Chapter 171: Dragon Head Walking Stick

Chapter 171: Chapter 171: Dragon Head Walking Stick

The banquet was scheduled for six o’clock in the evening.

With more than four hours to go, Vivian sat at the desk in the suite. Seeing Julian take out his laptop to handle company affairs, she brought hers out as well.

Vivian’s WhatsApp was blowing up.

Leo had sent some messages about the company. He had already handled most of the matters, but there were a few design pieces that required Vivian’s personal approval.

There were also concerned messages from Eleanor, who had seen the news, and a message from Grandma Faulkner, asking if Vivian had arrived in Valeria.

"Julian, I’m going to return Grandma’s call," Vivian said.

She figured that since Grandma Faulkner was just recovering, she definitely couldn’t take any shocks. She shouldn’t be worrying too much about this situation, so it was better to call and reassure her.

Hearing this, Julian looked up. He had almost forgotten about it—a slip on his part. "Yeah, go ahead. Before we boarded the plane, Grandma asked me about the situation too.

"Talk to her and tell her to get some good rest at home. When we go back, we’ll bring her some local specialties from Valeria."

"Okay." Vivian nodded and dialed the number.

However, to Vivian’s surprise, the call didn’t go through. The prompt indicated that the phone was turned off.

Turned off?

Vivian found it very strange. Why would Grandma’s phone be turned off for no reason?

Was it out of battery?

That shouldn’t be the case. Grandma usually loved listening to Peking Opera, but she mostly watched it on TV. Apart from using WhatsApp and taking photos, she rarely used any other functions on her phone.

How could it coincidentally run out of battery right now?

Sensing something was off, Vivian called Ms. Shaw.

To her disbelief, when the call went through, it was also turned off!

Listening to the automated voice from her phone saying, "Sorry, the number you have dialed is powered off," Vivian remained silent for a moment. An ominous premonition swelled in her heart.

Left with no other choice, she called another maid at the Faulkner Family’s villa.

There were many maids in the Faulkner household. Most of them did odd jobs like cleaning, tending the courtyard, and doing the laundry.

Only the most crucial tasks—cooking and looking after Grandma Faulkner—were managed by Ms. Shaw.

This time, Vivian’s call connected, and the other party picked up.

Vivian breathed a sigh of relief and immediately asked about Grandma Faulkner’s whereabouts.

The maid seemed quite surprised that Vivian was calling her. Her tone was a bit nervous as she replied, "The old madam and Ms. Shaw went out.

"I heard they might have gone to the airport. I didn’t ask too many questions, so I’m not entirely sure. Madam, is something wrong?"

Grandma Faulkner went to the airport?!

Was she so worried about Julian that she decided to come to Valeria to check on things personally?!

Vivian thought to herself that this was more than likely the case. She spoke to the person on the other end of the line, "It’s nothing. Go back to your work."

"Oh, right," Vivian asked, suddenly remembering something. "Is Rachel still at the house?"

The maid immediately replied respectfully, "Yes, the young lady is still unconscious. Her condition isn’t very good, and she’s still at home. The two bodyguards at her door have been standing guard the whole time. There shouldn’t be any issues."

Hearing that Rachel was still at home, Vivian sighed in relief and felt a bit more at ease.

As long as Rachel wasn’t the one stirring up trouble, it was fine.

Pondering for a moment, Vivian still sent a text message to Grandma Faulkner.

"Grandma, your phone isn’t going through; the prompt says it’s turned off. I just asked the maids at home, and they said you went to the airport. Are you coming to Valeria?

"If you’ve reached the airport, don’t wander around. Wait in the lounge and rest, and I’ll arrange for someone to pick you up, okay? Your body hasn’t fully recovered yet, so please be careful."

After texting Grandma Faulkner, Vivian sent a similar message to Ms. Shaw. Then, she returned to the desk and relayed the news she had just received to Julian.

Hearing this, Julian’s expression turned grave. He let go of the mouse, leaned back in his chair, and sighed.

"Vance!"

He called out toward the door. Vance, who was outside the suite, immediately responded and came in, asking, "President Faulkner, what’s wrong?"

Julian briefly explained the situation and instructed Vance to arrange for a driver to pick up Grandma Faulkner. He also told him to book another large suite, preferably right next door, and to hire an extra bodyguard and a caregiver to look after Grandma.

Vance was somewhat surprised, but knowing the gravity of the situation, he nodded and went to handle the tasks.

Vivian really wanted to go to the airport herself.

However, The Solstice Hotel was quite a distance from the airport. A round trip would take two hours, and there wasn’t much time left before the banquet started. It was better for her to stay and get properly prepared.

This was Valeria, not Aethelburg. It wasn’t her and Julian’s "home turf," so it was best to be fully prepared.

About three hours later, just ten minutes or so before the banquet was set to begin, Vance brought Grandma Faulkner over.

As soon as Grandma Faulkner entered the suite, Vivian heard the commotion and hurried to the door to check.

"Grandma, you really came! Are you feeling okay? Traveling all the way from Aethelburg to Valeria, it’s really..."

Vivian didn’t even know what to say.

She was worried about Grandma Faulkner, but looking at her, she couldn’t bring herself to utter a single word of reproach.

Grandma Faulkner patted Vivian’s shoulder and said, "It happened so suddenly. When you and Julian told me about this, my heart just couldn’t settle.

"Not long after you boarded the flight, I thought it over and felt I still needed to come and see for myself.

"Don’t worry, my old bones can still hold up. Besides, today’s matter is a major event for the entire Faulkner Group.

"Years ago, the Faulkner Group was almost destroyed right under my nose. Now that someone is trying to ruin the Faulkner Group again, I naturally have to come and keep an eye on things.

"And that unfilial son! Couldn’t he just live his life properly abroad? Why did he have to come back?! He’s really turning everything upside down and wreaking havoc!

"Our Faulkner Family has always been doing perfectly fine, but he just has to be the rotten apple that spoils the barrel!"

After finishing her tirade, Grandma Faulkner struck her Dragon Head Walking Stick heavily against the ground.

This was the first time Vivian had seen Grandma Faulkner bring out this Dragon Head Walking Stick. Feeling somewhat surprised, she took a few extra glances and noticed that the solid wooden cane looked quite old.

Although it was ancient, it also gave off a very steady and reassuring vibe.

It must be made of incredibly high-quality wood, right?

Vivian didn’t know much about wood, but seeing Grandma Faulkner angry, she wanted to make her smile. "Grandma, you look absolutely majestic holding that Dragon Head Walking Stick!" she said. "That strike just now almost gave me a scare!"