After dumped, I married a billionaire

Leona Carpenter glanced over at Vance Martinez, a flicker of surprise crossing her face.

"You gonna go say hi to her?" Vance asked, his eyes warm and open as he gave Leona a soft, encouraging smile.

Leona’s gaze automatically drifted to the elderly woman waiting nearby, who looked practically bouncing off the walls to meet her. After a beat of hesitation, she nodded.

The old woman had spotted Leona and Vance walking toward her, and her grin just kept growing, impossible to hide. She waved warmly, "Honey, I’m sorry I called you over out of the blue. I hope you don’t mind."

This was the first time she’d ever seen her grandson with a girl, and she couldn’t keep the excitement off her face.

"Hi, Grandma," Leona greeted politely.

The old woman’s smile stretched even wider, nearly ear to ear. She curled her hand around Leona’s, patting it gently. "Wonderful, just wonderful. You’re such a sweet girl. The more I look at you, the more I like you."

This sudden, over-the-top familiarity left Leona a little uneasy, but she kept a polite—if awkward—smile plastered on her face.

Vance caught Leona’s discomfort right away. He adjusted his blanket a little to put himself between them, subtly putting more space between Leona and the old woman. "Sun’s bright out today, but there’s still a chill in the air. Don’t wanna catch a cold."

The old woman lifted her brows slightly, caught off guard. This thoughtful, attentive guy? Nothing like her usual cold, distant grandson.

A lifetime of living had made her sharp, and it didn’t take her long to piece together what her grandson was doing. A knowing little smile tugged at her lips.

This boy was worried he’d scare the girl off. Maybe he wasn’t as hopeless with women as she’d thought.

When she turned her attention back to Leona, her gaze was warm and soft. "Sweetheart, how long have you two known each other?"

At first, Leona was thrown off by how enthusiastic the old woman was, but when she caught that kind, fond glint in her eye, it clicked. "Grandma, there’s a little misunderstanding here. We’re just acquaintances."

Acquaintances…

The old woman flicked a quick, knowing glance at Vance out of the corner of her eye. Someone definitely didn’t see it that way.

"Honey, I just took an instant liking to you. If you’ve got the time, would you sit and chat with me for a bit?" She looked up at Leona, then quickly dropped her gaze, playing the part of a lonely old widow perfectly. "That good-for-nothing boy’s always so busy. I barely ever see him. Poor me, just a widow with no one to talk to."

"I…" Leona knew the old woman had the wrong idea, and her first instinct was to say no.

But looking at that silver-haired woman reminded her of her own grandpa, and her heart softened. After a second of thinking it over, she nodded. "Alright."

The old woman’s fake loneliness melted away instantly, replaced by a bright, giddy cheer as she looked at Leona. "Then I’ll be waiting! Vance will drive you over."

"This…" Leona felt a little flustered and turned to look at Vance. "That seems like such a hassle, though."

"It’s no trouble at all!" The old woman snuck a quick look at Vance, pride glowing in her eyes.

A little while later, after they’d finished talking, Leona got a call from Kendra Gray and had to head out.

Vance watched her slim figure fade down the path, his sharp, focused gaze burning into her back like a hunter locked on his prey.

"Vance," the old woman spoke up suddenly, her voice sharp with a edge of cold that made it clear she was not pleased.