Benjamin couldn't answer her. He had always sided with Sussan and Celia, and he had never really listened to what Grace had to say. Was that one of the reasons she had divorced him?Guilt flooded him when he thought about that. "Apologize," he ordered Celia with a stormy look. She lowered her head but refused to speak.Aaron came to Grace's side. He had a domineering expression on his face and was clearly seething."You think you can heal three years of humiliation and the slander you've spread after the divorce?" After the bullying Grace had suffered at the hands of the Hawkins, the mere sight of them disgusted him. When his eyes landed on Yvonne, he said, "I've already found the culprit who slandered one of my company's executives."Yvonne nervously tugged at her dress under Aaron's frigid gaze. It couldn't be. There was no way they knew it was her. She had sent those photos anonymously, so she couldn't have gotten exposed."The article was completely baseless and
"Benjamin, why are you negotiating with that unlucky jinx?" Susan grabbed Benjamin's arm. She had never seen him speak so humbly or so open to discussing things with Grace.Besides, Grace had always the one to follow their orders. Why had things changed?She marched over to Grace with an arrogant expression and tone. "So what if we're slandering you? What reputation do you even have? "You didn't say anything back when our family was yelling at you!" Susan screeched.But when she noticed Benjamin's expression fall, she realized her mistake.She had just exposed her attitude toward Grace for the past three years.Aaron couldn't take it anymore and glanced at Grace from the side."This is the mother-in-law and sister-in-law you've taken care of for the past three years? What kind of people have you been serving?" he asked.Then he remembered his sister's embarrassment and composed himself. "It's your choice, but if you end up embarrassing the family, I'll hold you responsible."
At that moment, the police showed up and walked over once they confirmed who they were supposed to arrest. "Celia Hawkins, Yvonne Quine, please come with us," a police officer said.Susan quickly tried to stop them when she realized they were going to take Celia and Yvonne away.However, she accidentally tripped over her dress instead. She fell and hit her head, passing out instantly.The police took Celia and Yvonne away while Benjamin carried an unconscious Susan out, bringing the whole fiasco to an end.Now that the ones who should have left were gone, Aaron took Grace to the center of the hall before introducing her."Good evening, everyone. Ms. Grace Lewis has already quit her position as secretary to the president of Hawkins Group."She is now the general manager of Amirate Corporation's Pamore branch. I hope we'll get to work together in the future." Aaron said.He had barely finished talking when the crowd started to whisper amongst themselves."Ms. Lewis sure rises t
On the other hand, the Hawkins family was in a gloomy state. Benjamin was sitting on the couch with a stormy look, and he hadn't said a word in ages. He had just come back from the police station after bailing Yvonne out. He had paid for the boutique's damages, but Grace had insisted on pressing charges because the damage had been too much. Celia was probably going to jail. Benjamin's lawyer estimated her sentence would last at least three years.Susan had just woken up. When she heard that her daughter was going to jail for at least three years, she was shocked."Listen to me, Benjamin! Your sister cannot go to prison!" Susan said shakily, in disbelief. "She's so young, she can't spend her days with those criminals. She would lose her mind!"Son, can't you go talk to Grace? If push came to shove, all you have to do is play nice and let her feel good for a few days, just enough to agree to settling out of court, okay?" she asked.Her tone was almost pleading. It seemed li
"Larry has already contacted a hospital in Frenda. You'll leave for Frenda in three days."Yvonne was reluctant to go abroad. She begged him softly, "I don't want to go, Benjamin. I want to stay here with you and the baby."Benjamin's expression never changed. He didn't budge, so Yvonne grabbed his arm and started crying."Even if you won't do it for the baby, do it for my sister, Danielle. She only died because of her association with your family. You can't do this to me …""I know we were responsible for her death, but you still need to leave."Yvonne slumped onto the couch in response. Benjamin was feeling suffocated under the weight of the sins that had been committed in his house. Just then, Timothy's call came right on time."Bro, have you checked social media?" Timothy asked on the other end. At first, Benjamin thought he was talking about the article that had insulted Grace, so he said, "That's fake news. The police have already asked to take it down.""Are we even t
It was her. The interesting lady he had met on the roof. Timothy stopped and stared. The woman's drawl was ringing out throughout the bar, and she was singing a popular blues song called "Pretty and Young".She sat there on a stool with the spotlight on her beautiful face, swaying as her red lips sang a song that took the audience on a nostalgic journey.As Timothy listened, he remembered seeing Grace crying on the roof. That night, her teary eyes had added a touch of sadness to her beauty, a look that could break many hearts. Timothy didn't realize how much he was staring.His thoughts got further and further away from him. Meanwhile, Emily yelled from beneath the stage. "That's too sad, babe! I'm about to cry! Put on something happier!" Grace winked at her best friend. "No problem, I'm on it." After that, she began singing "Party in the House".As she sang, she smiled cheerfully, and her feet danced to the beat. It made her look as cheeky as the lyrics sounded.The song
