Chapter 12: Open and Honest Ambiguity

The more Albert thought about it, the angrier he got. His face was so dark it could drip water!

He couldn't bring himself to call Serenity, and he didn’t know how to ask Grace either, afraid of what her answer might be.

This had become a problem he couldn't solve.

"What exactly did I do wrong?"

He slammed his hand on the desk, then swept his arm across it, sending all the documents on the table scattered to the floor with a loud crash.

His furious roar almost lifted the ceiling!

Hearing the noise, his secretary rushed in. Seeing the mess on the floor and Albert’s grim expression, he didn’t dare breathe.

"Mr. Sanchez, is there a problem?"

He asked carefully. Albert looked up, as if he had finally found an outlet for his anger.

"You’ve got the nerve to come in here? The proposal I asked you guys to do yesterday still hasn't been submitted!"

"You're getting paid so much, just coasting along? I might as well keep a dog instead of you people!"

"Before the end of today, I want to see three different versions of the proposal. If you can't do it, I'll fire you!"

The secretary kept his head down and nodded repeatedly in agreement.

He gathered the documents from the floor and hurried out, not daring to stay another second and risk the man’s anger again.

In the office, Albert gripped his phone tightly. The steamy pictures of him and Grace, and Serenity's cold face, kept flashing through his mind...

He was so frustrated he wanted to smash everything!

What exactly did he need to do to satisfy Serenity?

Three days later, Serenity was discharged from the hospital.

She didn't notify anyone and took a taxi back to the villa by herself.

The moment she pushed open the door, she froze.

In the living room, Grace wore my clothes and slippers, curled up on the sofa watching TV, looking completely at ease as she laughed without pause.

Grace looked exactly like the lady of the house.

Hearing the door open, Grace immediately stood up, put on a fake smile, and came forward warmly: "Serenity, you're out of the hospital? That's great! Come in and sit down. I just made some flower tea. Your timing is perfect!"

Serenity looked her over, her eyes getting colder bit by bit, her tone full of undisguised mockery: "Ms. Lawson, did your house get washed away by a flood or burned down by fire? Why do you have to stay in this house, wear my clothes, use my things? Do you really like using my hand-me-downs that much?"

Grace's smile instantly froze on her face, and her eyes immediately turned red.

She lowered her head, clutching the corner of her clothes pitifully: "Serenity, I didn't mean to! A few days ago when I went shopping, some creep kept following me. I was so scared I couldn't sleep at night!"

"Albert felt sorry for me, so he let me stay here for a while. I didn’t mean anything by it. Please don’t kick me out… I'm just too scared to be alone."

Serenity couldn't be bothered to watch her act. She rolled her eyes and walked straight toward the second-floor bedroom.

But Serenity didn't see Grace smiling smugly behind her.

When she pushed open the bedroom door, Serenity finally realized what Grace had done.

Serenity had always been a clean person, and her bedroom was always spotless.

But now, everything had changed.

In the huge room, clothes were thrown everywhere, books from the bookshelf were scattered on the floor, her precious rare editions were all dog-eared, photo frames lay on the ground with shattered glass...

Clearly, while Serenity was away, Grace had turned Serenity's room completely upside down!

Maybe Serenity really had become numb. She didn't get angry, and she didn't have a breakdown.

She walked in without a word, ripped off the bedsheet, shoved in the scattered clothes and books, bundled it tightly, and flung it down into the first-floor living room.

A loud bang exploded in her ears, but Serenity just turned and walked into the guest room.

She closed the door, shutting everything out.

The unusual noise forced Albert out of his study.

When he saw the huge bundle in the first-floor living room, he couldn't help but frown.

Grace looked up, eyes glistening with tears. "Albert, I didn't have any clothes to wear, so I borrowed one of Serenity's. She seems unhappy again."

"Should I not have worn her clothes? Did I make her angry?"

Albert frowned, looking at the tightly closed door of the guest room. He felt inexplicably irritated, but still comforted her halfheartedly: "Don't overthink it. She just got out of the hospital, she's in a bad mood."

Grace could only nod gently with red eyes.

But when she lowered her head to wipe her tears, the corners of her mouth couldn't help but curve up.

Serenity wants to fight with me?

She really doesn't know her place!

Before she knew it, night fell.

In the early morning hours, a storm suddenly broke, thunder rolling across the sky as lightning tore through the darkness.

Grace's face turned pale with fear. She quickly ran to Albert's door and pounded on it hard.

"Albert, open the door, open the door quickly!"

Albert woke up from his sleep, frowning, and walked over to open the door.

Before he could say anything, Grace threw herself into his arms.

"Albert... I'm scared of thunder. Can I stay in your room for a while?"

Her voice was trembling, making her seem especially pitiful.

Albert was still drowsy, his tone perfunctory: "It's fine, the thunder will pass soon."

"I'm really scared!"

Grace's eyes were red, her voice choked up.

"When I was little and it thundered, you’d always sit with me and keep me company. You even said you'd always protect me and never let me be scared. Have you forgotten?"

"Albert, I'll never forget!"

Her words brought back Albert's memories. He was silent for a moment, but eventually softened.

"Then I'll sit with you until the rain stops."

Grace happily agreed: "Okay!"

Albert turned to walk inside. Grace was about to follow him, but out of the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of white dress.

A flash of smugness crossed her eyes. She immediately reached out and hugged Albert's waist from behind, pressing her cheek against his back.

Her voice was soft but deliberately seductive: "Albert, with you here, I'm not scared at all!"

Albert's body stiffened. He turned around, wanting to push her away.

But the moment he turned, he happened to see Serenity standing in the hallway outside her room!

She was holding a water cup, clearly wanting to get some water, but didn't expect to run into this scene.

Was cheating behind my back not enough for Grace and Albert? Did they really have to flaunt their affair in front of me as well?

They were truly disgusting.

But Serenity didn't want to care. There was no expression on her face, her eyes calm as a stagnant pool, as if she had just witnessed something completely insignificant.

"You two continue, don't mind me."

Her tone was flat, without any emotion.

After speaking, she turned and left. She didn't even pause her steps.

Albert looked panicked and pushed Grace away. The irritation in his heart instantly reached its peak!

Serenity's indifference hurt him more than hysterics would have.

He didn't expect that even when he and Grace were being so intimate, Serenity wouldn't show the slightest reaction.

Albert looked at Grace reproachfully, his tone cold: "Go back to your own room."

A flash of unwillingness crossed Grace's eyes. She stubbornly grabbed his arm. "But Albert, I'm scared..."

Albert couldn't take it anymore and shook her off forcefully: "Which part of what I said don't you understand?"