I have a husband?

A vulnerable elderly woman, looking a little distressed, in the middle of the street, would surely attract attention. A scam like this existed in Gigi's previous world. And for someone like her to fall for it? She was speechless.

But what else could she do?

In the end, Gigi and Bubbles found themselves back in the car with the elderly woman.

The old woman sat in the back seat, her eyes shimmering as she gazed at Gigi happily. She stroked Gigi's head and brushed her cheek with the back of her hand affectionately.

"..."

Gigi slowly turned to face Bubbles, tempted to blame her for not stopping this. After all, Bubbles hadn't even stopped her from driving this car—despite knowing Gigi had never driven in her entire life.

Then again, pulling over and jumping out of the car to help the old woman was entirely Gigi's fault.

"Grandma, I think you're mistaken," said Bubbles, looking back at the elderly woman. "My young miss isn't your granddaughter."

The old woman frowned. "How is that possible?! I know my granddaughter!" Then she turned to Gigi, her expression instantly softening with affection. "My granddaughter is the prettiest and the kindest, like a pearl deep in the ocean."

"Young Miss, what should we do?" Bubbles asked, turning to Gigi, who had already given up after trying once. "Should we just leave her here?"

"Grandma, I'm not your—" Gigi stopped when she saw sadness and disappointment creeping into the elderly woman's eyes. She sighed. "Well, Grandma, do you have an identification card? Or someone we could call to let them know you're fine?"

Or they could just take her to the police and let them handle it.

"I have!" The grandma beamed, then added stubbornly, "But I'm not going back there. I want to be with my granddaughter! My granddaughter will take care of me, and I will take care of her!"

Bubbles: "..."

Gigi: "..."

This was definitely a scam.

Still, Gigi maintained a small smile while Bubbles frowned.

"Grandma, have you had lunch?" Gigi asked. "Bubbles and I were just about to eat. Why don't you join us?"

The old woman nodded eagerly. "I'll go wherever my granddaughter goes!"

And just like that, Gigi drove to a nearby restaurant, hoping to figure out what to do with the old lady.

*****

Watching the old woman eat, Gigi wasn't sure if the old woman was vulnerable or just extremely hungry. After all, the grandma ate like she could devour an entire family's fortune.

Bubbles, on the other hand, ate discreetly while keeping an eye on her. Every so often, she would glance at Gigi with a questioning look.

Both of them knew they couldn't just take in the old woman—especially when they already suspected this was a scam. Perhaps it was a modus operandi to prey on empathetic people who sympathized with the elderly. Even so, Gigi wasn't worried about being victimized. She had dealt with the most ruthless felons back in her world.

"This food is really nice!" The old woman smiled in satisfaction and looked at Gigi. "My granddaughter, why aren't you eating?"

"I am, Grandma."

"You have to eat plenty! Otherwise, you might get sick!"

"She's right, Young Miss." Bubbles nodded. "You should eat plenty since you're still recovering."

"Recovering?"

Bubbles cast the old woman a look and explained, "My Young Miss was hospitalized because she almost died. Someone tried to kill her! She just got discharged last night."

"Unforgivable!" the old woman roared, her anger evident. "Who dared to harm my granddaughter?"

"It's that woman!" Bubbles declared. "After everything my Young Miss had given her, she still did the unspeakable!"

"Whoever did that deserves to be put in prison!"

"And rot there!"

Gigi watched as Bubbles and the old woman magically bonded over this personal revelation. She hadn't been worried about being scammed, but Bubbles just had to blurt out something like that to a complete stranger.

"What?!" the old woman gasped, darting her eyes between Bubbles and Gigi. "My granddaughter let that woman go?!"

Bubbles nodded, her expression a mix of bitterness and disapproval. "My Young Miss has a big heart. That's why people take advantage of her."

"Oh, my child!" The grandma dramatically reached out and held Gigi's hand. "My poor child. You must have suffered a lot, haven't you?"

"Not really…"

"Don't worry. Since Grandma is here now, I will ask your husband to stand up for you," the old woman reassured her with a firm nod. "Once he finds out what happened, he will not let this slide."

Bubbles nodded in agreement. "My Young Miss is too forgiving. I agree—her husband should protect his wife."

"??"

Gigi's thoughts filled with question marks as she listened to the two of them go back and forth. Slowly, she pointed at herself, eyebrows raised.