Chapter 192
The car drove smoothly along the road home, the cabin heavy with a thick, oppressive silence.
The nurse's words at the hospital earlier were like a tiny thorn—not fatal, but enough to dredge up the deepest regret and worry in mom's heart.
Several minutes passed before mom hopped on the passenger seat. She set her eyes on the rapidly receding street scenes outside the window and sighed.
"I should have listened to Flora back then."
"If you hadn't married George, none of this would have happened. You'd be free and clear, and you wouldn’t have had to suffer all these years."
She turned to look at me, her eyes full of heartache and hurt. "You gave so much, even helped him raise that child all these years, and who would have thought he'd turn out like this..."
I turned into the neighborhood, scanning for a parking spot. Listening to mom's words, I felt no great waves in my heart, only the kind of calm that settles in after everything has gone cold.
"Mom, let's not dwell on the past anymore." I parked the car, turned off the engine, and looked at her calmly. "Back then my heart was too stubborn. Even if I could do it over, I probably would have made the same choice."
I unbuckled my seatbelt, got out to help mom, and said, "Maybe this was just fate—something I was always going to run into sooner or later, no matter what."
I carefully helped mom out of the car. Echo, the caregiver, climbed out of the back seat too, helping with our things.
I continued, my voice quiet but steady, "Fortunately, it's not too late now. I've been given a chance to cut this cursed connection off myself, once and for all."
I didn't tell mom about being reborn.
It was too bizarre. Telling her would only make her more worried and confused. Besides, rebirth was my secret alone—a second chance I'd carried out of my past life on the back of blood, tears, and regret..
The only thing I needed to do was make good use of this chance, take her and Milly, and walk away from the Smith family's mess for good.
Mom didn't speak again on the way home. Her brow remained slightly furrowed, clearly still in low spirits.
When we arrived, I settled mom in and told Echo to stay with her and try to cheer her up.
She didn't need to worry about company matters for now—I had everything under control.
Echo nodded right away. "Ms. Brown, don't worry. I'll take good care of Ms. Murphy. Go take care of your business, I've got things covered here."
Watching mom gradually drift off under the medication's effect, I finally relaxed a bit and drove back to Star Tech.
At the company, William and the others had already finished the preliminary meeting about the Harris Tech collaboration.
When William saw me walk in, he filled me in on the key points, bright with rare excitement. "Grace, perfect timing. Mr. Harris's side has been very positive. They're extremely impressed with our technical capabilities, especially with the core code you wrote. For the follow-up collaboration on that smart city sub-module, they'll send someone for in-depth coordination. This is a great opportunity!"
This was definitely good news.
If we could successfully land this collaboration, Star Tech's technical strength and industry position would take a real leap forward, and I'd truly have solid footing—more confidence to protect my family and weather any storm.
I was about to discuss more details with William. I hadn't even had time to properly celebrate when my phone on the desk started vibrating like crazy.
The caller ID showed it was Echo.
My heart jumped. I immediately answered. "Echo, what's wrong?"
"Ms. Brown! Something's wrong!" Echo's voice was low and tight with panic. "Just now... a group of people showed up out of nowhere, looking aggressive. They said they need to come in and take inventory. I asked what they were doing, but they wouldn't explain, just said it was official business."
"Ms. Murphy just fell asleep. I was afraid they'd wake her up, even more afraid they'd frighten her, so I didn't dare open the door. I kept them outside, but they haven't left—they're just standing guard at the door. Ms. Brown, can you... can you come back right away? I'm a bit scared..."
My heart sank.
"Echo, don't panic. Keep the door locked, don't open it for anyone, I'll be right there!" I rattled it off quickly, hung up, and grabbed the bag I'd just set down.
"William, there's an emergency at home. I need to go back right away." I went to William's office door, my expression apologetic.
The moment William saw my face, he asked asked with concern, "What happened? Is it serious? Should I come with you?"
"No need, I can handle it myself." I shook my head, not wanting to drag him into my personal problems. "I don't know the exact situation yet. I'll go check first. As for work..."
"Don't worry about work, go handle your family matter first." William cut in without hesitation. "Call anytime if you need help."
"Thanks." I nodded, then hurried to find Emily.
"Emily, I hate to bother you again." I gave her an apologetic look. "I need to go home right away. About Milly..."
"Why are you being so formal with me?" Emily got it right away. "You go do what you need to. Leave Milly to me—I'll take perfect care of her. Do you need me to pick her up now?"
"No need. There’s still some time before kindergarten lets out. Just pick her up then. I'll let her teacher know."
"Okay, then hurry. Drive carefully."
After taking care of everything, I practically ran out of the office building. The car sped along. My mind was in turmoil.
Who could it be?
Tom causing trouble again?
Or George stirring something up? Or was is something else completely?
Back at the villa complex, I could see from a distance a handful of people gathered around the flower bed by my door, some squatting, some standing. All men, wearing ordinary jackets or sportswear, not looking like workers, but not like thugs either.
The car stopped. I took a deep breath and got out.
The moment they saw me, they stopped talking, stood up in unison, and walked toward me.
"Hello, are you Ms. Grace Brown?" A man in his forties with black-framed glasses spoke first, his tone fairly polite.
I eyed them warily and didn't answer directly. "Who are you? What's your purpose here?"
The man came prepared. He pulled out a business card from his briefcase and handed it over with both hands. "Ms. Brown, we're from Quantum Bank's Asset Preservation Department. My name is Tony Cole. This is my card."
I took the card and quickly scanned it.
It professionally printed. Didn't seem fake.
But I didn't completely trust it. I immediately took out my phone and, going off the information on the card, called the bank's official customer service to verify both the department and the person listed.
Customer service confirmed—the person existed, and the department did indeed handle overdue loans and asset mortgages.
My heart sank a little more with every second.
"The bank?" I put my phone away and looked at him sharply. "What are you doing here? My mother lives here, but she shouldn't have any direct business with your bank."
Tony adjusted his glasses, his tone still businesslike, but his words chilled me to the bone. "Ms. Brown, we're here because your mother previously used her travel company as collateral to apply for a loan from our bank."
"Later, to deal with the company's operational crisis and protect company assets, she took out a second mortgage on this villa."
He paused to observe my expression, then continued, "Now, according to the information we have, your mother's company's operations haven't improved, and the loan is overdue."
"According to the contract terms and procedures, we need to conduct a preliminary asset evaluation and inventory of the collateral before moving forward."
He looked into my eyes and delivered the blow. "Specifically, we need to decide whether to initiate foreclosure proceedings to recover this property, or pursue other asset disposal measures."
"Simply put, we're here to give advance notice and strongly advise you to start looking for a new place to live as soon as possible."
Those words hit me like a thunderclap.