Chapter 69

Chester went pale instantly, pain gripping him. "Mr. Henderson, what are you doing?" Without warning, a razor-sharp dagger chopped off three of his fingers in a flash. He let out a cry. "I brought you here out of goodwill to warn you about Grace! How could you do this to me?" His whole body jerked uncontrollably.

Ethan set down his cup, a flicker of amusement in his eyes. "Tell me what kind of..." That was when it hit Chester—Ethan was avenging Guwe. This was anything but what Yancey...

Chester's lips were bloodless, and he was just about to beg for mercy when he heard the sound of a gun being loaded. Fear hit him like a truck, and he peed himself as cold sweat ran down his face.

"Mr. Henderson, I was wrong! It's all a misunderstanding, I swear! I faked those photos. I never laid a finger on Grace! It was Jessica. She made me do it. And Yancey—he's just as bad!"

Gunshots rang out, and four bullets found their mark in Chester's legs. This time, not even a scream escaped. Wracked with agony, his body convulsed, and he couldn't get a sound out of his throat.

Ethan didn't rush, but his movements flowed with an easy precision. Chester couldn't get a single word out. His legs trembled so badly he could barely move; a puddle formed beneath him. Only now did he fully grasp just how terrifying Ethan really was.

Yancey had been right. Ethan rarely lost his temper, but the calmer he seemed, the more terrifying he became.

By the time the twelve bullets were spent, a hint of blood had splattered across Ethan's cheek. His long lashes fluttered slightly as he reached up and wiped the stain away with his fingertips. Chester was nothing more than a bloodied pile, completely still. Ethan handed his gun to the man beside him and rolled his wheelchair out of the secret room.

Just as Ethan headed out, Julian's voice rang out, "You would've kept firing if it weren't for the gun's twelve-bullet capacity, right?"

Julian stood with his arms crossed, his shirt hanging open halfway down his chest. He looked just as bold as always. As Ethan moved forward, Julian fell into step beside him.

Julian continued. "Do you have any idea how long it took me to erase all that surveillance footage after you saved her yesterday? So many people are keeping an eye on your legs. They're convinced you'll be crippled for life. And yet, you don't even bother hiding your condition when you're with her; aren't you worried she'll spill?"

I would be. But Grace herself didn't seem to realize that Ethan had trusted her with his biggest secret.

Ethan pulled out a clean handkerchief and wiped the blood off his fingers, his expression composed. Then, he tossed the stained cloth into a nearby trash can.

"I was wondering if she would," he said.

Julian raised an eyebrow, then let out a short laugh. Neither of them said anything else. A sudden chill ran down her spine. She couldn't help but shiver. Later, she asked Mandy a few more questions about...

...coming from Southbrook, Mandy had been telling everyone how nice Grace was, though most people just scoffed and didn't buy it. Now that Mandy could finally lead Grace around, she pounced at the chance.

"Jessica? Yeah..." (The text here seems to be an abrupt shift in topic, likely a conversation or internal thought about Jessica's situation. I will attempt to reconstruct it.)

"...Jessica? Yeah," Mandy must have said. "Star's got a boyfriend, but she also has a kid she keeps secret from him. Her boyfriend's family has a decent amount of money. He has even swung by the office to..."

...Grace asked how Mandy knew about Jessica's kid, Gary. Mandy explained she had run into him by accident while out shopping.

"He's been a troublemaker since he was little; he was caught shoplifting and was chewed out by the store owner. Another time, he was slapped for groping a woman. He was a..." (The sentence trails off, suggesting a negative description of Gary's character.)

Grace raised an eyebrow and gave a faint smile. She had a pretty good idea of what was going on with Jessica.

Regarding her boyfriend, Peter Atkins, at a restaurant... (This sentence fragment seems to connect to the previous topic about Jessica and her boyfriend, Peter.) Jessica always talked a big game about being independent, but deep down, she still wanted a man she could count on and wished for a family. Otherwise, she wouldn't have fallen for all that sweet talk and ended up with Gary. Now, Grace had to make sure that everyone found out.

(This next section seems to be a very disjointed explanation of a plot point involving "Nitina" and "Frietja Sikantethi" and "Gary." It is highly fragmented and seems to mix up characters and motivations. I will attempt to make it coherent based on the most plausible interpretation.)

It seemed Jessica (referred to as "Star" and perhaps "Nitina") had been with Peter Atkins (referred to as "Frietja Sikantethi") and was planning to tell him about Gary only after they were married and she was pregnant. By then, there'd be no way to hint at backing out. When Jessica went on a date, she would make Gary wait in the restaurant or nearby. She couldn't stand him. All he ever did was ask for money and...

...Jessica hated having a deadweight like him dragging her down.

Gary definitely took after his father's nasty streak. Even as a kid, he was always up to something. He'd play pranks if someone gave him money, in a twisted way.

Gary, meanwhile, was sitting, waiting for people to... (This sentence is incomplete and unclear. The next part about "splashing hot water" suggests an aggressive or mischievous act.) ...so as to splash his cup of hot water in their face; he just liked splashing hot water in their face.

(This next part appears to be a dialogue or internal thought about someone exposing Jessica's secret. "Jaithat he made a move to Jkot, the woman who was stunning, by the way, sabil, 'You man’s keeping you a secret from her boyfriend literally. She’s planning to ship you off since they’ve…'" This is almost entirely garbled, but I can infer the general gist.)

Someone (perhaps Grace, or another character observing) might have told Gary, "Your mother is keeping you a secret from her boyfriend. She's planning to get rid of you once they've..."

Gary shot up from his seat. "What the hell, you bitch!" (The original "you bend" is likely a misspelling or mishearing of an insult.)

Then, he threw out the same filthy insults he had heard Jessica (Star) use: "I'll kill you, you slut!" (Reconstructed from "yanı sul...")

Grace smiled at him. "Go ask her yourself if you can't believe me..."