Chapter 29 The Nominal Grace
"Grace is causing trouble, and I can't do anything about it," Henry felt annoyed.
Aurora's tone was very unpleasant. "So that's your reason for forcing her to come back? The mistress openly lets her mother beat up the wife in front of the husband, whose face do you think is being lost? Do you know this affects the Montague Group's stock fluctuations? Fortunately, this matter hasn't spread too far. If it reaches your grandmother, I can't protect you. Your grandmother likes Grace the most."
Henry nodded, indicating that he would handle the matter.
"Take good care of your wife, at least keep her fantasies about you intact. As for Elodie, you better provide me with an explanation. Fulfilling her dreams on her behalf is already the limit of my goodwill as a member of the Montague family. If she still plans on marrying you, then you'll have to handle her." Aurora continued.
Henry leaned on the sofa, shielding his eyes from the glaring light, wanting to say something, but then he saw a photo sent by Celeste. In the photo, Grace and Lucas were shining under the morning sun, and she was smiling very happily. This was the first time he had seen her smile so happily since the divorce.
Was Lucas really that good?
"All I want is an obedient wife. As for love, it was fine without it before." Henry said indifferently.
Aurora no longer wanted to talk to him, who was simply stubborn. He could not love Grace, but Grace could not afford not to love. "In any case, deal with Elodie's matter quickly. I don't want to hear anything about her anymore."
He nodded, knowing that Elodie had gone too far this time. If it wasn't for trying to use this to press Grace a bit, he would have considered sending Rebecca to jail.
At this moment, the phone rang. Aurora glanced at him, thinking it was Elodie. Henry thought the same, but when he saw the caller ID, he realized it was Grace calling.
"Put it on speaker," Aurora said.
Henry did as he was told and answered the call after a moment. It took a while for Grace to speak. "Henry, let's meet."
Henry glanced at Aurora, as if saying he had won. "Come to the Montague Mansion, Grandma misses you."
Grace's voice came again. "Henry, I want to talk to you about Clara."
Henry's voice turned colder. "Then wait for me at the villa." With that, he hung up the phone, giving Grace no room to maneuver.
In the hospital corridor, Grace tightly gripped her phone, feeling extremely cold.
This was the real Henry. For the sake of his goals, he would stop at nothing. In the past, his concessions and tenderness were all means to force her to come home. When he found it didn't work, he showed his true colors.
She regretted it immensely. If she hadn't entered that room back then, if she hadn't made love with him, would she have had no connection with Henry at all?
She put away her phone, went to the ward to tell Nathan she had something to do, and left the hospital. To get to the villa sooner, she took a taxi for the first time since the divorce. Moments later, she arrived at the villa, but the door was closed. She didn't even have the key to the villa. She knocked on the door, and although the servants only told her Henry hadn't returned yet and then closed the door, leaving Grace to wait alone at the entrance.
The autumn wind hit her delicate cheeks. She wasn't wearing much, and the bone-chilling wind seeped into her sleeves, making her shiver uncontrollably.
She knew Henry was still punishing her, so she just waited at the door.
Only now did she realize how ridiculous and pathetic her role as Mrs. Montague was.
She curled up by the steps, like an abandoned little cat.
Her small, desolate figure made anyone who saw her feel pity.
The servants watching Grace through the window couldn't help but feel heartache,
"Isn't Mr. Montague going too far? Mrs. Montague is such a good person, why bully her like this?"
"Yes, the Windsor family went bankrupt, Mr. Montague doesn't love her, she has an empty title but is like a caged person, and now she's being humiliated by Mr. Montague's mistress. It's truly pitiful."
Until the afternoon, Henry still hadn't shown up.
Instead, Celeste arrived at the villa, opened the door, and invited Grace in.
Grace didn't act coy, she came to negotiate with Henry.
Seeing Grace shivering, Celeste found a blanket and made her a cup of coffee.
Grace covered herself with the blanket and drank a cup of hot coffee, finally starting to warm up.
