Chapter 264

"Now that Grace can't get anything good in her life, she doesn't want Evelyn to be happy either!" Melinda Riley said angrily. "If she ruins Evelyn's relationship with Brian, I'm going to kill her!"

However, Tony Cummins said, "Is there a misunderstanding here?" After all, Grace was also his daughter. He didn't care which daughter was with Brian; the key was becoming Brian's father-in-law.

"What misunderstanding? She's just trying to climb the social ladder!" Melinda Riley retorted. "How else does she know Jason? Doesn't she know she's an ex-convict? Will anyone take her seriously?"

Melinda Riley spared no effort to denigrate her stepdaughter, fearing she would steal her daughter's chance at a good marriage.

"Evelyn is different. Evelyn is innocent! She's Brian's serious girlfriend, and it's only natural for her to become a top actress and marry into the Hart family," Feng Cuie said, her tone implying Evelyn's imminent cinematic triumph and marriage.

Tony Cummins nodded. "Alright, I'll ask Grace to come home and talk to her. I'll tell her to keep her distance from Brian and stay out of Evelyn's affairs."

Evelyn and Melinda Riley exchanged bright smiles.

"Thanks, Dad," Evelyn said, her concern quickly surfacing. "But what if Sis won't listen?"

"I'm her father. Unless her last name isn't Cummins, she'll do as I say!" Tony Cummins declared, looking stern.

Evelyn smiled slightly, lowering her head.

That night, Grace received a call from her father.

"Grace, you haven't been back in a long time. Why don't you come home? We'll discuss moving your mother's grave," Tony Cummins said.

"Moving her grave?" Grace was stunned.

"Yes, your mother was buried in the village cemetery, but they're renovating. The land is being expropriated, and many graves need relocation. You were in prison, so you didn't know. The village sent out the documents," Tony Cummins explained.

Grace pursed her lips. Her mother hadn't been given a plot in a proper cemetery; her father had used a friend's help to bury her in a village cemetery near Emerald City, requiring no payment.

Her father hadn't visited her mother's grave for years, only doing so after Grace's academic achievements. After her imprisonment, he and his family stopped visiting altogether. Upon visiting the grave herself after her release, she found it overgrown with weeds and cracked. She planned to repair it, but hadn't expected a complete relocation.

"Fine, I'll go back," Grace said, her agreement stemming solely from her mother's affairs.

"Come back tomorrow night. What do you want to eat? I'll have your stepmother prepare it," Tony Cummins said paternally, momentarily throwing Grace off.

His tone was the same as when her life had been successful. But after her imprisonment, everything changed; she was only his daughter when useful.

"No, I'll come after dinner," Grace replied, ending the call.