Chapter 150 Chapter 150
"You had someone tail me?" Vania was furious, but when she met Benjamin's icy stare, she didn't dare express it. She sat silently for a moment. Seeing that he showed no sign of backing down, she gritted her teeth. She unlocked a drawer beside the desk with her key, pulled out a thick file folder, and tossed it across the table. "Here."
The folder looked worn and unremarkable on the outside. Its seal was tightly secured with glue and marked with a pen; it was clearly designed to prevent tampering. Benjamin glanced at it briefly before lifting his eyes to Vania. "Aren't you curious? Why didn't you open it?"
Vania's face remained cold. "Grace instructed me not to look at its contents."
“What else did she say?” Benjamin fixed his gaze on her and gestured with the folder. "Did she mention how to handle this?"
Grace hadn't said anything else. Vania shook her head, her expression calm. "Only that I should keep it here for her to safeguard it."
Seeing no deception in her words, Benjamin nodded slightly. He stood up with the folder, gave her a faint smile, and said, "I'll take this. I'll return it in a couple of days. Don't mention my visit to Grace. It's better for everyone. Trust me.”
"Benjamin!" Vania called out sharply, gathering her courage and adopting a stern expression. "You must not harm Grace. If you do, I will never let you off the hook."
Benjamin paused at her words but quickly smiled again, seemingly unperturbed. A hint of friendliness even flickered in his eyes. "She is the mother of my child and will be my wife soon. I will never harm her again.”
Michael had been waiting in the car for Benjamin. Seeing Benjamin emerge with a file folder, Michael relaxed. He hurriedly got out to open the door for Benjamin and asked, "Are those really copies of the Los Angeles files?"
Alex had a criminal record from his time in Los Angeles. It contained his criminal history, personal details, and, most crucially, his fingerprint records. Mrs. Meyer had entrusted Officer Niko to locate these files and photograph them. Benjamin later learned of this through Wendy and sent people to Los Angeles to tail Officer Niko for days. They finally stole the phone storing the file photos and destroyed it. However, they had always suspected that Mrs. Meyer might also possess something, though they never found it.
Benjamin got into the car, opened the sealed file folder, and flipped through the documents. Confirming that they matched the photos on Officer Niko's phone, he remarked, "Yes, they are."
Michael couldn't help but exhale a long sigh of relief. "Finally found them."
Benjamin remained expressionless. He stuffed the papers back into the folder, handed it to Michael, and instructed him, "Remove everything related to me, forge a duplicate, and slip it back into the folder before returning it to Vania."
Michael was puzzled but dared not ask why. He simply nodded in agreement.
Benjamin said nothing more, closing his eyes to rest in the backseat. After a moment, he suddenly spoke again. “Skip the office. Head straight home.”
It wasn't even noon yet, and with so much work piled up at the office, heading home suddenly felt odd. Michael stole a glance at Benjamin through the rearview mirror and asked, "Should I call home to prepare your lunch?"
"No need. Whatever's available will do," Benjamin replied indifferently, his voice tinged with weariness. Closing his eyes, he reclined his seat back. "I'll nap for a bit. Wake me when we arrive.”
Michael acknowledged the request and drove with even greater smoothness. It was rush hour, and Vania's office was far from Benjamin's apartment. The drive took over an hour, and finally, they pulled up beneath the building. The car had barely stopped when Benjamin sat up on his own before Michael could call out to him. He rubbed his cheeks hard with both hands before stepping out.
The apartment was on the top floor. The elevator ascended all the way up. When they entered the apartment, the housekeeper was preparing lunch in the kitchen. Michael called out to her first: "Mr. Norman is back."
Benjamin ignored them, changed his shoes, and walked straight through the living room downstairs toward the second floor. Just as he reached the staircase, however, he glanced up and saw Grace standing at the upstairs railing. At first, it seemed as if she had come to greet him. He froze and looked up at her.
Grace also seemed slightly uneasy. She lowered her eyelids, bowed her head, and began walking downstairs. She murmured faintly, "I'm going to the kitchen to get a drink."
