Brittany was well aware of her father's plans for the evening.
"Dad, will you be back tonight?"
"Not tonight," Yuri shook his head. "I promised your mother I'd spend the holiday with her."
With that, he turned, waved goodbye, and got into his car.
Standing nearby, Derek was momentarily taken aback. "What does that mean?"
"Grandpa went to the house he shared with Grandma before she passed," Daniel chimed in, beating everyone to the punch. "Grandpa visits often, says Grandma is still waiting for him there."
Derek wasn't quite ready to see this side of Yuri, and it took him a moment to adjust.
"Let's go, bro."
Brittany climbed into Derek's car, and after Derek helped Daniel into the back seat, he took the driver's seat himself. "Grandma has been missing you a lot lately."
Hearing this made Brittany's heart sink a bit.
Even though she lived in Craneville, she seldom visited the Bishop family estate, spending even less time with the matriarch, Katelin Bishop.
"It's my fault, I've neglected spending time with Grandma."
Most of her energy had been consumed by work and taking care of Daniel, and recently, the stress of an arranged marriage had left her with no time to think about Katelin.
"Grandma knows you've been working hard."
As soon as Derek said it, he regretted it, knowing Brittany was already overwhelmed. He wasn't there to make things worse but to help ease her burdens.
Brittany shook her head. "Bro, I know I haven't done enough, but I'll try to spend more time with Grandma from now on."
"Okay."
The rest of the drive was silent.
Brittany watched as the lively streets gradually gave way to the quiet, until they finally entered an upscale gated community.
Derek parked outside a large, well-kept garden.
As the car doors opened, Daniel bolted out and made a beeline for the living room, followed by the delighted voice of an elderly woman: "Daniel!"
"Great-Grandma!"
It had been a while since Daniel had seen his great-grandmother, and he missed her terribly. He nestled into her embrace, causing her to laugh heartily.
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