Chapter 396 - Tanaga's Sulking...

Grandma Hanada had a smile on her face even though tears were still cascading down her beautiful face. Fely and Jessie approached her once they had reached the door. 

"We are so glad that you're feeling better. Come, come! We've made all your favorite dishes. I've also made sure there were no fats, no cholesterol, or anything that might disrupt your health. All the food here is perfectly healthy," said Fely as she wrapped her arms around the older woman and gave her a light embrace.

Jessie did the same, not embarrassed about it at all. They were comfortable with each other, especially since they were family. Hugging each other definitely seemed like something appropriate for them to do. 

After the greetings, grandma Hanada noticed the twins being held by their two caretakers. She asked them to bring them over so she could get a good look at her great-grandchildren and kiss both of them. Inday and Juanita complied, bringing the two children right in front of the older woman. 

"Alright! Let's all go inside. If I get bitten by a mosquito, I am blaming it on all of you," complained Tanaga while Ashley tried to stop him from saying anything. She had stopped when her eyes landed on Koji, who stood further away from everyone else, saying nothing and doing nothing either. 

She let go of her husband's arms and went straight to Koji. She approached him, grinning.

"President Hanada! How have you been? I didn't know you were coming, when did you arrive? For what occasion are you in town?" She asked, bombarding him with questions. She was simply too excited that she didn't realize what she did. Koji didn't mind, and he was just as ecstatic to see the lady his heart belonged to, but he had to keep up the act. 

"Hello, President Jones," greeted Koji before he bowed to pay respect to the wife of his boss and cousin-in-law.

Ashley's brows rose when she heard how Koji had addressed her. 

He never called her President Jones in the past. He had always called her by her first name, even around other employees. What had changed? Why did he suddenly call her President Jones? Ashley was lost and dejected, her mind clouding with questions she knew would stay unanswered. 

She knew now was not the time to discuss such trivial matters, so she decided to talk to him about it later on. She returned to her husband's side and ushered him inside the house, following grandma Hanada while Tanaka pushed her wheelchair through the house's doors.

Everyone else stood there, waiting for the matriarch to enter the house before they all followed and would be able to have dinner together. Koji was the last one to enter, and he felt out of sorts. He didn't feel included in this big, happy family. He felt like their outcast. The black sheep of the family. 

===

Nonetheless, dinner was excellent. Everyone enjoyed the food, had fun chatting with each other, and thanked Fely for the great job she had done cooking the food.

After dinner, everyone had gathered in the living room to continue to chat. Tanaga stayed by his grandmother's side the whole time, and she loved every minute of it. She never had received this kind of attention from Tanaga. He had always been an aloof child.

Tanaka was completely different, he craved attention and love. If he had received that from his grandmother, he'd be fully content. Knowing that he simply sat next to her, remaining quiet as the older woman held his arms as a gentle sign of affection.

After a long time of chatting, the Gusman family excused themselves and gave the other some time to bond. 

Inday and Juanita took the twins back to their room to prepare them for bed, while Ruffy, Tiny, and Harumi left to do some tasks. 

All of this had been to give grandma Hanada, Tanaga, and Tanaka some alone time. Koji and Ashley being the only people left with the three of them, Ashley took this opportunity to invite Koji to the swimming pool's garden. 

"If you'll excuse me, I have some business to discuss with President Hanada," Ashley announced as she looked at Koji, gesturing for him to follow her. Tanaga was going to say something, but grandma Hanada interjected.

"Of course, you go ahead. This will give us some time to bond. There are some things I need to discuss with these two," she said.

Hearing that, Tanaga shut his mouth, only being able to watch as Koji followed Ashley to the swimming pool's back garden. 

Once the two had disappeared from his sight, grandma Hanada began questioning Tanaka. She wanted to know what happened during the many years he was considered dead. 

Tanaga only sat there, waiting for Tanaka's answer. He too wanted to know how he and his mother lived back then and why he never once tried to contact them.

Tanaka didn't hesitate to tell them everything he remembered and knew. He began at the very beginning when he woke up, not remembering who he was and how he was filled with many lies. 

He was raised thinking the man his mother had married was his biological father. It was all a lie until one day, his memories came flooding back, making him remember a part of his childhood. That was when everything began to change, and how his life had turned into a living hell. 

Grandmother Hanada and Tanaga were listening to him as he recounted his past. Tanaga, listening to all of this, couldn't help but feel remorse for his twin brother. He thought he had been living a hard life without any parents and siblings and only a grandmother who raised him, but he now realized that he was in a much better situation than Tanaga was.

===

Meanwhile, in the garden, Ashley confronted Koji about his attitude with her a while ago.

"Koji, what's going on? Why call me President Jones when we're in front of our family? Didn't we discuss this already? You only call me that around other employees of the THJ Group. Did something happen?" Ashley asked worriedly. 

Koji couldn't answer right away. He was thinking of the political, or 'right' way to reply to her questions. He didn't want to tell her Tanaga made him think that way, or even let her know that her husband was treating him worse than poorly. 

"Ashley, I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! I know we've discussed this before, and I would love nothing more than to be able to call you by your first name, but I'm treading on a thin line with my cousin. I had made a huge mistake, and I did something I shouldn't have done. He's in a foul mood when he's around me, and I didn't want to make it worse," Koji admitted. 

"What happened, Koji?" Ashley asked, now curious about what was going on. She wondered what Koji had done to upset Tanaga. 

"Nothing that I couldn't fix. It's just better for me to be more careful, or I might get kicked out of the house," he said sadly. 

Ashley did no such thing. She didn't decide to push the issue away and let the matter go. She truly cared about him and even thought of him as an older brother. But what she didn't know was that Koji didn't think the same thing of her.

===

Meanwhile, back inside the living room, Tanaka had finished telling his whole story, or everything he had remembered about, but Tanaga got wearier and wearier by the minute, even wondering why Ashley and Koji were talking so long to talk and chat outside. 

He wondered what business that they needed to talk about, and why they needed to go outside just to discuss it. His jealousy kicked in, and soon enough, he was already preparing an excuse to look for the two of them. Just as he was about to say something, Ashley and Koji returned, happily chatting with each other. Tanaga's face turned sour, and he clenched his jaw as he furrowed his brows. He sat there, sulking when Ashley had come and sat next to him. 

Grandmother Hanada and Tanaka saw this from the corner of their eyes, and they, especially Tanaka, were tempted to laugh. Tanaga really did have jealousy issues, even sulking when any man came near her. grinned secretly. 

Tanaga was so besotted with his wife that he would sulk like a spoiled child if any man came near her. Even if it was another family member. Grandma Hanada on the other hand figured that they needed some alone time to make up, so she decided to head to bed much earlier than usual. 

"It's late, and I'm getting quite tired. How about we continue this tomorrow. Since you will be around for the week, we will have more time to do this again and chat. You two go ahead take some rest," she said as she turned her head to face Koji and Tanaka. 

"How about you two? Are you staying here?" She asked the two men.

Tanaka shook his head. 

"Well then, go ahead and head back to the condo. There's no more room here for you to stay at. Tomorrow, you are to come here, since we still have some business to discuss as well," she said as she then called Harumi to come and take her to her room. 

Tanaka got up, ready to help his grandmother, but she declined his help and told him and Koji to head back home before it got too late. 

Tanaga and Ashley got up, waiting for Harumi to take grandma Hanada to her room. 

Koji and Tanaka then bid them goodbye, leaving Ashley and Tanaka alone.