LOVE COMES SOFTLY.

XXVI.

It was late in the afternoon by the time they woke up from their post-coital sleep. Annie made a quick trip to her room,showered,then threw on ash coloured sweats,plain white shirt and white sneakers. She pulled her hair into a pony tail,then finally added a light touch of makeup.

Jovon was waiting for her when she stepped out of the room. They smiled wordlessly at each other,before going downstairs to find the family in the great room. The room felt a bit tense when they entered and Annie had to resist the urge to run back out when she saw an old woman, who had wrinkles allover her face and skin,and her grating hair was pulled into a low ponytail. Even though the woman was sitting in a wheel chair, there was no mistaking the authority that radiated from her proud angular face.

The children were not present,and the adults who were present sat on sofa on either of the old woman looking docile and quiet. It was as if the old woman held an invisible power over them. Annie knew that she was the long awaited grandmother, but that didn't mean she liked the woman.

Then the old woman looked up and locked gazes with Annie.

"Who is she?" Her thin lips curled back into a snarl.

Beside her,Jovon stiffened. Annie took a deep breath and walked over to stand in front of the old woman. Then she held out her right hand with a brave smile on her lips.

"My name is Ansela Mckade,Mrs. Phim. I am a friend of Jovon's."

Mrs. Phim eyed the outstretched hand for a minute,then turned her nose up at her. "Spoiled little brat of these days. Why are you holding your hand out to me? Come on get on your knees before me."

"W-what?"

She narrowed her eyes. "Didn't you parents ever teach you manners?"

Annie gulped audibly. Then she moved back a bit and made to go on her knees,but a hand clamped around her arm and pulled her up. Jovon drew her to his side,all the while glaring at his grandmother.

"How dare you talk to her like that?" He gritted. "Is that why you asked me to come home? To humiliate me and my guest?"

Mrs. Phim scowled. "She's an unmarried lady. What is she doing in the company of a young man like you? All these gold digging whores are only after your money. Besides, how could you do this to Americus? I thought you said you loved her?" She snorted. "Gah! I know it was-"

"Mother!" Marcello shot to his feet. "Don't speak to my son that way!"

Megan stood up beside her husband and placed a hand on his arm. "Honey."

Jovon took a deep breath. "Annie, go and wait for me on the terrace."

Annie nodded. She stole one last glance at the Mrs. Phim,then spun on her heels and made her way out of the room. Words were exchanged in Latin as soon as she closed the door behind her,and while she would have loved to eavesdrop, she didn't understand Latin, so she made her way to the terrace to wait for Jovon.

Annie sighed as she leaned over the railing, taking in the large sprawl of the green land before her. She could imagine what growing up here could be like. There was plenty of space for children to grow and-

Her phone began to ring and Annie hesitated to answer it. It could be the Revenge calling her or her family and the bastard made it clear that she wasn't supposed to speak with her family if she wanted them alive,then again it could be an emergency.

The phone stopped ringing. Then it began to ring again.

Sighing tiredly, something she seemed to to doing often since she met Jovon, she swiped her thumb across the screen.