Betrayed by Fiance, Embraced by Hidden Tycoon-Chapter 194: Grandpa, I Need Your Help!

Next day morning,

James Philips woke in a vast luxury villa at San Diego Hills. He couldn’t sleep well but woke up feeling joyful and excited. He was so enthusiastic about attending Abigail and Sawyer’s secret wedding.

The night before, he had instructed his butler to clear his schedule for the day. He did not want to meet with anyone—especially his family.

James mainly wanted to keep his son and Serena unaware of his plans for the day.

However, just as he was about to head downstairs for breakfast, his butler, Lucas, appeared at the top of the stairs with a tense expression that immediately alerted James that something was amiss.

"Old master... I’m sorry, there’s bad news I need to report," Lucas said, his voice sounding worried.

James frowned. "What happened, Lucas?" he asked without halting his step and approached the elevator in the corner.

"Mr. David and Miss Serena visited you and asked to have breakfast with you," Lucas explained, his guilt still noticeable in his voice.

James’ steps abruptly stopped as he turned to face Lucas.

"Why do you look worried? You already asked them to leave, right?"

Lucas felt a surge of guilt; he had made a foolish mistake, forgetting to update the guard at the gate.

"I already told you I won’t meet anyone else today, Lucas. Go and ask them to leave!" James shook his head as he entered the elevator.

However, his frown deepened when he noticed Lucas holding the elevator door instead of joining him.

"What are you waiting for? I don’t have much time! Hurry up and get in so we can go downstairs. I don’t want to be late for Sawyer and Abigail’s wedding." James urged Lucas to enter the elevator with a wave of his hand.

"I’m sorry, sir, but Mr. David and Miss Serena are in the dining room," Lucas replied.

James’s impatient expression darkened, and he asked in annoyance, "Why did you let them in? I remember telling you not to inform them I’m at home today, right?"

If he didn’t have plans today to attend the wedding of his newly discovered granddaughter, he wouldn’t be avoiding his son and Serena.

He was worried that either his son or Serena would learn his schedule for the day. It would be troublesome if they knew and insisted on following him to Sawyer’s house.

’Why did they come this early without calling me?’ James wondered.

James quickly thought about what he needed to do. After a moment, he decided to meet them—it was unavoidable; he couldn’t refuse to see them.

After deep breathing, he asked Lucas to close the elevator doors.

"Did you ask the chef to prepare their breakfast?" James asked.

"I did, sir," Lucas replied, still feeling guilty for ruining his old master’s plan. "I apologize, sir; I forgot to warn the new guard to tell them you were not home."

James smiled at Lucas, realizing he couldn’t blame him.

"It’s fine, as long as you didn’t tell anyone about Abigail. And make sure everyone in this house keeps their mouths shut!"

James was anxious about Abigail’s true identity. He didn’t dare announce it just yet, not before he had a chance to meet Sophie and ask her what really happened—why she left him.

For some reason, he worried that Abigail and Sophie’s lives could be in danger if their identities were revealed and someone decided to cause them trouble.

...

As James looked at his son David and granddaughter Serena sitting at the dining table, engaged in conversation with their backs to him, he adjusted his expression before clearing his throat to get their attention. He made his way to his seat.

Lucas closely followed James, helping him with the chair.

David stood up from his seat and greeted him, "Father—"

"Grandpa—" Serena chimed in, also trying to assist James.

However, James gestured for them to sit back down before settling into his chair. He glanced at them with a smile.

"It’s rare to see you both at my house this early. What brings you here to visit this old man?"

Observing his calm yet tense son, James sensed that this conversation might not end well. Still, he ignored the underlying tension and asked them to start eating before he did, even though his appetite had slowly faded.

Trying to block out their impending discussion, James focused on enjoying his breakfast, occasionally stealing glances at them from the corner of his eye.

"If you don’t want to eat with me or tell me why you’re here, what’s the point of visiting?" James looked directly at Serena. "What do you want this time, Serena dear?"

Serena clenched her fist as she placed her fork down, trying to maintain her calm composure while looking at James.

However, her urgent and tense tone betrayed her. "Grandpa, I need your help!"

"My help? You can tell me what you need. As much as I can, I will help you," James replied, already guessing what she wanted to ask.

Before Serena could respond, David interrupted her. "Father, we need to discuss Serena’s marriage with Sawyer to Uncle Nathaniel seriously."

James turned to David, his curiosity aroused again when he saw the worried expression on his son’s face. He remained silent, allowing David to continue.

"We need this marriage arrangement between our family and the James family to help our company grow," David said, clenching his fists tightly in frustration over the company’s condition.

James couldn’t help but laugh inwardly at David’s words. He was no longer surprised that his son looked distressed; this was about the company.

Still, James chose to say nothing and calmly listened to David.

"Father, our company has stagnated over the past few years. Especially since the Silverstone Group launched their jewelry line a few years ago. Since then, our sales have not been as strong as our glory days. We need to collaborate with J Group."

Slowly, James set down his cutlery on his plate, which still held half of his breakfast. However, his appetite completely vanished after hearing the company report.