Mr Grant, Please Be Gentle

“I’ve got it, Master Grant!”

Blanca left without even looking back, grumbling to herself. Why did he have to say all that? She didn’t even want to eat with him!

Blanca took a taxi back to the mansion. Before she even entered, she saw a lengthened Rolls-Royce parked in the driveway. Mr. Johnson got out, walked in front of her, and said respectfully, “Ma’am. Mr. Grant would like you to pay him a visit.”

Blanca was dubious about it. “What’s Mr. Grant doing looking for me? Does he have some business?”

Mr. Johnson smiled. “Mr. Grant’s friends brought over some high-quality beef and seafood. He knows you like seafood, but there was just so much to choose from, and it’s not too convenient to take them all over for you and the young master as well. He says that you might as well go over and take your pick.”

Hearing that, Blanca felt a surge of warmth.

She’d said casually last time how her family hadn’t been well-off when she was little, so she’d only eaten catfish. She’d thought that shrimp was spicy because it was red, and only knew how it had tasted when she grew up.

That random statement had apparently lingered with Alan enough for him to let her come and take her pick of seafood.

Blanca knew that a few crates of upscale seafood and a few pounds of good beef might not be mainstays in regular families, but with a family like the Grants, anything they wanted to eat, they could get, and it wasn’t a strange thing.

The old man’s care and concern, though, warmed her heart endlessly.

“Please wait for me a while, Mr. Johnson. I’ll go set my things down and change out of these clothes. They’re stained.”

Mr. Johnson smiled and said it was fine.

Blanca went into the mansion, swiftly put on clean clothes, and followed Mr. Johnson to the Grant house. All on the way, she was thinking that – if Matthew was coming back for dinner – they might as well make it with the ingredients she was about to take back.

At that idea, Blanca suddenly panicked. What was she doing thinking of Matthew out of nowhere?!

After half an hour or so, Blanca walked with Mr. Johnson into the Grant house.

Reaching the doorway, they saw Louise there.

Before Blanca could speak, Louise greeted Mr. Johnson politely. “Grandpa is looking for you, Mr. Johnson. I can take Blanca to the storeroom to take her pick.”

Mr. Johnson blinked. “Is that so? Then I’ll leave it to you, Miss Louise.”

He passed the keys to Louise.

“It’s all right. You can run along now.” Louise took the keys and turned to Blanca. “Let’s go, Blanca.”

Blanca had wanted to greet Alan, but since Alan was busy, they’d have to wait till next time.

“Mr. Johnson,” Blanca called after him. “Please thank Grandpa for me.”

Mr. Johnson turned around, all smiles. “Don’t worry, Ma’am. I’ll pass the message.”

After the butler left, Blanca looked back at Louise, whose face had changed completely. She just looked impatient now.

Seemed like the manners and gentle face had just been put on for show. Still, seeing her show her colors, Blanca relaxed. Actually, Louise’s feigned façade just now made her more worried.

She followed Louise to the basement, to the cold storage room three stories down.

She knew that rich people had all sorts of luxuries and she knew that the Grant house was big, but as Blanca passed an enormous wine cellar and a whole movie theater, she felt that her fantasies of the wealthy had, if anything, been overly limited.