Chapter 568 This Thing Cannot Be Told to Anyone
"Guess what's inside," Grace said, taking her sweet time with the box.
Xavier had no clue. Judging by the size, whatever was inside had to be pretty significant. He shook his head, and Grace finally opened the box to reveal... a clay figure?
The clay had dried out, and Xavier couldn't tell what it was. "Is this something you made when you were a kid?" he asked.
Maybe it was something important to Grace. Xavier could understand if it was a precious, irreplaceable item.
Grace laughed, "What clay figure? Hold on a sec."
She took the clay figure over to the sink. After filling a basin with water, she submerged it. "It's been so long, the clay's dried out. It needs to soak for a bit."
After a while, a golden glow started to peek through the clay, like gold glinting in the sand. Once Grace had washed it thoroughly, the true form of the object was revealed.
It was a golden statue. With the clay washed away, the golden light was dazzling. Grace asked, "Look familiar?"
"This..." Xavier was too stunned to speak. Wasn't this the goddess statue from Jared's birthday auction, the one that was the highlight of the event?
The goddess statue was pure gold, incredibly beautiful, with intricate details in the expression and clothing that made it hard to believe it was thousands of years old. The craftsmanship and history made it exceptionally valuable.
Grace had claimed the statue at the auction was a fake. Xavier had thought she was just knowledgeable about antiques. He never imagined the real statue was in Grace's possession.
"Did your mom leave this to you?" he asked.
Grace nodded. "Yeah, when I was really young, my mom gave this to me and told me to keep it safe and not tell anyone."
Even Zach might not know about the statue. If others knew, it would have been stolen long ago because it was so valuable. A large piece of gold like this was worth a fortune, not to mention the ancient craftsmanship.
Grace had thought of this method to bring the statue out of her home. Zach had only seen a clay figure and didn't think much of it. Elizabeth had been very thorough, leaving everything to Grace.
Jared's statue was a fake, but the real one was with Grace. Did Jared know about this?
"If your mom told you not to tell anyone, why are you telling me?" Xavier asked.
Grace looked at Xavier with sincere eyes. "Because I trust you. I don't think you'd deceive me. Besides, I don't feel safe keeping the statue by myself. It's too valuable. I want you to help me protect it."
Xavier placed his hand over Grace's, and together they held the statue. He nodded, "Okay."
Up close, the statue was truly stunning and awe-inspiring. It depicted a young girl holding a fruit of hope, with lively and playful features. It was a rare treasure, and Xavier felt incredibly fortunate to see it.
After packing up, Grace and Xavier boarded a flight to Oakworth the next day. Thinking back, the last time she went to Oakworth was to confront Xavier and break up with him. That was almost six months ago.
"So, how's Stephanie doing now?" Grace asked.
"I don't know," Xavier replied, shaking his head.
"I'm not testing you. I'm genuinely asking about her situation," Grace clarified, thinking Xavier was trying to avoid upsetting her.
Xavier held Grace's hand as they walked upstairs to the place they had lived together for a long time. "I really don't know. She's at the Park Villa, with people watching her. She can't leave."
The bodyguards only called Xavier if something happened. Although Xavier didn't keep tabs on her, Mason did. Stephanie wouldn't be leaving. She would stay in the large villa, repenting for her sins in the places where Joseph had lived.
Once inside, Xavier pushed Grace against the door and kissed her. With the baby growing, Xavier didn't dare do anything more, so he settled for kissing her. But each kiss felt like it wasn't enough, and Xavier's kisses were never just simple pecks.
He liked to leave his mark on Grace, like a claim. "Stop," Grace protested. "I have to meet Lily and the others tomorrow. It wouldn't be good if they saw."
Grace hadn't seen Lily and the others in a long time. Lily happened to be in Oakworth, so they arranged to meet for a meal.
"It doesn't matter. They're adults. They should learn about these things," Xavier said, leaving a kiss mark on Grace's neck.
Grace's resistance was futile, and she ended up being teased by Xavier. "Do you want me to go with you tomorrow?" Xavier asked.
"It's a company gathering. Why would you come?"
"Aren't I part of your company too?"
"Since when? I'm the boss, and I don't know about this."
Xavier said, "I'm your personal driver."
Grace was silent. "Drivers aren't allowed at the table!" she snapped.
Xavier thought, one day, he would get a seat at that table.
The next day, when Grace arrived at the meeting, Lily and the others were already there. Lily had transformed into a professional businesswoman over the past few months. Grace almost didn't recognize her. Was this the same girl who had just graduated?
Lily and the others were excited to see Grace. "Ms. Lewis, it's been so long! You have a baby now!"
"Yeah, should we start preparing wedding gifts? Ms. Lewis has been so good to us. When the baby is born, I want to give a big wedding gift!"
While they were excitedly discussing, Grace took out some bonuses. "You've all worked hard. You must be exhausted. I'll have the finance department double everyone's quarterly bonuses, and after this busy period, I'll arrange a two-week vacation abroad for you all!"
Grace was exceptionally good to her employees. The staff at Iris Company enjoyed great benefits, so they worked hard, earning more bonuses in return.
"Long live the boss!" Lily and the others cheered. Working under Grace for less than a year, Lily had already bought a house in Oakworth. Although she still had a bit of a mortgage, she believed she could pay it off this year.
Log in with Google Account
Chapters
Favorite
Settings
