Chapter 51 Grace, Have a Baby!
Early morning, master bedroom walk-in closet.
Grace was ironing Henry's shirt and picking out a tie. She knew today was the Montague Group's shareholders' meeting. To emphasize his status, she also chose a tie pin.
Henry hugged Grace from behind, surprising her a bit. They fought last night, and she thought he'd be distant for a few days.
Ignoring the movie tickets, Henry held Grace's waist and looked at the tie pin. "When you weren't home, everything was inconvenient," he said warmly.
Grace replied softly, "But I'm back now, aren't I?"
Henry turned her around, pressing her gently against the glass cabinet. He lifted her slightly, creating a thrilling sensation. Grace found herself perched on his left leg, her robe slightly raised as Henry's hands traced her curves, sending a shiver down her spine.
Early in the morning, Henry was being shameless.
He didn't really want to make love; he just lazily occupied her. "You're back, but is your heart back?" he asked nonchalantly.
Grace thought he was acting strange. In their kind of marriage, what was the point of talking about hearts?
Knowing any discord would burden her, she played along. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she joked, "Henry, if you want to make love, you might need to hurry! The shareholders' meeting is at nine, and you have to leave by eight."
Henry immediately lost interest. He let go of her and went to the bathroom. "When did you start taking over Celeste's job, too?" he called from there.
Grace flicked her long hair and smiled faintly. "Henry, I thought you would like it."
In the bathroom, Henry, dressed in a white robe, looked at himself in the mirror. Hearing Grace's words, he showed a hint of mockery. Grace was truly hypocritical!
After sending Henry off, Grace returned to the second floor and practiced the violin for a while.
Near noon, Gavin's assistant, Owen, contacted her to discuss studying with Gavin. They arranged to meet at their usual place.
Owen was efficient. After they met, he took out a contract. "Starting next year, Mr. Garcia will hold 32 classical concerts worldwide. He hopes you'll be the second performer, with a minimum of six pieces per concert. This contract shows Mr. Garcia's sincerity! He's never done this before; he has never appreciated someone so much that he offers such high treatment even before they officially become a student."
Owen added, "Mr. Garcia is paving the way for you with his reputation."
Grace relished this rare chance, carefully examining the contract. She poured over its contents repeatedly, absorbing every detail with determination and excitement.
Owen chuckled, leaning back in his chair, "In the past, Mr. Garcia asked you several times to study with him, and you didn't take it seriously! What's changed now?"
Grace lowered her head to sign the contract, her voice soft. "My mind has become normal."
Owen initially wanted to laugh but found he couldn't. Finally, he composed himself and said, "Mr. Garcia is on a business trip. When he returns to Evergreen City, he'll likely host a banquet to announce your identity! Mr. Garcia specifically instructed me before he left, saying you are not allowed to refuse."
Grace was very grateful for Gavin's care and naturally wouldn't decline.
Later, Owen escorted her downstairs and graciously opened the car door for her. Grace turned to say goodbye, and they smiled at each other, a moment captured by someone. However, only Owen's back was caught in the photo.
Grace got into the car, and the driver asked, "Mrs. Montague, are we heading back to the villa?"
Grace saw it was still early and said calmly, "To Serenity General Hospital."
The driver stepped on the gas. Half an hour later, Grace arrived at Serenity General Hospital's VIP rehabilitation center.
Nathan had changed rooms, and with Dylan returning to the country and Clara's ambiguous words, he guessed that Grace had returned to Henry. As a father, he was happy that Oliver had hope, but he was ultimately saddened by Grace's sacrifice and remained silent most of the time.
Grace sat in contemplation for a while before getting up to leave. Clara hurried to catch up with her, pausing before speaking softly, "Please don't blame your father. Lately, he's been going through a tough time, keeping to himself and not taking care of himself."
As Clara spoke, she wiped her tears. Grace helped her and gently comforted her, "How could I blame Dad? Clara, I just feel useless; otherwise, I wouldn't need to go back to Henry."
Clara, rooted in tradition, hesitated before suggesting, "Grace, consider starting a family. Having a child might ease these tough times."
Grace appreciated Clara's concern and understood her fears about Henry's potential neglect. Although she once dreamed of starting a family with Henry, those thoughts no longer lingered.
With a faint smile, Grace gently responded, "Let's talk about it in a couple of years."
Clara sighed softly, watching Grace leave.
After leaving the rehab center, Grace went to the clinic to get short-term contraceptive pills. Lately, Henry seemed reluctant to use condoms during intimacy. Sometimes, he'd open one but not use it, eager to make love to her.
She didn't want to get pregnant, so she had to take the pills herself.
After getting the medication, she was about to leave when she ran into Rebecca and Elodie.
Despite their modest background, the medical staff respected them due to Henry's influence. Elodie and Rebecca, in turn, displayed pride and arrogance.
Seeing Grace, Rebecca got angry. Last time at the hospital, Henry had clearly sided with Elodie. She was sure Henry would divorce Grace and confess to Elodie once he got home!
Who would have thought that this shameless Grace would return to the Montague family, holding onto the title of Mrs. Montague?
Rebecca let go of the wheelchair, her attitude arrogant. "Don't think that just because you're sleeping with Mr. Montague, he likes you! Let me tell you, Mr. Montague cares a lot about Elodie. You've heard of Mr. Garcia, right? He's about to take Elodie as a student, and because of Mr. Montague, he's even going to host a banquet for her."
Grace paid little attention to Rebecca and calmly pressed the elevator button, ready to leave.
Suddenly, Rebecca forcefully grabbed her, causing her bag to fall. With an overbearing tone, she demanded, "Did you hear me? If you value yourself, you'll divorce Mr. Montague right now."
Grace's handbag fell, and a bottle of contraceptive pills rolled out.
Rebecca's expression shifted to disbelief as she focused on the tiny bottle. She mumbled, "Mr. Montague is still intimate with you? If your relationship is struggling, how does he manage to be affectionate with you? Elodie is convinced Mr. Montague is constantly thinking about her!"
Elodie's face flushed with embarrassment and envy as she glanced at Grace.
Despite being married and having past experiences with men, Elodie's desires as a woman remained potent, even with her broken leg. Countless nights found her contemplating these desires on her crisp white sheets.
Now, the bottle of contraceptive pills shattered Elodie's fantasy. It turned out that Henry and Grace were sexually active.
As they stood off, the elevator door opened and out walked Henry and Celeste.
Henry's sharp eyes noticed the bottle of contraceptive pills. He raised his eyebrows, staring at Grace.
Celeste, being perceptive, picked up the items and put them back in the bag, handing it to Grace. "Mrs. Montague, your bag."
Grace took the bag and thanked her softly. She looked at Henry, her expression calm. "Henry, I assume you're not here to see my dad! I won't disturb you; I'll head back first." Henry, however, grabbed her wrist.
Grace didn't look back. She shook off Henry's hand and walked into the elevator. Henry followed her in.
Rebecca opened her mouth, wanting to speak, but she was very afraid of Henry, so she could only watch as the elevator doors closed.
Fed up with the ongoing tension between Rebecca and Elodie, Celeste couldn't resist a taunt. "Ms. Williams, reign in your mother, please. Mr. Montague is already fuming about the last incident. If you persist in provoking Mrs. Montague, be wary of Mr. Montague cutting off your medical benefits and losing Mr. Garcia's support. By then, tears will be of no use."
Rebecca couldn't help but ask, "Celeste, how could Mr. Montague still be with her?"
Celeste sneered, "Not only is he with her, but it's frequent, too!"