Chapter 172 Fairy
Hearing Grace’s words, a sense of comfort settled in Vito Curtis's heart. Despite his usual stern demeanor, he secretly preferred having his grandchildren around.
“That's good to hear, dear. Have a seat here; I'll ask the kitchen to make your favorite dish."
"Sounds perfect," Grace chirped sweetly.
Once Vito Curtis headed to the kitchen, Grace lifted her chin triumphantly at Myron, a silent challenge in her gaze as if to say, "See? Grandpa adores me too."
Vito Curtis's voice carried through the office, "Myron, when you clock out, could you pick up Luann? It'd be nice for her to finally meet Grace and that little scamp, Emma."
Grace's gaze sharpened.
"Emma?" she echoed.
Vito Curtis stepped out of his office, nodding. "Yeah."
Grace frowned, her brows knitting together. "What's she doing out of school? Got tired of the whole graduation dream?"
"Luann signed her out for a little break. Thought she could use some relaxing."
Grace's disdain for Luann Weaver notched up at that.
She marched upstairs, shoved open Emma's door, and yanked the huddled lump from under the covers.
Grace tapped her face gently.
"Wake up."
Emma's eyes fluttered open to see Grace, and she shrieked.
"Ah! Sis, you came for me!"
"Wait, that's wrong. She's still trapped in the mountains, can't get out."
"Just a dream..."
A twitch pulled at Grace's lips as she tugged Emma's ear hard. "Still dreaming?"
The familiar sting brought Emma's groggy eyes wide open, filled with horror.
"Sis! How'd you get back?!"
Emma scrambled away, retreating into a corner.
"That's my line," Grace said, the corners of her mouth drooping in exasperation. "Planning on flunking out again, are you?"
With her head hung low, Emma's face was the epitome of pity. "What can I do? I just... I just can't..." Her voice faded to a whimper.
Grace gently smacked her on the skull, her face stern. "When are you going to make mom and dad proud?"
Emma's cheeks puffed out, her eyes rimmed red with tears, while her fingers aimlessly traced patterns on the sheets.
"You and brother are enough, just pretend I never existed..."
"What kind of nonsense is that?"
If it weren't for the fact that Emma was her sister, Grace wouldn't bother with her!
"The truth..." Emma's voice was weak. "I've always felt like I'm not really their child."
"Why else would you and brother be so smart, and I'm just... not. I didn't inherit any of the good genes and I'm still failing classes."
Grace watched her sister's display of despair with indifference.
Emma fell silent.
With a firm shove, Grace pressed on, "So, tell me, how'd you get mixed up with Luann Weaver?"
In a muffled voice, Emma admitted, "I wanted revenge for my brother."
A flicker of relief crossed Grace's mind—thankfully, the kid wasn't totally foolish.
"You've seen it yourself, how nasty Luann Weaver is—she even granted you a long 'vacation.'"
Emma shook her head in disagreement, "She's not nasty at all; she's like a fairy! A gorgeous sister!"
Grace looked at her in disbelief, "What on earth are you blabbering about? You're failing, flunking exams left and right, and for Luann Weaver to keep you back a year, she gets you this leave so you would stay out of school, ensuring you'll fall even further behind."
"That's not it. Luann didn't know about my failing grades; I asked her to get me the leave," Emma explained.
Grace knew her sister had a screw loose, being conned and yet counting the money for the con artist.
"Alright, alright, enough said. I get the picture."
Emma was about to say more, but Grace covered her mouth to stop her.
"Go wash up and come down to eat."
Emma shook her head vigorously, pushing Grace's hand away.
"No! I want to sleep!"
With that, she dove under the covers, and no matter what Grace said, she wouldn't get up.
...
Today, Luann Weaver had a bit of downtime.
The documents that others found challenging were sorted out by her in a matter of minutes, prompting her to decisively boot up her computer to play some games.
This was the scene her staff would often walk in on.
So the word spread, from one to ten, and ten to a hundred.
"Man, our new director just plays on her computer."
"Yeah, and look at those files piling up. Doesn't she care?"
"It's frustrating, especially since I voted for Luann Weaver."
"Same here..."
"I really need my document. It's urgent, for something after work! What am I going to do?"
The others patted his shoulder sympathetically.
"Just hope for the best, buddy."
So the employee lingered outside Luann Weaver's office, peering inside every now and then.
After her third game, Luann noticed him still there. She swung open the door.
"What are you looking at?"
The employee jumped, stammering, "Director Luann, I... my document, I need it this afternoon. Could you perhaps... look at mine first?"
"Hmm," Luann hummed.
"Then take all these with you," she said.
"Huh?" The employee was dumbfounded. "What do you mean?"
Luann explained, "They're all done. I didn't have time to distribute them one by one, so would you mind making the rounds for me?"
The employee stood there, momentarily stunned.
It wasn't until he had walked out the door, arms stacked with files towering over his head, that he finally realized what had happened.
What just happened?
All these files... did Luann Weaver actually finish them?
When did she even do it?
He had been watching the whole time, and Luann Weaver seemed to be just playing video games!
"Could she be messing with me...?"
The employee found a spot at a desk to set the files down, flipping through them one by one. To his amazement, every spot that required a signature or a note for revision had been marked by Luann Weaver.
" Wow... She's amazing!"
Half an hour later, word of Luann Weaver's efficiency had spread through every nook and cranny of the company.
Yet, Luann herself was oblivious to the buzz. As the lunch break bell rang, she decisively stepped into the elevator and left the office.
Outside the company building, Nicholas' car was parked.
"Mrs. Luann, over here!" Jasmine called out excitedly, while in the back seat, Nicholas sat with his headphones on, eyes closed, lost in music.
