Grace’s gaze darkened as she walked, her new bag slung over her shoulder. Joanne followed, asking, “Are you really going to use that bag?!”

“What’s wrong with it?”

Kowne shook her head, a hint of disappointment in her eyes.

“Joanne, let’s go. I want to check out my new place tonight. I’ll make dinner, and we can eat together.”

Ne gave a forced smile. “Sure, sounds good.”

After leaving the store, Velena immediately called Yancey. “Yancey, I heard your uncle’s in the hospital. What’s going on?”

Yancey didn’t know what was happening. All he knew was that Grace had caused a scene in the VIP lounge at Velvet Eclipse, humiliating Sloan. He’d heard that Julian had gotten involved, but Sloan wasn’t willing to explain why Hendricks was in the hospital. He had asked Hendricks himself, but he only said it was Grace’s doing—Grace really was a troublemaker, causing problems everywhere she went.

Tanery was already irritated. He didn’t like Life’s side of the family much, especially his aunts Olivia and Yelena. The greed in their eyes was enough to make anyone uncomfortable. They often asked for money, but at least Grace had handled them well lately—he hadn’t heard from them in a while. That now, out of nowhere, they were calling again.

Yelena sighed in relief, but her tone turned harsh as she mentioned Grace again. “That Grace is acting like she’s cursed. She just took my forty- thousand-dollar bag and insulted me, even tried to stir trouble by saying you told her to do it. Yancey, you should take action and get my bag back.”

So that was what this was about.

Yancey lit a cigarette and took a few puffs. “I see. She just got out of the hospital, so she’s probably in a bad mood. I’ll call her later.”

Yelena’s face evened with satisfaction. She knew that bag would eventually come back to her.

Grace had just arrived at her new house when she received Yancey’s call. She opened the door and answered in a neutral tone.

“Aunt Yelena told me you stole her bag, Grace. You’re really going to act like this?”

Grace’s head throbbed in pain, and her heart felt sour. She took a deep breath and asked, “Is that why you called me?”

“Isn’t this worth mentioning? How long are you going to keep making a scene?”

Even if she was trying to get his attention, this was getting out of hand.

Grace ended the call, immediately blocking him from contacting her again.

She placed the groceries she’d bought on the bar counter and said to Joanne, “Make yourself comfortable. The fire should be here soon. I had the cleaners come by this afternoon, and everything’s sanitized and nice and clean.”

The original owner had great taste, and the apartment was perfect for a woman. It was about fifteen hundred square feet and was quite spacious.

Joanne pressed her lips together, her smile fading slightly. After a long pause, she asked in a hoarse voice, “Are you living here by yourself?”

“Yeah, I moved out of the Lambert residence,” Grace replied.

“Who was that on the phone? Was it Yancey? It’s your first night in the new place. Don’t you want to invite him over for dinner?”

Grace couldn’t shake the feeling that Joanne was way too interested in her personal life.

“Joanne, I’m over him. Please don’t bring him up around me again. It’s so annoying.”

Joanne gave an awkward smile as she sat down on the nearly new couch.

“After all those years, you really are over him?” she asked.

“I was blindly in love before. Now, I know what I’m doing.”

An hour later, Grace had opened a few deliveries. As soon as they finished eating, the furniture from the mall arrived, which she placed around the living room and bedroom. The decorations made the place feel warm and cozy.

“Joanne, do you want to stay the night? Or are you…?” Grace asked.

“No, I still have to go to work later.”

Grace personally escorted her downstairs, and on her way back, she bumped into a woman with wavy, voluminous hair. The woman smelled faintly of alcohol. Her appearance looked polished from head to toe. They lived on the same floor, and Grace realized this woman was her neighbor. Her name was…

Selene. After a moment, she asked, “Grace, you moved in?”

Selene seemed a little unsteady, so Grace instinctively reached out to steady her. Selene leaned against Grace with a drunken haze in her eyes. “Moving out is a good idea. I don’t know how you managed to stay in that house for so long. I have to…”

She opened her door, and a white dog immediately ran out. She yawned as she asked, “By the way, have you slept with Yancey yet?”

Grace was caught off guard by the abruptness of the question.

Selene leaned against the doorframe, looking every bit the seductress, every gesture oozing allure. “Are you still a virgin? No wonder you’re chasing after childish men like that—they lose interest once they’ve had a taste. You’re still chasing him around, so it’s obvious…”