Chapter 328 You Look Pretty Cute When You're Jealous
Ryan trudged upstairs; Patrick was holed up in the study.
Ryan knocked and slipped in. "Dad, look, what happened with Kelly was on her, but she did it 'cause she loves me too much and can't stand Grace being around. I mean, Grace is carrying our Montgomery heir. Just give her one more shot?"
Patrick just stared at the bookshelf, not saying a word.
Ryan followed his dad's gaze. Nothing weird about those bookshelves.
Thinking Patrick was still fuming, Ryan pressed on, "Dad, Kelly's pregnant. She can't go to the cops. Please, help her out!"
Patrick stayed silent, making Ryan squirm. He was still pretty scared of his dad, whose stern vibe screamed authority.
Most guys Ryan's age were already handling their own stuff, but Patrick never really gave him any real power. No matter how much Ryan promised to work hard, Patrick just didn't seem to trust him.
After what felt like forever, Patrick finally spoke, "Go get Wendy up here."
"Huh?" Ryan was puzzled. "Why her?"
Was his request too much? Was Patrick giving up on him? But the company couldn't go to Wendy; she didn't even know finance.
Patrick barked, "Just go!"
Confused, Ryan headed downstairs to find Wendy.
Wendy had no clue why Patrick wanted her. Both she and Ryan were pretty scared of him and barely talked to him. She'd been on her best behavior lately, not causing any trouble.
Nervously, Wendy went upstairs and stepped into the study. "Dad, Ryan said you wanted to see me?"
Patrick looked at her, making Wendy feel super tense, like something bad was about to go down.
"Come here," Patrick said, and Wendy walked over.
Patrick stared into Wendy's eyes, but she couldn't meet his gaze and looked down.
Patrick's silence made Wendy even more anxious. "Dad, if you have something to say, just say it. You're freaking me out."
"Your eyes aren't good-looking," Patrick said bluntly.
Wendy was floored. "Dad, what did you say?"
Her eyes not good-looking? She kinda thought so too. Even though she was a Montgomery, Wendy wasn't exactly a knockout, so she always dolled up for social events. She envied Jessica the most; Jessica was gorgeous and talented. But lately, Jessica had been acting weird, barely going out, and no one knew why.
"I've set up an appointment with a plastic surgeon. A car will pick you up tomorrow," Patrick said, already having made the arrangements.
Wendy was baffled. "Dad, you want me to get plastic surgery? Why?"
Did Patrick think she wasn't pretty enough? After all these years, why now?
Patrick didn't answer, and Wendy started guessing, "Is this for a business marriage?"
In their world, business marriages were super common. Grace and Ryan were supposed to marry, but Grace was too naive and got outplayed by the sneakier Kelly.
Wendy used to like Kelly, but after seeing her true colors, she was just disgusted. Kelly was worse than Grace!
Patrick said, "You don't need to worry about that."
Wendy protested, "Dad! I don't want to marry just anyone!"
But Patrick had no patience and told Wendy to leave.
With the study empty, Patrick's eyes turned steely. He pulled out his phone and opened a photo. It was a close-up of a pair of eyes—beautiful, lively, with long lashes and watery pupils, totally mesmerizing.
If Grace saw it, she'd realize those eyes looked a lot like hers.
Patrick stared at the photo, thinking about how Wendy was around the same age as Grace.
The next morning, Grace woke up in Xavier's arms.
The sun was already up, streaming through the windows, and the white sheets were a mess.
It was around nine o'clock. Xavier usually wasn't in bed this late.
Most mornings, when Grace woke up, Xavier was already gone—either working out or at the office.
Grace shifted a bit; her arms felt like they were falling apart. Even though Xavier hadn't been back from Skigeth for long, he always seemed to have endless energy. But if she hadn't shown up yesterday, would Stephanie be the one lying in Xavier's arms now?
"What are you thinking about?" Xavier asked, his eyes now open.
Grace replied, "Nothing!"
Xavier pressed, "Really?"
Grace insisted, "Of course."
Xavier teased, "Then why do you look so guilty? Did you do something to betray me?"
"I did not!" Grace always played it straight.
Xavier smirked, "Nothing? Then what about you and Sterling..."
Grace got serious, "There's nothing between Sterling and me. But you, if I hadn't come last night, would Stephanie have pulled it off?"
Xavier chuckled.
Grace pushed him. "What's so funny?"
Xavier grabbed her hand. "Nothing, just thinking you look cute when you're jealous."
Grace huffed, "I'm not jealous. I'm serious. If it wasn't me last night, what were you planning to do?"
Xavier said, "If it wasn't you, I wouldn't have drunk that glass of wine."
"What?" Grace quickly caught on. "You knew I was coming, so you drank that wine on purpose?"
Xavier neither confirmed nor denied it, but Grace knew it was true.
Grace asked, "So when did you know I was coming to Oakworth?"
She had planned to surprise Xavier, but it turned out he had known all along and deliberately drank the potion-laced wine, making her feel like she was in a daze all night.
Xavier said, "Take a guess."
Grace pouted, "I'm not guessing. You probably knew when I bought the ticket. You probably know everything about Skigeth."
Grace could only describe Xavier as all-knowing. Maybe nothing could be hidden from him. She thought she had hidden it well, but it was all under Xavier's control.
"It's not that exaggerated," Xavier said. He just paid more attention to things, especially when it came to Grace.
Xavier added, "I'm really happy you came to see me."
Xavier's magnetic voice softly brushed past her ear, making Grace's ears feel hot and tingly.
"Men's words are all lies," Grace muttered, finding it hard to believe.
Her eyes, still shimmering with tears, blinked lightly, the corners tinged with a delicate blush.
Her alluring face was reflected in Xavier's eyes, and his breathing started to become erratic again. He pursed his lips without saying a word, looking at her intently. His gaze was incredibly captivating, and his deep eyes did not hide his burning desire.
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