Chapter 33 Chapter 33
Benjamin said nothing nor tried to stop her. She walked briskly out of Garma and into her car, only then realizing that her back was soaked with cold sweat.
Perhaps it was the tension and excitement from earlier, or maybe it was just fear, but her heart pounded relentlessly. She couldn't think about anything else. All she knew was that she had to get away quickly.
Only after driving far away, into the bustling main streets, did her heartbeat gradually slow down.
She didn't go straight home. Instead, she found a hotel and booked a room by the hour. She scrubbed herself clean from head to toe, changed back into her own clothes, and then stepped out.
As she passed a trash bin on the street, she stuffed the dress she had worn only once into it without hesitation.
The next day, she found an old phone to use temporarily. After swapping in her SIM card, she called Isabella. First, she thanked Isabella for yesterday. Then, she apologized for leaving without notice. Finally, she gave Isabella an account number to pass on to Gia, adding, "She knows what's going on."
Isabella was confused. Hesitating, she asked, "What exactly happened?"
Grace had no intention of hiding it from Isabella. In fact, she needed her to tell Benjamin why the phone was broken. "Nothing major," she replied. "I had an argument with Gia yesterday, and she smashed my phone. She said she'd pay me back, though, so I gave her the account number. She can transfer the money directly to me.”
Isabella agreed and hurried to verify the story with Gia. Gia admitted it bluntly: "Yeah, I smashed it. She took photos of me without permission and threatened to send them to my family."
Isabella nearly toppled over in rage. Staring at Gia's clueless face, she felt like slapping her. In the past, Isabella would have slapped her. But this time, Benjamin was involved, and she didn't want to get entangled at all. She calmed down and merely pointed at Gia, yelling, "You idiot!"
Gia wasn't afraid of Grace, but she feared Isabella nonetheless. Seeing her like this, Gia couldn't help but feel scared. She asked in a small voice, "What's wrong, Isabella? She's just some crappy college professor. What can she do to me?”
“Don’t you dare think Mr. Norman personally arranged your leave of absence just for you! He knows exactly what you are!"
Seeing her foolish expression only made Isabella angrier. She decided not to waste any more words on her and called Michael instead to report everything that had happened last night.
Ever since learning that Grace was searching for Gia, Benjamin had unconsciously eased his surveillance of her. Michael only checked the monitors once in the morning and once at night. It wasn't until this morning that Benjamin discovered Grace's phone location had disappeared. Still, he had no time to address it. He had several crucial meetings during the day and a business dinner in the evening—his schedule was packed, leaving no room for trifles like chasing women for amusement.
Indeed, Grace's performance at the card table last night had been somewhat unexpected—even impressive, one might say—but that was the extent of it.
Later that evening, as he emerged from the cocktail party slightly tipsy, he suddenly recalled Grace. "Call Grace," he instructed Michael. "Tell her to come over."
Michael dialed her phone number, relaying Benjamin's request to Grace. Whatever Grace said on the phone made Michael hesitate before handing the phone back to Benjamin.
Benjamin took it and heard her voice lowered, angry yet resigned. “Benjamin, I’m begging you. Show some mercy. Can you just let me off the hook for today? It's my birthday today. I'm having dinner at my parents' house. How am I supposed to leave? What excuse should I use for staying out all night?”
He genuinely hadn't known it was her birthday. Hearing this, he just chuckled softly. "Well, now that I know, I can't just ignore it. How about this? I'll come to your place and help you celebrate.”
"Benjamin!"
Each syllable dripped with venom. He could almost picture her gritting her teeth. "See you soon," he chuckled, hanging up immediately. Within seconds, she called back, but he refused to answer. Instead, he instructed Michael, "Go to her parents' place."
Having monitored her for so long, he knew where they lived. The car soon pulled up outside the neighborhood. Only then did he call her again. "I'm here. Since it's your birthday, I'll give you two choices. You can either walk out yourself or I can come in and find you.”