The next day, Noelle rushed to Amirate to tell Grace about what had happened the night before."Joshua has an official girlfriend that he's been seeing for about three or four months. However, the Iversons don't acknowledge her existence, and her background is unclear. They just treat it as him playing around."Grace was flipping through some documents. "For the Iversons, even both the Hawkins family and Hawkins Group put together are insignificant. "Besides, Benjamin had exiled Celia to Astana. How did she come back?"Noelle shook her head. "No one knows. I heard that Joshua erased all traces of her past."This was interesting. Was Celia really that capable?Grace twirled the pen in her hand. "How were things last night?""Joshua and Timothy were like oil and water. Timothy tried to trick him into slipping up but failed despite trying the entire night. He was furious."Grace couldn't help laughing at the idea that Timothy had failed for once."Celia was at the table playing
Celia heard Grace's voice and turned around slowly. "Oh, I see that the boutique's real owner is here."Grace was calm as she snatched the bag from Celia's hand. She scanned it with her phone. "The official website's scanner shows that it's authentic. What do you have to say?"Emily took Grace's arm. "She's doing it on purpose. She just wants to make trouble. I already scanned it earlier."Celia crossed her arms over her chest and said arrogantly, "Then, it must be damaged because you didn't store it properly. I'm not going to accept this bag. You must give me a full refund.""You're shameless!" Emily was so angry that her scalp prickled. She tried to push past Grace. Grace stopped her. "Ms. Hawkins, it's okay if you don't accept this bag. We can give you a full refund as well. I'll just let the official manufacturer know so that they will never custom-make anything for you from now on. How about it?"In other words, Celia would be blacklisted. Celia's expression changed. Th
"That's enough." Celia cut her off, looking sullen. She had suffered at Grace's hands before, and she knew that it was very likely that the latter indeed had a connection with Joshua's first love. She didn't dare risk it in front of so many people.Grace turned her phone in her hands.Celia approached her and said in a low voice, "Don't get too triumphant. There's more in store for you."Grace touched her hair, and her eyes shifted to the figure in the distance. "I'll be waiting."Celia turned around angrily and left the boutique with her posse. Silence fell at once. The smile dropped off of Grace's face. Noelle asked hurriedly, "Grace, does Joshua really have a first love?""I made it up."Emily laughed out loud. "I knew it! Only Celia would be dumb enough to be fooled by that. This just shows that she doesn't know Joshua well enough. She's just bluffing and putting on airs."At that moment, Jake and his female companion came up to them. The woman said, "I've come to get
Grace took a sharp breath.The photos were of the night Shawn had gone over to her house. It showed him massaging her feet, talking to her, and helping her up the stairs.The photos had been captured at angles that made them look like a couple.Grace's face turned pale. She once again lamented Jake's despicableness."This isn't the truth.""Even if it's not, Xander will see it that way."Jake flipped to the last photo, which showed Shawn standing alone in the yard. His figure looked lonely and forlorn. "Look at this one. Doesn't it look like post-sex calm?"Grace looked up, then suddenly slapped him across the face. The crisp sound echoed in the boutique.Luckily, there was no one else around.Jake turned his face to the side. As he licked the corner of his mouth, he tasted blood."Did you just hit me?""How shameless can you be? Do you think I'll succumb to your threats?""I haven't said what I want you to do. Why are you so anxious?"Grace's palm throbbed faintly. She ha
Grace sounded quite troubled.Just then, Spencer pushed the door open with some documents in his hands. He waited for Shawn to finish the call.Shawn raised his hand, gesturing for Spencer to sit first, while he walked to the window. "How important is the relationship?"Grace blurted out, "Very important.""How serious is the threat?"Grace didn't dare say that the matter was related to him. She swallowed and said, "It doesn't involve a life-or-death situation. It's a business competition at most."Shawn had a clear idea of the situation now. "If it were me, I would choose to endure it and resolve the matter carefully. After all, it's a very important relationship. Once it's ruined, it can't go back to the way it was before."For some reason, when he said this, Grace heard a hint of melancholy in his tone."Shawn, did I touch on something that upset you?""No, it's all in the past." After a pause, he asked, "Do you need help?"Grace had already found her answer and hurriedly
Grace knew that the two of them had struck a deal, but she still frowned. "I don't know him.""You will."After dropping Noelle off at home, Grace headed straight to Amirate and called Luke over. "Help me look up someone named Bobby Baxter."Shawn was right. She couldn't provoke Jake right now. If he were to send the photos to Xander, it would cause a huge problem. She needed to navigate this carefully and find an opportunity to crush Jake.Before long, Luke found out about Bobby. "Bobby Baxter is the president of Aether Group. In terms of infrastructure, Aether Group has secured most of the national corporate projects. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say they're like a state-owned enterprise. He holds considerable sway."Grace's heart sank at those words. Jake's current project also had ties to Aether Group. Why was he looking for dirt on Bobby, and why was he so confident that she could find it?"Oh, and Bobby is on the list of attendees for our annual party.""Why was he
Grace's heart sank. She hadn't expected Joshua to directly make such a request. He knew she couldn't refuse since she was at fault.Grace forced a smile. "What haven't you experienced before? There's nothing at our little party for you to enjoy.""I'll find it enjoyable if you're there." Joshua glanced mischievously at Noelle. "Don't you want to invite me?""That's not what I meant." Grace had no choice but to agree. "I'll have my secretary send you an invitation later."Only then was Joshua satisfied. He bid farewell and left briskly. However, his back still showed signs of aging.Noelle was worried. "Joshua's smile is so scary. I always feel like he's hiding something.""You're right. He definitely is."Otherwise, he wouldn't have accepted Celia and returned to Pamore.Grace's eyes darkened. She felt like she was caught in a tangled mess that she couldn't sort out.…Amirate had reserved the whole building of the most luxurious hotel in Pamore for its annual party. From t
It wasn't until evening that Grace finally resolved all the work-related matters.The hotel was lit up, and all the big shots had arrived. Grace held her dress and walked gracefully onto the stage as everyone looked on. "Thank you, everyone, for taking the time out to attend Amirate Corporation's annual party. I hope we can all have a smooth partnership in the future. Let's have a great time tonight."After saying that, she took a glass from a waiter and raised it to the crowd.As she raised her head to drink the wine in one gulp, the ruby on her neck shimmered. Cheers and applause erupted from below. Following that, the lights dimmed, and the music started playing.Since the theme was a dance party, everyone was dressed boldly and exuberantly, showing their youthful side.After stepping down from the stage, Grace noticed that Matthew was shaking his body as he talked business with others. "This annual party is so innovative, Ms. Lewis. I feel ten years younger."She smiled. "Y