Chapter 143 Chapter 143

Chapter 143 Chapter 143
Grace was taken aback yet not entirely surprised. She pressed her lips together and asked, "What is it?"
Wendy's voice was deliberately hushed, yet her words were clear. "Ms. Hill, I'd like to meet with you. There are some things I need to discuss."
"If it's important, just say it over the phone." Grace's tone was cold. She didn't want to engage with Wendy further; the girl was too impulsive, and she had only brought Grace trouble by being deceived by Benjamin.
Wendy paused briefly before insisting, "Please, let's meet. Ms. Hill, rest assured, I mean you no harm. I won't hurt you.”
Grace didn't listen further and hung up. The phone rang again almost immediately. She glanced at the number first—a landline, likely from a public phone. After hesitating briefly, she answered, "If you have something to say, say it now. If not, hang up. I have work to do and no time to waste on you."
Wendy's tone softened considerably and took on an urgent quality. "Ms. Hill, I need your help. Grandma told me that if I ever faced insurmountable trouble, I should seek your help. She said you'd help me because of my father."
Mentioning Mrs. Meyer stirred something within Grace. She remembered the wise woman’s words when she had felt guilty about Officer Meyer’s death.
Such an elderly woman, having lost her son and having only a granddaughter left who caused her nothing but worry.
Grace said flatly, "I've already saved you once.
"Ms. Hill, please help me again!" Wendy pleaded. When Grace didn't respond, Wendy added, "Grandma said that if you help me, she'll give you something—something very important. Something you'll need."
Hearing this, Grace suddenly recalled the photocopied fingerprint file Benjamin had mentioned. She had seen the file at the Meyers' home, but she hadn't taken it with her. Instead, she returned it to Mrs. Meyer for safekeeping. It seemed those copies still existed and were in Mrs. Meyer's possession, not in Wendy's hands as Benjamin had claimed.
Those documents would be evidence proving that Benjamin was Alex, especially after Adrian obtained the plastic surgery records from Dr. Willie.
Grace felt a flutter of interest. After a moment's hesitation, she asked Wendy, "Did your grandmother tell you to find me?"
Wendy fell silent for a moment on the phone, her voice tinged with bitterness as she replied, "Grandma said that if I ever reached a point where I had no other options, I should come find you."
Grace pursed her lips slightly, thought for a moment, and then asked, "What do you want me to do for you?"
"Money," Wendy said, sounding almost embarrassed as she struggled to continue. "Ms. Hill, I need money to leave Seattle now. I also need to leave some for Grandma. I need cash—as much as possible."
Grace had money, though it all came from Benjamin, and she wasn't short on funds. However, all her cards were in Benjamin's name, so withdrawing a large sum of cash would inevitably arouse his suspicion. Grace thought for a moment, then dialed Vania's office directly from the landline. "The hundred thousand I transferred to you last time," she said. "Withdraw fifty thousand for me. I need it."
Vania sensed the urgency in her tone and didn't ask anything. She simply replied, "Okay, I'll get the money and bring it over right away."
"Don't come!" Grace stopped her without hesitation. Taking money from Vania was already causing her trouble, and she couldn't ask her friend to take on great risks. "Just use a local courier. Prepare the wallet in advance so no one recognizes it. Then, send it to me via local courier.” She glanced at her wristwatch and instructed, "Do it before the end of the workday. Make sure it arrives before then.”
After hanging up, Grace sat quietly at her desk for a moment before picking up a document to consult a senior colleague. The issue wasn't particularly difficult, but she asked meticulously. Fortunately, her good looks and newcomer status earned her the colleague's patience. The colleague explained the issue several times.
Once the matter was resolved, Grace hurriedly offered, "I'm terribly sorry for the trouble. To show my appreciation, let me treat you to dinner."
The invitation from a beautiful woman caught the colleague's interest, though some hesitation lingered. Reading the situation, Grace quickly added, smiling, "Let's invite everyone! I've been here for so long and haven't treated the whole team to a meal yet."
Her invitation was met with enthusiastic responses from several department members, and her initial invitee finally agreed. Grace naturally took charge of choosing the venue. First, she made a reservation by phone, then she discreetly called Benjamin, saying, "My colleagues want me to treat them to dinner. I'll be back after eating tonight. Is that okay?"
Benjamin hoped she would adapt to normal life and become the sunny, cheerful Grace she once was again. Upon hearing this, he didn't suspect a thing, only chuckling softly and teasing her, "Can I go with you?"
Grace refused immediately. "No! If I brought you along, I'd have to resign tomorrow."
Someone came to get Benjamin's signature, so he couldn't linger. He simply instructed, "Stay safe, don't drink, and come back early."
Grace agreed, then made a request. "I'll ride with a colleague. Don't have Mason follow me. It wouldn't look good if my coworkers saw him.”
Mason was the bodyguard Benjamin had assigned to accompany Grace frequently.
“No.” Benjamin refused promptly. Seeing Grace fall silent, he quickly added, fearing her displeasure, "You don't have to ride with him, but he must accompany you."
"Fine. Have him follow me discreetly and wait outside. My colleagues mustn't see him," Grace said coolly.
Benjamin replied, "Alright."
Grace hung up the phone and exhaled softly. Everything was arranged. She had done all she could. Now, she could only leave it to fate.
When it was time to leave work, about a dozen colleagues—men and women—accepted her invitation to join her for a meal of Nordic specialties at a rather secluded spot.
Grace had indeed been to this place before. The venison was quite distinctive, and everyone ate happily in the lively atmosphere.
Midway through the meal, Grace found an excuse to step outside. Clutching her handbag, she headed to the small room at the end of the corridor. Wendy was already waiting there. She jumped in surprise when the door suddenly opened but calmed down when she recognized Grace. "Ms. Hill."
