Chapter 568: The Last Day
From all sides, people were throwing envious looks, compliments, and exclamations. But Oliver and Candy? They were chill about it. They were used to all the attention and praise.
Being too cute and pretty ain't always a walk in the park. No matter where they went, eyes were always on them. It was just how it was.
"So many people are looking at you," Susan said.
"Isn't this normal, Mom? Just me alone is enough to turn heads, and with Candy, we're like the ultimate attention magnets," Oliver said, lifting his chin.
Susan teased, "Looks like my son got a double dose of your narcissism."
"Narcissism? Nah, we're just stating facts, right, Oliver?"
"Totally, Mom. When our whole family of four goes out, we're gonna be the center of attention. You better get used to it," Oliver replied.
Actually, it's a family of five. Wouldn't that be even more eye-catching than celebs?
Susan thought it was "terrifying."
Soaking up the sun, enjoying the sea breeze, and people-watching, they were having the perfect picnic day.
Seeing Susan's happy face, Caleb said, "Told ya this was a good idea. If you like it, we can come every weekend. If it's too hot during the day, we can take evening walks and enjoy the sea breeze."
"Sure, the place is awesome, the schools are great, and it's close to work. You really nailed it."
"Of course. Keep the compliments coming, I can take it."
Susan laughed, "I'll reward you with a sandwich."
"A sandwich? That's boring. How about you reward me with 'something to eat'?"
"The kids are still here."
"They won't get it..."
"Uncle Caleb, what do you mean I don't get it? I'm a genius kid. I get everything," Oliver piped up.
Susan smiled and glanced at Caleb. She was right, their son got everything.
"Drink your milk and stay out of grown-up stuff, kiddo."
"I'm not a kid. I'm a man, right, Candy?"
Candy nodded, "Yep, Oliver's a man."
While the Eilish's were having a blast, the Bailey's were stuck in a gloomy cloud that had been hanging over them for months.
Trevor sat on the couch, looking way older. His face was full of worry, his temples graying.
"Trevor, today’s the last day, right?" Trevor's wife Avery asked cautiously, "To save the Bailey Group, you agreed to Caleb's condition to ground Grace for a month back then. She can go out tomorrow, right?"
Thinking about it, Trevor couldn't help but worry, "What if she messes up again when she goes out? Caleb could crush half the Bailey family with a snap. If I hadn't swallowed my pride to beg him, the Bailey family would've been history. That was Caleb's last chance for us. If Grace ticks him off again, we're done for!"
"Even so, it's clear Caleb's been bullying our daughter. He cheated during the marriage, hit Grace for his mistress, forced Grace to divorce, and even took Candy away. Caleb's gone too far, and we can only swallow our anger. Grace is clearly the victim, why should she be locked up? It's not fair," Avery said, crying for her daughter.
"There’s no fairness in this world. Besides, we’re not in a position to talk about fairness with the Eilish family. If you want to blame someone, blame yourself for using so many tricks to get them married knowing Caleb didn’t love our daughter. Now look at the mess, it’s your fault for bringing the whole family down."
"Wasn't it because our daughter loved him? As a mother, of course, I would help my daughter. Unlike you, you agreed for the benefit of the Bailey Group. I have my responsibility, but you can't escape yours."
"This back-and-forth blame game is getting us nowhere!" Trevor snapped.
"I don't care, you've kept our daughter locked up for a whole month. If you keep this up, she'll lose it. You have to let her out tomorrow."
Trevor sighed, feeling just as down, "Fine, but you need to keep a close eye on her. Make sure she doesn't go near Caleb. Talk to her, tell her we won't fight for our granddaughter anymore. She needs to find another guy, even if he's not as good as Caleb. As long as he treats Grace right, that's all that matters."
Avery took a bowl of chicken soup upstairs.
Grace was sitting on the bed, staring into space.
At first, when she was grounded, Grace went nuts—smashing things, cursing, hitting the servants. But halfway through the month, she suddenly calmed down, stopped making a fuss, and spent most of her time just sitting by the bed, staring outside.
Avery would rather she vented than keep it all bottled up, fearing it would mess with her mind.
Grace had lost a lot of weight and looked worn out, no longer like someone in her twenties, but as if she had aged ten years.
Avery couldn't help but tear up, "Grace, it's our fault, we didn't protect you. If you have any complaints, just say them, smash things, do whatever you want. Don't stay silent, it breaks my heart."
Avery choked up and continued, "Just get through today, and you can go out tomorrow. I'll go out with you to relax, okay? Or we can go abroad, okay? Didn't you always love traveling?"
"Please don't stay silent. As your parents, do you know how worried we are about you?"
"Let bygones be bygones. Forget Caleb, forget Candy, okay? Caleb is just a jerk. You deserve better than him. He and his mistress won't have a happy ending."
"You're only in your twenties, you can't give up on yourself, Grace. Your dad said, find another man. This time we won't look for someone with such a good background. Find someone who truly cares for you, okay?"
"As long as he can be with you every day and make you happy, that's all that matters. Okay?"
Grace's eyelashes fluttered, reacting like someone waking from a deep freeze. She looked at Avery blankly and forced a soulless smile, "Mom, I'm fine."
"How can you say you're fine like this? Grace... my heart is breaking..."
"Mom, I'm really fine." Grace put her hand on Avery's, smiling, "After being locked up for a month, I've thought it through. I don't hate Caleb, and I won't fight him for our daughter anymore. He won't be in my life anymore, I'm going to start over."
"Really?" Avery's eyes lit up, "Do you really think that way? Can you start over?"
Grace gave a bitter smile, "What else can I do if I don't think that way? I can't fight him, and I don't want to drag the Bailey Group, you, and Dad down with me. That's not the result I want. He's not worth fighting for anymore."
"Yes, it's best if you think that way. You were blind to like Caleb before, but it's not too late to turn back now. As long as you cut ties with him, you'll definitely meet another good man who will cherish you. You'll have more children, you're still so young, don't give up!"
"Mom, I've really thought it through." Grace smiled, though it was a very haggard smile, "Can I really go out tomorrow? Then let's think about where to go. I haven't seen the outside world for a long time."
"Okay, as long as you don't go to meet with Caleb, I'll go anywhere with you. Okay?"
"Okay." Grace smiled serenely.
As if she had completely let go.
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