Grace glanced over Willow's statement, which closely aligned with their plan. In it, Willow had taken all the responsibility upon herself and revealed that Matthew had been unaware of the situation. But upon learning the truth, he had fulfilled his paternal duties. To express her regret, she chose to retire indefinitely. Esme had managed to take down Willow in less than two hours. Grace breathed a sigh of relief. At that moment, Esme called, "I've taken the child." "Congratulations, Mrs. Thorne. You've gotten what you wanted.""I've done what you asked. With my influence, Willow will never show her face in society again. You can rest easy." Grace smiled, looking out over the cityscape from the floor-to-ceiling windows. "How did you persuade Willow?" Esme sounded almost bored as she explained, "A mother's greatest weakness is her child. I told her that if Matthew fell from grace, her child would have no future. "Faced with two ends, she naturally knew what to do. Of
Grace sounded very excited. "I'm not sleepy yet." "Let me guess, you've resolved the issue with Byte Technologies and can't sleep from excitement?" Grace was somewhat surprised. This matter had been resolved before the news reached overseas. "Did Matthew tell you?" Xander didn't answer. Instead, he said, "I have my ways of finding out. Just tell me if it's true." "Sort of," Grace admitted while fidgeting with a pillow in her arms. "I didn't want to tell you to avoid distracting you." "Ah, my Gracie has her ways of solving problems." His voice was magnetic and laced with affection. It made Grace flush. "What about you? Are things going smoothly there?" Smoothly? As Grace asked, Xander sat in his office at Fulton Group, bathed in sunlight, while Hazel brought him coffee and toast.Xander had shaken up Jake's connections within Fulton Group in just a few days and had almost reshuffled the entire company. No one dared to underestimate him as the future heir anymore.
In less than half a month, the Byte Technologies scandal had passed, and the collaboration with the company's overseas partners gradually smoothed out. Grace relaxed slightly. Samuel, on the other hand, was furious. He was clearly upset. His subordinates avoided him as much as possible, fearing they might trigger him. Luke chuckled at the mention of this. Grace also found it amusing as she thought about it. "How's the progress with the Eastwood property?" "No issues reported." Grace remembered Xander's words and pondered for a moment. After all, it was a government project, so there probably wouldn't be significant issues. But should she really let Samuel and Jessica profit from it?Grace had never expected to run into Jessica while shopping with Emily later. She was at a luxury store where many wealthy ladies were flocking to check out the new arrivals. They even bumped into Esme, who was accompanied by a young boy. He greeted Grace by addressing her as "Aunt". "You
Now, because of Grace's provocation, Jessica had to tighten her belt for the next three months. As Grace watched the commotion, she initially enjoyed the scene until she noticed the card Jessica used. Then, her smile faded. Emily noticed the change and asked, "What's wrong?" "That card. It looks familiar," Grace mused, unable to recall where she had seen it. Emily wanted a closer look, but Jessica had already tucked it away.Jessica approached Grace with a smug look, holding her new bag. "See, I've paid for it. Don't end up buying something cheaper than me, Ms. Lewis. That would be quite embarrassing!" Grace remained unfazed and walked into the store, instructing the clerk to wrap up a handbag she had previously eyed. It was a medium-priced bag she liked for its unique and elegant design. Jessica scoffed. "That’s only two thousand dollars. That's all?" Grace looked puzzled and answered, "I'm here to pick something I like, not to compete with you, Ms. Landon. Is there a
It was the end of the month, and the construction of the Eastwood property had begun to slow down. Desperate, Jessica had visited the construction site several times and gradually uncovered some shady dealings. After shopping, she returned home to find a car parked at her doorstep. Pushing the door open, she saw a burly figure inside. "Ryan? What brings you here so suddenly?" Ryan Madden, president of Eastwood Construction, turned around and immediately kneeled before her. "Ms. Landon, please, you must help me!" Jessica's expression turned sour.… Five minutes later, Jessica swept everything off the table onto the floor in a fit of rage. "This is a government project, and you dared to misuse the funds! Are you out of your mind?" Ryan kneeled with his head lowered and explained, "I never meant to use so much of the money. But then the hole just kept getting bigger, and I couldn't plug it." Shaking with anger and breaking out in cold sweat, Jessica demanded, "How muc
"I understand. I'll think about it when the news is verified." Jessica turned away. However, Benjamin wasn't in a hurry to leave. He looked toward the restroom again and asked, "Can I use it?" "I've already said there are rats in there. You're not used to such things. It's better not to use it." "Rats aren't a problem, Danielle. What matters is removing them in time." Benjamin wanted to help her. He left those words of advice and turned to leave. As he drove away, Jessica breathed a sigh of relief. Cold sweat dripped down her back, making her feel very uncomfortable. "You can come out."Ryan emerged from the restroom, equally drenched in sweat. He knelt on the ground and begged, "Ms. Landon, you must save me!" Jessica kicked him and shrieked, "Didn't you hear? Even Benjamin knows about what happened! I wanted to cover for you, but if there's no money in the account when the time comes, I won't be able to hide it." Ryan hurriedly said, "It's possible! I told you I
"I'll just take a look. I won't participate." The women played with high stakes. Grace sat on the right, seemingly focused on the game. But in reality, she wasn't paying attention at all. Before the round ended, the door opened. Matthew led the way in and asked Esme, "Have you won yet?" Esme scoffed. "You're asking too soon. The outcome isn't clear yet." Grace froze and stared at Benjamin behind him, whose eyes were also fixed on her. The lady sitting on the left also noticed him and asked, "Aren't you Mr. Hawkins? You're so young and promising, yet you're willing to watch us women play cards. You must find it amusing." Benjamin undid his coat and placed it aside, standing next to Grace."I don't find your game amusing. Clearly, you're skilled." The lady was delighted. Anyone would willingly accept praise from an attractive man. Grace pursed her lips and said, "Since Mr. Hawkins is interested in the game, maybe I should give up my seat. I feel a bit—" Before she coul
Both of them turned at the sound, only to see a commotion near the stage area as a crowd swarmed forward. Shocked, Grace exchanged a glance with Benjamin before they both rushed toward the commotion. "Henry has fallen into the water!" a staff member cried. The card game inside stopped as Matthew and Esme rushed out simultaneously. Benjamin grabbed a staff member. "What happened?" "Just now, Henry was feeding the fish by the lake. I turned away for a moment, and he fell in!" Henry was struggling in the water, crying, "Help! Help!"Benjamin narrowed his eyes. Then, he jumped in without hesitation. Grace barely had any time to stop him. He was a swimmer, but the lake was deep and dangerous. "Benjamin!" Benjamin struggled toward Henry. He grabbed Henry's hand and lifted him so his head was above the water. "Don't be afraid. I'm here." Henry gasped for air. Meanwhile, Matthew was frantic on the shore. "Hurry!"Thankfully, they weren't far from the shore. Benjamin soo