Chapter 275 Something She Had Done Thousands of Times in Her Dreams
In the lounge, there came a soft hum from Henry. "Had enough of a look?" he asked.
Grace quickly stepped outside to wait.
A moment later, Henry came out, looking sharp as ever. He gave Grace a long, unreadable look.
He strolled back to his desk, grabbed a few documents, and handed them to Grace. "Translate these. I need them by tomorrow. And make sure they get to the right departments."
Grace glanced at the documents. Just the translation would take at least 8 hours, meaning she wouldn't be done until around 9 PM.
She looked at Henry, wanting to explain.
Henry sat down, took a sip of coffee, and said coolly, "If you can't handle it, you might as well quit now. I don't keep slackers around."
Grace felt a surge of anger. She grabbed the documents and was about to leave when Henry added, pointed to a corner, "Your office is right here."
Grace turned around to see a light pink desk stood. It looked super girly and totally out of place in the office.
Grace stared at it, feeling a bit resistant. What kind of company had a secretary's desk in the CEO's office? And in pink, no less.
Henry explained, "My daughter sometimes comes here to do her homework."
Grace shot back, "I'm not your daughter."
Henry, still holding his coffee cup, looked at her deeply. After a long pause, he said lightly, "Not just anyone can call me Daddy."
He was serious, not the least bit playful.
But Grace knew there was more to his words. She thought to herself, 'He really is a rogue.' But for the money, she had to endure it.
Grace worked all afternoon, from dusk till dark, finally finishing all the tasks Henry had given her.
She thought she could leave, but as soon as she stood up, Henry tossed a car key to her and said in a very calm tone, "Drive me home."
Grace was puzzled. Wasn't that the chauffeur's job?
Before Grace could speak, Henry, in that same indifferent tone, said, "If you really don't want to do it..."
Before he could finish, Grace took the car key.
They took the private elevator downstairs and walked side by side to the first floor. Other employees in the lobby watched them with complex expressions.
Grace thought she had overstepped and quickly walked behind Henry.
Henry didn't say a word. Once they were in the car, he leaned back and closed his eyes. In the dim light, his profile looked annoyingly handsome.
Grace couldn't help but ask, "Mr. Montague, aren't you going to sit in the back seat?"
Henry cracked open one eye, glanced at her, and then closed it again. "I'll sit right here."
Grace found him pretty hard to deal with.
After a bit, Henry handed her his phone. "The location's already set. Plus, you need to meet my family. You'll be dealing with them a lot."
Grace didn't say anything and gently pressed the gas pedal.
She found she drove pretty smoothly, especially in such a fancy car, which she surprisingly got used to quickly.
But her joy turned to panic. At the next intersection, she almost collided with a small car. In a flash, a warm hand covered hers on the steering wheel, turning it just in time to avoid the accident.
The black Rolls-Royce came to a stop by the roadside.
Inside the car, both of them were breathing a bit heavily.
Grace thought she was going to get fired, but Henry turned to look at her quietly for a while and said, "I'll drive."
Grace instinctively said, "Mr. Montague, I'm sorry, I just..."
Henry ignored her. He got out of the car, walked around to her side, and Grace was about to move to the back seat when he said in a not-so-pleasant tone, "Ms. Windsor, I'm not your chauffeur."
Grace had no choice but to sit in the passenger seat.
Even with amnesia, she knew this seat was pretty sensitive, usually reserved for a wife or girlfriend. She worried Henry's wife might misunderstand.
Henry focused on the road ahead, seemingly guessing her thoughts. He said softly, "My wife is no longer with us."
Grace thought, 'What did he mean by "no longer with us"?'
She didn't dare ask more. She just sat there, slightly tense, next to Henry, in the car of a man who was almost a stranger. The car was filled with his scent, a faint masculine smell mixed with the fresh scent of his body wash.
Those scents surrounded her, making the atmosphere feel a bit too intimate.
Grace felt increasingly uneasy.
In contrast, Henry was very calm. His expression was even cold. Having a female secretary in the car with him seemed completely insignificant.
Gradually, Grace felt she was overthinking it.
A man like Henry didn't need to force anyone if he wanted a woman. The intimacy in the hotel before was just an accident. He had forgotten, and she should too.
Half an hour later, the car rolled into a villa. As it passed through the black wrought-iron gate, the whole place lit up like it was daytime.
