Chapter 012 Cursing
The driver dropped Grace off at the Lewis Villa. By the time she had finished her shower, it was already two in the morning. She wasn't sleepy, so she decided to take out her spices and essential oils and started crafting fragrances.
Almost no one knew that Grace was the internationally famous, topnotch perfumer, Cynthia.
She seemed to still be able to smell the pleasant fir scent on Xavier. Her focus and earnestness were unmatched. Her long eyelashes cast shadows under the light, like tiny fans fluttering.
With her face freshly washed and free of any darkness or freckles, she was beautiful and lively, a rival to any stunning beauty in the entertainment industry.
Grace worked through the night until the break of dawn, only then did she look at her creation with satisfaction.
The room was filled with the fresh scent of fir, identical to the one Xavier wore.
Grace was so absorbed in her work that she didn't notice when the door to her room had been opened. Her half-sister, Madison Lewis, walked up behind her.
"Give it to me!" Madison snatched the perfume right out of Grace's hands and took a sniff.
It was an invigorating scent, very pleasing to the nose.
Because Madison was so focused on the perfume, she didn't see Grace's face.
"This scent smells amazing. What's the formula? Write it down for me within an hour!" Madison demanded, not giving Grace any chance to refuse.
"Give it back to me!" Grace's first instinct was to hide her makeup-free face; she couldn't let Madison see her.
She quickly grabbed a scarf from nearby and tied it around her face, already seething with anger.
Grace's mother had passed away when she was very young. Soon after, Zach remarried, bringing back a stepmother for Grace, along with his two illegitimate daughters. The older one, named Brittany Lewis, was even two months older than Grace. She was currently abroad.
"What's the need to cover your face? But then again, you are unsightly. You don't need to let your face pollute the eyes of others," Madison sneered.
"Give it back!" Grace demanded.
"Why should I? You don't really think you're about to marry into the Montgomery family and live a life of luxury as Ryan's wife, do you?" Madison said mockingly.
"Ryan ditched you yesterday. You sure did manage to embarrass the Lewis family!" said Madison with self-righteous indignation.
"It's none of your business. Give it back!" Grace was running out of patience.
"I won't give it back. It's just a bottle of perfume. Hurry up and give me the formula. I'm going to post it on Twitter later!" Madison declared, standing her ground.
At twenty-two, Madison had already made a name for herself online, with a following of five million on Twitter. She had even earned the nickname "Genius at Perfume" because the fragrances she had created since the age of ten were truly unique. Since then, she had been placed on a pedestal.
The perfume that had brought Madison instant fame was actually stolen from Grace. Madison never imagined that a single bottle of perfume would receive so much attention, nor had she anticipated the thrill of being so adored by the public.
Ever since, she had frequently gone to Grace to secretly take perfumes and pass them off as her own creations.
"All the fake glory you've swindled will be exposed someday. The higher you're lifted now, the harder you'll fall later," Grace warned.
Madison, struck by the truth of Grace's words, became furious. "What nonsense are you spouting? If you dare to reveal this, my parents will never forgive you!"
"Just because you can mix a scent doesn't make you anything special. Brittany is the one who's a renowned international perfumer, not you!" Madison exclaimed.
In a fit of rage, Madison smashed the perfume bottle in her hand. The intense aroma spread as shards of glass littered the floor. "If I can't have it, neither will you, Grace!"
Without hesitation, Grace slapped Madison across the face. Madison, in disbelief, clutched her cheek and burst into tears.
"How dare you hit me. You're going to pay for this, Grace," she threatened as she ran out of the room, yelling for her mother, "Mom, that wretched Grace dared to slap me!"
In reality, Grace seldom stayed at Lewis Villa since high school. Had it not been for the chauffeur taking her there last night, she wouldn't have returned.
Ever since Zach had brought Brittany and Madison home, Brittany had taken over Grace's room and Madison had claimed another, even going so far as to give their two pet dogs their own rooms, leaving Grace relegated to the storage room.
After Grace's mother passed away, it seemed there was no place for Grace in that house any longer.
Grace carefully cleaned up the broken glass and put on some makeup before planning to leave the house. As she descended the stairs, she saw Madison and her mother, Taylor Blair, sitting on the living room couch.
Madison was in tears, while Taylor was applying ice to her swollen face.
Upon seeing Grace come down the stairs, Taylor berated her, "Stop right there. Have you forgotten how to greet people?"
Grace halted in her tracks and calmly said, "Is anyone here? I do see two lumps on the couch. I have no idea what they are."
"Grace!" Taylor instantly got angry, thinking to herself, "She's insulting someone. Who is she implicating?"
She held back her rage. "Did you hit your sister?" Taylor asked.
"When did my mom give me a sister? How come I don't know about it? Maybe you should go to heaven and ask her?" Grace said snidely.
Madison wore a look of disgust. "Grace, you crude person. Clearly, you weren't raised right."
Grace let out a cold laugh. "You were raised right, but that didn’t seem to do much good, did it?" Having said that, she strode away.
"You see, Mom? Look at Grace; she's completely out of line. She has no respect for us at all. She's not even married into the Montgomery family yet, and she's already so arrogant. If she does become a part of it, she might behave even worse!
"I heard from Wendy that Ryan left Grace last night, and that's why she was sent back here," Madison said, knowing that Wendy was a good friend.
Taylor thought of a malicious plan. "She thinks she can marry into the Montgomery family and live the easy life? Isn't the company trying to renew a big contract? She fought tooth and nail to get into the company. I'll talk to Dad and have Grace take on the task. Last time, the Department of Commerce attendee was bedridden for a whole month after drinking too much. Plus, that executive likes to play games."
"Grace is so ugly. How could he like her?" Madison said disdainfully.
"Grace is to be a member of the Montgomery family. That status excites people more than her face ever could," Taylor remarked, a hint of maliciousness in her tone.
For Taylor, Grace marrying into the Montgomery family didn't serve her any benefits. She had considered pushing Brittany to marry into the family, but the Montgomerys seemed set on Grace.
However, after Xavier showed up the other day, Taylor dismissed that idea. He was far more distinguished than Ryan. If Brittany could be with Xavier, that would elevate Taylor's status even more!
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