Chapter 424 At Most Just Playing Around
In the living room, Victor looked around, not seeing Grace. He frowned and called over a servant. "Where's Grace?"
The servant, seeing Victor's dark expression, quickly lowered her head, too scared to meet his eyes. "Mr. Edwards, Mrs. Edwards said she couldn't sleep and went for a walk in the garden. She didn't want anyone to follow her."
Victor didn't say another word and walked past the servant, heading for the door.
Meanwhile, in the garden pavilion...
Grace was on the phone with Kirk. "Kirk, when are you going to take action? I'm running out of time!"
Under the dim streetlight, Grace's face was half-lit, half-shadowed, giving her an eerie look.
"Ms. Hall, it's not easy to find the right opportunity, and I've been injured recently, so I haven't had a chance to act," Kirk replied.
Kirk's casual tone completely enraged Grace. "Kirk, I saved your father back then, and I can cut off his medical expenses anytime now. I won't support a useless person. If Sharon is still unharmed in a week, I won't pay the hospital anymore!"
With Kirk's salary, he couldn't possibly afford the high post-surgery recovery costs for his father. Without her, how could Kirk still be comfortably holding the position of Drug Development Manager at Silvercrest Group?
When Grace thought of this, a cold glint flashed in her eyes. Kirk was taking her money but not doing his job properly. There was no such thing as a free lunch!
After a moment of silence, Kirk finally spoke, "Alright, I got it."
"Remember the deadline I gave you!" Grace said.
With that, Grace hung up the phone.
She put away her phone and was about to return to the villa when she suddenly met Victor's cold eyes, instantly turning pale with fright. "Victor, when did you get here? Why didn't you make a sound?"
Victor looked at her coldly. "Who were you just talking to on the phone?"
Grace instinctively clenched her phone. "No one, just someone who borrowed money from me before. I was asking him to pay me back."
"Really?" Victor's gaze was scrutinizing.
Grace nodded and handed him the phone. "If you don't believe me, you can call back and ask."
Victor glanced at the phone she handed over and sneered, "No need, I'm not interested. I came to find you for another matter."
"What is it?" Grace asked.
"When you were abroad, did you know someone named Jesse Scott?" Victor said.
As soon as he finished speaking, Grace's face turned extremely pale, and she couldn't stop trembling. "I don't know Jesse. Why are you asking me this?"
Victor sneered, "If I can accurately say the name "Jesse", it means I already know what happened between you two abroad. You'd better think carefully before answering."
Facing his cold, chilling eyes, Grace felt her legs go weak, almost unable to stand. "Victor, I do know him, but we haven't been in contact since I returned to the country."
As soon as Grace finished speaking, she received a slap on the face. The crisp sound of the slap echoed in the pavilion, and Grace, caught off guard, staggered back a few steps before steadying herself, a handprint quickly appearing on her face.
"I gave you a chance. Since you won't tell the truth, I'll beat you until you do!" Victor said.
As he spoke, Victor reached out towards Grace.
Grace's expression changed dramatically, and she turned to flee, but her hair was grabbed by Victor first. She screamed, her face twisted in terror. "Victor, please let me go. I'll tell you everything, I..."
The pavilion soon echoed with her cries of agony, which gradually faded after more than half an hour.
During this time, not a single servant appeared. They were used to Grace getting beaten and knew better than to intervene. After all, they were just servants, and Grace wasn't exactly kind to them either. It was safer to stay out of it.
Grace lay on the ground in the pavilion, barely conscious, her body covered in bruises except for her face.
Victor looked down at her with disgust and hatred in his eyes. "Grace, if you hadn't deceived me, I wouldn't have fallen out with Seb, and the Edwards Group wouldn't be in this mess, begging others for cooperation. You deserve to die!"
Grace said nothing, her eyes filled with despair. How much longer would she have to endure this nightmare? If she had known that coming back to the country would lead to this, she would never have returned.
