Grace climbed out of the car, feeling thoroughly humiliated. As she was about to


    shut the door, she still couldn''t help but ask, "Mr. Henderson, do you still want me


    to arrange for the chef?"


    The only response she got was the sharp m of the car door. She stood there


    for a second, the message loud and clear.


    Yeah. She had definitely pissed Ethan off again. Somehow, she had a real talent


    for it too. Managing to irritate someone as cold and detached as Ethan this many


    times wasn''t easy. Unfortunately, it seemed to be her specialty.


    Before she could fully gather herself, Andrea appeared, her eyes lighting up at the


    sight of her. But her tone turned cutting almost immediately.


    "I thought you''d be riding off with him," Andrea said mockingly. "I guess you''re not


    as special as you think."


    Grace''s brows knitted together as she turned to face Andrea.


    A month ago, Andrea had been timid, practically shrinking into herself. Now, she


    had somehow learned to sneer.


    Grace asked quietly, "Andrea, did someone put ideas in your head?"


    Andrea gave a cold, brittleugh. "What''s wrong? Are you afraid I''ll expose you?"


    She took a step closer, her voice growing sharper.


    "You only came to me to use me. You made it sound like you were doing me a


    favor, introducing me to Mr. Henderson. Then, you left me hanging, making me fall


    for someone I was never going to see again. You gave me hope and then crushed


    it."


    She scoffed bitterly. "That woman was right about you. You look down on women


    like me-women with nothing. To you, I''m just a toy-someone you can call up


    and toss aside whenever you feel like it."


    Grace stayed still, her heart sinking a little.


    Andrea''s sudden shift in attitude was too extreme toe from nowhere.


    Someone had clearly gotten to her. Someone had fed her the exact words


    designed to influence her thoughts. And it was working.


    Grace turned to leave, but Andrea followed close behind, refusing to back down.


    She shouted, "Grace, I''m not letting this go! I will marry Ethan!"


    At that, Grace stopped in her tracks. She turned around slowly, finally losing her


    patience. "When I first approached you, I thought you had enough self-awareness


    to stay in yourne. Clearly, I was wrong."


    She stepped closer, her voice cool and cutting. "You think you can marry Ethan?


    With what, exactly? That empty head of yours? Women who manage to marry into


    families like his, who actually cross ss lines, have two things-exceptional


    beauty and an elite education. And you''ve got neither.


    "As far as I know, you didn''t even finish high school. What are you going to talk to


    him about? Finance and global markets? You''d be lost after the first sentence."


    The humiliation hit hard. Andrea''s face froze, a flicker of rage shing through her


    eyes.


    This bitch! She''d pay for this.


    Grace got into her car without sparing Andrea another nce. She started the


    engine and drove off, not bothering to look in the rear-view mirror.


    Behind her, Andrea stood seething. Why did women like Grace get to walk all over


    her? She had dignity too. She deserved better. Fury burning in her chest, she


    pulled out her phone and made a call.


    "I''ll do it," she said the moment the line connected. "Whatever you want, I''m in. If it


    means dragging Grace down, I don''t care what it costs me."


    On the other end, Joanne let out a softugh. Her lips curled into a slow, amused


    smile.


    Sheughed for a few more seconds before finally replying with an address. "If


    you''re serious,e find me here."


    Then she hung up, still grinning.


    She wasn''t like Alice, charging out recklessly and getting herself wrecked.


    Real yers never stepped into the spotlight themselves. They let others take the


    hits, draw the fire, and be the ones out front. And the best part? Every one of


    these women hated Grace.


    All Joanne had to do was tap into that resentment and they''d burn the whole ce


    down for her.


    Grace finally made it home just past 9:00 pm. She had just stepped into the


    hallway when her phone rang. It was Sebastian.


    "He has signed the contract," he said.


    She let out a quiet breath. At least the biggest task of the day was done.


    She was still on the phone as she


    unlocked her door, her voice calm


    and focused. "Keep building rapport


    with Jasper. The more emotionally


    invested he is in thepany, the


    better. His potential is off the charts.


    If we can position ourselves at the


    right moment in Al-"


    Before she could finish, Sebastian gently interrupted her, "Ms. Lambert, Mr.


    Lambert called me today. He said he wants to see you."


    Grace froze in the doorway. The key hung in her hand for a moment before she


    slowly exhaled.


    "Block his number."


    Sebastian paused, caught off guard. He hadn''t expected her to be that ruthless.


    "But-"


    "Mr. Fenwick, wrong is wrong. I don''t care if he was manipted or misled. The


    moment he chose to keep Alice''s secrets from and the moment he returned


    those two billion dors to Edric, he made his bed. He should''ve known betrayal


    was only a matter of time."


    She paused, her voice calm but cutting. "He''s 19, not a child. If he stays that naive


    and soft, he''s only going to cause bigger disasters down the line."


    Sebastian steadied his tone before


    replying. "Understood, Ms. Lambert.


    Don''t worry: I''ve already been in


    touch with Jasper. He''s sharp and


    far moreposed than he looks.


    And you might not know this yet, but


    he''s currently working with a


    professor overseas on a household


    robot project. If that gets out... it''ll


    draw serious attention."


    Grace''s eyes lit up.


    Now, that was unexpected. So, Jasper had been sitting on something that major


    and hadn''t even mentioned it. Something as promising as a household robot


    project and he hadn''t even breathed a word of it.


    When she offered him 5% equity, she had done it on instinct-an impulsive


    gamble.


    Even with Lambert Group in their current state, 5% would still sell for tens of


    millions. And he hadn''t tried to haggle or rushed to show off. Maybe he really had


    believed in her sincerity. Maybe this really was the start of something good.


    That thought settled her.


    She gave Sebastian a few more quick instructions, then ended the call and quietly


    shut the door behind her.


    Just as she reached for the lights, a pair of arms wrapped gently around her waist


    from behind. There was only one person who held her like this, and that would be


    Ed.


    She quickly ended the call, her tone softening as she leaned back into him.


    "You''re here? I thought we agreed you''d text first before showing up."


    But she didn''t sound annoyed. She was in a good mood tonight, so there was no


    point picking at small things.


    Ed rested his head on her shoulder, his voice low, almost a whisper. "I missed


    you. So I came."


    She let out a softugh and didn''t bother turning on the lights. Instead, she took


    his hand and guided him toward the couch by memory.


    Once they sat down, she pulled out her phone and opened the official app for one


    of the top luxury brands.


    She handed him the phone without


    lifting her eyes, her voice low and


    rxed. She said, "I made five


    million dors off my former boss


    today. Honestly, he didn''t even seem


    mad about it. Maybe he enjoys being


    taken for a fool. Go ahead, pick


    something. I''ll use his money to


    spoil you."