Chapter 181 Do You Like Xavier?
Xavier wondered if he'd been too harsh and scared Grace.
In the next moment, he saw her freeze, staring at him without blinking.
Her beautiful eyes filled with tears, making her gem-like pupils blurry.
Tears slipped down her cheeks, and her vulnerable expression tugged at Xavier's heart. He swallowed hard, ready to explain he hadn't meant to be so harsh, but before he could speak, Grace broke the silence.
"Was Zach behind this? How much did you pay him? He’s always betraying his daughters. First Madison, now me, selling me off to the Montgomery family," Grace cried.
The more she spoke, the harder she cried, venting all her grievances.
"I don't like Ryan. I don't want to marry him. Why can't I control my own life? I just want to marry someone I love. The Montgomery family is a cage. If I go in, I'll never escape."
"I just want to live my own life. Why is it so hard?" she continued, tears streaming down her face.
Grace's heart felt heavy, longing for release. These were thoughts she usually kept bottled up inside. But in her current state, she no longer cared. She felt like she was losing her mind.
Xavier just listened quietly, feeling an urge to pull her into his arms.
His eyes were filled with emotion, but he restrained himself, his voice hoarse.
"Who is the person you like?" he asked directly.
Grace sniffled, a man's face suddenly appearing in her mind. He was incredibly handsome, exuding a cold aura, with a dark hand chain on his wrist.
That man's face gradually overlapped with Xavier's in front of her. Her eyelashes were still wet with tears, and she bit her red lips before saying, "You look a lot like him."
'Who do I look like? Does she like someone?' Xavier's eyes tightened for a moment.
He asked directly, "Who is he?"
Grace shook her head, trying to shake the man out of her mind. She couldn't like him.
He was like a god, his gaze would only pass over ordinary people like her, never lingering.
"No one," she replied.
Xavier had a thought and asked tentatively, "Do you like Xavier?"
Grace said the person she liked looked like him. She was drunk now; what if she didn't recognize him?
The name Xavier made her expression change. "No," she said firmly.
Not Xavier. She couldn't like Xavier.
He was the one person in the world she couldn't allow herself to like. Developing feelings for him was a challenge she wasn't ready to face. He was already the center of attention for too many women, and she despised getting involved in such competition.
Besides, Xavier didn't like her.
There were too many girls better and prettier than her. She didn't think she had any qualities that could attract his attention.
Grace said it wasn't, but her tears flowed even more.
Unlike her earlier crying, now her sadness was more intangible, different from the sadness when she mentioned Zach.
Xavier felt a dull ache in his heart. In theory, Grace not reciprocating his feelings should have been a relief, sparing him from another unshakeable trouble. However, instead of feeling any sense of relief, he found himself devoid of joy.
'Does Grace really have someone she truly cares for?' Xavier pondered.
Grace lowered her eyes. After a while, her eyelashes trembled, and she looked up again, her tone pleading.
"How much did you pay Zach? I'll pay you back, okay? Just don't touch me. I'm ugly and unattractive."
She had made herself look so ugly and unnoticeable deliberately. No one should be interested in her.
"Don't cry," Xavier said softly, reaching out to gently wipe the tears from Grace's cheek.
Her tears streamed down, trickling along his fingers and pooling in his palm. The warmth of her tears felt like molten lava, searing a path straight to his heart, making his whole body ache.
He comforted her in a soft voice, "I'm not someone Zach sent, and I won't touch you."
After wiping her tears, Xavier added, "Go rest."
Grace nodded, finally showing a smile as bright as a child's. "Thank you."
She lay on the bed, wrapping herself in the blanket. But after just a couple of seconds, she tossed it aside. "I smell terrible. I need to take a shower," she muttered.
How could a drunk Grace take a shower?
"No need. I don't mind," Xavier said.
Anyone who knew Xavier would be shocked. Known for his cleanliness obsession, he typically found any odor intolerable. Yet, faced with Grace's strong alcohol scent, he found himself saying he didn't mind.
"I really need to. I want to take a shower," Grace insisted, climbing off the bed and heading to the bathroom.
"With a man here, you're still brave enough to shower? Aren't you afraid I might do something to you? Didn't you consider that I could be sent by your father?"
Xavier's words successfully scared Grace. "Still want to shower?" he asked.
Grace shook her head. "No."
She lay back down on the bed obediently. Her intuition told her that the man in front of her wasn't a bad person.
Anyone who looked like Xavier couldn't be a bad person.
Xavier was good. Despite his occasional cold and aloof demeanor, he inherently exuded a sense of security that made people feel safe around him.
Grace tugged the blanket up to her eyes, stealing a glance at Xavier. When their eyes locked, she hastily shut her own, yanking the blanket up even higher.
The white blanket appeared incredibly soft, enveloping Grace's slightly bent fingers within its folds. The sight was undeniably endearing, capturing a moment of quiet intimacy.
Grace wasn't someone who caused a scene when drunk. On the contrary, she was very quiet and well-behaved.
This suite was quite upscale, with a laptop in the room.
Xavier had avoided work all day, letting his email inbox fill up. Finally, he decided to tackle it, opening the overflowing inbox and diligently responding to crucial messages.
Every now and then, he glanced over at Grace, who was peacefully asleep under the cozy blanket.
As Xavier was nearing the end of his email replies, his phone suddenly rang. Glancing at the screen, he saw that it was Joseph calling.
But he still answered, "Hello, Mr. Park."
"It's Stephanie," her voice came through the phone. "I had to call from Grandpa's phone just to get you to pick up."
"What's up?" Xavier's voice deepened.
"Can't I call you for no reason? I just wanted to hear your voice. I miss you, Xavier. You just left Oakworth a few days ago, but I miss you so much," Stephanie said.
"Stephanie, I think I made myself clear before."
"I know. I didn't say anything. Can't I just miss you? I..." Before Stephanie could finish, the sound of vomiting came through the phone.
"What's that sound?" Stephanie asked sharply.
Xavier looked over and saw Grace hugging a trash can, vomiting heavily.
"Water... I feel awful..." Grace's hand fumbled around the bedside, looking for water.
On the other end, Stephanie's body trembled. That was clearly a woman's voice!
'Xavier is in a room with a woman in the middle of the night? Are they...?' Stephanie's thoughts trailed off, unable to shake off the unsettling question.
Log in with Google Account
Chapters
Favorite
Settings
