Chapter 57
Grace raised her head slightly and looked to her side. Then, she
heaved a sigh of relief. She looked up at Jason and said, “Have you paid the bill?”
“Mm-hmm. I have.”
“Then let’s go,” she said, picking up her bag and walking out of the restaurant with him as if she was running away from something.
“What’s wrong? Are you hiding from something?” he asked.
Her footsteps paused, and an obscure look flashed across her face. “My former colleagues came here to eat too, I… I don’t want them to see me.” She said with a self-deprecating smile, “It’s ridiculous, isn’t it? In fact, they all know what I’ve been through and they probably can guess how miserable I must be right now, but I still don’t want to see them face to face.”
She didn’t want to see the sympathy in their eyes. She didn’t want to see their pity. Or their disgust.
She’d embarrassed her firm too when everything transpired in the wake of the accident.
The news had been quick to report not just her name, but the law
firm she worked for too. It was a juicy bit of news to say that the ‘top attorney now needed one of her own.’
In the past, being a lawyer was something she had wanted to devote her entire life to. But now, although her colleagues were still doing that job, it was no longer a profession she could ever hope to practice again.
Her self-deprecating look at the moment made a sudden pain shoot through his heart.
He held her hand tighter and said in a low voice, “Then let’s avoid them. One day in the future, you will shine more beautifully than anyone else.”
Shine… She gave a bitter smile. Now, she didn’t want to think about any of that. Just living on was difficult enough.
“I heard from Lily that you wanted to help Grace Cummins find a job. I’m warning you, don’t get yourself involved in that woman’s
affairs again, Back then, she killed Lily’s sister, who was also
Jason’s fiancée! Our Stevens Family cannot afford to offend
Jason!”
His father’s warning came from the other end of the phone, and Sean frowned slightly and replied, “I understand.”
“Our family cannot afford to offend Jason Reed,” his father
emphasized again. It all came down to money and business with
his dad. To hell with anyone’s happiness.
Sean had heard these words too many times. Back then, everyone had been asking him why he would date someone like
Grace in the first place.
Fortunately, later, after breaking up with her, he started going out with Lily. His family was naturally satisfied with this development. The Atkinson family and the Stevens Family were well-matched. Way back then, the Atkinson family and the Reed Family had almost been tied together through marriage, and although it hadn’t worked out in the end, they still had dealings with each
other.
The Stevens Family also hoped that if something were to happen,
the Atkinson family would be able to speak up for them in front of
Jason Reed.
Family dynamics and honor were vital in their world. Businesses
thrived or were decimated based on the relationships they
maintained with the other wealthy families in the region.
After the call, Sean looked at the red light at the intersection in
front of him and slowly stepped on the brake.
Grace’s face flashed in his mind.
It was undeniable that the current Grace was very different from
the woman he’d known in the past.
Although her face was still the same, her temperament had
changed. In particular, when he saw her wearing the clothes
of a sanitation worker, it made him feel like the breakup was a completely correct decision.
Grace was… poor, and broken. An embarrassment to herself.
Lily was the woman who was the most suitable for him. As for Grace, she was just a memory. If she was mentioned by others in the future, he supposed she might even be a stain in his past.
However, he felt a little guilty about how things had ended up. After all, when she hoped that he could help collect evidence for her that year, he had refused and had even broken up with her.
Some might see it as heartless.
He’d had a few pangs of guilt over it.
But really, who had told her to crash into Jennifer Atkinson, of all people? She had managed to offend both the Atkinson family and the Reed Family at the same time. It had been impossible for him to help her!
As he was thinking about it, Sean’s eyes looked through the windshield and he saw a slender figure across the intersection.
That was… Grace!
Sean was stunned. At this moment, there was another man standing by Grace’s side. The two of them seemed to be talking about something. Then, Grace slightly raised her chin while the man’s head lowered and approached her face.
The two of them looked like they were about to kiss.
Sean couldn’t help feeling angry. He hadn’t been expecting Grace
to find a man so soon after being released from prison. He felt like
his reaching out to help her was all in vain.
