No one had expected that Grace would be so calm.
Ingemar breathed a sigh of relief. Kern stared at Grace and Caden with sharp eyes, pursing his lips.
That man in the crowd also stared at them. His Adamâs apple moved quickly, which meant he also cared about their reaction.
Caden looked at her nervously.
âGrace.â He did not realize that he was really nervous. âI didnât mean to deceive you. I just wanted you to stay with me. But at that time, you were too wary of me. You were even wary of my words.
Grace, I just wanted you to stay with me. Thatâs why I deceived you. I ⦠had no choice.â
She listened quietly. But the more he said, the more desperate she was.
How dare him!
She put her hands into her jacket pocket and clenched her fists.
She wanted to clench her dignity and expectation.
She was wrong.
âSo, this is your plan, right?â She calmly raised her head and asked, âEverything was part of your plan.
The so-called injuries in Italy ... the lost memories ... the declining intelligence ... You asked the doctor to lie to me, right?
Youâre all actors, and Iâm the only audience, right? â
From the beginning to the end, she was calm, as if she wasnât angry at all. However, her questions revealed her emotional fluctuations.
In fact, she was just not good at expressing her feelings. She was no longer as arrogant and unyielding as she was when she was a teenager. At that time, she wanted to reveal her thoughts, opinions, and feelings to everyone in the world.
But she was no longer a teenager.
She didnât get emotional easily as before.
âGrace, I just wanted you to stay with me like before.â Caden looked nervously at her.
âI didnât mean to lie to you. Can you forgive me?â
She smiled, âIâm a bit overwhelmed. Can I answer this question after I think about it quietly?â
She was so calm.
Caden looked at her nervously. Finally, he decided to compromise, âSure.â
âGreat.â She raised her head and smiled at Caden.
She turned around and left.
All the insiders expected a conflict.
However, there was no conflict.
Kern was unsatisfied. He said angrily, âGrace, how could you leave now?â
Grace said, âThank you for taking me here. But you took me here just because you wanted to laugh at me, right?â
Kern was dumfounded. She was right. He wanted to know if she would still be deeply attached to Caden when she knew the truth. He wanted to know if she would regret the decision to reject him!
There was an ugly look on his face.
He looked at her back. To make her regretful, he did everything. He even joined hands with Franklin in order to forced Caden to stop playing the fool. However, she was so calm.
She was not upset or angry after she found she had been deceived. She was so calm!
She was like a flat lake without a single ripple ⦠Was that all?
That was not what he wanted!
That man stood up and shouted, âGrace! He lied to you! He had never told you the truth! How could you forgive him so easily?â
Grace stopped. It was a familiar voice. In the past, that voice had once been the only light in her dark life. She thought the voice came from an angel.
She slowly turned around to look at him. He finally talked to her. She thought he would never say anything to her.
If that was the case, she would deny her speculation.
However, things went athwart.
âEarly in the morning, when I went to work, I didnât expect to see Caden here.â She looked at that man coldly.
âBut you ...â He was surprised.
Grace smiled calmly.
âI didnât expect that I would see you here too, Mr. Franklin.â
Then she left.
Franklin stared her back in a daze.
She didnât directly accuse him, but she hit the nail on the head. Why was he here?
It was Kernâs plan. But Franklin joined him, didnât he?
Franklin smiled bitterly ⦠She was very smart.
Even they were against each other, he admitted that she had managed a good counterattack. She revealed his ugly side in his nature just with few words.
The elevator door opened. They watched Grace walk into the elevator. Then the door closed.
The atmosphere in the meeting room was very depressing.
âAre you satisfied?â Caden looked at Master Shaw coldly. âGrandfather, are you satisfied?â
He planned this. And he reached his goal. Was he happy about it?
Ingemar stood behind Caden. He took his side.
Kern got really jealous. He said, âNo one asked you to do so. No one forced you to cheat her. You deserve this. You should take the consequences.
Itâs not grandfatherâs fault. Itâs your fault! Caden.
âHow could you blame him?â
Caden narrowed his eyes and stared at Kern.
âThis is a family matter. Itâs none of your business. Youâre just an outsider.â
âAm I an outsider? Grandfather has admitted that Iâm a member of the Shaw Family. You turned against grandfather. Youâre not filial!â
âYou really want to be recognized, donât you? Everyone knows you want to take over the Shaw Group.
