Upon returning upstairs, Grace noted the room had been cleaned meticulously. She gave Jasper some final instructions.


    "Alright, I''ll be leaving now. If you encounter any further problems, feel free to call Sebastian, or you can also reach me."


    Jasper opened his mouth, hesitated, and ultimately remained silent about the phone call.


    Back in the car, Grace pressed her fingers to her temples. The relentless work schedule had left her with a throbbing headache.


    But she still needed to visit Liam.


    When she pulled up to where Liam was being kept, the guards outside the yard perked up when they saw her.


    "Ms. Lambert, thank God you''re here."


    She looked toward the room. "What''s going on with him?"


    The guy guarding him looked a bit sheepish, rubbing the back of his neck.


    "He was all worked up about seeing you like an hour ago, then he just mmed up. He''s been in there crying. Wouldn''t even eat the food we brought him."


    Grace took a deep breath.


    This ce was chosen especially for Liam, with nice and quiet surroundings. She knocked and entered without waiting. As expected, he was lying on the bed.


    A messy tuft of hair was visible beneath the covers, which was pulled over his head.


    Grace felt her headache intensify. She pulled the nket back to reveal his eyes, swollen and reddened from crying.


    She took a deep breath. "Are you putting on some kind of pity party?"


    When he heard her voice, Liam became rigid and huddled into an even tighter ball.


    Grace sat down on the edge of the bed. "Weren''t you just demanding Ie here? What do you want to say?"


    Liam clutched the nket, his voice hoarse. "It''s toote. I know what you''re nning."


    Grace frowned and yanked the nket off him again. "Liam, thepany has a lot going on, and I''m busy. I''m leaving if you''re just saying this to be dramatic."


    She stood up to go but then saw Liam scrambling off the bed.


    "Grace!"


    His voice was choked with fear.


    Grace paused slowly, turning back to help him rise from the floor.


    Liam''s eyes were so swollen that his eyelids were nearly indistinguishable. He held her hand in a desperate grip.


    "I''ll get my act together, I swear. I''ve been reading tons of stuff. Next time youe for me, I''ll totally help out with thepany. I won''t mess things up for you anymore. Please don''t let anyone take my ce as your brother."  s?novel


    "Take your ce? When did that happen? Did someone tell you something?" Grace asked.


    If the security personnel were spreading false information, they would need to be dealt with.


    Liam shook his head, looking down.


    Grace couldn''t bear his spinelessness any longer. Her hand shot out and struck him across the face.


    His cheek reddened and turned swollen, but he only touched it and sobbed, infuriating Grace.


    "Grace..."


    Grace took a deep breath. "How did I get stuck with such a wimp for a brother? Liam, if you''re still acting like this when Ie back for you, don''t even think about seeing me again."


    Liam went silent immediately, trying not to cry.


    Grace turned and mmed the door shut.


    As she walked to the car, she was still fuming.


    The guards saw her to the car, trying to reassure her. "Ms. Lambert, your brother''s been putting in a lot of efforttely, and with Ms. Andrea hanging around, he has been


    reading quite a bit."


    Grace had just turned the key in the ignition but stopped dead at that.


    "Who?"


    "Ms. Andrea. She said you asked her toe."


    Grace felt a cold dread creep up her back. She and Andrea were once friends, but


    now they were done-Andrea hated her guts now.


    What the hell was going on?