It felt rather clumsy to explain it to him like this. Benjamin couldn't help but tug at the corners of his lips. As she passed him, he suddenly reached out and grabbed her arm. A mischievous smile curled his lips as he asked, "What would you like to drink? I'll get it for you.”
There was a refrigerator in the living room on the second floor, yet she went downstairs to the kitchen for water. He was determined to see what kind of water wasn't available upstairs that required her to fetch it from downstairs.
Grace glanced at him, her expression calm, and replied, "I want freshly squeezed orange juice."
What a sly woman—she was clearly lying, yet he couldn’t find a single flaw in her story.
He chuckled and released her. "Take a seat over there. I’ll get it for you.” He actually took off his suit jacket without changing his shirt, rolled up both sleeves, and turned toward the kitchen to squeeze fresh orange juice for her.
The housekeeper, busy preparing the meal, turned and saw him enter, startled. “What would you like? I can get it for you,” she hurriedly offered.
Benjamin gave a faint smile. "Mind your own business. No need to fuss over me.”
First, he washed his hands, then he got oranges from the refrigerator and juiced them for Grace himself. He squeezed a full glass of juice before carrying it out to her.
She sat in the dining room, waiting and sipping slowly at the juice. Lifting her eyes to meet his, she asked casually, "Why are you back so early today?"
Of course, he couldn't tell her about Vania. He merely smiled. "I had a meeting outside and decided to stop by for lunch with you."
Grace didn't believe him. His schedule had been packed solid for days—there was rarely room for impromptu detours. She smiled, deciding not to press further. She sat sipping her juice leisurely, wondering if she had given herself away earlier.
Truthfully, she hadn't come out to greet Benjamin nor had she gone downstairs to juice oranges. She had slipped into Benjamin's study while the nanny was cooking, searching for the USB drive Landon had mentioned. Hearing Michael's voice, she rushed out. She'd barely made it past the study door before Benjamin spotted her; she hadn't even made it back to the bedroom yet.
That had been close. If she had been even a step slower, Benjamin would have cornered her in the study.
Recalling the incident now, Grace still felt a tinge of fear. She instinctively glanced up at Benjamin, only to find him looking at her, too. His blue eyes were clear yet inscrutable.
Noticing her gaze, he asked, "How are you feeling? Dr. Willie suggested we schedule a checkup.”
Knowing it was time for her first prenatal visit, she didn't object. She nodded. "Sure."
Benjamin smiled again, called Dr. Willie, and scheduled Grace's appointment.
The appointment was set for the following morning. After waking up, Benjamin didn't go to the office, but rather, he accompanied Grace there.
Perhaps to spare her from recalling past events, he chose a different hospital this time—still a small, private clinic staffed by a renowned obstetrician-gynecologist.
Though the surroundings were entirely different, when that tiny thing—barely even a fetus—appeared on the screen, Grace felt no joy, only deep, seething hatred.
Yes, only hatred. Just months ago, another little life had been growing inside her—the child of her and Adrian, who she truly wanted.
Alas, she hadn't been able to keep that child. She'd been forced to terminate the pregnancy, making room for this child inside her now.
No mother could bear to have her child killed.
Benjamin stood beside the examination bed, staring in amazement at the tiny speck on the screen. For a moment, he forgot all about Grace. He asked the doctor, with only slight nervousness, "Is that it? Is it only this big? And it already has a heartbeat?"
The doctor had seen many first-time fathers who were so overwhelmed that they could only grin foolishly. Yet, seeing Benjamin—usually so stern and serious—display such emotion amused her. She deliberately zoomed in on the fetal heartbeat. "The little one is developing beautifully."
Benjamin's eyes nearly glowed as he stared motionless at the display, the corners of his mouth curling upward uncontrollably. "Grace, look! How fast the little one's heart is beating!" He called to her, reaching out to take her hand. But when his fingers touched hers, he paused, startled.
Her hand was cold, as if it had been submerged in ice water for too long. It radiated a chill from the inside out.
