Chapter 23 Let's Move On

"Hello, Grandma, my name is Joanne!" Joanne smiled and said hello to her grandmother. By lifting both of her hands, Joanne indicated that she wanted a hug or that she wanted one of them to pick her up and carry her.

"J...Joanne? "Esme, could it be that this is your daughter?" Esme's mother inquired, her gaze darting from Esme to Joanne and back again.

"You're right. Currently, she is seven years old. Because she expressed an interest in seeing her grandparents, I thought it best to bring her here." Esme gave her explanation.

She watched as her mother lifted Joanne into the air, and it appeared to be a fairly simple process. How could her mother have the strength that she does even now?

"Waa! Grandmother, you are really strong! "When I'm your age, I want to be just as tough as you are!" Joanne didn't waste any time and got right to work winning over the elderly lady's favour.

"Hahahaha! Your daughter has a very endearing appearance. Naturally, Grandma has a lot of strength. Come here, and I'll tell you some stories about grandma when she was younger. Your great-grandfather wouldn't have a chance against me in a battle!"

Joanne began to cheer in a dutiful manner as she was being brought inside, and just like that, the issue was resolved.

After Zachary had returned, he leaned on the door and remained silent because he did not want to disrupt the ongoing family get-together. Joanne, on the other hand, was having none of that.

Since it has been assigned to her to make their family stronger, she is going to give it her all in order to accomplish the task. Therefore, she whirled around and gave Zachary a wave.

"Daddy, it's good to see you!" Joanne gave the man who was sneaking into the sitting room a frenzied wave as he attempted to enter the room. Because of her shout, he was given each and every one of them attention.

When Zachary lifted his head to stare at the faces of his wife and her family, he was immediately stopped in his tracks. Since his eyes were locked with those of Joanne, he was aware that she had done this on purpose.

Joanne climbed down from her perch on Esme's mother's lap and raced in the direction of Zachary, who remained motionless. She grabbed both of his hands and drew him down to her level as much as she could. After that, she leant in close to his ear and spoke a single word.

"Revenge." Immediately following that, she made a beeline for her grandmother's lap. From the outside looking in, it appeared as though she was going to kiss Zachary on the cheeks.

"Haha... Joanne and Zachary are quite close to one another, and that is typically how she greets him..." Her voice became less clear.

"Dear Joanne, I was wondering whether you'd be interested in going outside to play. I have something important to discuss with both of your parents." The words were delivered in a solemn manner by Esme's mother, yet one could clearly make out a grin on her face as she spoke to Joanne.

It would appear that they will not be able to dodge the conversation that they hate having after all.

"Oh, all right." Joanne gave her grandmother a nod and then descended from her grandmother's lap. She then turned her attention to Zachary and smiled slightly.

After that, Joanne exited the house and locked the door behind her; nevertheless, she did not go to olay. Instead, she took a position where she could hear what they had to say by leaning against the door.

She would be required to barge in at the appropriate time in the event that something went wrong.

"Esme..."

"Mom, I don't feel any remorse for the things I did many years ago. If I had the opportunity to carry it out once more, I certainly would. The only thing I can say I truly regret is that I did not have faith in Zachary and that I did not remain by his side. It was a selfish move on my part to run away from him." Esme intervened and expressed all of her emotions to them.

"Attagirl!" Joanne sprang up into the air and performed a fist bump. Esme, for once, asserted her authority over the situation. If she keeps up with her current routine, it won't be long until she becomes significantly more powerful and confident.

The long sigh that Esme's father let out was accompanied by the shaking of his legs. He is now quite elderly, and one of his hopes is that he will get the chance to see Esme one last time before he passes from this world. If God has finally granted him his wish, then he has no right to complain about it.

"Listen, Esme; I'm not putting the blame on you for anything that took place in the past. Instead, it is incumbent upon me to be the one to apologise and seek forgiveness. Due to the conditions in which he was living at the time, I believed that Zachary did not deserve to have you. I never even considered the possibility that he would become a well-known figure in the world of business. Even a bright businessman like myself is no match for him. He has even exceeded me. Because he is now able to look after you, I do not have any issues to the arrangement. I am also aware of the extent of Joanne's adoration for him." Esme's father continued. 

"What your father told you is correct. Even after we tried everything in our power to prevent his ascent to the top, he still managed to get there and even passed us in the process."

"That's the strength of the male lead." Joanne mumbled.

"It is even more surprising that he did not take any action against us after discovering that we were the ones who had such a negative impact on his family. As soon as I learned that he had not given up seeking for you, we felt terrible about everything that we had done to him. Since you have made the effort to come and see us, Esme, we would want to take this opportunity to apologise to you and Zachary. Please believe me when I say that I will do all in my power to prevent anything from coming between the two of you. Not even I," she finished.

As Esme listened to what her parents had to say, she could feel a tremor running through her body. Even her own brothers gave their promises.

Zachary let out a sigh as he looked at the individuals who were responsible for the devastation that had occurred in his life in the past. Since everything has been resolved, there is no need in continuing to dwell on what occurred in the past, is that correct?

"It's not a problem. I never once entertained the idea of exacting any kind of revenge on you. Since you've accomplished what you set out to do and I've accomplished the same thing, we should stop worrying about it and go on."

The awkward response from him caused Esme's parents to giggle, and then Esme's mother proceeded.

"When is the wedding going to be? We ought to begin distributing invitations as soon as possible."

After that point, there was complete chaos.