Benjamin and Grace looked up. To their surprise, they saw Xander standing there. He wore a black coat and looked dashing in the bustling atmosphere. Grace instinctively stood up and asked, "Xander, why did you come here?" Xander didn't answer her. Instead, he spoke to Benjamin. "Mr. Hawkins, you're in the way." Benjamin's long legs were stretched out, blocking Xander's path. He didn't retract them immediately. His presence was just as imposing as Xander's. "It's blocked because this isn't the way you should be going."The two exceptional men confronted each other, attracting attention from passersby. "Maybe it's not the path I should take. But the person I want is here, so I have to pass," Xander stated clearly. Benjamin frowned. "How do you know that the person you want also wants you?" At this, Xander laughed and looked toward Grace. "Are you going to stay here or leave with me?" Grace felt a chill run down her spine. She knew Xander rarely came to such places. He
Benjamin's gaze gradually darkened. He stood in place for a long time before he finally made a call. "When did Xander come back? Why wasn't I informed?" … Outside, the weather was cold. Grace stood at the door, her breath forming a wisp of white mist. Half of her face was buried in her scarf, only revealing a pair of coy eyes, which made her look rather pitiable. Xander walked up to her. "Why aren't you getting in the car?" Grace replied irritably, "I have a car." Xander looked at her and covered her hand with his own, warming it. "I haven't slept since last night. Humor me, won't you? Don't be angry." Grace grew even angrier. "Thanks to you, I haven't slept either!" Xander chuckled. "I'm sorry, it's all my fault."His complexion was already pale. Since he was wearing a black coat, it made his face look even more ashen—somewhat sickly even. Grace's heart softened a bit. "How did you know that I was here?" Xander glanced in the direction where Hazel was waiting. "
Grace lifted her face. Her breath left a mist in the air, partially obscuring her view. After a long time, she asked, "Why didn't you tell me?" "Back then, you said you wouldn't marry anyone but him." Grace closed her eyes and came to a realization. "No wonder I never heard from you after that." "The night you got married, I promised my father that I would join Fulton Group and put my focus on work. Within two years, I joined the board of directors, becoming one of the nine members." Hazel drove the car, following Grace and Xander from a distance. The headlights illuminated the two and cast a long shadow on the street, resembling the years that had passed. "Work numbed a lot of my pain, but more often than not, I felt regretful. "So much so that when I learned about your divorce, I dropped everything and came to Pamore. I established Futurelink and kept seeing you using that as an excuse. "Whenever I heard that you weren't doing well with the Hawkins family, it cut me l
Back at Grace's house, Lydia was so excited after listening to what had happened that she couldn't fall asleep. "Oh my gosh, is this a movie? I can't believe love like this exists!" Grace smiled without saying a word, her mind filled with thoughts of Xander. Lydia typed rapidly on her phone until Grace stopped her. "What are you doing?" "This is big news. Of course, I have to share it!" She was about to send it to their group chat, but Grace stopped her. "Don't mention anything yet." "Why?" Lydia couldn't understand. "Your relationship is confirmed now. Unless …" "It's not that." Grace deleted the text Lydia had typed. She was struggling to articulate her feelings. "It's just that our relationship isn't stable yet. Let's wait until it is."Lydia thoughtfully studied Grace's expression. "Gracie, are you still unsure of him? You know, it's been years. It's not like the movies, where it passes in the blink of an eye. "This has finally happened after a long, painful wait.
Even thought Grace had had several sleepless nights, she had little time to rest. When she reached Amirate Corporation the next afternoon, Luke had been waiting for her for quite some time. He immediately said, "Ms. Lewis, the issue with Byte Technologies has been resolved." Grace was surprised. "Resolved?" She had contacted Amirate Corporation's overseas clients, but she hadn't expected things to be settled so quickly. Luke smiled and said, "They said two groups of influential clients suddenly joined in. I looked into it. One of the groups belongs to Fulton Group, and the other is Hawkins Group's overseas clients." Grace immediately understood why Luke was smiling. She wasn't surprised that Xander had helped her, but Benjamin's willingness to step in despite the circumstances was somewhat unexpected."That's enough. With those clients and Amirate's connections, Byte Technologies can operate overseas." "And the Hawkins Group ..." Grace fell silent for a moment. "He owes
Caleb was skeptical. "Really? It's not with that Fulton kid?" "No!" Grace broke free. She gathered from his tone that Lydia probably hadn't told him. Caleb scrutinized her for a few seconds before finally letting her go. Then, he reached out to touch her forehead. "You look pale. Did you not sleep well?" Grace didn't dare mention what she had been talking about with Xander. So she said, "I haven't even interrogated you about Lydia, yet you're here questioning me. Isn't that inappropriate?"At the mention of this, Caleb clicked his tongue. "You already know everything. What's there to say?" "I don't know enough details, so of course we need to talk!" Just then, Luke knocked on the door. "Ms. Lewis, we have to inspect the venue for the gala at 3:00 pm. It's almost time." Grace nodded and linked arms with Caleb. "Come with me! We'll talk on the way." "I didn't agree to this!" Ignoring Caleb's protests, Grace pulled him along with her. "It's the perfect chance to boost the
The construction site wasn't far from the venue. Jessica happened to be inspecting the site today. As soon as Grace and Caleb stepped out, she recognized them. Ryan was groveling before her. He carefully observed her expression. "Ms. Landon, what are you looking at?" Jessica's expression turned dark. "I'm waiting for your head to be put on a silver platter." Ryan was shocked and said, "The job is done, and all the men in the crew are my people. There's absolutely no chance of the news leaking. Ms. Landon, please don't scare me." Jessica huffed, glaring at Ryan. "You dragged me onto this sinking ship, but have you thought about how you're going to get off?" Ryan was sweating profusely. "Ms. Landon, please be clear with me." "I don't care how you do it. Just make sure you get the money soon! We can't mess around with this project." Although Jessica wasn't very rational, she had this much sense. If things were investigated later, they could be imprisoned! Ryan trembled and
Within the time it took to brew a pot of tea, Luke had invited Quentin to the teahouse. Quinn got out of his car and nodded at Luke. "Please accept my apologies. Ms. Lewis invited me so suddenly that I had to come empty-handed." Luke was very composed and answered, "Ms. Lewis isn't one to fuss over these things. We're just glad you could come." Quentin followed Luke into the teahouse, wiping the sweat from his forehead and glancing around nervously. He had been drinking with a client when his assistant informed him that someone important wanted to meet him. He had rushed over without wasting any time. He hadn't even managed to ask what it was about. "Thank you, Mr. Zieglar. Does Ms. Lewis want something from me?" Luke led the way and said, "You'll know when you meet her." Quentin was anxious.Luke opened the door. A pot of tea was simmering on the table, bubbling softly. The steam rising from it complemented the early winter weather outside the window. Grace sat at