Chapter 255 Henry, We're Not in That Kind of Relationship
In the end, Grace still said no.
"Henry, we're not in a place where we watch movies together! Just stop with that," she snapped.
Henry shot back, "Then what are we, Grace?"
She didn't bother answering and just hung up.
But after she did, her face felt hot, and she was a bit embarrassed. After all, they had been pretty close in his car last night.
The afternoon sun was perfect.
Grace lounged in a chair in her second-floor study, reading a book, feeling lazy, with Taylor and Avery nearby.
About half an hour later, she heard a car pull up in the courtyard.
Grace didn't pay it any mind.
A few moments later, the servant knocked and came in. "Ms. Windsor, Mr. Montague is here. He wants to see the kids."
Before Grace could respond, Taylor shouted, "Daddy's here!"
Taylor dashed downstairs, dragging Avery with her.
The servant couldn't help but smile.
Grace shrugged. "Go downstairs and keep an eye on them. Don't let them play in the snow again. Taylor was coughing last night."
The servant nodded and headed downstairs.
The study door closed softly, and Grace went back to her book, but her mind was all over the place.
Lately, Henry had been chasing her hard, wanting her to be Mrs. Montague again. She knew he cared, but she was scared to fall for him again so easily.
Things were fine as they were now.
Downstairs, Taylor and Avery were all over Henry, happily grabbing their gifts. Taylor's face lit up. She knew the gifts were from Aurora and asked Henry when Aurora would visit.
Henry was grateful Grace hadn't filled the kids with hate. Taylor and Avery were pure and lovely!
He had Avery on his lap and pulled Taylor closer, then gently told them that in a few days, he'd take them to see Aurora.
Taylor snuggled up to Henry.
At seven, she was starting to get some of the adult stuff. Hugging Henry's arm, she softly asked, "When will we and Mommy move back home?"
Henry's heart melted. He patted Taylor's head and gently replied, "When Mommy's not mad anymore, I'll take you back."
Taylor was happy and went off to play with Avery.
Just then, the servant brought over coffee and apologized, "Mrs. Clara Windsor is napping, and Ms. Windsor is upstairs reading. Sorry for the neglect, Mr. Montague."
Henry wasn't upset. He believed a man chasing a woman needed persistence. He had the patience for it.
Besides, Grace's little tantrums were kind of cute to him.
He left at four in the afternoon for some business.
For the next half month, Grace kept dodging him. Even though he often visited the kids, he never saw Grace. Even Clara felt awkward and made excuses for Grace, saying she was super busy lately.
Henry just gave her a faint smile.
On Owen's wedding day, Grace showed up a bit early for the banquet. She wanted to catch up with Gavin, her old teacher, whom she hadn't seen in ages and missed a lot.
The waiter led her to the banquet hall, but she didn't expect to see Henry there, chatting and laughing with Gavin.
"Hi, Grace! Come sit here!" Gavin greeted her warmly, but Grace was stunned. She looked at Henry's smiling face, and the surrounding noise seemed to fade away. In that moment, her whole world was just Henry's gaze.
She had avoided him for so long, but now they were sitting together.
Grace felt a bit awkward talking to Gavin, trying hard to ignore Henry. But he was right next to her, so close she could smell his cologne.
Gavin kept chatting and laughing, treating Henry warmly, clearly seeing him as Grace's husband.
Henry was even more brazen. When the waiter brought champagne to Grace, he casually said, "Make that juice, please."
That simple act was dripping with possessiveness.
Everyone around could see Henry's heart was still with Grace. They were all a bit taken aback, not expecting Henry to bounce back like this.
Some whispered, "Mr. Montague's back on his feet. Someone's in for it!"
"Yeah! He always gets his revenge."
"Those who crossed him in the past two years must be laying low now."
Henry ignored the gossip swirling around them. His eyes were locked on Grace.
When the wedding banquet kicked off, the host came to take Gavin away to go over the script. Grace was left alone and felt a bit bored, so she texted Juniper: [You coming?]
After a bit, Juniper replied: [Stuck in traffic! Might be late!]
Grace felt a wave of relief and shifted her focus to the stage, where the newlyweds were beaming with joy. Her eyes got a bit misty, touched by Owen's happiness. She was genuinely happy for him.
Under the tablecloth, Grace felt a warm, familiar hand gently grasp hers—it was Henry.
But his face stayed expressionless. No one but Grace knew about his private flirtations. Grace's eyes showed a hint of anger, but he didn't care. Instead, he softly asked her, "If it weren't for me, the one on stage might be you and Owen! Do you regret it, Mrs. Montague?"
'He called me Mrs. Montague but asked if I regretted it? He is truly hateful!' Grace thought.
She didn't look at him and pulled her hand back, pretending to be indifferent. "You're overthinking it!"
Henry gazed at her, his eyes brimming with tenderness and a touch of admiration.
Grace had dressed up specially for the wedding banquet.
She wore a light purple wool dress with a cape-style design, paired with stockings and high heels. Her blonde hair was loosely tied at the back, exuding the charm of a mature woman and making her even more desirable.
At least, Henry couldn't resist. In fact, he had experienced Grace at every stage of her life. Whether young or mature, each phase captivated him deeply, including her physical allure.
His eyes were full of possessiveness.
Fortunately, he had a high status in the business world. After the banquet started, people kept coming over to toast him. Henry rarely stood up and drank very little, almost always letting others drink.
To please Henry, they called Grace Mrs. Montague.
In such a setting, Grace couldn't say much.
Occasionally, someone without tact would try to toast Grace, but Henry directly refused, saying, "Sorry! My wife doesn't drink."
However, he would still honor the gesture by drinking a glass of red wine on her behalf.
Grace whispered, "I appreciate the gesture, but I can't accept this favor."
Henry drank the wine, his handsome face slightly flushed, his gaze deep and predatory. He didn't say anything, just squeezed her hand under the tablecloth again.
Grace didn't want to flirt with him. She got up and said, "I'm going to the restroom."
Henry released her, speaking gently in front of the crowd, "When you come back, we'll stay a bit longer and leave early, OK?"
Grace ignored him and walked away quickly. When she reached the restroom, she turned on the faucet and washed her hands repeatedly, but no matter how much she washed, her palms seemed to retain the warmth of Henry's touch.
She thought she must be crazy!
They had broken up, but every time Henry flirted with her, she couldn't resist. She would always succumb to his sophisticated charm.
Grace looked at herself in the mirror, reminding herself to stay clear-headed.
After a while, she left the restroom, ready to return to the banquet hall.
In the corridor ahead, she heard a man and a woman talking. Both voices were familiar to her. She stood at the corner and saw that it was indeed Juniper and Frank.