Chapter 197
As Mom listened, the confusion on her face slowly gave way to deep heartache and regret.
Her eyes reddened again, and tears streamed down silently as she said, "Grace, I'm the one who's sorry. I'm useless. The investment failed, and now I've dragged you into this..."
"Mom." I cut off her and hugged her tightly. "Don't say that. If the money's gone, we can earn it back. Keeping the house is what matters most."
"I only have one mom. As long as you're healthy and by my side, that's all I need."
"But Mom, promise me that no matter how big the problem is in the future, you won't hide it from me. We'll face it together, okay?"
Mom nodded vigorously, her tears falling even faster. "Okay, okay, I promise you. I won't hide anything from you anymore. We'll pay this money back together!"
"Okay, we'll pay it back together." I smiled and agreed.
But deep down, I knew Emily and William probably wouldn't pressure me to repay the money they had lent me. They might not even expect me to pay it back at all.
But I would never forget their kindness, and I was determined to repay it.
Their generosity—I would spend the rest of my life repaying it, little by little.
Now, I had a stable job. Star Tech was thriving, and more importantly, the upcoming collaboration with Harris Tech held limitless potential.
Speaking of Mark.
This truly influential figure was worlds apart from George's petty and vicious behavior.
It seemed I needed to find the right opportunity to treat him to the meal I had promised, not just to thank him for his previous help and the health products he gave Mom, but also to deepen our connection and improve his impression of Star Tech and of me personally.
Mark was someone I genuinely wanted to build and maintain a strong relationship with.
This wasn't just for the company's growth or my personal development, but also to gain enough power to protect the people I cared about, so we would never be bullied by people like George again.
In my previous life, I didn't encounter such good opportunities, nor did I discover my own value. I struggled in the quagmire of marriage, ultimately losing everything and ending up miserable.
Now, I sincerely thank heaven for giving me a chance to start over.
It allowed me to choose the right path and do work I loved and excelled at.
My Milly was growing up healthy and happy.
My mom, though she had been through many hardships, was still safely and by my side.
Setting aside the troubles with the Smith family, I was actually quite content.
And what made me feel most gratified and proud was that this time, it was me who took Milly and actively left the Smith family.
Not like in my previous life—being kicked out like trash by George and Sarah working together, losing everything, with my dignity completely shattered.
I had preserved my most precious dignity.
I had also carefully protected Milly's pure, innocent heart, shielding her from the filth and cruelty of the adult world for as long as possible.
I didn't want Milly to be affected by her parents' failed marriage or those ugly conflicts, fearing she might grow up with a twisted personality.
This was perhaps the most correct thing I'd done since my rebirth.
After Mom apologized, her emotions gradually began to stabilize.
She mentioned wanting to sell some gold jewelry she had saved over the years to raise cash for the company and ease its cash flow.
I agreed without hesitation.
Rather than keeping that gold jewelry and risking my gambling-addicted father finding out about it someday, it was better to cash it out now while gold prices were decent, so it could be put to use and give Mom a bit more peace of mind.
After comforting Mom and giving a few instructions to Echo, the caregiver, I drove back to the company.
There was still a mountain of work piled up, and I didn't want to fall too far behind because of family troubles.
Especially during this critical period of a merger with Harris Tech, I had to present my best professional self.
My aunt also called, anxiously asking about Mom's condition and the company's situation.
I downplayed the situation, mentioning only the positive aspects, telling her Mom's health was improving and that the company was facing some minor difficulties we were handling. I told her not to worry and to focus on her own recovery.
I didn't mention how Sarah and George had come to humiliate us, nor the close call when the house was nearly taken by the bank.
My aunt was still ill herself. I couldn't let her worry or stress over these things.
Although I had already broken up with George and divorce was imminent, business was still business. Some technical outsourcing projects that Star Tech had signed with the Smith Group were still under contract, and I needed to follow up on the necessary collaboration procedures.
On the day I went to the Smith Group for a meeting, I was mentally prepared to run into George or even Sarah.
Fortunately, everything went smoothly that day, and I didn’t run into those two people who made my stomach turn.
This allowed my tense nerves to relax a little, and my mood became unusually light.
Days passed one by one in a blur of busyness and tension.
This afternoon, I had just finished upgrading and optimizing a core code module. The tests passed, and I let out a long sigh of relief as I prepared to pack up, visit Mom at the hospital, and then go home to be with Milly.
I picked up my bag and headed toward the elevator.
The elevator doors opened.
Just as I was about to step in, I met a gaze that was familiar yet unexpectedly there.
Two elegantly poised women stood in the elevator.
The one in the middle was Violet.
Our eyes met, and for a moment, we both froze in surprise.
Since moving out of the Smith family with Milly, I had only kept in touch with Violet through a few occasional phone calls.
Each time we talked, Violet's tone was full of concern and anticipation, always asking, "Grace, why haven't you brought Milly back to see Grandma in so long? How are you and George doing lately? Come back for a meal together when you have time, okay?"
Each time, I only vaguely brushed it off.
I really couldn't bear it, and didn't know how to tell this kind old woman that her grandson and granddaughter-in-law were about to divorce, and that the process had been so ugly.
Violet clearly hadn’t expected to run into me here either.
At first, she looked surprised, then her face immediately lit up with a smile as she quickly came toward me.
Violet grabbed my hand and looked me up and down carefully. Her brow furrowed, and in a tone full of concern, she asked, "My Grace, why have you lost so much weight? You don't look well. Is that boy George not taking care of you? Not making sure you eat properly?"
Her hand was warm and dry, carrying the firm strength of an elderly person as it gripped mine tightly.
A few colleagues nearby, about to leave work, cast curious glances our way.
I felt a little embarrassed by Violet's sudden gesture and quickly supported her arm, guiding her to a quieter lounge area nearby.
"Grandma, I'm fine. I've been eating properly," I said, trying to make my smile look natural. "What brings you here today? Do you need something?"
I tried to change the subject.
But Violet wasn’t about to let it go so easily.
She pulled me to sit down on the sofa in the lounge area, her gaze still scanning my face. In a concerned tone, she said, "I came to see George, and to see you too."
"George told me you've been especially busy with work lately, so you haven't had time to come back and visit me with him."
"I thought you young people are busy with work and don't have time to visit me, so I decided to come see you myself. That should be okay, right?"
"Are you free for lunch today? Keep Grandma company for a meal, and call George too. It's been so long since our family had a meal together."
She suddenly seemed to remember something and looked at me with slight reproach. "And another thing—the day George was discharged from the hospital, why didn't you come to pick him up together?"
"I heard from Linda that you came to the hospital entrance but then left again. Did you have a fight with George? Between husband and wife, no grudge lasts overnight. Just talk it out, and it'll be fine."
Listening to Violet's words, my heart filled with mixed emotions, a bittersweet feeling of being touched welling up inside.