Chapter 106
Sarah sighed helplessly: "Alright, George, I just feel bad about the fifty million dollars you invested. It's about to go down the drain. After all, Ms. Brown's mother isn't cut out for business - she lacks both vision and courage. I'm afraid it'll be hard to even break even on that money."
Her words were putting down my mother's abilities, hinting that George's investment had failed, and indirectly accusing me of being ungrateful and wasting his investment.
I laughed out loud, not hiding my contempt for her at all.
Sarah seemed stung by my laughter and immediately turned to me: "Ms. Brown, don't be upset. I'm just straightforward and speak the truth. I'm doing this for your mother's good."
"After all, in business, enthusiasm alone isn't enough - ability matters more. I don't mean any harm, so please don't take it to heart."
I knew she was deliberately trying to provoke me, to make me lose my temper and blow up in front of George. That way, she could appear more innocent and gracious.
But I was too tired to engage in this kind of petty verbal sparring with her anymore.
Every word I said to her was an insult to myself.
I turned my gaze back to George, my voice returning to its previous coldness: "You should have received the thing. Make your decision soon. You're annoyed, I'm annoyed - why drag this out for both of us?"
George's eyes moved almost imperceptibly. Those unfathomable eyes seemed to flash with some emotion, too quick for me to catch or bother identifying.
I didn't repeat myself, and I didn't want to say another word about the mess between us in front of him, especially not in front of Sarah.
Sarah's face showed obvious confusion and curiosity as she asked George, "George, did Ms. Brown give you something? Is it some important document? Do you need me to take a look? I could help you think it through."
Her attitude of trying to insert herself into all of George's affairs made my stomach churn again.
George finally moved his gaze from my face and said indifferently: "No need."
That simple sentence shut down Sarah's probing.
Then, without looking at me again, he said quietly: "Let's go."
Before leaving, Sarah turned back and gave me a challenging smile.
The night wind grew colder, chilling my hands and feet until my fingertips were almost numb.
I tightened my grip on the shopping bag with the drinks, the plastic handles cutting painfully into my palm, but at least bringing some sharp sensation.
I didn't linger there. I turned and continued walking toward where I'd agreed to meet Emily.
When I got to Emily's place, she was already waiting at the door.
She didn't ask anything, just took the bag and then reached out to hug me tightly.
"What's wrong with you? Your hands are like ice." Emily's voice was full of concern. She pulled me inside and poured me a cup of hot water. "Did something happen? Talk to me."
I held the warm cup, absorbing that bit of warmth, and tried to pull my mouth into a smile, only to find my facial muscles terribly stiff.
In the end, I just said in an almost numb tone: "It's nothing. On my way here, I ran into two crazy people."
Emily was smart. Looking at the lingering coldness and exhaustion in my eyes, she instantly understood who the crazy people I mentioned were.
She didn't ask for details, because she knew that asking would only make me relive those disgusting scenes again.
She just sighed heavily and patted my shoulder: "Okay, crazy people, it is. Come on, tonight we're not thinking about those awful things. Let's drink! We're not stopping until we're drunk!"
That night, in Emily's small apartment, we drank through the beer and light liquor I'd brought.
I didn't drink much, but it was enough to slightly loosen my tense nerves.
Emily chattered on about funny things that had happened to her recently, trying in her way to dispel the gloom hanging over me.
The next day, I took Milly to kindergarten as usual.
On the way, Milly was very quiet. Just as we reached the kindergarten entrance, she suddenly stood on tiptoe and whispered in my ear: "Mommy, Great-grandma secretly told me yesterday that she bought me a big Barbie doll - a limited edition one with lots of pretty dresses and little furniture."
"Great-grandma said it's already been sent to Daddy's place. Mommy, can you help me get it back? I really want to see it!"
Milly's big eyes were filled with pure longing and excitement - the kind of anticipation for a beloved gift.
I paused, only then remembering that a few days ago, Violet had mentioned something about preparing a big surprise for Milly.
At the time, my feelings were complicated - grateful for Violet's thoughtfulness but not wanting any more entanglement with George's side. I'd given a vague response, never thinking Violet would send it directly to George's place.
Milly had always loved Barbie dolls. Every time she saw them in the mall, she would stare longingly for ages.
But George never remembered to buy her those toys. His attention was always on Jack.
Occasionally, perhaps at Violet's request, he'd have Steven randomly buy one, but he never picked them out himself, much less prepared thoughtful gifts as he did for Tom's birthday last night.
I didn't want to disappoint Milly, and I didn't want her to lose something she should have because of adult grudges.
I crouched down and gently stroked Milly's soft hair, saying with a smile: "Okay, Mommy promises to go get the big Barbie doll for you."
"Really? Thank you, Mommy!" Milly immediately cheered, stood on tiptoe, and planted a loud kiss on my face, her little face blooming with the brightest smile.
Seeing her smile, the accumulated unpleasantness and gloom in my heart seemed to truly dissipate quite a bit.
As long as my child could be happy, even if it meant facing George again and dealing with potentially awful situations, I'd accept it.
At noon, I was at Star Tech handling work when my phone rang.
I looked - it was Violet calling.
As soon as I answered, Violet's voice came through, barely containing her anger: "Grace, what was George thinking last night? I heard that right after I left, he left too? He left you and your mother there - what kind of behavior is that?"
I held the phone, silent for a moment.
I wasn't very surprised.
There had been many guests at last night's banquet. There would always be helpful people who would pass along the news of George leaving midway to Violet's ears.
This time, I didn't rack my brain trying to make excuses for George like before, covering for him and maintaining a false harmony.
I just responded calmly with a simple acknowledgment.
Violet was clearly caught off guard by my reaction, probably not expecting me to admit it so directly.
She took several heavy breaths on the other end, her anger intensifying: "That bastard, more and more outrageous. Does he even see me as his grandmother anymore? Does he have any sense of how to be a son-in-law?"
She vented for a while, but ultimately, Violet only knew that George had left early. She didn't know that after leaving, he'd gone to celebrate Tom's birthday with Sarah.
Violet didn't use Instagram and didn't follow entertainment gossip. People around her who knew naturally wouldn't gossip in front of her, and George certainly wouldn't voluntarily explain.
So for her, this matter would ultimately just be chalked up to George being inconsiderate, never touching on the core betrayal and humiliation.
After cursing a few times, Violet seemed to find it pointless, or more likely felt bad for me. Her anger gradually subsided, her voice becoming gentler and apologetic: "Grace, you've been wronged again. It's my fault for not teaching him better."
I said softly, "Grandma, it's okay."
Violet added, "Oh, that Barbie doll I bought for Milly should have arrived at George's place by now. Remember to take Milly to get it."
"I know George favors Jack, and some people in the Smith family have that old preference for boys over girls. I don't like those outdated attitudes, but sometimes it's hard to interfere too much. Milly is our Smith family's granddaughter. You should love her more and don't let her feel wronged."