Ex Cried as I Wed a Tycoon

Chapter 15

After parting ways with Nita, Effie headed to a high-end tea shop and picked out a box of premium tea leaves. With the meeting gift ready, she took her time wrapping it herself, making sure every detail reflected her sincerity.

Still, she felt a flutter of nerves. The Etheridge family was one of the most prominent in Neo-Arcadia, and Mrs. Etheridge kept such a low profile that no stories about her ever made it into public gossip. Effie couldn't help worrying— what if Mrs. Etheridge turned out to be just like Mrs. Lloyd, always looking down her nose at everyone?

And then there was Lyman, who'd been wanting to meet her grandmother for ages. Effie figured she should give her grandmother a heads-up first. If she just showed up with someone out of the blue, it might give the poor woman a fright.

Right now, her grandmother was setting the table, calling out, "Effie, dinner's ready!"

"Coming, Grandma." Effie washed her hands and joined her at the table.

As they ate, her grandmother brought up Mitchell again. "Effie, is everything alright between you and Mitchell? I haven't seen you two talk much these past few days."

Effie's heart fluttered with anxiety, but she mustered her courage. “Grandma... I... Mitchell and I broke up."

Her grandmother paused, then let out a gentle sigh. "Ah, well. If it wasn't meant to be, there's no use forcing it."

all the effort Effie poured into that relationship. If Mitchell had truly cared for Effie, he wouldn't have treated her so callously. After all these years, he'd hardly ever bothered to visit. But knowing

tightened and her eyes stung with tears she tried to blink away. "Grandma, I'm sorry for making you

so

over and patted her hand, her gaze soft and loving. "Silly girl, what are you apologizing for? I just want to see you happy. That Lloyd boy-I could tell from the start he wasn't good enough for you. This is a good thing, really. Our Effie deserves

her head, and the tears finally

I won't waste another tear

tinged with concern. “There, there, now. Our Effie is too pretty to ruin her face with tears. Eat up-look, I made all your favorites

couldn't help but smile through her tears. "Thank you, Grandma. Actually, there's something else I wanted to

searching for the

is it?" her grandmother asked,

I've

if she wasn't sure she'd

"I have. I really like him—we just clicked.