Chapter 055 Zach Forged Grace's Signature to Release Tom
Stephanie Park was well-known in Betaqule.
Her parents had died young in an accident, and her grandfather Joseph Park doted on his only granddaughter, sheltering her from any hardship.
From a young age, whatever Stephanie wanted, she would get it.
Such an upbringing fostered a spoiled character, leading her to believe that everything should belong to her and that she could obtain anything she desired.
That included Xavier. Her affection for Xavier was no secret, although he had turned her down, she persisted.
The phone kept ringing, but Xavier showed no intention of answering.
Seeing this, Mason commented, "Ms. Park has been calling me a lot lately too, asking about your schedule."
Whenever she couldn't reach Xavier, she would call Mason.
Soon after Xavier ignored the call, Mason's phone rang, and indeed, it was Stephanie. Xavier could ignore her, but if Mason didn't answer, Stephanie would keep calling.
If she lost her temper, nobody could hold her back.
"Mason, Mr. Montgomery is still busy, I guess he hasn't seen his phone," Mason said as he stepped aside to take a call.
Xavier pinched the bridge of his nose, feeling no interest in Stephanie, but he owed the Parks a favor…
Soon, Mason ended the call and came back, saying, "Ms. Park is still upset you're not answering her calls."
Knowing Stephanie's temper, if she found out about Grace's relationship with Xavier, Grace could be in trouble.
"From now on, don't bother answering her calls," he instructed.
"Got it," Mason agreed.
Xavier instructed, "Check around Grace, see if anyone's done anything to her."
He recalled Grace's voice was off, despite her denial, and he could tell something was wrong.
Mason obliged, "Yes, sir."
Grace had wanted to return early to work on the design plans for the store, but after Zach’s interruption, she was too disturbed to concentrate.
She filled the bathtub to the brim and lay down in it. Submerged herself until she couldn't breathe at all.
Sometimes, she wondered what was left in this world to cherish; life often felt suffocating, and she longed for her mother…
Could drowning in the water be the release from it all?
The sensation of suffocation was unbearable; she just had to hold on a bit longer for everything to end… But Grace suddenly emerged from the water.
Why should she be so desperate to end her own life? The bad folks, like Zach, were still out there unpunished; she wouldn't let go of her life so easily.
If her mom were here, she'd want Grace to live well!
Grace got out of the tub, dressed in clean clothes, sat in front of her computer, and, putting everything aside, focused on drawing.
She worked until dawn, only sleeping for a couple of hours before continuing her work. Her days were hectic: out during the day and working at night. With the store design nearly complete, she was busy buying materials and hiring workers.
The coming days for Grace were filled with hectic activities. Even Angela remarked that she'd never seen anyone work harder.
In this world, Grace had no one to rely on but herself.
She always believed that what others offered was temporary and couldn't be kept; only those that she earned through her efforts and hard work would remain hers.
Due to her busy schedule, Grace had neither the time nor the energy to deal with Zach and Tom, and Zach hadn't called since that last unsettling phone call.
One evening, as Grace mixed fragrance oils for her store, Angela's call came through.
As soon as the call was connected, Angela's urgent voice came through, "Grace, guess what I just saw?"
"What? A ghost?" Grace joked, her tone light despite the confusion.
"No, but almost as shocking. I saw Tom out having dinner with his wife. Didn't you press charges against him? Shouldn't he be in custody by now? How did he get released?" Angela relayed, shocked.
"I even made a point to ask around, and it turns out Tom's been out and about these past few days, brazenly claiming he won't get in any trouble," she added.
Grace had been too busy to keep up with the case, trusting that the police would handle things and contact her if they needed any additional information. "Are you sure it was Tom?"
The last time Tom had harassed her, she reported it to the police. They said they would handle it according to the law and he would be temporarily detained – and if Grace decided to press charges, he might be convicted.
"Of course it was him. I'll send you a photo to prove it." Angela quickly sent Grace a photo and it was indeed Tom. No matter how he changed his appearance, Grace could always recognize him.
But how could Tom be out and about?
Grace immediately called the police station to inquire about the situation. The officer on duty said he would check into it.
It wasn't long before the police brought news, saying, "Ms. Lewis, didn't you issue a letter of forgiveness, pardoning him and dropping the charges?"
"What? I never issued any sort of forgiveness," she stated.
She could never forgive Tom.
"We received your authorization, signed off by your father, Zach."
Grace felt as if she had been doused in ice water, her face going pale. Why would Zach do such a thing?
She had made it clear that she would never forgive Tom. It was one thing for Zach not to be on her side, but to forge her forgiveness in her name was a betrayal.
What amount of money had Tom given Zach to commit such a crime? At that moment, Grace wasn't angry or surprised. That was just who Zach was.
After the initial shock, she no longer had any hope for him. Grace couldn't accept what had happened.
"I understand, but I have never issued such authorization. It's a forgery. If there's any claim that it was authorized by me, ask for proof!" Grace demanded.
"Ms. Lewis, we will look into this matter. If what you're saying is true, the person who forged the document will face consequences."
"Thank you for your help," Grace said, before hanging up the phone, her eyes red with emotion.
She packed up her fragrance blending materials and grabbed her car keys.
It was now past eleven at night. Grace drove on the freeway, arriving shortly at the gates of the Lewis Villa.
"Open up!" she exclaimed, pounding on the massive front door.
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