Chapter 179 All of Henry's Restraint Collapsed!
Three days later, they bumped into each other at a swanky charity dinner.
Henry rolled in late, slid into a seat all sneaky-like.
He hurried over from a business engagement, his eyes immediately seeking out Grace as he settled into his seat.
There she was, Grace, all cozy with Brent, whispering and looking super tight, like they were sharing secrets or something.
Before long, Brent emerged victorious in the auction, claiming a stunningly expensive red gemstone necklace worth millions—a piece that exuded opulence and demanded attention.
A gorgeous gal deserves some killer jewelry, right? Brent was on cloud nine, and Grace was all smiles and claps from the crowd.
Brent, in a rush, snagged the necklace right away. He and Grace strolled off to the terrace, looking all chummy, and Grace didn't even notice Henry was there.
Out on the terrace, the night breeze was doing its thing.
Grace, holding a glass of champagne, gave a little smile. "Congrats on snagging that necklace. Juniper's gonna flip!"
Brent clinked glasses with her and sighed, "Went smoother than I thought! Too bad she couldn't make it tonight!"
He handed the jewelry box to Grace. "Can you help me hand it to her?? I gotta jet back to Vesper City tonight; big meeting in the morning."
Brent then chuckled, "Came all this way, and she didn't even show!"
Grace knew about the drama between Brent and Juniper.
She took the jewelry for Juniper, checked it out, and laughed, "This should totally melt her anger away!"
Thinking of Juniper, Brent couldn't help but laugh too.
Back in the day, Brent had a thing for Grace but never got anywhere. Then, out of nowhere, he fell for Juniper's no-nonsense vibe and beauty. Earlier this year, when Juniper finally said yes, they started dating, thinking about the long haul.
Brent put down his champagne, checked the time, and said, "I really gotta bounce! Grace, put in a good word for me, will ya? She's got a soft spot for you."
Grace gave a gentle smile.
Brent gave her shoulder a light pat. "I'm out."
He disappeared into the night, and Grace stood there on the terrace for a while, lost in thought.
Through the big glass window, Henry was watching her, his eyes all intense and mysterious.
When Grace finally came back inside, Henry was already gone.
After mingling for a bit, Amara showed up with a glass of champagne, grinning. "Grace, it's been ages!"
Grace was stoked. "Mrs. Young, it's been forever! Since I moved to Vesper City, we've kinda lost touch. My bad."
Seeing an old friend, they both got a bit teary-eyed.
Amara waved it off. "Don't sweat it! When your family was going through stuff, I was dealing with my own mess. I felt so bad I couldn't help."
Grace held back a bit. "Let's not go there."
They hadn't seen each other in ages and had loads to catch up on. Grace found out Amara had split from Caleb, got half the assets, and was now living it up, dating a great guy.
Amara sighed, "I used to think staying in that marriage was happiness. Now that I've moved on and met other guys, they're a hundred times better than Caleb."
Grace was genuinely happy for her.
Amara asked about her love life. "So, what's up with you and Henry? These past few years, I've only seen him flying solo, all serious, no drama."
Grace gave a faint smile.
Amara, being sharp, noticed Grace wasn't in the mood to talk about it and switched the convo to work stuff.
They chatted until it was pretty late, almost ten, before saying their goodbyes.
Amara's car took off first.
Grace stood at the hotel entrance, adjusting her shawl. She turned to get into her own ride.
Suddenly, a fancy car pulled up next to her, and the back door swung open. A man's arm reached out, grabbed Grace, and yanked her inside.
She landed on the guy, instantly recognizing his scent. Her voice shook. "Henry!"
Henry didn't say a word. He wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her close. He hit a button, and a dark glass partition slid up, sealing them off from the front seats, making it all soundproof.
In that cramped space, the only sound was their breathing and Henry's intense, brooding gaze.Grace's lips quivered. "What do you want?"
Henry's grip on her waist tightened, his hand slowly caressing her. Her shawl slipped off, revealing her soft, fragrant skin, totally tempting.
Henry gently stroked her arm, his voice rough. "Wanna go to the hotel?"
Grace's eyes widened, barely believing what she heard. Under her gaze, Henry repeated in a low voice, "Let's go to the hotel."
Grace didn't play hard to get. She'd come back to Evergreen City to hook up with Henry and get pregnant. Didn't matter where it happened; a hotel was just fine.
After that, Henry stayed silent, his face looking kinda stern.
Grace thought about what Amara had said, guessing he'd been holding back for too long, making him all urgent. She didn't push him and just sat quietly next to him.
Their vibe was more like they were out for revenge than pleasure.
Suddenly, Henry grabbed her hand. He held it tight. When Grace tried to pull away, he gripped even harder, like he never wanted to let go.
Ten minutes later, the driver stopped in front of a five-star hotel.
Henry opened the door and pulled Grace out. She struggled to keep up in her high heels. He stopped, his gaze deep and unreadable.
At the front desk, the staff couldn't help but sneak glances at them. The guy was clearly Henry from the Montague Group. The woman? They didn't know her, but she looked stunning and rich. Was she Henry's girlfriend? But why would he bring his girlfriend to a hotel?
Henry swiped his card, grabbed the room key, and led Grace to the elevator. It kept going up, and they were the only ones inside.
Henry tilted his head back, his voice rough. "You can still back out now."
Grace stayed silent.
Henry didn't say anything else. The elevator kept going up until it hit the top floor. He swiped the card, stepped aside to let Grace in first, acting all gentlemanly.
But once inside, all that gentlemanly stuff went out the window. They didn't even bother turning on the lights.
Maybe in the bright light, they couldn't be themselves, or maybe they just didn't want to see each other. In the dark, their kisses and touches were hot and heavy.
Henry's suit and shirt, Grace's dress, all ended up on the floor, setting the mood.
Henry held Grace, stumbling and half-kneeling at the foot of the bed.
He gently touched her face, his voice rough and almost unrecognizable. "Are you sure you wanna do this?"