Chapter 28 Chapter 28
Grace locked the CD in her office drawer, hoping it would serve as evidence to incriminate Benjamin one day. She continued to show up for work as usual, approaching her duties with greater diligence and enthusiasm than before. She interacted with more people and took on more tasks, presenting herself as busy and fulfilled in an attempt to throw off Benjamin's surveillance.
An old classmate shared information online about Norman Science, including its founding date, development history, the industries it serves, and little-known details about Benjamin. To Grace's surprise, Benjamin was a real person born in this city with a complete personal history. No wonder Officer Meyer had been so certain that he wasn't Alex.
The only suspicious detail was that this man had left the country three years ago and only returned earlier this year. Grace frowned deeply at the message on her phone. This seemed like a potential lead, but three years ago, Alex was still in prison and had not yet been executed. How could he have traveled abroad?
She couldn't make sense of it.
As for Vito, he was Benjamin's cousin. Rumor had it that they were very close, which was completely different from what Grace had witnessed at the club.
This discrepancy was perhaps the best entry point into the entire case.
She silently took notes on a piece of paper, then shoved it silently into the shredder.
The professor from the School of Management had already replied to her. She promptly contacted Nathan, urging him to go to the interview. Around noon, Nathan called her back, saying the professor was impressed and had offered him a job as a translation assistant with a decent salary. Grace was genuinely happy for him and joked, "Remember to treat me to a meal once you get paid."
Nathan hesitated before saying, "Why don't you treat me now? Are you free for lunch?"
Grace was free, but she couldn't accept a student's invitation to dinner. She smiled and declined outright, saying, "Save your hard-earned money. How could I possibly ask you to pay when you work so hard for it?”
"How about the school cafeteria?" Nathan suggested. "Just the one closest to your building. I'll be downstairs any minute."
His persistence surprised Grace. She frowned, trying to think of a way to decline, when Nathan hesitated and began, "Ms. Hill, there's something I need to discuss with you. It's about—about—”
“Nathan!” She cut him off sharply, her voice turning cold. "I'm your teacher. I help you because you're my student. If you intend to say anything else pointless, then please shut up."
"Ms. Hill..." Nathan seemed startled by her reaction. He stammered nervously, "I, I..."
Grace didn't give him another chance to speak. She hung up immediately, flung the phone onto the desk, and dashed out the door. By the time she reached the ground floor, Nathan was parked by the roadside with his bicycle, still holding the phone as if he were dialing someone.
She catched him off guard. He stared at her in shock, phone still in hand. "Ms. Hill..."
She lunged forward, snatched his phone, and pressed cancel. After a moment's thought, she typed a text message on her phone: Ms. Hill, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to offend you. Please forgive me. But I still have to say, I like you, and I don't think that's a mistake.
Avoiding Nathan's gaze, she sent the message and swiftly deleted the history before returning the phone to him. "What did you want to talk to me about? Is it about Gia?"
Nathan was still processing. He stared at her blankly before nodding timidly. "Ms. Hill, what just happened? Are you upset? I didn't mean to... I just wanted to treat you to dinner. You helped me get a great job, and I'm really grateful.”
"Oh, I'm sorry. I misunderstood." Grace quickly changed the subject, glanced at the time, and said, "Wait here for me. I'll go back and grab my phone. We'll head to the cafeteria together shortly. I'll treat you—consider it my apology as your teacher.”
Nathan was utterly bewildered by her actions and simply replied, "Okay."
Grace dashed upstairs to grab her phone, deleting the unread message first, before casually returning downstairs. She and Nathan headed to the cafeteria for lunch. It was still early, so the cafeteria wasn't crowded yet. Grace used her staff card to order two meals, then found a table near the wall. As they ate, she asked Nathan, "What did you want to say? What about Gia?”
He hesitated for a moment before answering. "Ms. Hill, Gia didn't go abroad for treatment. I saw her again in Seattle."
Grace froze, her spoon suspended in the air. She slowly brought it to her mouth and swallowed the bite. "Oh? Where?"
Nathan looked up at Grace, struggling to organize his words, though they still came out haltingly. "I worked as a waiter at a nightclub for a few days before that. I ran into Gia there once. A couple of days ago, I went back to ask about her. They said they'd seen her recently, but she doesn't work there anymore. She moved to a fancier place called Garma.”
That was the club Benjamin had taken her to that night—likely his territory. Everything suddenly fell into place. Grace's expression remained impassive as she nodded slowly. "Hmm. I believe you."
"So...so Mr. Norman was lying," Nathan said urgently.
Grace asked, "And then?"
He fell silent, unsure what else to say.
Grace felt torn inside. She could see that he meant well, but the more he insisted, the more she realized that she couldn't drag him into this. It was too dangerous. If Benjamin found out, this boy might be in mortal danger. She couldn't be so selfish, especially toward those who cared for her so deeply.
She had to dampen Nathan's goodwill with coldness. Furrowing her brow, she said, "Nathan, I'll say this once more: Stay out of Gia's business. Don't mention it to me again, whether on the phone or in person. And what about Mr. Norman lying? That's even less your concern."
The light in Nathan's eyes gradually dimmed. Finally, he lowered his gaze and replied softly, "I'm sorry, Ms. Hill. I shouldn't have meddled."
Looking at the young man before her, whose dejection was impossible to hide, Grace desperately wanted to tell him that he hadn't meddled at all. His words had been incredibly helpful, and she was deeply grateful. Yet, in the end, she said nothing. She simply lowered her head and ate in silence.