REBORN: MEET MY BROTHERS-Chapter 53: OVER MY DEAD BODY!

The sun was beginning to set. Ava sat calmly beside the old woman who held her hand gently. It’d been like this for a while after she successfully calmed the old woman who cried bitterly on seeing her. Unfortunately, the old woman thought she was someone named Mabel.

When Ava told her her name, she cried even more, hugging her and claiming she was her granddaughter instead. Ava tried to convince her otherwise, but the woman refused to bulge.

She decided to let it slide, knowing it brought some measure of comfort to her. Plus, she was acutely aware of her condition so she didn’t take her words to heart.

"Granny," Ava called sweetly, earning the woman’s attention once more. "It’s almost dark. Everyone back home is very worried about you. Don’t you think we should start going home?"

The woman fumed at her request. "I don’t want to go. You’ll leave me if I go back home," She said sadly.

"No Granny," Ava explained. "I promised I wouldn’t leave, didn’t I?" When she said nothing, Ava decided to push even more. "Your grandsons are worried. What if something bad happens to them since they’re worrying about you so much?"

The old woman gave some thoughts to Ava’s words. "You promise not to leave?" She asked again, making Ava nod vehemently.

"I promise, Granny."

The old woman smiled. "Okay," she finally agreed.

Ava smiled as well. Picking up her hand, she helped the woman to her feet. Granny immediately linked her arm with Ava’s when they stood close to her. Since Ava was barely taller than her, it was easier to place her head on her shoulders as they walked out of the garden.

The garden was flanked by two roads, demarcated by a long building which tore them apart even more the further they stretched. As they reached the intersection, Ava paused, glancing at the two roads ahead.

Since she was unsure of which way to go, she hesitated. Earlier, while she was searching for the granny, she never saw an intersection like this, probably because she was walking toward the garden.

"What’s wrong, granddaughter?"

Ava turned to the woman. "Granny, I’m a little confused. I don’t remember which road leads us home."

The old woman tilted her head. Her brows furrowed like she was deep in thought before she pointed to the left decisively. "That way," she said with a firm nod. But a moment later, she squinted, shook her head, and pointed to the right instead. "No, no, it’s definitely this way."

Ava bit back a laugh. She knew the woman was as confused as her. "Are you sure, Granny?" 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

The old woman let out a light huff. "Of course, I’m sure. Do you think I don’t know my own home?" she said indignantly, even if her lips twitched slightly from holding back a smile.

Ava chuckled as she held Granny tighter. "Alright, we’ll go this way," she said, pointing to the right.

As they took a few steps, Granny suddenly stopped, pulling Ava back. "Wait! I remember now," she exclaimed dramatically. "It’s the left! Definitely the left!"

Ava laughed openly this time, shaking her head. "Granny, you’re leading me on a wild goose chase. Should we just wait here for anybody to walk by and then we ask for directions?"

"No one will come," she said quietly. "This place is always so deserted."

Ava bit her bottom lips. Granny wasn’t wrong. When she walked to the garden earlier, she didn’t find a single soul, even now. If they were truly lost, finding their way back home before nightfall was going to be hard.

Ava forced a smile. "Granny, I really hope we don’t get lost if we follow the left path. It’s almost dark and I have night blindness."

"Don’t worry, granddaughter," Granny squeezed her hand gently. "Even if we get lost, my grandsons will find us. And I won’t let anything happen to you."

Ava’s tight smile softened into a warm one. The Moore’s were truly wonderful people who always treated her so well that she’s almost moved to tears.

Sometimes, she hated that they made her yearn for a family’s love and affection, something she vowed never to do in her new life. But most times, she found herself wishing they were her family.

"But Granny, who is supposed to take care of you?" Ava asked concerned.

"I’m not a child, granddaughter. I can take care of myself!" She huffed.

Not wanting to get into an argument with the old woman, Ava agreed immediately. "Of course you can, Granny. But let’s make sure we actually find our way home before it gets too dark."

Ava gently steered Granny toward the road by the left. They walked for a while without seeing anybody, and Ava was beginning to worry that she’d taken a wrong turn, but when the place started getting familiar, she was happy she trusted Granny.

