The next day, Cynthia Lee couldn't wait to head to the Williams Estate right after work. When she arrived, Audrey Williams was already in the living room.
“Audrey!” Cynthia called out warmly, walking over to link arms with her.
The elder Mr. Williams was trimming the branches of a decorative bonsai tree. He looked up, a little surprised to see Cynthia. “Nancy, what brings you here?”
Cynthia smiled. “I got off work a bit early today and realized it’s been a while since I’ve seen you, so I wanted to pay you a visit. I also brought a few health supplements for you that a friend sent over from abroad.”
The elder Mr. Williams felt a complex mix of emotions at her thoughtfulness. Finally, he just said, “That’s very kind of you. Why don’t you stay and have dinner with us tonight?”
“I’d love to! Don’t mind if I do,” Cynthia replied with a playful smile. Staying for dinner was part of her plan. How else was she going to bring up Camila Davis?
Dinner was prepared quickly. As the butler called them to the dining room, Cynthia was still trying to figure out how to casually mention Camila and Jordan Smith without arousing the old man’s suspicion. But before she could find an opening, Audrey gave her a pleasant surprise.
“She wants to fight back, of course,” Audrey said, “but how? No matter how capable she is now, she can’t possibly stand up to the all-powerful Smith family, can she?”
“This… This is outrageous!” The elder Mr. Williams’s temper flared. That child was his great-grandson’s charge, someone he had spent so much time and effort nursing back to health. She was just starting to call him ‘daddy’ so affectionately. How could they just hand her over? What a joke! Who did the Smiths of Harrisburg think they were, to be so shameless?
Audrey watched her grandfather’s reaction with growing excitement. Thanks to her persistent efforts, his attitude toward Lillian and Camila had softened considerably. The more he learned about them, the more he appreciated their strength and their struggles. He hadn’t admitted it, but in his heart, he had mostly accepted them. Her brother and Camila were just one final step away from being together.

Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: Swapping a Broken Heart for a New Start