Chapter 22

“Later, she forgot about it.”

Now, thinking back, Grace’s reaction that day did seem quite suspicious.

Brian discussed some cooperation matters with Marshall downstairs and then returned to the company shortly. Before leaving, he sent a text message to Louise.

At the Francis Group.

Brian had just sat down when he received a call from Melvin.

“Mr. Brian, Miss Sherman had a good appetite today. She finished all the soup that was prepared for her.”

Brian responded with a faint “Hmm” and then asked, “How are her feet?”

“Still the same as usual.”

Brian furrowed his brow slightly, saying, “Got it,” and then hung up the phone.

He browsed through the orders he placed on his phone yesterday, and with his slender fingers, he tapped on the review section. He left a negative review without any accompanying comments.

At around 4:30 in the afternoon, his phone suddenly received a call from the merchant.

“Hello, Mr. Brian, this is Seven Star Pharmacy. We noticed that you gave us a negative review. May I inquire about the reason for your dissatisfaction?”

Brian paused with his fingers on the mouse, then leaned back in his chair and coolly said, “Your medication is completely ineffective!”

After saying that, he promptly ended the call.

Shortly after, the customer service called again, inquiring whether he had used the product in the correct manner. They emphasized the effectiveness of their medicine, stating that they had never received a negative review before, and Brian was the only customer who had given their store a negative rating. They went on to request him to consider removing the review.

Brian responded sarcastically, “If you still want to run a pharmacy, stop bothering with phone calls!”

Unaware of the identity of Brian, the customer service, under pressure from her manager, dialed his number once again.

Brian glanced at the caller ID and promptly called in his assistant, Camren.

“Acquired the Seven Star Pharmacy on Drake Road,”

Camren was momentarily stunned, but after confirming with him, he went out to start preparing for the acquisition.

A little after 5 o’clock, as Brian glanced at the time on the wall and prepared to leave work a bit early, his assistant suddenly walked in. “Mr. Francis, there’s a dinner at 6 PM tonight at the Platinum Hyatt Hotel. It’s with Mr. Wilson from Summit Sphere Group and a few executives from the political arena.

Brian frowned, and his assistant immediately sensed his reluctance. He said, “Mr. Francis, this cooperation with Summit Sphere Group is quite crucial, a project worth over ten million dollars. It’s important for our partnership.”

Brian, feeling irritable, tugged at his tie. He couldn’t quite explain why, but today, he just wanted to leave work early and head home.

After hesitating for a moment, he ultimately returned to his office and sat back down.

In the private room on the second floor of the Platinum Hyatt Hotel.

Brian symbolically raised a few glasses with the people at the dining table, and after a short while, he planned to leave.

Seeing his intention to leave, Mr. Wilson joked, “Mr. Francis, you’ve become quite domestically controlled by Mrs. Adkins right after announcing the engagement, haven’t you?”

Brian’s expression remained indifferent. He neither confirmed nor denied the remark. He raised his glass and continued drinking with the others.

It would be easier to handle if it were just a cooperation with Mr. Wilson. After all, involving several political figures made it tricky for him to simply walk away.

Brian was persuaded to drink quite a bit, and when he finally left, it was already past midnight.

this Camren escorted him back, and Brian, with slightly drunk and blurry eyes, glanced at his phone screen.

There was a missed call from Louise and two text messages, while the rest were irrelevant notifications.

As if prompted by a strange impulse, Brian clicked into the sent messages in his inbox.

The word “Grace” lay quietly at the bottom of the list, indicating that the last message sent to her was nearly a month ago.

Back then, whenever he came home late, he would always receive messages from her, cautioning him to drink less and inquiring about when he would return.

It seemed that she hadn’t sent him any messages since Louise returned.

A cold smile played on the lips of Brian. Grace was indeed a dutiful wife, always attentive and responsible..

Closing his eyes, the face of Grace suddenly flashed in his mind, which was cold, stubborn, devoid of the once tender gaze.

A sudden wave of discomfort swept over his chest, and he couldn’t quite fathom why he kept thinking about her tonight.

Perhaps, he reasoned with himself, it was the effect of having a bit too much to drink, always seeking someone to stir up trouble.

Hence, Brian headed straight to Grace’s room after the car stopped at the villa.

Seeing him walking unsteadily, Camren couldn’t help but step forward to support him.

“Mr. Francis, are you okay? Let me help you inside!”

Brian raised his hand in a gesture, signaling him not to follow.

Camren watched him enter the living room before driving away.

N 48% 20:09 Grace’s door was not locked, and Brian pushed it open directly. He didn’t turn on the lights, but in the faint glow from outside, he saw her lying on her side in bed, seemingly in a deep sleep.

Didn’t she used to wait for him in the living room whenever he had social engagements outside in the past?

He suddenly felt an impulse to disrupt her peace ruthlessly.

He sat abruptly at the edge of the bed, and the not–so–subtle movement startled Grace. She groggily opened her eyes, recognized the figure before her as Brian, and instinctively shifted backward.

“How did you get here?”

Brian leaned forward, effortlessly gripping her chin.

“Weren’t you showing a lot of love for me before? Waiting for me no matter how late it was? Now that Louise is back, and you think you don’t stand a chance, you can’t even be bothered to pretend, can you?”

Grace caught a strong scent of alcohol, feeling a bit nauseous. She frowned deeply and said, ‘You’re drunk. I don’t know what you’re talking about. Why aren’t you with Louise? What are you doing here?”

“Have you forgotten your current status?” Brian pulled her towards him with a swift motion.

“No, I’m very sober. I know I’m just a shield you bought, and I won’t have any delusions, Grace replied coldly, meeting his gaze with a hint of pain in her eyes.

Inexplicably filled with anger, Brian suddenly lowered his head and fiercely kissed her lips.

“Mmm… Let go of me! Grace instinctively struggled.

Images of him sweetly embracing Louise flashed in her mind, and suddenly, she felt disgusted and uncomfortable.

She didn’t understand. Louise had returned, and he repeatedly claimed to love her. Then why was he doing this behind Louise’s back?

In Brian’s eyes, Grace’s resistance seemed futile. He effortlessly pressed her down on the bed.

A chill ran down Grace’s chest as she realized what he intended to do. She shoved him in horror.

“Brian! You can’t do this to me!”

“I can’t? But you’re still carrying the identity of Mrs. Francis. Why can’t I do this to you?” Ban asked in a low voice near her ear Grace, nervous, pleaded, “Don’t! Please don’t do this. I… I’m on my period!”

Brian froze at her words.

Just when Grace thought he might finally let her go, a large hand suddenly moved toward the inside of her thigh.