Chapter 399: Owing a favor

Noah did not have to wait for long as Martin left after a few minutes of talking with Jonathan. Nobody was in the garden except the two men, and Noah sat beside his grandfather silently, waiting for the older man to speak first. 

Jonathan ran his hand on the handle of his cane, while he glanced at Noah only to find him staring at him already, his eyes filled with questions and doubts. Noah raised his eyebrows, prompting him to speak. "Noah, I know I should not have hidden this matter from you when you are in charge of the company now. But I did not have the courage to tell you either. I am at fault here and you can.."

"Grandpa, I am not here to blame you for what you did." Noah stopped him before the man could utter another word. "I just want to know why you offered her the job when you clearly knew that is not how we work. Moreover, the girl's father is working with my rival. So, I was just stunned to find out the truth."

"I understand your concerns, son. I am sorry I hid the truth from you. But trust me, I have not done anything that will bring harm to you."

"I trust you, grandpa," Noah replied without hesitating and Jonathan realized that he could not drag the matter any longer.

"Noah, that girl Mia once saved Hailey's life."

"What?" Noah stood up at once, his eyes widening in shock. "When did that happen? Why didn't anybody tell me? What happened to Mom?" He fired his questions, panic and anger taking over his calm.

"Noah, calm down. It was not a big deal. Hailey is fine now."

"But grandpa, why was I not informed?"

"Noah, Hailey was not even hurt and she was the one who forbade us to tell you. You were in London at that time and we did not want to worry you." Jonathan added before his grandson went rampant in worry.

"But..."

"Noah, it was just a minor accident that happened in a social gathering. Mia saved your mother in the nick of time. It was a fault from the management side." Jonathan pulled him by the hand and made him sit beside him.

"I see. Did you offer her a job at our company for saving Mom?"

"Not I. Mia herself asked your mother and I could not say no. Your mother rarely asks me anything. So..." Jonathan stopped suddenly hoping his grandson could understand him. "I could not reject Hailey and moreover, I knew you would keep an eye on her in case she is not that proficient at work."

Noah remained silent as he looked at the orchids that moved along with the wind. The purple flowers looked beautiful and peaceful and he made a mental note of taking a bouquet to Aria. 'That would be a good present for her.'

"I just wanted to return the favor we owed her and now that we gave her what she asked, it is up to her to make use of it and reach the mark. If you want to fire her, you can. I will not blame you."

"No, grandpa. I will not fire her, not yet at least. I have some plans for her. It's best she stays close to me so that I can keep an eye on her." Noah muttered to himself, his eyes losing focus from the orchids. 'The accident does not seem to be an accident. It seems to be intentional. I need to talk to Mom about it.'

"What plans? Did something happen? Did the girl do something?" Jonathan queried, his brows furrowing in worry.

"No, grandpa. Nothing significant. Just some minor issues. You can be rest assured your grandson here will take care of her."

"That eases my heart," Jonathan replied with a smile and poured himself another cup of tea. He was just about to take a sip when he remembered the biggest issue he had to deal with. "That reminds me. Let's get back to the most important problem we have at hand."

Noah scowled lightly, guessing where the old man was going. His suspicions came true when he heard his grandfather's next words. "When are you making babies?"

Noah rolled his eyes at his grandfather's nonsense. He buttoned his suit and got up, ready to leave. "Grandpa, I am going. Take care."

"Hey, you cannot leave me hanging. Tell me. When are you making babies with Aria? I am getting old. I want to play with your and Rachel's kids." Jonathan said, a small smile playing on his lips as he imagined the garden with his great-grandkids crawling around and wreaking havoc. This was something he wanted to experience before his time ended.

"Grandpa, in that case, go pester Rachel. She must be ready to give you kids."

"What do you mean?" Jonathan frowned, not getting the hint Noah was sending him.

"Grandpa, it's best you ask Rachel about it. She will tell you everything and if things turn out well, you might be hearing wedding bells soon."

"What?" Jonathan dropped his cane in astonishment. "What are you talking about? Do you know something? Does Rachel have someone she likes?"

"I would not like to comment about it. But I am sure you will like the guy. He is good." Noah gave a mysterious reply and that was enough for Jonathan to grin in excitement. 'I am sorry, Rachel. I had to sell you away to save my ass. But I am sure you will thank me for I did today.' Noah apologized to his sister silently, a devilish smirk landing on his face.

"Do you know him?"

"I am leaving now. Talk to Rachel if you want to get more details about what is happening in her life." Noah took a step but stopped when his eyes fell in the purple orchids once again.

"I am taking a bouquet of purple orchids." He declared instead of putting forth a request, not giving the old man to reject him.

"Why do you need them for?" Jonathan was annoyed by his grandson's behavior. "Those purple orchids are my favorite. I will not allow you to take them."

"Not even when I tell that I am using them to put forth your wishes into action?"

"What wishes?" Jonathan gave him a questioning look only to find Noah walking away from him.

"Making babies."