Chapter 277 Reunion
Dalton didn’t think much of Fabian’s arrival, believing that the old man. was here for Elliot. As such, he rose to greet Fabian.
Fabian hurried over to their table, gripping his dragon-headed cane. Raindrops glimmered on his gray hair and shoulders.
He did not look as imposing as usual, but he still looked every bit the patriarch of a prestigious family. Even more noticeable was the hopeful look in his widened eyes.
Out of courtesy, Dalton stepped forward to greet Fabian.
However, Fabian brushed past him. He cast a gentle and almost desperate look at Wynter, surveying her face. He spoke so quietly that his voice trembled. “Little princess, I've finally found you!”
Dalton was preparing a plate for Fabian when he heard this, and his hand froze mid-air. At once, emotions flurried past Dalton’s
handsome features.
His gaze fell on Wynter, who looked indifferent. Little princess? Could it be that Wynter was his former mysterious fiancee?
Dalton frowned. What had he told her earlier? That the engagement to Ms. Quinnell had been called off, and that Wynter had nothing to worry about. He gripped the plate tightly as his dark gaze flickered. Meanwhile, as Fabian drew closer to Wynter, he assessed her and remarked, “You've grown up a lot better than I expected.” His voice cracked. “I couldn't sleep after you were kidnapped. I kept having nightmares of you screaming and starving. Thank goodness, you're still...”
Alive. He couldn't bring himself to say the word. He recalled how worried he had been the year following Wynter's kidnapping.
He wouldn't let go of a single lead, whether it was a girl of similar age. that had been found or a body that washed up by the river.
There were even times when Fabian had comforted himself that no news was good news because that meant his granddaughter was still alive somewhere.
He had feared that if the traffickers found out about his frantic
pursuit, they might lash out and do terrible things to his granddaughter.
Fabian reached out tentatively to caress Wynter's face. His eyes turned red with tears. “You don’t have to be afraid anymore, little princess. I'm here to bring you home.”
Wynter stood there and quietly listened to Fabian, not at all minding his outpouring of love and regret. However, she didn’t seem overwhelmed either.
Instead, she told Fabian, “If only you'd shown up a little sooner, Grandpa. Even three months ago would have been good enough.” He couldn't understand why she said this. He wanted to know what had happened in the last three months, but he realized he didn't have the right to ask her about it.
“I'm doing well,” she added.
She couldn't bear to see him sad, especially since he had yet to recover. “And as you can see, my grandmother loves me dearly. I don't think it's feasible for me to go back with you now, but you'll always be my grandfather.”
The tears that had been welling up in Fabian’s eyes finally rolled down his ch*eks when he heard the last part of Wynter's sentence.
“I read up on the village when I arrived. It's practically a smugglers’ haven,” he explained. “It's my fault for coming too late, little princess. It's my fault that I let this go on for over a decade.”
Wynter had grown up without her real family for over a decade. The Quinnells had as good as abandoned her.
It was hard for adults to take down a village like Granite Village. Most of them might have ended up joining the smugglers and their ilk, if
not been broken by them first.
Even someone as strong as Elliot couldn't handle the villagers. Fabian decided Wynter must have survived here and grown up only by some miracle.
He remembered what Ryan had told him at the hospital. Wynter might have seemed cold and indifferent, but she had grown up tough.
She had treated patients to make ends meet, not to mention juggling between studying and caring for her grandmother.
Fabian had admired Wynter for being so strong and responsible despite her young age. At the time, he had expected her to become someone great.
His heart ached at the memory, and every breath he drew threatened to shatter him.
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