But there was no turning back time. All she could do now was find a way to escape.
Seeing Grace remain silent, Victor squatted in front of her, grabbed her chin, and forced her to look at him. "After you came back five years ago, Jesse contacted you several times. What did he want?"
Grace turned her head away, saying nothing.
Victor sneered, "Do you think I can't make you talk if you stay silent?"
Grace replied, "He used some of our previous sex videos to threaten me, wanting me to go back to him."
Victor said, "Do you think I'm still the fool who believed everything you said five years ago? Jesse is an executive at MK Group. If he really wanted you back, why would he let you stay with me for five years without trying to get you out of the country? Besides, I've already found out that he was investigating Sharon. What I want to know is why he was investigating her."
Grace's pupils shrank, and her hands clenched tightly.
She looked at Victor coldly. "If you've found out this much, why can't you find out why he was investigating Sharon?"
Victor replied, "Not telling me will only make you suffer more. Do you want to go to the basement?"
Grace shuddered, a deep fear flashing in her eyes. The basement of the Edwards Villa was her nightmare. She would rather die than go back there.
Noticing her fear, Victor smiled with satisfaction. "If you don't want to go in, then obediently tell me everything you know."
Grace took a deep breath and said in a low voice, "I don't know why he was investigating Sharon. I only know that after seeing Sharon's photo, he suddenly wanted to come to the country and warned me not to do anything to her, or he wouldn't let me off."
Victor's eyes narrowed with suspicion. "If he warned you like that, why did he let you off after you caused Sharon to fall into the sea?"
Grace shook her head. "I don't know either. After Sharon fell into the sea, he never contacted me again."
To this day, Grace didn't know why Jesse was looking for Sharon, as Sharon had no connection with Jesse.
Victor said, "If you're lying, I'll make you wish you were dead."
Grace's eyes flickered. "I've told you everything I know. I really don't know anything else. He didn't trust me and wouldn't tell me anything important."
"I'll look into it. You better pray that what I find matches what you told me," Victor said coldly.
With those words, Victor stood up and left. Watching his back, Grace's eyes were filled with hatred and unwillingness. Victor hated her, but didn't she hate him just as much? For the past five years, she had endured endless torment, always wanting to escape this devil. If she could, she truly wished she had never met Victor.
Back in the study, Victor immediately called Seb and relayed every word Grace had said. "I think, based on Grace's description, that Jesse doesn't have any ill intentions towards Sharon."
Seb lowered his eyes, his long fingers tapping rhythmically on the table, his gaze icy. "Thanks, but what you've given me isn't enough to get what you want."
Victor knew that what Grace had said was almost useless, and he replied in a low voice, "I didn't plan to use this to get anything. I'll have Grace try to contact Jesse. Once we figure out Jesse's intentions, we can discuss other matters."
"Alright," Seb said.
After hanging up, Seb put down his phone, a cold glint in his eyes. He just wanted to be with Sharon peacefully, but there were always people disturbing them. Since that was the case, he would just get rid of them one by one.
He returned to the bedroom, and it was already close to midnight. Sharon was reading a book, her profile quiet and gentle. Hearing the door open, she looked up and smiled, "Finished with work?"
Seb nodded, "Yeah. Why are you still up so late?"
"Waiting for you," Sharon replied.
A warm feeling surged in Seb's heart. "Don't wait for me in the future. If I work too late, I'll sleep in the study."
Sharon didn't respond to that, instead saying softly, "Go take a shower."
"Alright," Seb said.
Seb opened the wardrobe, took out his pajamas, and walked into the bathroom. Soon, the sound of running water could be heard.
Sharon closed her book and placed it on the bedside table, then picked up her phone to play a game.
Soon, the water stopped. Seb, wearing his pajamas and drying his hair, walked out of the bathroom.
After drying his hair, he lifted the covers and got into bed. The bed dipped on the other side, and the scent of his post-shower body filled the air, making it feel a bit humid.
