Chapter 056 Never Again Will You Be My Father
It took a while for the servant to rush to the door. When they opened the door, Grace appeared, the servant paused in surprise, "Ms. Lewis? What brings you here?"
Striding in, Grace announced, "I'm here to see Zach."
"Mr. Lewis has already retired for the evening. Perhaps you could return tomorrow?" the servant proposed.
It had been so long since Grace lived there that the servants had begun to treat her like an outsider. It was her home too, yet they were suggesting she come back another day.
"Grace, what madness brings you here at such a late hour?" From across the room, Madison approached, her gaze filled with disdain. "Kick her out immediately!" Grace's actions had caused Madison so much turmoil, tarnishing the good reputation she'd worked hard to earn. The internet was still abuzz with people berating her.
Madison had once been hailed as a prodigy, but now the public's opinion had drastically shifted. Unable to face the world, she hadn't left the house in days, struggling to eat or sleep. Even the household staff trod lightly around her, knowing that the smallest upset could spell trouble.
Madison had been on the verge of sleep when the urgent knocking downstairs startled her awake.
Furious, she went down to find none other than Grace. All her pent-up anger and dissatisfaction surged as she beheld her. Madison hadn't gone looking for trouble with Grace, and yet Grace had the nerve to show up.
However, the knowledge that Grace herself had been going through a rough patch—facing obstacles at work and narrowly escaping an assault—brought a bitter satisfaction to Madison.
"Ms. Madison Lewis, I can't just..." The servant hesitated, unwilling to expel Grace, as she too was a member of the Lewis family.
"Grace, after all the disgraceful things you've done out there, you dare to return?" Madison was clearly looking to provoke her.
"Move aside; you're not who I'm here for," Grace retorted.
Hearing this, Madison's fury reignited. She tried to grab Grace, retorting, "What kind of attitude is that?"
Grace pushed Madison aside and swiftly climbed the stairs.
Pointing at Grace, Madison exclaimed, "How dare you push me!"
Unfazed, Grace continued her ascent to Zach's room.
"Open up!" Grace commanded, knocking on the door.
Quickly, Zach emerged in his pajamas, originally annoyed at being woken up, but the sight of Grace made him feel inexplicably guilty.
"Grace, you're back, huh? Have you eaten, yet? I'll have Jenny whip up something for you to eat, okay?" he offered.
Looking at his hypocritical demeanor, Grace felt like throwing up.
On the surface, he played the role of a kind father, but his actions behind closed doors made her sick to her stomach!
"Mom, she just pushed me when she got back and was so mean to me!" Madison chimed in, complaining.
Zach said, "Madison, you go back and rest, I need to talk with Grace for a minute."
"But Dad!" Madison whined, "You've got to teach her a lesson for me!"
Madison left, but instead of returning to her room, she stayed nearby, eavesdropping.
"Zach, what's this business with Tom?" Grace bluntly used Zach's name, feeling this man didn't deserve the title of Dad.
"Grace, I am your father after all. Don't you even want to call me Dad anymore?" he asked, upset at her rudeness.
"Do you deserve it?" No father would do such things, and Zach had let Grace down time and again.
If he could forgive Tom's actions this time, what would stop him from selling her out to Tom's bed for more money next time, to be toyed with by those people?
If Grace showed any weakness now, who knew what crazy things Zach might do to her in the future?
"Grace!" Zach's expression darkened, "I know you're upset about this, but what's done is done. What's the use of suing them?
"Listen to me, we should keep this under wraps for now. Otherwise, as a woman, you'll end up the loser. What if the Montgomery family hears about it and calls off the engagement? Who would marry you then?" he reasoned.
Grace felt utterly hopeless; Zach seemed to be considering her best interests.
But why should a girl have to suffer? Those at fault would just think they could easily get away with it, and then hurt more people.
"How much money did Tom give you?" Grace asked with certainty and calmness.
"I know you've been busy lately, I heard you're trying to start a company but it's not going smoothly." Zach responded, "If you forgive Tom, all these issues will be resolved, including any troubles your company is facing. No one will bother you, and your future business will run smoothly."
"So, what exactly did Tom offer you? Did he promise you wouldn't have to worry about the development of the Lewis Group anymore?" Grace said with a cold laugh, a look of disappointment in her eyes.
"Grace, what are you talking about? I'm doing this for your own good, you're my daughter, how could I possibly harm you?" Seeing that Grace didn't react, Zach thought she had been persuaded.
The Lewis Group was already facing a financial crisis. Although they had just renewed their contract with Tom, the money hadn't been transferred yet, and Tom had halted the process.
If the funds didn't come in soon, the company would be finished.
Moreover, Tom had said that as long as Grace signed, he would renew all of the Lewis Group's permanent contracts and offer an additional three hundred million dollars to the Lewis family. He also promised to help them make connections so that Zach could meet more politicians.
The temptation was enormous, and Zach hadn't imagined that Grace's signature could be worth so much.
He knew Grace wouldn't agree, so he didn't let her know and had forged her signature.
Zach continued, "I've taken care of everything for you; I've submitted the letter of forgiveness to the police station on your behalf. Rest assured that Mr. Reed won't give you any trouble. You don't need to thank me too much."
How could he expect her thanks? How could Zach even say such things?
"Grace, if you could just cooperate and clarify online that Tom never did what they say he did, the Reed family will give me another hundred million dollars. You can have all that money. How about it?
"After all, you weren't harmed by them, right? Let's pretend this never happened..."
Before Zach could finish his words, Grace raised her hand and slapped him across the face. Zach held his cheek, not expecting Grace to strike him.
"Zach, I'm not going to forgive Tom, and your actions constitute a crime. Just wait for the court summons!
"From now on, I will no longer acknowledge you as my father." With that, Grace left.
Behind her, Zach cursed, "Grace, you ungrateful person, you want to sue me? Since when does a daughter sue her father?
"Don't tell me you weren't raped, even if you were, it's because you deserved it for offending Mr. Reed!"
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