Chapter 053 Is That Something a Father Should Say?
All through the night, the thing Grace regretted most was biting Xavier's leg. Because Xavier was a petty man, he retaliated by kissing her thighs numerous times, leaving a multitude of bruised bite marks.
The next morning, when Grace woke up, daylight already filled the sky, and Xavier was gone. Clean clothes were laid out beside her, and after she dressed, a servant led her to breakfast.
Some of the servants working there were people with disabilities - some mute, some with a limp, and others who were homeless. Xavier knew how tough life could be for them in society, barely able to survive. Perhaps he saw a reflection of his difficult childhood, which is why he took them in.
He provided them with both jobs and substantial wages. After training, they were tasked with managing the Bameran Villa.
These individuals were carefully selected, with their common trait being their discretion regarding happenings at the Bameran Villa.
"Where's Xavier?" Grace asked.
“Mr. Montgomery had to step out for a while to attend to his business. He's arranged a car for you, in case you wish to go out," the servant informed her.
Xavier was indeed considerate to the women he spent his nights with. Grace nodded; she had work to attend to and a store to check on that day.
After breakfast, the driver was ready and said, "Ms. Lewis, please."
The car pulled out of the garage, with another vehicle trailing behind.
The driver glanced at the rearview mirror and then cautioned, "Ms. Lewis, hold on tight."
The next moment, the driver accelerated, drifting like a race car driver, quickly passing other vehicles on the highway. It was only then that Grace realized they were being followed.
But Xavier's driver was superior, and it wasn't long before he had outmaneuvered the pursuers.
Grace's first thought was that the car behind might have been sent by Patrick.
Having left Xavier's residence the day before, and knowing there was a woman in his house, Patrick would likely have someone monitoring to see who she was.
He could only sneak glances from a distance.
Xavier must have guessed his intent, which was why he arranged for a driver to pick Grace up and take her away from the Bameran villa in the company's car.
Indeed, Xavier was always strategic in his thinking.
The driver safely dropped Grace off at her destination. After expressing her gratitude, Grace headed to the mall. She was busy today, having settled on two suitable locations for her shops right away.
Next on her list was to design the interiors.
Determined to open her stores, Grace planned to craft the design herself, turning it into the style she had always desired. Therefore, she wanted to stay on top of the renovation process.
She also had to supervise the production of her perfume line closely to avert any quality issues. Grace often wished there were forty-eight hours in a day.
Early in the morning, Patrick, accompanied by Ryan, had set off to make apologies, only to be informed that Xavier had gone out.
Ryan was even more upset. His dark circles were pronounced, making him look as if he hadn't slept all night.
He complained, "Dad, look at his attitude. We can't even get a meeting with him.
"And how am I supposed to know why he doesn't like pizza? What's that got to do with me?
"Dad, I think he's just making things difficult on purpose. Let's just ignore him. You're the one who controls Skigeth, why do you act so meek in front of him? If others saw this, who knows what they'd think of us."
Ryan was unaware of the financial crisis the company was facing, as well as Patrick's intention to secure funds from Xavier.
Over the past two years, a company under Skigeth had risen abruptly, growing from an underdog to a rapidly expanding enterprise. Its momentum seemed to be on the verge of surpassing the Montgomery Group in market value, which was the cause of Patrick's distress.
Seeing Ryan's lack of competence, Patrick was close to exploding with frustration. He wanted to lash out at Ryan, but restrained himself, saying instead, "You don't understand. You better keep quiet in front of Xavier!"
Before long, Patrick received a call from one of his subordinates, who reported losing track of the car.
Patrick didn't react much. He was quite aware that Xavier's employees were no ordinary individuals—most of his bodyguards were ex-special forces, and his driver was far from just another chauffeur.
Patrick was curious about what was so special about this woman that caused Xavier to hide her.
But as long as Xavier showed interest in a woman, that was enough for him.
"Dad, what are you smiling about?" Ryan asked, curiously.
"Have you met any beautiful women lately?" Patrick asked him.
"Of course," Ryan replied immediately, recalling the beautiful face that he had been unable to forget. But he knew no more than a glimpse of her identity.
Just like the last time, he had scoured the entirety of Skigeth and still failed to find that woman—it was as if she had simply vanished from the face of the earth.
Patrick instructed, "Then find some more beauties and send them Xavier's way."
"What?" He hadn't even encountered a beautiful woman yet, and Patrick was already asking him to deliver one to Xavier.
"Doesn't he dislike women?" Ryan stated, puzzled.
Patrick chided, "Is there a man who doesn't like women? He just pretends to be uninterested. Anyway, go pick out a few beauties, and find a chance to invite him out to dinner. When he gets drunk, that's when you send the women over."
Patrick already had a plan in mind; men are often unable to resist the temptation of women, and even someone like Xavier was no exception!
After Grace had spent the afternoon overseeing her shop, she felt exhausted, both physically and emotionally. Yet, she was happy because this was her own business, and she was fighting tooth and nail for it.
She knew if her mother could see her, she would be proud too!
Since she had a good night's sleep yesterday, tonight she could afford to stay up late and get the design plans drawn up.
Just as she stepped out of her car at the entrance of her neighborhood, her phone started ringing off the hook. It was Zach calling.
Grace hung up straight away, but Zach persisted, calling back repeatedly, which was incredibly annoying.
Thinking it might be an emergency since Zach was her father, Grace finally answered the phone. "What's the matter?" she said, tersely.
"Grace, where are you? Get back here now!" Zach's voice roared through the phone.
"What for? Did someone die and you need me to attend the funeral?" she said sarcasticly.
"Do you dare to talk back to me like this now? You are nothing but trouble, do you even know who Tom is? You reported him; do you realize how powerful the forces backing him are?" he scolded, furiously.
Grace understood then, "Did Tom come to you?"
"You need to write a letter of forgiveness and get him released. Can you afford the consequences of offending Mr. Reed and the Yule family?" Zach cursed her. Kaleb was up for a promotion again, and if the Lewis family could curry favor with them, it would be hugely beneficial for the Lewis family.
Yet now Tom had gone to Grace himself, and Grace dared to say she wouldn't forgive him!
Listening to Zach's words, Grace's smile turned cold, as if mocking herself. Sure enough, she shouldn't have any illusions about Zach. Maybe in Zach's eyes, she was nothing. She only mattered when she was useful, then she was just a tool.
"Do you know what he did?" Grace's tone was very cold.
"Are you not okay now? Those men didn't succeed, why can't you forgive him?" Zach's voice came through again, and Grace just felt utter disappointment.
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