She knew Henry was still giving her the cold shoulder. Celeste must have been informed by the servants.
But since it was a negotiation and she was asking for a favor, she should show sincerity.
Celeste sat across from Grace on the couch, assuming the demeanor of a villa owner, looking down on Grace with a sense of superiority. "Mrs. Montague, do you know? Mr. Montague originally wanted to marry Elodie. She was the one who awakened Mr. Montague, and since he had no particular thoughts about marriage, he intended to marry her. But who knew you would intercept, and that's why Elodie hates you so much."
She scrutinized Grace's pretty face. "Although you came later, you surpassed Elodie with just your face, and your family background is not something a maid's daughter can compare to."
"Mr. Montague's mother naturally wouldn't favor Elodie, so even if you didn't have that accidental night, Elodie wouldn't have married Mr. Montague"
Grace suddenly asked, "What about you, Celeste? With your background, would you marrry Henry?"
Celeste was stunned for a moment.
She was somewhat surprised that Grace could see through her thoughts.
Indeed, someone who could make Henry put aside his hatred and be his wife for three years couldn't be a fool.
Perhaps it could be said that Grace's love for Henry runs very deep, and she was extremely knowledgeable about everything and everyone around him.
Moreover, her feelings for Henry sometimes show on the surface. It's not just Grace; even a random stranger who observes closely could notice.
In the evening, Henry finally returned from the Montague Mansion.
He did it on purpose, simply wanting to give Grace the cold shoulder.
Celeste had left the villa half an hour earlier after receiving a notification.
Henry went to the second floor and, through the door, heard the melodious sound of a violin.
He frowned. This was a room he didn't allow Grace to enter.
Because many things inside were gifts from Elodie.
But listening to the music, it felt incredibly familiar, as if he had heard it somewhere before. Perhaps due to a memory lapse, he couldn't recall.
He opened the door.
By the window, in the dim room, bathed in the fiery sunset, Grace sat gracefully on a chair, gently drawing the bow across the violin strings. The orange-red light cast on her shoulders made her look incredibly radiant.
Sensing the movement at the door, Grace stopped playing the violin and placed it aside.
This violin was said to have been bought by Henry at great expense for Elodie, but Elodie's violin skills were poor, so she never played it.
Henry simply closed the door, walked to Grace, pulled a chair, and sat opposite her.
Outside the floor-to-ceiling window, the evening sunset dyed the sky a fiery red, like a piece of cloth dipped in red dye.
Under this backdrop, the two began their conversation.
Grace got straight to the point, looking at him with a hint of pleading in her voice. "Henry, can you let Clara go? I'm begging you."
Henry was noncommittal, twirling his fingers, looking at Grace with disdain. "Is this your attitude when asking for a favor?"
Grace knew what he wanted. There was no one within five miles of the villa, so she began to unbutton her clothes in front of him.
The crimson light shone on Grace's delicate skin, casting a hazy glow, making Henry subconsciously swallow.
But as Grace's clothes fell piece by piece, his deep eyes grew even darker.
He knew Grace didn't want to come back, she wanted to trade herself for Clara's freedom.
But she was wrong about Henry's resolve. Whatever he wanted, he would get.
He toyed with the gold pen on the table, his eyes filled with an unreadable depth. When he saw Grace stop undressing, he sneered. "Why did you stop?"
He stood up and walked to Grace, gently wrapping his arms around her from behind, his fingers lightly tracing her body, teasingly and amusedly.
At this moment, he treated her not like a wife but more like a wanton prostitute.
His actions were extremely rough, but he never took the final step. He couldn't help but sneer "Weren't you quite chaste before? Why are you now begging to be fucked?"
"You really are a slut, Grace." He pinched Grace's chin, making her see her wanton reflection in the mirror opposite.
Grace felt ashamed. Henry's actions grew more intense, knowing every sensitive spot on her body.
In no time, Grace's face turned red.
She couldn't help but cry out. "Henry, please don't do this."