Chapter 4: Commitment
The man standing above them, silent, was like the hand of God; the moment he spoke, he was like the village mongrel.
What an air of false authority!
But when Daphne Finney heard him call out “Grandpa Ham,” she instinctively let go of Ham Koch’s hand.
Thank goodness, they were Ham’s family, not the bandits in black shirts.
But weren’t they being too much?
They just took the older man away? Without even a word to her?
Daphne shook her head and reached into her pocket.
Her fingers brushed against something cold and metallic.
Ham’s pocket watch? How did it end up in her pocket?
Did Grandpa Ham accidentally slip it in because he couldn’t speak then?
Could it be that the people who took him weren’t his family?
Or was this a distress signal from Ham?
Damn it! She had been too careless!
She had let them take Ham without even asking a single question!
The realization hit her like a thunderbolt, and Daphne immediately panicked.
Without hesitation, she sprinted forward.
She vividly remembered that if she crossed two blocks, she might see those men in black on the main road.
At this moment, all her previous commitments were forgotten. The pocket watch in her hand was valuable, but more importantly, she hadn’t even asked for Ham’s contact information—not even an email address.
No matter what, she had to find Ham and return the watch to him.
Most crucially, although the man in the leather shoes had called Ham “Grandpa,” she couldn’t be sure if Ham indeed was his grandfather.
What if this was a conspiracy?
What if Ham had been kidnapped?
After all, not once did Ham confirm the man’s identity himself!
Determined, Daphne swore to catch up to Ham!
“Huff... huff...”
Daphne’s whole body ached.
Her lungs burned as if they were about to explode.
Her feet were in agony!
Damn it! She should never have worn heels today!
People around her were carrying flowers, holding coffee cups, or munching hot dogs.
No one cared why she sprinted in a pencil skirt and high heels.
Just one more corner.
Then she could catch up to those luxury cars.
Come on!
Daphne cheered herself on in her heart.
Screech!
She spread her arms wide, blocking a black Audi A8, suddenly forcing the car to stop!
“Get out of the car!”
A few minutes earlier, when Ham was first “invited” into the car by David.
“You’re insulting! You didn’t even let me say goodbye to her!”
Ham turned to get out of the car.
Charles Koch, legs crossed, held an open document in one hand. He glanced at his grandfather and said leisurely, “Grandpa, are you having fun?”
“What do you mean?! I’m not playing around! I’m finding the future lady of the Koch family!”
“If I remember correctly, you’ve already found seventeen women this year alone. And as history has proven, your taste in women is... lacking.”
“Nonsense! What about your grandmother? Are you saying she wasn’t a good choice?”
Ham huffed indignantly.
“Grandpa, you and Grandma had an arranged marriage that turned into love. That wasn’t your taste; that was your luck.”
“Charles, do you trust me? This girl—she’s the one your grandma described in my dreams! She looks exactly like how your grandmother told me she would!”
“Grandpa, not this again. You’ve said the same thing seventeen times. Each time, you claim you’ve found the girl from your dream.”
Charles shook his head. He didn’t believe him.
Though he used to.
Ever since Grandma Beth passed away three years ago, Grandpa Ham had developed Alzheimer’s. His memory had begun to fade, but at the same time, he started dreaming more frequently.
Many top psychologists from Blue Star had studied his condition, but no one could explain why Grandpa could recount his dreams so vividly.
Whenever he woke up from one of these dreams, he would tell Charles that Grandma Beth had found him a wife—a girl with green eyes, curly brown hair, as delicate as a porcelain doll, fair-skinned, and with a smile as sweet as an angel’s.
So, Grandpa Ham started venturing out frequently, bringing back girls who, in his mind, matched the description, hoping Charles would marry them.
However, every time one of these women entered the Koch estate, they turned into greedy gold diggers—opportunistic and extravagant.
Their eyes would cling to the gilded pillars like they were glued in place.
They would press their faces against priceless oil paintings, sniffing them like reincarnations of Ebenezer Scrooge.
Then, some weren’t just greedy for wealth; they were greedy for him.
Like drunken foxes, they would strip in front of Charles within three seconds—down to their black lace underwear.
If Charles weren’t so tall and had not trained in fencing since childhood, he would have been devoured by these insatiable vixens on the dining table.
Just the thought of those horrifying memories darkened Charles’ expression.
“Grandpa, enough. I don’t want to get married.”
“Not getting married? Not! Charles, you’re the only heir of the Koch family. If you don’t have descendants, there will be no one to carry on our legacy!”
“Grandpa, you seem pretty healthy to me.”
“Scoundrel! I was devoted to your Grandma Beth until the very end! Don’t even think about making me disgrace myself in my twilight years! Never!”
“That’s a shame. If you’d consider using a surrogate, I might think about becoming a single father.”
“No, no, no! Charles, listen to me. Daphne Finney is wonderful! You will like her.”
“No, I won’t, Grandpa. I won’t marry a woman just because she’s pretty. Besides, I think I’m already good-looking enough if we’re talking about good looks.”
Charles pointed to his face, speaking matter-of-factly.
“Hmph! Narcissist! You don’t understand! Daphne is not just beautiful—she’s kind, like an angel. I guarantee that once you meet her, you will like her.”
“And if I don’t?”
“If you don’t, I promise I’ll stop bringing random women to the house.”
“Really?”
Charles raised an eyebrow.
Grandpa had nearly driven him mad for two years with all these strange women.
“Really. I swear on your Grandma Beth’s name.”
Ham declared with unwavering certainty.
“Fine. After I drop you home, I’ll have David find her. I’ll take her out to dinner, and then I’ll report back to you. How’s that?”
Charles nodded.
“Deal.”