Never Judge

As soon as Cedric had given his orders, Mae had packed up and left for Singapore. For her safety, Cedric had sent a few more bodyguards to keep an eye on her. 

They had little to no power on foreign soil and he didn't want to risk the success of everything they had worked for to just go down the drain.

After sending Mae off, Cedric's next task was to inform the Chan siblings about what they had found out. He didn't include them at first because he didn't want to get their hopes up, and when it came to business matters, Lucius was after Cedric, not the Chan siblings.

It just so happened to be Grandpa Chan's birthday the next day, so everyone had been invited to the old Chan ancestral mansion for a lavish celebration. 

When the former patriarch of the clan turns a year older, everyone was expected to attend, and of course they wouldn't miss out on the opportunity to flaunt their connections. 

If it were any other member of the Chan family, Cedric and the others wouldn't even attend, but the old man was also like a grandfather to all of them. He used to sneak them treats and toys when their parents were not looking.

It wasn't till they were older that the old man began imposing rules on the Chan siblings, it was something that shocked all of them, especially when compared to Cedric's own grandfather, Emilio Reyes II.

"In some ways the Chans are quite different from you guys." Adrianna said, thinking out loud as she looked at herself in the mirror.

When Cedric spotted her, he couldn't help but smile, even when she was pregnant Adrianna was still beautiful. She was wearing something more laid back today, the event wasn't a formal one, but people usually still dressed up for occasions like these. 

Cedric had decided to simply attend in one of his business suits, it was nice enough to pass off for the night and he could always say he came from work.

In all honesty, Cedric wished that the Chans would just have a small dinner with family and friends, there was no need for them to impress others. They were already at the upper echelons of society.

"The Chans and the Reyeses are very different." Cedric said with a sigh as he walked up to his wife. "Our traditions and beliefs are quite distant."

"If people didn't know you guys they would wonder how you and Miguel ever became friends." Adrianna said with a laugh.

"Our parents are way more open minded than our grandparents." Cedric said as he took a necklace on Adrianna's dresser and placed it on her. It was the very same one that his mother had given to Adrianna as a gift.

"I thank God every day that I met you." Adrianna said as she looked up and smiled at Cedric. "I might have thought you were someone else back then, but you helped me see that it's not what's on the outside that matters, but what's on the inside."

"Don't worry Adri, I'm still the same guy as before. I'm just rich now." Cedric said with a laugh.

Adrianna rolled her eyes at her husband and did some last minute checks on her make up.

"Let's go, honey." Cedric said as he pulled his wife out of their room. 

"The maid said Yoyo is already fast asleep, at least we have one less thing to worry about." Adrianna said with a shrug as they descended in the elevator.

Since it was Grandpa Chan's birthday all the parents were invited, the Chans had even invited both the Hernandezes and the Ramirezes because their children had made such good matches.

By the time Cedric and Adrianna made it to the driveway they were greeted by Gracia and Charles Hernandez. Cedric's father, Emilio Reyes, would be coming from the old mansion together with his aunt and his grandfather.

"Why aren't your grandmother and uncle coming?" Gracia asked Cedric as they got into the car.

"Well, my grandmother has bad blood with Grandpa Chan, while uncle Anastacio hates events like these." Cedric said with a shrug. "He only attends if it's really important."

"How does your grandmother have bad blood with Grandpa Chan?" Adrianna asked Cedric.

"That's a very funny and awkward story, do you want to hear it?" Cedric asked Adrianna and her parents.

All three nodded, eager to hear gossip about the elders of the two families. 

"Well, my grandma worked for the Chans for a while when she was younger." Cedric explained as he remembered the story his grandmother had told him with an embarrassed face. "While she was there, the handsome young heir of the Chan family, a promising doctor fell for her."

"Oh my." Gracia Hernandez said with a gasp. 

"Yup." Cedric said with a laugh. "Standards and practices back then were very different. If a rich young man wanted you, you said yes and hoped he would marry you, and Grandpa Chan promised my Grandma just that. If she lets him, he would marry her."

"Why do I have a bad feeling about this story?" Adrianna groaned. 

"Because it's not exactly the nicest story." Cedrid said with a laugh.

"Adri, let your husband continue." Charles Hernandez said, scolding his daughter.

"Anyway, my grandma refused, and Grandpa Chan was appalled, he had never been refused by a woman before." Cedric explained. "He did everything to woo her, to win her heart, until one day she agreed."

"No!" Adrianna said in shock.

"Yes, grandma agreed to meet him in the garden outside the Chan house, the very same house we are going to." Cedric said with a knowing grin. 

"So they met?" Gracia Hernandez asked her son-in-law.

"Grandpa Chan went to wait for her at the garden, and he waited, and waited, and she never showed." Cedric said with a shrug.

"Ancient ghosting." Adrianna said with a laugh.

"The next day, Grandpa Chan searched for her in the house, in the city, but she was nowhere to be found. He was so angry that she had embarrassed him that he swore if he ever saw her again he would ruin her life." Cedric explained.

"So that's why they hate each other?" Adrianna asked.

"No." Cedric said, shaking his head. "Years later, Grandpa Chan meets up with his childhood best friend, the man he trusted above everyone, my grandfather Emilio Reyes II, and his wife, the woman who embarrassed Grandpa Chan."