Sharon reached out to touch his hair, finding it still half-dry. "Let me blow-dry your hair. It's cold now, and you could catch a cold."
Seb's hair was short and usually dried quickly, so he didn't have the habit of blow-drying it. But seeing the concern in her eyes, he nodded, his gaze softening. "Alright."
Sharon got out of bed, took the hairdryer, and tested it with her hand until it blew warm air. Then she looked at Seb. "Sit in front of me."
"Okay," Seb said.
After Seb sat down in front of her, Sharon aimed the hairdryer at his roots, using her hand to tousle his short hair as she dried it.
For a moment, the only sound in the bedroom was the hairdryer. Neither of them spoke. Sharon focused on drying Seb's hair, her fingers occasionally brushing against his earlobe.
Seb shivered slightly, his gaze locked on her. Under his intense gaze, Sharon felt like she was melting into his eyes, her grip on the hairdryer tightening unconsciously. She bit her lip, not realizing how seductive this action was to Seb. Her originally pale lips turned a deep red from her biting, like a blooming red rose, tempting one to pluck it.
His long fingers gripped her waist, pulling her into his warm embrace. Sharon gasped, and before she could react, she was straddling Seb's lap. She could clearly feel the tension in his muscles, her face turning red.
The sound of the hairdryer gradually stopped, and she quickly looked away, saying awkwardly, "Your hair is dry. Let me go put the hairdryer away."
Before she could finish her sentence, Seb took the hairdryer from her hand and tossed it aside.
"You..." Sharon started.
Before she could say more, her lips were sealed with a kiss. The scent of cedar overwhelmed her, making Sharon's body tremble and go limp.
It was a long time before Seb released her lips. Both of their breaths were uneven, and the sound of their heartbeats filled the air. Seb's hand slid down her waist, gently untying her robe, which fell open instantly.
Soon, the lights went out. It was a long time before the intimate atmosphere in the bedroom gradually subsided.
At The Thomas Villa...
At this moment, only Daniel and his secretary were left in the living room. He handed a bag to the secretary, his expression indifferent. "Send this to Stellaria."
The bag was transparent, containing a used wine glass. The secretary took the glass, looking hesitant. "Mr. Thomas, can we really get DNA from just a wine glass Sharon used?"
Daniel replied, "Just send it. Whether we can get it or not isn't our concern."
If they could, great. If not, he had other ways to get Sharon's hair.
The secretary nodded, "Alright, I'll send it to Stellaria right away."
Daniel said, "Good, you can go now."
After the secretary left, Daniel rubbed his temples, looking tired. His mind replayed the words Sophie had said to him that evening, his eyes growing deeper. Those words had hurt him, but he wouldn't give up easily.
After all, Randy was six years younger than Sophie. In his eyes, Randy was just playing around, enjoying the fun of dating. When it came to marriage, Randy wouldn't marry Sophie.
Daniel had cheated on Sophie once before, so now that she was with Randy, he didn't mind. As long as he was the one standing by her side in the end, that was all that mattered.
At the entrance of The Lee Villa, Sophie and Randy had been intimate in the car for a long time, reluctant to part. She leaned against Randy's chest, discussing where to go next weekend, when she suddenly sneezed.
"Is it too cold?" Randy took off his jacket and draped it over her. "It's late now. You should go rest. I'll think of some places to go tomorrow morning and give you a few options to choose from, okay?"
Sophie checked the time; it was past midnight. She nodded, "Alright, be safe on your way home. Let me know when you get there."
"Okay," Randy replied.
Reluctantly, Sophie got out of the car and watched Randy's car disappear from sight before turning to go home.
As soon as Sophie stepped into the villa's hall, she saw Maria sitting on the sofa watching TV. "Mom, why aren't you asleep yet?"
Maria turned to look at her. "Sophie, come here. I need to talk to you."
Confused, Sophie changed her shoes and walked over to sit beside Maria. "It's so late. Can't it wait until tomorrow?"
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