She had grown noticeably thinner, and her complexion was pale and haggard. The rosy-cheeked, round-faced girl who once dared to chase Benjamin to the hotel for his signature was gone. Grace glanced at Wendy, closed the door, and pulled a bundle of fifty-thousand-dollar bills from her handbag. She placed them on the table. "Is this enough?"
"More than enough!" Wendy replied hurriedly. She glanced up at Grace, hesitated, then swiftly stuffed the money from the table into her backpack. "What you want is with my grandmother. Find a way to see her, and she'll give it to you."
Grace nodded slightly, not daring to say whether or not she would go. She looked at her before turning to leave.
“Ms. Hill!” Wendy suddenly called out, stopping her. When Grace turned back around, Wendy spoke softly again. "Don't you want to know why I ran away? Why things turned out this way?"
Grace replied indifferently, "I don't care."
Wendy froze for a moment before sighing. "Ms. Hill, you're truly kind. No wonder he adores you so much. I finally understand what he meant when he said you're the only light in his life.”
Grace raised an eyebrow slightly. She wasn't interested in Wendy's musings, but she was curious how someone driven away by Benjamin could still speak such words. Grace couldn't help but let a hint of sarcasm slip as she asked, "Don't you hate him at all?"
Wendy stiffened at the question, her eyes dimming. "Yes," she replied softly.
Of course she hated him. After all he'd done to her, how could she not?
But what good would hatred do?
She still loved him.
Feeling Grace's scrutinizing gaze, she forced a smile. "I hate him. I hate him so much. For now, I'll escape. When I have the power, I'll come back for revenge!"
Such childish words from such a childish girl. Yet, she possessed strength and vibrant vitality.
Perhaps her foolishness stemmed only from her youth. In a few years, she wouldn't be like this anymore.
Grace curved her lips into a faint, kind smile. "Take care."
She turned to leave, but Wendy called after her. She pulled a phone from her backpack and handed it to Grace, biting her lip. "Could you return this phone to him? I never wanted his money. I never asked him to buy me anything expensive. This phone is the only thing he replaced after you broke mine. I want to give it back.”
Grace was surprised, but she took the phone anyway and replied, "Sure."
She turned and left the room. First, she paid the bill at the front desk, then she returned to join her colleagues for dinner.
Since they weren't very familiar with each other yet, and since Grace didn't drink, it wasn't long before the more sensible ones suggested that it was getting too late and that they should wrap things up.
Grace had already settled the bill, and the group exited the restaurant. Just outside the door, they saw a crowd gathering not far away, as if something had happened. Someone approached from that direction and murmured, "There aren't even any streetlights over there. Hardly anyone walks that way. The driver must not have seen her; that's why he hit her."
Another person chimed in, "It's so tragic. She looked like a young girl. Her shoe was even off. She definitely won't make it."
Hearing this, a sudden sense of unease gripped Grace. She froze for a moment before snapping out of it, turning sharply, and sprinting down the side alley behind the restaurant.
A small crowd had already gathered, but no one dared to approach.
She pushed through them. Under the dim streetlight, she saw Wendy lying in a pool of blood, still twitching faintly.
"Call an ambulance! Call an ambulance!” Grace shouted urgently, panicking. She ran over and knelt beside Wendy, wanting to assess her condition but unsure where to touch her.
Blood flowed steadily from Wendy's body, threatening to soak her completely.
The last time Grace had seen so much blood was years ago when she slit a man's throat with a knife. That emaciated man seemed to have an endless supply of blood—her clothes and vision were engulfed in red. Grace feared blood, especially such vast swaths of crimson.
Her whole body trembled. Not daring to touch anything, she could only reach out with her shaking hands and grasp Wendy's. "Wendy, hold on. Stay with me."
The distant wail of an ambulance reached them. Grace glanced back, then bent over Wendy again, her voice trembling. "The doctor's coming! Wendy, hold on. You'll be okay. Your grandma is waiting for you to come home. You have to hold on!"
Wendy's consciousness flickered back slightly. Her eyes were filled with terror and tears. Clutching Grace's hand tightly, she managed to say, "Ms. Hill, I'm going to die, aren't I?"
"No, you won't!" Grace answered.
"But I can't save my baby." Wendy tried to laugh, but it came out as a sob. Her pupils began to dilate as she murmured, "It was him. He did this. He didn't want this child. He forced me to have an abortion. I ran away, but he hunted me down."
Grace clenched her teeth and closed her eyes slowly. When she opened them again, her gaze was calm and steady. "Don't speak. Save your strength. The doctor will be here soon."
"But—but—" Wendy choked out, her voice thick with tears. Clutching Grace's hand, she strained to lift her head, desperate to look at her. “I didn’t mean to use the baby to blackmail him. I swear, Ms. Hill. I didn't even want to tell you. I just couldn't bear to lose this child. I wanted to run away and give birth alone. Why did he do this to me? I loved him so much."
Her voice grew urgent and weak, fading almost to silence. Blood-tinged foam continued to bubble from her mouth until she couldn’t utter a single word.
Grace stared at her, feeling as if her blood had frozen in her veins. She was unsure how to respond to this young girl before her.
The ambulance had arrived. Paramedics rushed out and began pushing Grace aside. "Move! Move out of the way!"
Grace tried to step back, but Wendy clutched her hand tightly and refused to let go, even as Grace slipped into unconsciousness. The paramedics asked Grace a few questions. Seeing that she knew the victim, they simply had her ride in the ambulance on the stretcher. Mason had appeared at some point. Spotting Grace getting into the ambulance, he hurried over and called, "Ms. Hill!"
Grace turned at the sound of his voice and gave him a cold look. She said nothing, only turning and stepping into the ambulance.