As they neared the mansion, Ava’s heart lifted when she recognized the outline of the grand estate. She could hear voices of people, probably the search party and the workers from earlier who was searching for Granny.

"See? I told you we’d make it. You should trust your Granny more."

Ava chuckled as she stared at the old woman. "Alright, Granny. You’re officially the navigator from now on."

"Granny! Ava!"

Ava looked up just in time to see Liam sprinting toward them. Jordan followed closely behind. Liam’s voice attracted the workers and other searchers who quickly gathered.

"Where on earth have you been?!" Liam demanded breathlessly, resting his hand on his knees as he caught his breath. His eyes flickered between Ava and Granny who stood with their arms linked together, like partners in crime.

Granny raised an eyebrow, unimpressed. "You act like I’m a lost puppy. I knew exactly where I was."

Ava stifled a laugh as Liam gaped at his grandmother. "You—Granny, we’ve been searching for hours!"

"All that fuss for nothing," Granny said dismissively, waving her hand. "I was in the garden enjoying the flowers."

Jordan finally caught up. He was worried. It showed in his eyes, his face. He turned to Ava. "Are you alright?"

Ava nodded quickly. "I’m fine. I found Granny in the garden, and we—"

Granny cut in, "We had a lovely walk, didn’t we, dear?" she asked warmly, throwing everyone off guard.

Everyone knew how intolerant the old woman was and how she hated strangers. How she was so nice to Ava and even let the girl so close to her was truly shocking.

Dustin arrived just in time to hear the exchange. His worried face softened when he saw the two of them.

"You found her. Thank you," Dustin said gratefully to Ava.

"It was nothing. I just did what anyone could’ve done," Ava said with a small smile.

Dustin nodded curtly. When his eyes fell on his grandmother, his face hardened. "You can’t just run off on your own, Granny. You almost gave everyone a heart attack."

Granny sighed exasperatedly. She tightened her arm around Ava’s. "Come, granddaughter," she said ignoring Dustin. "If we stand here any longer, these boys will just keep buzzing around like pesky bees."

Ava bit back a laugh as she glanced over at the brothers. While they forced a smile at their grandmother’s antics, they never missed that she called Ava her granddaughter and that bothered them.

Granny led Ava into the mansion. "These boys act like they’re my keepers just because they think they’re now all grown up."

Ava smiled as Granny took a seat in the living room and ushered her to take one close to hers. "I’m sure they just care about you so much, Granny. You should’ve seen the way they were worried when they thought you were missing."

The three brothers walked into the house before Grammy could respond. While Liam and Jordan took seperate seats inside the room, Dustin walked to Ava.

"I’m sorry for breaking this up," Dustin pointed to their entwined hands, "But It’s getting late and it’s time to go, Ava."

Granny’s grip on Ava’s hand tightened. "Where are you planning on taking my granddaughter?!" Dustin blinked at her tone. "She just came back and now you want her gone? Over my dead body!"

The three brothers exchanged nervous glances as they looked at their grandmother. They couldn’t fathom how she knew Ava was her granddaughter, but they were more scared of Ava finding out. She just found her new family. Telling her she wasn’t a Whitlock will only create chaos.

Ava briefly glanced at Dustin before she turned to the old woman. "Granny," she said softly, patting her hand. "He’s not taking me away forever. I promise I’ll visit often."

Granny narrowed her eyes at her. "You promised not to leave me. Are you going back on your words, granddaughter?"

Ava didn’t know what to say. It’d been so long since she was put in a tight corner like this. "I’m not going back on my words." Her voice was barely above a whisper.

"It doesn’t matter though," Granny blustered. "Wherever you go, I’ll follow."

The brothers exchanged yet another glances as they stared at their grandmother who meant every word she said.

"Maybe you should just stay the night, Ava," Liam suggested. "Granny can’t stay at your family’s place. She needs care and I don’t think your family will want to provide that for her."

"Yes, Ava," Dustin supported. "Trust me, Granny will follow you back home."

Ava bit her bottom lips as she thought about her family. Noticing her hesitation, Granny leaned closer. "When are we leaving, granddaughter?"

Ava immediately looked at her. She’d made up her mind to leave, but she can’t have Granny follow her back home, not after what happened yesterday just for being close to Liam.

She smiled. "We’re not leaving, Granny. We’re staying here."