Chapter 276
Chapter 276 Does Cedric Know? It was plain to see that Hans had made up his mind to give Maia his jade tablet.
“| can’t take it.” She shook her head repeatedly, but Hans was adamant about it. He tossed aside his walking stick and got ready to kneel.
How could she let him do that?
Maia stopped Hans and said worryingly, “What are you doing, Grandpa? You can’t kneel before me. Please, get up!” She quickly held his arms.
“I'll kneel until you agree to keep it, Maia!” Hans knew she had a soft spot for him. “Do me a favor, Maia. The way you carry yourself as the CEO of Starlight Entertainment and the way you handled Rita tells me you're best suited to safe-keep this jade tablet.
“| have no idea what came between you and Cedric, but I’m asking you to do this favor for me, not him. Are you going to turn me down?”
Maia looked at the valuable jade tablet in her hands and fell silent. Hans was a cunning man through and through. If it had not been for his old age and memory issues, he would have easily run rings around people much younger than him!
He noticed Maia was starting to waver and kept going. “I’m old and worthless, but my ancestors and | spent our whole lives building up the family. It’s no ordinary feat that our family managed to maintain its relevance and prospered to this day!
“No one else has earned my admiration but you. You alone can safe—keep my jade tablet! | beg you, will you help me out?”
Hans started tearing up at that point. Maia could not think of reasons to deny him. She had no choice but to ignore her urge to reject him. Under his earnest gaze, Maia tightened her grip on the jade tablet and nodded.
“Let's make it clear. I’m only doing this because of the way you treated me in the past. | didn’t do it for anyone else.” Needless to say, she was referring to Cedric.
Hans was overjoyed to hear her answer and nodded instantly. “Alright. Gotcha.” Then, Maia put the jade tablet back into the small leaf rosewood box.
“Don't use it unless you have no other choice, Maia. Don’t take it out of its small leaf rosewood box. Definitely don’t let others know of its existence.
“If the day should come that the Larkin family’s fate is hanging in the balance, give it to Cedric. | think I'll be long dead by then, though.”
“Don't talk like that, Grandpa. I'll keep your jade tablet safe and remember everything you said to me. Don’t worry about it.” This was the only thing she could say to comfort him.
1/3 +15 BONUS Hans smiled, nodded, and said repeatedly, “That's fine. Fine.”
Then, Maia had dinner with Hans at Beverley Manor. He did not have any issues with his memory. His emotions were quite stable too.
Perhaps he felt good giving away his jade tablet to someone he could trust. He even ate more than his usual portion that night. His appetite grew so much that it surprised Fernando.
Maia stayed after dinner and chatted with Hans for a good while before she got ready to leave his place. Hans’s mood turned foul the moment he knew she wanted to leave.
“Are you leaving already, Maia?” He looked at her sadly. “Why don’t you stay here for a few days? You could ask Cedric over and you guys can spend some time with me. What say you?”
Maia raised her head and looked at him. She knew his memory started acting up again. He had forgotten about their divorce.
“| have an event tomorrow, Grandpa, and an early flight to catch. | have to go home and pack up my suitcase. Could you wait until | come back and have dinner with you again?”
Maia was soothing him the way she would a child. He had lost his grip on his memory. That was why he acted like a child when he was upset. She had to be patient with him.
“Come here with Cedric next time. The scenery at my place is second to none. It’s a good place for making babies! Both of you have to pull together and try harder.
“| don’t want to have to set you up all the time! The drug | used was expensive, which was why it didn’t have any side effects. We have to use it sparingly!”
It was a slip of the tongue, but he couldn't have taken it back even if he wanted to. He reached. out to Fernando and tugged him, acting like a boy whose mischief was found out.
Fernando felt awkward. He didn’t know what to say. All he could do was chuckle. Maia was startled when she heard what he said.
Did Hans drug her last time?
“Grandpa...” Just like that, Maia was upset with him.
“Maia’s mad. She’s mad...” Hans ducked behind Fernando and muttered. Then, he waved at her and said, “I’m tired, Maia. It’s time for me to hit the sack. I’ll see you next time!”
With that, Hans dashed toward the living room and left Fernando alone to clean up
his mess.
“Mr. Hans is old, Maia. He did what he did because he wanted a great-grandson badly. I’m sure he realizes his mistake. Please don’t hold it against him.”
“Did Grandpa really drug me?”
“He did.” Fernando nodded. “There’s nothing to be worried about, though. That drug doesn’t have any long-lasting effects.” “Did Cedric know about it?”
Fernando shook his head and said, “Mr. Cedric had no clue. It was completely Mr. Hans’s idea. You had drunk the cup of tea by the time Mr. Cedric realized something was amiss and tried to
stop you. “Did he really have no part in the plan?” Maia found it hard to believe it.
Fernando nodded. “I swear with my life that Mr. Cedric wasn’t involved in the plan. Mr. Hans insisted on doing it by himself. You know how stubborn he is. Mr. Cedric was the only person who could've stopped him. So, why would Mr. Hans let him know about it?” Maia’s grip on the small leaf rosewood box tightened.
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