Sign the Papers Mr. Langford novel Chapter 187

Wren was in the middle of reviewing mediation files with Mr. Lawson when Southpoint Manor called.

Mr. Lawson slid a custody evaluation document toward her, tapping his pen on a blank section. "It's best if we add a record of Mr. Langford's recent involvement in Leo's affairs here."

Wren was about to reply when her phone rang.

It was Southpoint Manor.

She answered.

The caretaker's voice was hushed and urgent. "Ms. Whitaker, can you come over? Grandmother Langford has... visitors from the family."

Wren stood up immediately. "Who?"

The line went silent for a second.

"Ms. Langford, and the young master."

Wren's hand froze halfway to her purse.

"Leo?"

"Yes. The boy doesn't look well."

Seeing the look on her face, Mr. Lawson closed the file. "I'll go with you."

Wren didn't refuse.

Halfway there, Ms. Miller called.

"Ms. Whitaker, Leo was picked up by the Langfords around noon today. They didn't clarify the reason beforehand, and I only just realized it wasn't Mr. Langford who took him."

Wren gripped her phone, staring out the window.

"Who signed him out?"

"Ms. Langford."

Ms. Miller sounded deeply troubled. "Legally, she's allowed to take him, but Leo really didn't want to go. He kept saying he had science class this afternoon."

Wren squeezed her eyes shut.

"I understand."

Southpoint Manor was located halfway up the mountain.

By the time they parked, the sky was a bruised, ominous gray. When Wren rushed through the entrance, the caretaker was already waiting in the lobby. Seeing her, the woman visibly relaxed.

"Grandmother Langford is in the small parlor."

The door was slightly ajar.

Eleanor's voice drifted through the crack.

"Mother, look at the absolute circus she's making. She's torn The Whitaker Estate apart, and she's dragging the Langfords' reputation through the mud. Mediation is just around the corner, and she refuses to yield an inch."

Wren stepped up to the door.

Leo was perched on a tiny stool by the window, his backpack resting on his knees, his small hands clutching the straps in a death grip. Willow stood beside Eleanor, holding a thermal lunchbox.

Margaret Langford leaned back in her wheelchair, looking incredibly frail.

Hearing footsteps, Leo was the first to look up.

"Mom."

He scrambled to his feet, the stool scraping loudly against the floor.

Eleanor turned around, her expression instantly darkening. "Well, aren't you quick."

Wren ignored her completely, walking straight to Leo.

"Did you eat lunch?"

Leo shook his head, then quickly nodded. "I had a few bites."

Wren examined his face.

He had obviously been crying; his eyelids were slightly swollen.

She knelt down, gently prying his fingers off the backpack straps. He was gripping them so hard his knuckles were stark white.

"Go wait outside for me. Mr. Lawson is right by the door."

Leo cast a terrified glance at Eleanor.

Eleanor frowned deeply. "He is a Langford. What, he can't even listen to his elders speak?"

Suddenly, Margaret let out a harsh cough.

The caretaker rushed to support her. "Margaret, please take a deep breath."

Margaret waved her off, fixing a devastating glare on Eleanor.

"Who told you to bring the boy here?"

Eleanor faltered. "Mother, I was just thinking..."

"I asked who told you to bring him here."

Eleanor's composure cracked. "Leo is your great-grandson. What's wrong with him paying you a visit?"

Margaret stared at her for a long, agonizing moment.

"If you truly brought him here just to see me, you wouldn't have screamed all that filth in front of him."

Eleanor's face hardened into a mask of humiliation.

Willow kept her head down, utterly silent.

Margaret rested her hand on the armrest of her wheelchair, her skin terrifyingly thin. She looked at Wren, her eyes brimming with sheer exhaustion and deep apology.

"Wren. Take Leo home."

Eleanor panicked. "Mother!"

Margaret ignored her entirely.

"And you," she rasped, catching her breath. "Stop coming here trying to parade Langford family dignity. I am old, Eleanor, not blind."

The room was so silent the only sound was the caretaker packing away the blood pressure cuff.

A lump formed in Wren's throat.

She didn't say another word, simply leaning down to pull the blanket higher up over the older woman's shoulders.

"I'll come visit you another day."

Margaret grabbed her hand.