Her phone buzzed. When she looked at it, she saw a text from Caleb. It read, "Did you miss me, Gracie? Your beloved brother, Caleb, misses you so much! See you in Frenda!" Grace shuddered before replying, "No." After sending that text, she told her assistant, "Just collect the roses for me and give them out to the ladies in our company.""Alright." The assistant turned and left. Grace continued to read documents until Cameron walked in."Good afternoon, Ms. Lewis." Cameron handed her a file, a hint of cunning flashing in his eyes. "This is our profit and loss statement for the month."Grace didn't take the file. Instead, she simply gave Cameron a blank stare. "Is there something you want to say, Mr. Luther?"Then, she glanced at the document in Cameron's hand. "You could have just given this to my assistant. Why go to all this trouble?"Cameron's smile widened, and he pretended to be nervous. "You see, Ms. Lewis, I wanted to apologize for being unable to recognize you du
The stench of cigarettes overwhelmed Grace so much that she instinctively scooted over to the next seat to put some distance between herself and Cameron.When she looked up, she could see the yellow plaque on Cameron’s teeth. It made her want to throw up. Middle-aged men looked fine from afar, but she didn’t think they would be this disgusting in reality."What do you mean by that? Are you refusing to let me leave?" She held her breath as much as possible, not wanting to even breathe the same air as Cameron did."Getting together with the president of Amirate Corporation right after divorcing Mr. Hawkins? Bringing us to heel the moment you came back to Pamore? Impressive, Ms. Lewis."Grace raised an eyebrow, mockery dripping from her voice as she said, "Did you take me here just to praise me?""Of course not. I just wanted to know what it would be like to bed someone Benjamin Hawkins had slept with before." Cameron smiled with obvious lust, staring at Grace the whole time.A
"Well, it's just that since Mrs. Jarvis introduced me to Ms. Lewis last time, I haven't had the chance to say thanks."The elevator doors opened then, and Dexter left after saying this.…After two hours of emergency treatment, Diana clung to a thread of life. Grace walked out, exhausted, and saw the angry figure of Dexter.Coincidentally, Dexter saw her as well. He turned and called out to her, "Ms. Lewis."Dexter, known for being stern and upright, suddenly smiled, which surprised Grace. "Mr. Hamilton.""You don't need to address me like that outside of work. Just call me by my name."As he had a higher seniority than her, Grace didn't dare be casual. "Are you here visiting a patient?"The weather was nice today. Standing in the sunlight, Grace's complexion was shining, seemingly hovering between youthfulness and freshness. She seemed even more beautiful than the flowers.Dexter suddenly recalled something Orson had said, and his expression darkened momentarily."I must ask
"Mr. Fulton, this.."The guard looked hesitantly at Benjamin lying on the ground and frowned."Isn't this a hospital? He won't die."As Xander said this, he coincidentally met the gaze of a nearby doctor. The doctor flinched and instinctively took a step back."Xander—" Benjamin's call suddenly came from behind as Xander took a step forward."Even if you deal with me, can you handle Alexander?"Benjamin's voice was filled with resentment and self-mockery. He lay flat on his back on the ground, staring at the ceiling. "My elder brother seems to avoid fighting, but if he does, you're no match for him."Xander paused momentarily, then continued to walk away without looking back or responding.Hazel followed closely. "Benjamin doesn't seem to be joking. Could there be a backup plan?""Someone needs to take over to completely deal with the Hawkins family. Let's see if the eldest son of the Hawkins family is willing to step up."As Xander entered the elevator, he coincidentally met
At the entrance, the police saw what was happening and moved to intervene but were stopped. A signal to hold back was given. "Don't worry. Mr. Fulton won't cause any fatalities.""Especially since you dared to make a move against Grace." Xander gave a cold laugh. "She spent a few days in prison, so I'll make sure you repay that a thousand times over.""Xander—"Grace brought this on herself. She even dared to investigate the Hawkins family, to dig into the past of the previous Mrs. Hawkins, to investigate Alexander!" Benjamin endured the pain he felt and was on the verge of a breakdown. "By the way, do you know who Alexander is? And the person he loves the most."Xander's face turned ashen, and he applied more force, causing Benjamin to scream in agony."If you were in my position, you would do the same." Benjamin struggled to speak. "Besides, don't you want Alexander to disappear? Don't you want Grace to be yours and only yours?"Xander remained silent, looking around disdainful
