Chapter 419 Grace Grows Suspicious
Hunter's face darkened, a glint of red flickered in his eyes.
He grabbed Grace's wrist with just enough force to make her gasp in pain and retract her hand.
Turning to face her, his eyes were undisguised with loathing.
"And who do you think you are, touching me?"
Undeterred, Grace hitched up her nightgown, revealing her thighs. Her intimate secrets were barely concealed, alluring under the dim light.
"It's been a while, and you haven’t been with Patricia, right? You’re a normal guy with normal needs, and I’m a woman with needs too. Why don’t we... just help each other out, no strings attached?"
Grace, in Hunter’s view, was the picture of debauchery.
Hunter watched her, unblinking.
He suddenly chuckled, the sound devoid of any warmth.
"You're not worthy..."
With those chilly words, he turned and left without looking back.
In his anger, he had forgotten to check the situation outside and stormed out the door.
Angie, with a cup in hand, stood at the other end of the corridor. Her eyes widened in disbelief as she watched Hunter storm off. It was as if she'd stumbled upon a scandalous secret, her mouth agape.
What on earth had she witnessed?
Wasn't that Mr. Hunter, Miss Watson’s husband?
Why was he leaving Grace's room so late at night, disheveled and in such a rush?
Could it be?
Driven by curiosity, Angie approached Grace's room with the cup in hand.
"Grace, here's your coffee..."
The rest of Angie’s sentence lodged in her throat at the sight before her, the words unable to find their way out.
Grace was curled up in a corner, her clothes torn, exposing swathes of skin marred by dark bruises as if someone had been gripping her too hard.
Terrified, Angie placed the cup on the coffee table and rushed to Grace’s side.
"Grace, what happened to you?”
As the realization hit her, Angie gasped in disbelief, "I just saw Hunter storm out of your room. It wasn’t him, was it?”
Grace clamped her hand over Angie's mouth, panic written all over her face.
“Pretend you didn’t see anything... like nothing happened."
Angie wrenched free from her grasp, tears welling up, her face etched with grief, "How can I pretend I saw nothing! This is the Koch family estate. I'll tell the master; he will give you justice."
Grace’s tears tumbled down her cheeks.
She sobbed bitterly, the depth of her sadness evident.
“No, we can’t tell Grandpa! He holds Patricia in such high esteem, and Hunter... he's her husband. If Grandpa found out, how could he possibly choose? And how can I face Martin after this?”
Angie was at a loss, unsure of what to do.
Wiping her tears, Grace clutched Angie's arm, pleading, "Angie, please, promise me you won’t tell Grandpa. Just act as if you saw nothing. Please, I’m begging you..."
Angie hesitated, torn, “But if you let it go this time, he will surely do it again, maybe even worse. I can’t stand by and watch him hurt you.”
Grace shook her head desperately.
No way. I've already warned him sternly; he wouldn't dare do it again. Plus, tonight, I didn't give in to him. I stood my ground and kept my integrity. He should get the message and stay in line."
Angie bit her lower lip, her face etched with turmoil.
"Angie, promise me, I'm begging you... I can't let Martin find out about this. If he does, how could I ever face him?"
Under Grace's persistent pleading, Angie reluctantly agreed, with apparent difficulty.
Angie helped Grace back into bed to rest.
As the room light went out, she tugged at the corner of her mouth, flashing an unsettling smile.
...
Days later.
Grace presented Jeremy with a limited-edition global timepiece.
"Jeremy, I picked this out just for you. Do you like it?"
Seeing his sister give him a gift, Jeremy eagerly unwrapped it and, discovering a watch, joyfully strapped it onto his wrist and admired it.
"I love it, love it! How did you know my watch broke?"
Sitting across from him, Grace beamed, "How could I not? You wore your favorite watch every day and then suddenly stopped."
Jeremy grinned like a fool.
"That's my sis, always caring about me!"
He lifted his wrist, examining the watch from every angle.
Grace rolled her eyes slyly, "Of course I care! After Grandpa brought me back, you and he have been the kindest to me in the entire Koch family. This time, you helped Martin get the internet contract; I'm truly grateful."
Jeremy dismissed it with a wave of his hand, "Ah, that's nothing! You're engaged, he's practically my brother-in-law now. I should work with him. Besides..."
He paused for a moment.
Remembering Patricia's words, his eyes softened unconsciously.
Grace, curious, asked, "Besides what?"
Jeremy looked down, blushing with a shy smile, "Besides, Patricia was right. Everyone has their own value. If I'm set on making a splash in the internet world, then I need to put the work in. Collaborating with the Langley Group is definitely the best choice if I want to prove myself fast."
Getting into the internet business had started as a lark.
Grace had suggested it, and he'd jumped on board.
Money was the least of the Koch family's worries.
Grandpa was also happy to see him actually doing something, rather than idling away his days.
Later on, Grace introduced him to Hunter, and it only made sense that he signed with Hunter.
As for what happened after the deal, he didn't bother much and left it all to Hunter to handle.
He was ready to leave it at that.
That was until Patricia said something that started to shake his confidence. But he was worried about putting Grace in a difficult position. After all, Hunter came through her recommendation, and he feared that ending the contract unilaterally might upset her.
Just then, coincidentally, Grace mentioned she hoped he would consider working with the Langley Group.
So he went with the flow and agreed.
Grace, puzzled, asked, "Patricia? When did she talk to you?"
At the mention of this, Jeremy recalled the slip of the tongue he had made, a flicker of guilt passing through his eyes.
It was brief and quickly vanished, but Grace still caught it.
She eyed Jeremy with suspicion, "Jeremy, are you keeping something from me?"
Feeling even more guilty, Jeremy couldn't meet her gaze.
His behavior only convinced Grace that he was hiding something significant.
She stood up slowly, walked over to him, and locked eyes with Jeremy, her voice heavy with each word, "Jeremy, what exactly are you hiding from me? Did you do something behind my back that would hurt me?"
Jeremy, frightened, held his breath.
Under Grace's persistent questioning, his will began to crumble.
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