I Walked Away And He Lost His Mind (Zephyra) novel Chapter 91

The old family manor had a timeless quality. The interior was decorated in a classic style, with furniture crafted from rich, dark mahogany. A faint scent of sandalwood, the same scent that clung to Steven, filled the air.

In the living room, his grandfather, dressed in a comfortable cardigan over a crisp shirt, sat in a large wingback chair, engrossed in a game of chess with his butler.

“Here,” the old man declared, moving a piece. “Right here.”

Seeing him looking so spirited and healthy made me smile. It was good to be reborn. He looked younger, with fewer grey hairs. It had been so long since I’d last seen him.

“Grandfather, I’m here!”

He looked up, his face breaking into a wide, happy grin, which grew even wider when he saw Steven holding my hand. “Zephyra! You’re here! Butler, you’re dismissed. I’m done playing with you. Let Zephyra play with me.”

“Grandfather.” I pulled my hand from Steven’s and hurried to the old man’s side, giving him an affectionate hug. “It’s been too long.”

“It certainly has. Almost half a month. I was beginning to think you’d forgotten this old man,” he grumbled, then shot a pointed look at Steven, who had moved away. “It’s bad enough that boy never comes to see me, but he keeps you away too. A poor old man like me, left to play chess with another old man.”

The other “old man”—the butler—rose with a warm smile. “Young Madam, the Master has been asking about you constantly.”

“Here, I’ll play with you, Grandfather,” I said, taking the seat opposite him. I glanced at the board. The butler had been in a winning position but had made a deliberate mistake to let his opponent win. I remembered from my past life that his grandfather loved chess but wasn’t very good at it, and he had a competitive streak. The butler had once discreetly told me to let him win occasionally.

My eyes stung. “It’s nothing. I just missed you.”

“Well, it’s good to know my affection isn’t wasted on you,” he said, his voice beaming with happiness. “Then you must come visit more often.”

“I will.”

Suppressing a wave of emotion, I released him and helped him walk toward the dining room.

“And you, on the sofa,” his grandfather called out gruffly. “That’s yesterday’s newspaper. Stop putting on airs.”