Chapter 13

“Alice, Yancey is something I discarded. There’s no reason for me to pick him again. If you like him that much, then hold onto him,” Grace said as she raised her hand and faced down a taxi. Her words hit Alice like a slap in the face.

“Grace, do you hear yourself? You spent years chasing after Yancey, doing all kinds of embarrassing things. How can you say you don’t want him? The pest never wanted you! He told me in bed that he’s never even kissed you. Imagine that! You have zero appeal!”

Grace’s hand was already resting on the taxi door. Upon hearing those words, she chuckled.

“If a woman’s worth is measured by how many times she’s been slept with, then shouldn’t prostitutes be the most attractive people in the world? Have you ever considered… it might just be about convenience?”

The roundabout insult hit Alice hard, right in a sensitive spot. Her face turned pale in an instant.

“You!”

She raised her hand to slap Grace, but Grace caught her wrist effortlessly. While looking at Alice’s furious face, Grace’s expression remained indifferent. Her calm only made Alice’s outburst seem even more pathetic.

Grace let go of her wrist with a flick. “I already said you can have him, but you don’t seem satisfied. Do you even like him? Or do you just enjoy taking things from me?”

Alice’s face lost even more color, and she pressed her lips tightly together. Grace didn’t bother wasting another second on her. She got into the taxi and signaled the driver to go.

Alice stood frozen, her chest heaving with rage. “She must be taking it! There’s no way she doesn’t care about Yancey! She’s probably just going to cry somewhere in private like she always did!” Alice thought, trying to… The thought made her feel much better.

“Alice, where are you? Are you there yet?”

Alice’s eyes reddened immediately. “I just ran into Grace; she said some things, but I’m fine, I’ll be there soon.”

The moment Yancey heard the slight tremble in her voice, he was instantly on edge. “What did she do to you this time? Why is she always so pathetic?”

“Yancey, don’t fight with her. I don’t want you to get upset before dinner!”

You’re just too kind for your own good. Forget it, just come over first. Don’t let her ruin your night.

Alice felt much better. The same man who treated Grace like dirt put her on a pedestal. The difference between them made her feel like she had already won.

“Grace, keep pretending you’re just a pathetic wreck,” Alice thought.

Grace soon arrived at Palm Bay. The largest villa was set deep within the estate, surrounded by acres of private gardens, separating it from other mansions. It exuded exclusivity and wealth. After getting out of the car, she stood outside the iron gates, resume in hand.

She had a feeling that her applications were likely rejected because of either Tim or Ethan’s personal involvement. But Ethan seemed too proud to bother with such underhanded tactics, so it was more likely Tim. Grace stood there waiting, and the wait lasted four hours.

Aspen, Ethan’s car, finally approached. Her gaze brightened up, momentarily pushing aside the unease she always felt around him, and she quickly stepped forward. The car rolled to a stop in front of her, and the window lowered smoothly.

“Mr. Henderson,” she greeted.

Elan sat by the window, his voice as cold as ever. “What do you want?”

“I submitted ten applications to Henderson Group today. All of them were rejected.” Her tone was sincere. “I believe I fully meet your company’s hiring standards. I reviewed Henderson Group’s recent project bids, and I saw one involving a government-backed Farming Support Project in Southbrook.”

“I put together a proposal in just a few hours. Mr. Henderson, I hope you’ll take a look at it. I’m willing to personally oversee the project in Southbrook.”

Projects like this are typically more about reputation than profit—a way for corporations to build goodwill and position themselves for bigger government deals later. Anyone assigned to such a project had to be tough. After all, Southbrook was notoriously underdeveloped.

Grace stood outside the car, her gaze steady and hopeful. She bowed slightly and watched him expectantly. It was hard for any man to say no when looked at like that. His Adam’s apple bobbed slightly.

A few seconds later, he finally spoke, “You’ve changed a lot for him, this time.”