A commotion broke out again outside the hospital room. At the same moment, the medical equipment started beeping urgently. Reina's face turned pale with fright as she threw herself onto Diana. "Di Di! Doctor! Someone come quickly!"In a panic, Grace rushed out and pounded on Cael's office door. "Bed 24, Dr. Simpson! Di Di is not doing well!"Cael immediately hurried over with the nurses.Grace was pushed into a corner by the crowd. She leaned against the wall, her face filled with melancholy. This scene did not escape the eyes of someone hidden in a corner, who also felt a sense of wistfulness.She didn't notice the figure cast long shadows in the light, with her being the sole focus in their view.…Meanwhile, in another building, police stood guard at the hospital room door where Benjamin was confined. His face was haggard and unshaven, and he no longer looked like the well-dressed Benjamin Hawkins.Instead, he resembled a prisoner.Before entering, Xander asked, "What's the
"If it were as usual, working for these wealthy families would keep money in my hands. But after Di Di's incident, our whole family got crushed. Her father wanted to give up, but I couldn't, so we divorced.""When I worked at the Hawkins family, both Mr. Hawkins and Mrs. Hawkins treated me well. Mrs. Hawkins knew about Di Di's situation and kept giving me money, but it was never enough. One day, I accidentally stumbled upon Mr. Hawkins having an affair with Susan…"Reina recalled the past with a look of melancholy on her face. "Susan gave me hush money and promised another payment if I did something for her."Grace had a hunch after hearing this. "She wanted you to frame Mrs. Hawkins, who was pregnant at the time.""I didn't want to." Reina shook her head, clearly pained. "But I have a daughter. I couldn't lose Di Di. I needed that money."Even as a mother herself, she could actually harm Felicia Wilson, Alexander's mother."The Hawkins family is wealthy. If you had told Mrs. Haw
Grace thought about it. So that's what happened."So you had someone beat him up?""I forgot to ask. Which hand did he touch you with?" Xander asked seriously.She thought for a moment. "The left hand? I can't remember exactly.""No problem. Both hands were hit," Xander said casually as if discussing the weather. Grace remembered the content of that video. Orson was clearly heavily injured and beaten mercilessly.Luckily, he got what he deserved. Xander had fiercely avenged her.The coat slipped off, revealing her outfit for the day. Xander glanced at it and said, "You're going out."Grace didn't deny it. She thought of today's matter with Celia. "Benjamin was released for medical treatment. I want to see him."Since it had come to this point, a meeting with him was reasonable.Xander leaned back on the couch, not speaking for a moment, his jaw clenched tight. He seemed to be contemplating something, or perhaps he was angry.Grace couldn't be sure, but she was resolute. "I
An hour later, Xander concluded the negotiations, with the partnership successfully sealed and the contract signed that day.He personally escorted the clients to the elevator and then returned to his office. Hazel approached cautiously with a cup of coffee. "Mr. Fulton.""Speak." Xander didn't look up from his documents."Ms. Lewis came by."He looked up at Hazel, his expression shifting. "Where is she?""She wanted to see you directly, but since the contract wasn't finalized, I didn't dare let her in to disturb you, so I…""I asked where she is."His gaze was icy, cutting her off mid-sentence.Hazel immediately lowered her head. "She's in the lounge."He stood up abruptly and headed straight for the lounge, leaving a stern warning, "If you take matters into your own hands again, resign."Hazel was left stunned.Grace hadn't left. Exhausted from the sleepless night, she lay on Futurelink's large couch, lost in thought.When Xander entered, he saw her fragile figure, as if
"What is it?""Ms. Lewis, I just received news that Orson from the municipal bureau is in trouble…"Grace's expression changed. She had just seen him last night. How could something have happened so suddenly? Her first thought was of Xander.Luke sent her a video.It was night time In the video, the street outside a bar was brightly lit, and neon signs flashed from the tall buildings. The place was bustling with people. The videographer had been capturing the night scene when suddenly, the sound of roaring engines was heard—Orson stepped out of a car, dressed formally, and entered a club discreetly. But within minutes, he was kicked out, landing heavily on the ground.Approaching him were five or six masked men in black, clearly part of an organized group of thugs. Orson screamed in fear, "Who are you?"Two men grabbed him, while the others began beating him badly. His screams echoed through the street, and it was clear they were showing no mercy.Blood pooled on the ground.
With nothing better to do, Grace nodded. "Let's watch."Caleb led her out the door.The leading actress of the film they were heading to was a friend of Caleb's in the industry, which allowed him to visit the set under the guise of catching up. As their car parked at the entrance, they saw a throng of reporters pushing their way inside.Celia wore a hat and mask. She was dragging a suitcase, and she looked disheveled and desperate. "You can't fire me! I'm the second female lead! The film is almost finished! You're breaching the contract!""You caused a scandal. That's the real breach of contract. It's a good thing we're not asking you for damage compensation! Get out, get out!"The staff were shoving her out.Reporters swarmed her. "Celia, how do you respond to the video online?""Is it true you have a sugar daddy?""Celia, Celia!""Shut up!" Celia screamed, her hair a mess. "It's fake, all fake! I'm an actress, how could I do such things?""But the video…"Celia lashed out,