Chapter 98

Under everyone's scrutiny, Grace felt immense pressure. She stammered, "I was jealous that you were taking Asher's attention away from me. I just wanted him to notice me... I'm truly sorry for what I did..."

Thalia pressed, "Is that really all there is to it?"

"Yes."

Lady Catherine sighed deeply. "How could you be so thoughtless? Are you still a toddler throwing tantrums?"

Grace kept her head lowered, her voice breaking. "Mother, I was wrong. I promise it won't happen again."

Lord Blackwood spoke sternly, "Recognizing your mistake is a start. Ensure this behavior never repeats itself. You've already brought quite enough embarrassment to the Blackwood name."

Thalia fixed Grace with a penetrating stare, knowing she wasn't being truthful. Expecting Grace to admit her inappropriate feelings for Asher in front of his parents was clearly unrealistic. Thalia didn't pursue the matter further, responding with feigned nonchalance, "Right, so that's what it was."

Lord Blackwood turned to Randolph. "We must apologize for our family's failure in properly raising Grace. I hope you can find it in yourself to move past this incident. As for those videos online..."

Randolph feigned ignorance. "What videos?"

Lord Blackwood explained, "Someone recorded last night's incident and posted it online."

"Oh," Randolph took a sip of tea. "Let me have a look, shall I?" He took out his phone. "Where would I find them?"

Thalia located the videos on social media. After watching them and scanning the outlandish headlines, Randolph nearly laughed aloud. The comment section was universally condemning Grace.

Randolph smiled. "This seems entirely appropriate. When one makes a mistake, one should face the consequences. The public criticism is well-deserved."

Lord Blackwood objected, "That may be true, but this reflects poorly on both our families."

Randolph disagreed, "I don't find it embarrassing at all. My daughter did nothing wrong. Besides, no one online would dare connect Grace to your family. The footage of Lady Blackwood has been edited out, and Asher isn't visible either. How exactly is this tarnishing the Blackwood reputation?"

Lord Blackwood insisted, "But everyone who attended the banquet knows that's Grace in the video and her connection to our family."

Randolph responded evenly, "Precisely. The damage was already done yesterday. Those who know already know, and those who don't won't learn of it. What good would removing the videos and trending topics do now?"

Lord Blackwood fell silent. Randolph had a point. The conversation continued for two hours. Grace remained kneeling for the entire duration. By the end, Thalia's anger had largely subsided.

As they were leaving, Grace walked with a pronounced limp, her knees clearly injured from the prolonged kneeling. She walked ahead of Asher, once again employing her usual tactics to elicit his sympathy. However, Asher remained completely indifferent.

At the hospital, the bone marrow donor's indicators were all normal, and the transplant surgery was scheduled for two days later. Learning that his sister's condition could be treated, Mark's face lit up with a smile that had been absent for months.

"This is absolutely incredible. I can't thank you enough, Miss Winters. You've saved my sister's life. I'm forever in your debt—anything you might ever need, just say the word." Mark was so moved he wiped away tears.

Thalia smiled warmly. The knowledge that the bone marrow match was successful and the surgery could proceed had finally lifted the tremendous weight from her heart. "I'm simply delighted I could help Teresa," she said, linking her arm through Asher's. "But the real credit goes to my fiancé. He's the one who found the matching donor."

Mark expressed his profound gratitude repeatedly.

Lucy was equally overjoyed. Thalia had promised Teresa she would help with makeup, so after exchanging a few more words with Mark, she left to visit the young girl's room. Asher had other matters to attend to and departed shortly after. Thalia and Lucy went to Teresa's room, where they collaborated on a beautiful makeover. The young girl gazed at herself in the mirror, smiling sweetly. "Miss Winters, Miss Jenkins, I've never seen myself look so pretty before."

Thalia gently stroked the child's head. "Why don't you go show your brother now?"

"Yes, I will!" Teresa nodded enthusiastically.

Back at Thalia's flat, Asher received a call from Alexander. They had successfully taken over Tom Malfoy's project in Russia, causing him significant financial losses. Tom was currently scrambling to fill the financial void. Alexander warned that Tom would soon discover Asher's involvement and cautioned him to be wary of potential retaliation. Although Tom was based in Russia, he had operatives in London as well.

After ending the call, Asher turned to Thalia with a grave expression. "Lia, there's something important I need to tell you."

Seeing his serious demeanor, Thalia sat up straight. "What is it?"

"My father's illegitimate son is named Tom Malfoy. When my grandparents refused to allow him to join the Blackwood family, he endured a difficult period in Russia before being adopted by an influential crime syndicate leader. In recent years, he's established his own operation there, complete with personnel and even armed forces."

Thalia responded immediately, "That sounds incredibly dangerous for you. Asher, you must be extremely careful when dealing with him!"

Asher paused, a warmth spreading through him at her concern. He pulled her close. "Lia, I'm not worried about myself. I'm concerned for you. You're the most important person in my life, and I fear he might target you to get to me."

"Target me?"

"Yes. Confronting me directly would be challenging, but you're my weakness. If he were to come after you, I'm afraid..."

Thalia embraced Asher tightly. "Don't worry about me. I can take care of myself. You've assigned additional security personnel, which should be sufficient protection. Besides, this is London, not Russia—it's outside Tom's sphere of influence. Surely he doesn't have enough power to cause trouble here?"

Asher's brow furrowed slightly. "He has people here as well. The individuals who kidnapped Lucy during our engagement ceremony were his operatives." Asher emphasized, "Regardless, please ensure you're accompanied by security whenever you go out."

"I promise I will."

The couple remained cuddled on the sofa for a while until the doorbell rang. Asher rose. "That will be our dinner."

Thalia smiled. "When did you order? What perfect timing—I'm absolutely famished."

"On our way back from the hospital."

"How thoughtful of you."

Asher had ordered from Restaurant Gordon Ramsay. The restaurant had held three Michelin stars continuously since 2001 and was notoriously difficult to get a table at. Thalia spotted the logo on the packaging and gave Asher a quizzical look. "Don't they have a strict no-takeaway policy?"

Asher smiled as he opened the containers and arranged the food. "They make exceptions when properly persuaded."

Thalia looked at him suspiciously before quickly realizing the implication: such policies existed for ordinary people—and Asher was far from ordinary. Thalia sat down at the table, picking up her utensils with evident anticipation. She was genuinely hungry, having slept through breakfast and missed lunch as well. The table was laden with an abundance of exquisite dishes. The Restaurant Gordon Ramsay was renowned for its meticulous presentation, impeccable flavors, and rather steep prices. Asher had ordered all of Thalia's favorites.