Chapter 46

Although Grace looked the same, she seemed weathered. She wore a fluorescent uniform instead of high-end fashion. Sean was dazed. The memory of her crawling to him in prison, begging him to believe her, flashed before his eyes. Back then, her gaze had been eager, hopeful, and pleading. Now, she seemed calm, as if she needed no one. Her strength was formidable.

Lily sensed it too, her smile faltering. He realized she was terrified. With the cameras and press closing in, he worried Grace might rail about her mistreatment and attack them over the ring incident. The press would devour such a story, and no one would believe the ring episode's proximity to Jennifer Steven's murderer's workplace was a coincidence. Even Lily's presence in the neighborhood was a stretch.

Sean held his breath, waiting. Lily glanced at him, and he knew she shared his apprehension. She smiled amicably, handing Grace a gift box. "This is for you. I'm sorry for making you search for my ring the other day." Her behavior was a stark contrast to her previous viciousness.

Grace quietly accepted the box and left. Back at the center, she gave it to Claire. "Here, you take it."

"Oh? Don't you want the clothing?" Claire asked, amazed.

"I have enough clothes," Grace replied.

"The check's still in here…"

"I don't want it," Grace said.

She checked the clock; the lunch break was ending. Gathering her tools, she headed to her assigned highway section.

Grace sighed in relief when the reporters left. However, she saw Sean approaching as she left the Sanitation Service Center. Fear, a reaction she hated, coursed through her.

"How… have you been?" Sean asked. He'd once hated her—for Jennifer's death, the ensuing drama, the reprimand from his family, the near destruction of his family. No one wronged the Reed Group, yet because of Grace, he'd paid the price. Seeing her in the sanitation worker's uniform, however, he frowned. After all, he had once loved her.

She shook her head. "I believe that's none of Mr. Steven's business," Grace replied flatly, trying to walk away.

"Grace, you don't know what's good for you!" Sean said, blocking her path.

"Do I not?" Grace sneered. Looking directly at him, she asked, "Do you intend to have Lily—your fiancée—pull out my fingernails and break my fingers again? Will it make you happy if I can't even hold a broom? It's been three years, Sean. I still have pain!"

She immediately regretted her outburst.

Sean rubbed his chin. He'd done what he had to back then, and she'd brought it upon herself.

Grace laughed harshly. "I can't believe you're here. When I needed you most, you treated me like a stranger. You let me suffer; you encouraged my torture. And now you ask if I'm fine? What a joke!"

Sean frowned; it was true.

"You have to bear the consequences of your actions, Grace. You deserved to be punished. You caused Lily's sister's death, and she had a right to seek revenge. You can't complain about what she did to you!"

Grace's face paled. "Actually, I can. We have laws, Sean. And while we both know no one will care about a lowly sanitation worker's accusations, you and Lily broke the law. You abused your power. What you did was criminal, and someday that truth might come out. What then?"

"I'm not going to debate with you," Sean said. "You killed an innocent woman. Not even your own family sympathized!" Sean snapped, then calmed. "Look, the past is behind us." He sighed. "When I'm back in the office, I'll tell the manager in Human Resources to get you a clerical job in one of the Stevens Group companies. It'll be better than sweeping streets."