He turned to look at her. She lay there with her eyes gently closed and an expressionless face, showing little reaction.
The coldness spread from her hand to his palm and crept up his arm toward his heart. The nearby doctor seemed to notice the oddity, too, glancing at Grace with surprise before looking up at Benjamin.
Benjamin snapped out of his daze. The earlier joy had vanished from his eyes. He squeezed Grace's hand slightly tighter and whispered, "Grace, look at our child."
His voice was soft yet unmistakably firm. He tightened his grip on her hand, increasing the pressure until her fingertips ached faintly. She opened her eyes and glanced perfunctorily at the embryo displayed on the screen before turning back to him. "I see it," she said flatly. "Yes, it's fine."
Benjamin didn't respond, only offering her a faint smile before slowly releasing her hand.
They were both quiet as they left the hospital. At the building's entrance, a few gentle steps led down. His stride faltered momentarily as he reached out to take her hand. To his surprise, she instinctively tucked her arm behind her back, avoiding his touch.
His hand fell empty and hovered in midair shortly before he withdrew it.
However, Benjamin didn't seem to mind. He drove Grace to dinner and asked her about the wedding plans, maintaining his usual calm demeanor. Later, she became so irritated by his questions that she lost the patience to play along. She tossed her fork aside and asked coldly, "Benjamin, do you find this amusing?"
"Oh, yes," he replied, sounding like a rogue. "It's my first time hosting a wedding, and it's the only one I'll ever have. I have to take it seriously.”
His words sounded like pure sarcasm. She raised an eyebrow, laughed mockingly, and fired back, "Well, I’m sorry. I've already been through one. I don't have that excitement you're talking about.”
Surprisingly, he didn't seem annoyed. He glanced at her., "So, do you have any regrets? You can make up for it this time.”
Grace was speechless and shut her mouth in frustration at his question.
She ignored him, lowering her head to focus on eating; her appetite seemed robust.
He admired this trait in her. No matter what she faced or how dire the situation was, she had an intense will to survive. As long as there was even a sliver of hope, she wouldn't give up or sit idly by.
She was an exceptionally strong and resilient woman.
Even if she didn't love him—even if she had hated him all along—so what?
She would be the mother of his child. Their blood would merge, growing and nurturing something that could never be separated again. Benjamin watched her, his lips curving into a smile without his realizing it. He picked up her fork and served her food. "Eat more," he said. “For my child, and for yourself."
Grace stiffened, lifting her eyes to meet his. Instead of getting angry, as he expected, she lowered her head, shoved the food he’d served her into her mouth, and chewed slowly.
Each bite was forceful and tinged with resentment, less like chewing food and more like biting him.
Watching her, Benjamin couldn’t help but smile.
He drove her home first before heading to the office. No sooner had he left the apartment than a call went out to Old Norman, "Mr. Norman has departed. Michael didn't follow him. He must have stayed at the apartment. Given the situation, we'll have little chance to approach that woman. Forcing our way into the apartment would require a large-scale operation, and success isn't guaranteed. Security is tight—clearly, Mr. Norman is prepared."
Old Norman's face darkened. "Has that woman ever gone out alone?"
The man replied, "From our observations these past two days, no. She rarely leaves the apartment, and when she does, Mr. Norman always accompanies her."
Old Norman fell silent for a long time, unable to think of a solution. Benjamin must have lost his mind to insist on marrying that woman. Since he couldn't stop him, Old Norman resolved to eliminate her discreetly. Yet Benjamin had arranged such tight security that even professional assassins found no opening, seemingly without much effort. Old Norman sat in his chair, lost in thought for a long while before his voice finally broke the silence. "Go straight to the apartment and kill that woman."
With Old Norman personally making the move, entering the apartment would be easy enough. However, showing up to kill someone like that—setting aside other considerations—was something Benjamin would absolutely never accept. The assassin, who had strong professional ethics, kindly warned, "Boss, while this would be simpler for me, you won't be able to hide it from Mr. Norman. It would severely damage your relationship with him.”