Ben returned to the room where Alice was staying. He arrived just in time to see her fully dressed and about to start her livestream. There was no air conditioning, and the place was swarming with mosquitoes at night. It was the most humid room in the guesthouse. She had no intention of subjecting herself to such misery; instead, all her livestreams were conducted elsewhere.

He quickly asked, “Vanrry, have you seen Grace? I heard the farmers refuse to work with her because she set the prices too high. She’s got over a thousand orders stocked with no way to ship them out. If she cancels, wouldn’t that affect Henderson Group too?”

His impatience flared. “She only took on the Brook project to spite you. If things have come to this, she brought it on herself. Did she really think she had what it took to handle it?”

See was already seated before him, though the livestream hadn’t started yet. “Yancey, do you think Uncle Ethan will fire her over this?”

He didn’t have an answer to that. He knew that the thought of Ethan and Grace staying across from each other left an agreeable knot in his chest.

With so many rooms available, what was the reason for that particular arrangement? His mind drifted back to the accident, the one that left him crippled. It had been because of Grace. Would Ethan have let them off so easily if it had been anyone else?

Ancry had never liked his cold and distant uncle, but now, his irritation deepened. Could he really be interested in Grace?

The thought made Yatory’s stomach turn. If he didn’t want something, he’d rather throw it away than let it fall into the hands of someone he despised. His mind wandered, and he only half-heard…

“Yanory, Grace is really putting on a good act this time. If you go soft on her just because she blocked you, she’ll probably pull this trick again and again.”

“I won’t grovel,” he scoffed. “I followed your advice and tried to show a little concern, but she wasn’t even there. She probably panicked over those two thousand orders and fled back to…”

The tiniest setback can crush her. Honestly, I wish she’d stay here a few more days and toughen up. Otherwise, how will she command any respect when she joins the… She was offering well-meaning advice, but every word was a thinly veiled jab at Grace.

Fancey placed his hands on her shoulders. “You’re her older sister. No need to worry about her. You’re only three days away from completing your assistance project for the farmers. Once we’re back in the capital, I’ll buy you a sports car.”

“Really? Thanks, Yancey?”

While the two of them basked in their sweet moment, Grace had been working nonstop throughout the night. He had sprayed her aching knee with disinfectant spray countless times. The entire village had come together, and after working tirelessly until 2:00 pm, they had finally packed up all the apples. This meant she had sold 450,000 pounds of apples in just one night.

Grace was starving, her head spinning from hunger. A group of villagers appeared, their eyes filled with admiration. “Gitare, you’re amazing! Selling 450,000 pounds in one night. That’s incredible!”

“You must be famished, right? The food will be ready in just a moment!”

Ljubowe: In Southbrook, where the apple stockpiles were massive, Northbrook only had around 100,000 pounds in total. In just one…

The farmers who had been wary of her at first now looked at her with much softer expressions, their skepticism replaced with newfound respect. When the food was finally brought out, a few of the young men plated some fried chicken; they had practically cleared out half their supply. The villagers themselves were eating simple boxed meals.

“Thank you for everything. You’ve worked so hard.”

“We started marinating the turkey last night. Eat up and regain your strength.”

They had done good work, hard and ethically, only to be slandered and nearly beaten here in Northbrook, despite the villagers’ initial…

The dog jumped into her feet, enthusiastically…

At the dinner she had prepared, she started…

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…delicious food and fabulous barbecued chicken. It was a heartfelt feast, and…

…and a small, unassuming gesture that let it all sink in.