Chapter 33
Grace found the statement laughable. "Then you can say those words to my younger sister, but not to me. I still need to work, so if you could excuse me."
Annabelle replied angrily, "If it weren't for you, why would the projection ads of Sean proposing to Lily have been taken down? You killed Jason's fiancée, and he's taking it out on Sean and Lily's families, and yet you're just fine, casually sweeping the streets here."
Grace was stunned. She hadn't considered that Mr. Reed was responsible. It was also because of him that she had escaped Greg the last time.
The Reed family was the wealthiest and most powerful in the city. Mr. Reed controlled the vast Reed Corporation, giving him virtually unlimited power. Grace had learned this the hard way.
Initially, when Sean rushed to break up with her, no lawyer in the city would handle her case. Wasn't that also because of Jason Reed? All the suffering she endured in prison—the guards' indifference, the near-drowning in the bathroom sink—was due to him. She still vividly recalled the near-suffocation and the terror, echoing the fear she felt with Gregory at that dreadful reunion party. Her brutal treatment stemmed from rumors that the Reed family had ordered her punishment. Those seeking favor with the Reeds eagerly joined in, further torturing her.
Grace continued sweeping, ignoring Annabelle's scolding. Annabelle, furious, lunged forward to slap Grace, but Lily intervened.
"Lily! Grace has no respect for anyone; I want to teach her a lesson!" Annabelle yanked her hand free.
"Why bother?" Lily smirked. "One of my rings is missing. I'm not sure if it fell here and was swept up. It seems I'll have to ask the Sanitation Service Center employees to help me look for it."
Annabelle, momentarily stunned, quickly recovered. "Yes, they need to search thoroughly. Your ring isn't cheap. They'll have to go through all the garbage in that dumpster."
Turning to Grace, Annabelle continued, "Since you were sweeping here, you must know where it is. You probably swept it into the garbage bin, so find it now."
Grace stopped and stared coldly at her.
"What are you looking at? Go find it! If you can't, it means you stole it!" Annabelle sneered.
Claire, sweeping across the street, noticed the commotion and approached. Grace then saw Lily dialing a number. Shortly afterward, Claire received a call from the director; they had to find Lily's ring, no matter what.
Grace pursed her lips. This was clearly Lily deliberately making things difficult for her. She had no choice but to find this nonexistent ring.
A few moments later, their group leader arrived. Upon hearing the ring was worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, he immediately instructed Claire and Grace, "Hurry and search everywhere you swept and the recently filled garbage bins. You must find the ring!"
"Oh, thank you, Director," Lily said, clutching her chest. "I'd be devastated if we didn't find it!"
It was a pathetic performance. Grace's boss assured her the ring would be found. Lily nodded appreciatively. "Then we'll wait in the car. Inform us if you find it," she commanded gracefully, then departed.
(The final "6 Write your comment Gifts" appears to be extraneous and has been removed.)