Noella and Palmer had barely left the hospital when Lucian made his appearance.
Seeing his grandson lying in bed with his leg encased in a cast, Lucian paced back and forth in frustration.
"What on earth have you been doing, Lorne? How did I raise you to get into such messes? Did I ever encourage you to get involved in such reckless escapades?"
Lorne had been brought up under Lucian's watchful eye, leaving for studies abroad at the tender age of eight. Lucian had always felt instrumental in molding Lorne from his earliest years. Yet now, his grandson seemed like a stranger.
Lorne kept his eyes shut, offering no words in his defense.
Lucian's face flushed with a mix of anger and embarrassment.
"Think about your actions, Lorne. You're old enough to understand right from wrong. You've deeply disappointed me!"
Already advanced in years, Lucian found himself apologizing to Tristan, a younger member of another family.
After a series of calls, including a rather sarcastic berating from Marcel, Lucian found himself, for the first time, unable to retort.
Raising a grandson who brought shame upon the family was beyond embarrassing for Lucian.
Marcel was furious, and even Merrick joined in to scold Lorne over the phone.
"Your grandson must apologize to my granddaughter! Lucian, I'm telling you, I can't be at ease letting Elara return to the Richardson family under these circumstances."
Perhaps feeling a bit sympathetic towards Lucian after the rant, Merrick offered some consolation.
"Let it go, Lucian. Kids have their own journeys. Don't overthink it. But your grandson must make it right for my granddaughter. Even a beating would be too lenient for him!"
Lucian felt as though he was the one in need of forgiveness.
After making amends with Noella and Palmer, thanks to Elara, they agreed to let Lorne off the hook this time.
Feeling exhausted, Lucian sat down and advised, "Ah, Lorne, I'm getting too old for this. I can't keep cleaning up after you. I've swallowed my pride this time, but you need to start behaving."
Hearing Lucian's voice, aged significantly from stress, Lorne hesitated.
Lucian sighed deeply.
"I'll call your brother back. You and he will have to sort out the family business mess together."
The Richardson family's businesses were under scrutiny, and Lucian had no choice but to summon Lorne's brother back home to prevent Lorne from facing legal troubles. The thought of his grandson possibly ending up in a dire situation pained Lucian profoundly.
Opening his eyes and seeing Lucian's visibly aged appearance, Lorne felt a pang of guilt. But then, he reflected on his actions. He had done everything for the sake of the Richardson family, so why should Bowie Richardson be called back? Lorne had always felt overshadowed by Bowie in every aspect of his life.
Clutching his fists, Lorne adopted a remorseful expression.
Lucian spoke sternly, reprimanding Lorne. "Ah, Lorne, I'm only covering for you this one time. If you don't learn from this, I won't be there to save you next time. Do you understand?"
"Grandpa, I... I want to call Grandpa Sexton and apologize." Lorne's voice was hoarse. "Grandpa, it's all my fault. I've wronged Noella and Elara."
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