Chapter 179

Chapter 179

Gracia lay on the hospital bed, her wrist wound neatly bandaged, as pale as a ghost while the blood transfusion slowly replenished her strength.

Having sent the attending nurse away with a curt nod, Samuel closed the door quietly.

“Dad…” Gracia’s voice trembled as she looked up at him, her eyes brimming with tears.

Samuel stood at the bedside, his expression a storm of emotions, watching his daughter. Suddenly, his hand flew up, and he slapped Gracia across the face with a force that nearly sent her tumbling off the bed. “You’ve shamed us beyond redemption! Does the Wright name mean nothing to you anymore?”

Gracia was stunned, her head spinning from the impact.

“What has gotten into you? Gracia is already hurt, and you hit her!” Lydia caught Samuel’s arm, her heart aching for her daughter.

“What good has she done in the past few months, Lydia? Do I need to spell it out for you?” Samuel’s voice was tight with anger as he turned to face Lydia.

One scandal came after another, each more embarrassing than the last!

Before Natalie had returned, Samuel had thought of Gracia as his sensible, well–mannered daughter, never imagining she could be so devious. But she was reaping the whirlwind, and it was her own doing!

“She did it for our family, Samuel! Without our daughter’s efforts, would the Howard family have ever given us the time of day?” Lydia’s voice was low but insistent.

“You’ve spoiled her! Did you ever consider the consequences when encouraging her to do those things?” Samuel’s anger was palpable.

What made things worse was that Gracia’s two movie roles were on the chopping block.

Matthew had pleaded with the producers, sick as he was, and they had offered a stark choice to either cut Gracia’s scenes to a mere cameo or terminate her contract and reshoot with a new

lead.

Samuel had been anxiously awaiting news at home but turned out to have been blindsided by Gracia’s scandal overseas.

Lydia opened her mouth to respond, but Samuel’s phone rang, cutting her off.

He pulled it out and saw it was a call from the studio. Calming himself, he walked to the window and answered.

Before Samuel could even speak, the voice on the other end cut in, “I’m sorry, Mr. Wright, but we have to terminate the contract. We’ll let Gracia Wright keep her pay out of respect for our years of collaboration with Matthew. That’s our loss.”

Chapter 179

Samuel took a deep breath, trying to mask his frustration with forced politeness. “Is there no way to work this out?”

“Put yourself in our shoes, Mr. Wright. If one of your artists caused such a scandal, would you keep employing them?” The reply was unyielding.

“Besides, we’ve invested heavily and can’t afford to be associated with someone caught up in tax evasion and award scandals. The regulatory board won’t approve Gracia. They say she’ll set a bad example. We’re at an impasse.”

*Take care of yourselves, and I’d suggest laying low for a while.”

Samuel listened as the producer laid it all out, hanging up before he could get a word in.

He stood by the window, silent for a long time before she turned to Gracia on the bed.

Tears streamed down Gracia’s face as she stared at Samuel’s phone, realization dawning on

her.

She was done.

Yet she knew the awards had come with the Howard family’s backing. It wasn’t her fault, and she hadn’t done anything wrong.

“Let’s focus on the company’s future, Samuel. There’s no point berating Gracia anymore. It’s already done,” Lydia said, holding Gracia close, tears in her eyes.

She feared Samuel’s anger might drive him to do something drastic. In all their years together, she had never seen him so furious as to have lain a hand on Gracia.