Chapter 424 Destroying the Evidence
Grace lowered her eyes, hiding the triumph within, and clutched Shane's clothes, sobbing, "Grandpa, please don't hurt him. He is Patricia's husband, after all."
In a fierce tone, Shane spat out, "If it weren't for Patricia's sake, I'd kill him right here, right now."
Finished speaking, he couldn't bear to look at Hunter anymore and barked at Riley, "Get him out of the Koch family estate now!"
Although Riley found the situation full of uncertainties, Shane's fury left no room for discussion. Maintaining the bare minimum of rationality and decorum, he gestured to Hunter respectfully.
"Hunter, please!"
Hunter knew his 'guilt' was set in stone. No matter how much he protested, they wouldn't believe him, so he pushed himself up from the wall.
Step by excruciating step, he made his way to Patricia.
"Come with me."
Martin stepped forward, almost unable to resist pulling Patricia into his embrace and declaring her the love of his life before everyone.
Luckily, a single glance from Patricia halted him.
Patricia looked back at Hunter, stepped back, and declared resolutely, "I won't go with you. I've told you, I'm staying. I want to participate in the jewelry design contest. Even if I can't win, I want to grow from this experience."
Hunter's face was a turbulent mix of anger and paleness.
He glared at Patricia, who stood with unyielding determination, a clear sign she would not compromise. Grinding his teeth in silence, he stabilized his dizzy head and left.
Passing through the crowd, he gave someone a glance.
It seemed like he was passing a secret message.
That person said nothing, just watched until Hunter was gone.
Hunter had left.
Immediately, Riley instructed Angel to call the family doctor.
Sebastian motioned for the onlookers to head downstairs, leaving only Grace, Martin, Shane, Riley, and Jeremy in the room.
Patricia slowly made her way to Grace.
Her foot accidentally kicked a perfume bottle.
She paused, about to bend down and pick up a shard to examine it.
Fearing Patricia would notice something was off, Grace quickly called out, "Patricia..."
Patricia straightened up, abandoning the thought of picking up the pieces, and approached Grace.
Suppressing her pain, Grace reached out with her scarred arm and took Patricia's hand, apologizing earnestly, "Patricia, I’m sorry, I never meant to have anything to do with your husband. I don’t know how this all got so messed up. I can’t fathom why he would be interested in someone like me.”
Patricia watched her 'performance' with calm detachment and replied indifferently, "It’s not your fault. We’re both victims in this."
"No..." Grace shook her head vigorously, "No, it's still my fault. Perhaps I wasn’t careful enough and gave him the wrong impression, leading to all this.”
Patricia felt sick to her stomach with Grace's narcissism.
It was a gut-wrenching feeling.
She couldn't understand how every single member of the Koch family, from Shane down to Jeremy, seemed so honest and forthright. Even someone as simple-minded as Jeremy had a pure heart.
How could Grace be so deceitful?
Was it some kind of genetic anomaly?
Tired of listening to Grace's self-praise, Patricia lightly patted Grace's uninjured shoulder and offered hollow consolation, "It's all in the past now. Rest up, I don’t hold it against you."
"Mhm!"
Grace obediently nodded her head.
Soon after, the family physician arrived.
During the examination, only Angie stayed to look after Grace, with everyone else stepping outside the room.
Sebastian leaned in close to Riley and whispered, "Bro, don't you think there is more to this that meets the eye?"
His lawyer's intuition was kicking in.
Hunter wouldn't do something this stupid.
And if he did, he wouldn't let himself get caught.
Riley glanced at him and said nothing, his mind cycling through the entire sequence of events.
Grace had many injuries, all of which were being treated meticulously. Throughout the long process, Grace cried almost non-stop, screaming in pain.
"Ow, ow, ow..." Grace moaned softly.
"Doctor, could you please be a bit gentler..." she winced at the touch.
"Ah... it hurts so much..."
Sniffling, she protested, "I don't want to apply the ointment anymore, it's so painful. Do you have any painkillers?"
With every cry, Shane's heart stiffened just outside the door.
By the time all her wounds were treated, Grace had cried herself out of tears.
She truly cried from the pain.
In her mind, she cursed Hunter and his ancestors for good measure.
If she had known how twisted Hunter was – to actually harm her – she would've devised a different plan altogether.
But, in the end, it turned out for the best.
At least no one in the Koch family would trust Hunter now.
Even if he went to them, claiming she was an impostor, they wouldn't believe him anymore.
She had finally broken free from Hunter's grip.
She was truly free at last.
With that thought, the pain seemed to lessen a bit.
Once her wounds were dressed, the door swung open.
Everyone rushed in.
Shane, anxious, immediately questioned the doctor, "How's Grace doing? Will she have any scars? Besides the physical injuries, is there anything else we should be concerned about?"
The doctor replied, "No, Miss Grace won't have any lasting scars, but she'll need some time to fully recover."
Relieved, Shane let out a deep sigh.
After the doctor left, Riley approached Grace with a serious look and asked, "What exactly happened? Weren't you resting in your room? Why did Hunter show up?"
Grace shook her head weakly, "I don't know... I was feeling so dizzy, almost asleep, and then he suddenly showed up. He said he liked me, wanted to be with me, and when I refused, he hit me! I never would have imagined him to be that kind of person."
Her voice trembled as if she was on the verge of tears again.
Riley rubbed his temples, realizing that he wasn't going to get the answers he sought, and suggested, "Let's head downstairs for now and let Grace rest up! Angie, take good care of Grace, and if you need anything, just call for us downstairs."
Shane tenderly caressed Grace's pale face, full of concern, "Rest up, Grace. If there's anything you need, just have Angie call Grandpa."
Grace nodded obediently, "I'm sorry for making you worry."
"You silly girl, it's Grandpa who should have taken better care of you!" Her thoughtfulness only made Shane's heart ache more.
After exchanging a few more words, the grandfather and grandchild parted.
Once the door closed, Grace rushed to say, "Angie, please clean up the spilled perfume on the floor! Remember to put everything in a trash bag and throw it in the dumpster outside. I don’t want to smell it again , it reminds me of today's awful events."
Angie nodded, fetched a black trash bag, and carefully collected all the shattered pieces of the perfume bottle. She then used paper towels to wipe the floor clean of any perfume residue.
After making sure nothing was left behind, Angie carried the bag outside and disposed of it in the large dumpster near the villa, following Grace’s instructions.
She had no idea that Patricia arrived just after she walked away. She rummaged through the dumpster, pulled out the black trash bag, and after looking at its contents, she thoughtfully gazed in the direction Angie vanished.
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