The car circled the courtyard and stopped in front of the house.
As soon as the door opened, a cute little girl ran over, hugged Henry's leg, and called him "Daddy" in the sweetest voice, chatting away.
Under the light, Grace could see her bright eyes and surprisingly beautiful face.
Grace couldn't help but hold her breath, gazing longingly. She thought her own child would be just as beautiful and adorable as the little girl in front of her.
At that moment, the girl turned her head, her bright eyes scrutinizing Grace.
After a while, she asked in a rather mature tone, "Are you Daddy's new secretary?"
Grace nodded and smiled.
The girl clung to Henry's waist, her eyes darting around, then deliberately pinched her voice and said, "Daddy's previous secretaries all had big chests and slim waists. They all tried to seduce my daddy, get into his bed, and become my mommy."
Not only did she say this, but she also gestured at Grace's figure.
Henry looked down and scolded in a very stern tone, "Taylor! Apologize to Ms. Windsor."
Taylor pouted. She earnestly apologized to Grace, "I'm sorry I said you wanted to get into Daddy's bed."
Henry rubbed his forehead, looking a bit pained, and said, "Go do your homework. I'll have Ms. Windsor check it later."
Taylor's eyes lit up, and she ran off quickly.
Henry's eyes shifted back to Grace, and he explained, "Her mom's not around, and there's no one to keep her in line, so I apologize, Ms. Windsor." He said "apologize," but there wasn't a trace of sincerity in his voice.
Grace really wanted to turn around and leave, but she couldn't even afford to buy bread. Pride didn't matter when she was so broke.
Henry led her into the house, through the foyer, and into a high-ceilinged, luxurious living room decorated in a romantic and elegant style. The furnishings and arrangements were clearly to a woman's taste.
Grace guessed it must have been Henry's wife's doing.
Henry took off his coat, and a servant immediately stepped forward to take it, saying eagerly, "Mr. Montague, Clara knows you brought your new secretary home, so she's personally making a late-night snack! This must be Ms. Windsor. Good evening."
Grace nodded, feeling a bit uncomfortable. "Good evening."
Just then, a woman in her fifties came over with a tray. Henry called her Clara and took the tray from her, showing his respect in every way.
Grace pondered the reason for his wife's absence, thinking to herself, 'He must have been very affectionate towards his wife.'
Clara called to her, "Ms. Windsor, please join us for dinner."
Grace always felt a bit out of place, but Henry sat down at the dining table and called her over, "Come and eat! I have more tasks for you later."
Grace had no choice but to sit down. During the meal, Clara sat across from her, resting her chin in her hands and watching her intently, urging her to eat more, saying she looked too thin.
Grace didn't want to reject Clara's enthusiasm, so she said softly, "I weigh 100 pounds."
As soon as she spoke, Henry glanced up, his eyes briefly flicking to her chest. There was a hint of admiration in his look, but he kept it in check with Clara around.
Grace immediately felt her face flush with embarrassment.
She didn't dare look up, focusing on her food. She didn't notice Clara quietly wiping her tears several times. At the staircase, Taylor and Avery were also watching her intently, with Taylor teaching Avery some words.
After dinner, Henry took Grace upstairs.
He opened the door to the walk-in closet and said, "I have a shareholders' meeting tomorrow. Help me pick out suitable clothes and accessories. The shirt and trousers need to be ironed again."
Grace nodded and softly said, "Okay."
Henry glanced at her again, then pulled out a bathrobe from the closet and said lightly, "I hope you can handle this job! My wife used to say I was picky and hard to please."
Grace couldn't help but ask, "Mr. Montague, were you very close to your wife?"
She regretted it as soon as she asked.
Sure enough, Henry's expression instantly turned cold. "That's none of your concern!"
Grace felt deeply ashamed, a shame no less than what she felt that night in the hotel when he did those things to her. But she needed this job, so she had to swallow all her grievances and humiliation.
She opened the closet door and began selecting clothes and accessories for him.
Since it was a formal occasion, she chose a dark gray tailored suit with a light blue shirt.
As she ironed the clothes, the faint steam rose, and the familiar scent wafted to her nose. Everything here made her feel like she had seen it somewhere before. The tasks she was doing now seemed like something she had done a thousand times in her dreams.
——FLASHBACK——
"Henry, I want to go out and work."
"Henry, where are you?"
"If you need money, just ask Celeste."