But you donât deserve it!â
Caden walked over to Master Shaw and said, âGrandfather, I know what you want, but youâre old now.
Youâre so old that youâre being irrational. You should retire.
Do you think you can take over the Shaw Group just by your little tricks while Iâm away?â
âYou!â
Master Shawâs fingers trembled in anger as he pointed at Caden. âYou bastard!â scolded he.
Caden ignored his scold, looking at him coldly. He turned around and said, âIngemar, call security.â
Master Shaw was shocked and shouted angrily, âDo you want to chase me away?â
âDonât worry. Although you have retired, youâre still my grandfather. They donât dare to chase you away for my sake.â
Then he said seriously, âBut I will kick off those who betrayed me.â
âHow dare you!â Master Shawâs face turned pale. He made a lot efforts to make his men get the job in the Shaw Group. If Caden kicked off all of them, nobody would like to work for him!
Caden only sneered at Master Shawâs anger and left with his hands in his pockets.
He was the emperor of this skyscraper. Whoever betrayed him would end up in the same way. They should have known they must take the consequences if they betrayed him.
At the underground parking lot of the Shaw Group.
Master Shaw suddenly raised his hand and slapped Kernâs face. His corrugated face was livid with rage. âHow dare you bring that woman here without my permission?â Master Shaw angrily shouted at Kern.
It really hurt. The lights in the underground garage were not bright. His face was hidden in the shadows.
In the quiet parking lot, he suddenly chuckled. Kern wiped the blood from the corner of his lips with his thumb and turned to Master Shaw. He stared indifferently at Master Shaw. His strange gaze made Master Shaw feel uncomfortable.
Kern smiled, âYou want to take over the Shaw Group, donât you?â
âDonât you want to do so?â Master Shaw narrowed his eyes. The Shaw Group was such a large company that everyone wanted it.
âYes, I do.â Kern said, âSo Iâm here with my âfamilyâ.â
âIf you want to reach your goal, you should have listened to me. I asked you to take it slowly.
In this way, he would be unable to fight back.
What did you do?
You joined hands with Franklin. Were you trying to tell everyone about your plan?
You even took Grace here and irritated him!
Tell me, what exactly do you want to do? Do you still want to take over the Shaw Group?â
Kernâs index finger gently stroked the corners of his injured lips. Suddenly, he sneered and looked at Master Shaw.
âYou use the Shaw Group as bait?â
Kern said mockingly, âIf you hang a carrot in front of a donkey, it will move forward obediently.
But Iâm not that donkey. Youâre not going to manipulate me with the bait.â
He turned around and stood in front of Master Shaw. Master Shaw was old, so he was humpbacked.
He had to raise his head to look at Kern.
Kern staring at him and said sarcastically, âNo wonder Caden said you are old.â
âHow dare you!â When he was young, he was a dark horse in the business world. He had never been forced to accept the fact that he was getting old.
âAnyway, if you want to take over the Shaw Group, you have to listen to me! Iâm getting old, but I still got this!â
âYes, I want to take over the Shaw group.â Suddenly, Kernâs smile faded.
He said seriously, âI can wait and improve my plan step by step. Iâm only in my thirties. Iâm still young, and I have plenty of time to deal with Caden. But I must get her!â
He wanted Grace more than the Shaw Group.
Master Shaw knew what he meant.
âYou! You! You!â He trembled with anger. Kern tried to please him the day before. But things changed that day. He saw Kern leave without hesitation.
âWhatâs wrong with you?â
Was she that good?
Why did his two grandsons fall for her?
She was a Helen of Troy!
He should have cut the weeds and dug up the roots. If it werenât for her, his grandsons would not have turned against him!
âClark, you bastard! Is this your trump card? You were a good schemer!â Master Shaw swore. He believed he wouldnât be beaten by a dead man.
â¦
After walking out of the Building of the Shaw Group, Grace did not go to the company.
She returned home.
She quickly fell asleep on the sofa, perhaps because she got really tired after working really hard or because of the âsurpriseâ during the day.
She had a long dream.
Everything in the dream was so real but absurd.
In her dream, she saw her late grandfather who touched her head and said she was smart. Her grandpa was playing tai chi under the trees. She was reading grandpaâs business notes. She also dreamed about her brother. Her brother was chasing after Coco. At that time, they were still young and Coco was still alive.
She felt like that she had returned to the old days. Everything in her dream seemed real.