standing at the door, and said, "I won't send them away with money."
Joye clenched her hands into fists upon hearing Shawn's reply, and her legs turned stiff. For a moment, she hoped that Shawn would nod and agree to Baird's request, but she knew she would never get what she wanted.
Three years ago, Shawn had fought Baird for the sake of Vivian. After three years, he still went against Baird's wishes for Vivian's sake.
"That woman was right. I'm just a passer-by in his life. I cared for him so much, yet my heart has been torn into pieces."
Baird noticed Joye standing at the door and immediately pushed Shawn away with his walking stick, his intimidating gaze instantly turning gentle. "Joye, you're back?"
"Grandpa, why did you ask me to come?"
Joye suppressed the bitterness in her heart as she walked over. She avoided Shawn's gaze, but she could still feel the coldness of his face.
"I just want to tell you that you're Shawn's only wife no matter what."
"Grandpa, there are only ten days left," Joye said softly.
Of course, she understood Baird's intentions. However, she could not hold on any longer. Vivian and the child's appearance was her final straw. She had to cut herself loose or she would drown.
She could no longer act so shamelessly and keep fighting for Shawn. What was the point when the two of them were miserable in their marriage?
"Joye, can't you give Shawn another chance?"
The smile on Baird's face gradually disappeared. He thought that after Shawn had helped Leonard Group get through the crisis, the latter and Joye's relationship would reach a turning point. However, Vivian and the child's appearance had ruined his plans.
"Grandpa, I don't want to hold him back anymore."
Joye raised her head and stared directly into the pair of eyes that she would never forget. She was tired. She didn't want to hold Shawn and Vivian back anymore. That family of three should live a happy life. Shawn's expression grew darker upon hearing Joye's answer, his hands clenched tightly in his pockets. He sneered inside, "Holding me back? She must be in a hurry to find a new man!" "Say something, brat!"
Baird hit Shawn hard with his cane, his old eyes filled with anxiety. He could see that Joye loved Shawn with her whole heart and that if the latter made an effort, he would have a chance of getting her