Chapter 219
George's behavior tonight was so unusual, completely different from his usual coldness.
He'd never been this close to me when drunk, let alone show up at my place and kiss me forcefully while mistaking me for Sarah.
Even when he was drunk before, he was always clear-headed enough to know I was Grace, not Sarah, so no matter how sexy I dressed, he wouldn't even glance at me.
Emily's comment reminded me—this was totally unlike his calm and controlled style.
Could George actually regret the divorce and intentionally come to bother me?
But if we're talking about regretting the divorce, given his personality and his fixation with Sarah, was that even possible?
Probably not. I figured he was either really confused from drinking, or he lost some bet with his buddies and came to mess with me on purpose.
While I was thinking, my phone on the table suddenly vibrated, showing an unknown number on the screen.
I thought it was a spam call and swiped to reject it.
But the number called again. I frowned, trying to remember who it could be, but came up blank.
I finally picked up the phone and answered coolly, "Hello, who's this?"
There was two seconds of silence on the other end, then a low, hoarse voice came through, "Grace."
Hearing George's voice, I didn't even wait for him to continue—I just hung up.
My heart thundered in my chest, not from excitement, but from sheer revulsion and alarm.
I quickly blocked the number.
Right after I did that, the screen lit up again with another unknown number calling.
I stared at those digits, getting more annoyed.
What the hell did George want?
Emily noticed my expression shift, leaned closer, and immediately understood.
Without a word, she grabbed my phone from my hand, put it on silent, and tossed it on the bed.
"Don't answer," she said coldly, "With this kind of psycho, the more you respond, the more he'll keep at it. Just let him call. Let him call until his battery dies, until he gets bored of it himself. We can't hear it anyway."
"Still pulling this crap after the divorce—did George get his brain caught in a door? Could it be that Sarah couldn't satisfy him tonight, so he's coming after you?"
"What a disgusting man!"
Emily's words were harsh and direct, but she was speaking the truth.
I rubbed my temples as exhaustion mixed with nausea washed over me.
"I just hope he doesn't change his mind. God, please don't let him change his mind."
I really, really didn't want any more involvement with this man.
Thirty days—I just wanted them to pass quietly, then smoothly get my divorce certificate.
The next day, I went to work as usual. Intense work was the most effective way to dull emotional pain
I threw myself completely into analyzing project data for Harris Tech and refining follow-up plans, trying not to think about all that messy stuff.
In the morning, Joshua suddenly came to the office, catching me off guard. I thought I'd done something wrong again and he was here to lecture me.
Turns out he just came to hear William report on successfully landing Harris Tech as a partner, which is why he made the special trip.
I knew it—Joshua came to observe me. He'd probably heard the recent news and was worried I'd panic.
"Grace." Joshua stood by my desk with his hands behind his back, looking at the complex data flows and model diagrams on my computer screen, a smile appearing on his face.
"Not bad, you're back in form. I heard that this success was largely due to your preliminary analysis and quick thinking. See, I told you—you've got what it takes. You were simply preoccupied with other matters before."
I quickly stood up to respond, "Mr. Thomas, I know you've always valued my abilities, and I won't let you down again."
"This time it was mainly Mr. Jones's decisive leadership and good teamwork."
I couldn't take credit for William's contribution.
William added with a smile, "Mr. Thomas, Grace has been working really hard lately. You and I both know her professional skills are solid, but the key is her stable mindset—she's more methodical in her work now."
Joshua nodded, "Stay humble and keep it up. If you do this project well, it'll be a great start. Alright, you guys get back to work. I'm leaving, no need to see me out."
Even though he said not to, William and I still walked Joshua downstairs and watched him get in his car before turning back.
Just then, William's phone vibrated.
He pulled it out, glanced at it, and frowned instantly, then composed himself and put the phone back in his pocket.
"Who was it?" I asked casually.
"Atticus." William's tone was flat. As we walked, he said, "He wants to schedule a meeting to talk about a new project his company has, wants to collaborate with us."
I stopped in surprise and looked at him, "You're not considering it? This could be a money-making opportunity."
Atticus's company was pretty large-scale and well-ranked in the industry.
William also stopped, turned to look at me, and smiled, "Did you forget how he humiliated you at the restaurant last time? And when we went to his company to propose collaboration, he threw us out."
"He mocked me thoroughly. That kind of person has character problems. Even if I want to make money, I don't want to sit at the same table with someone like that to discuss business."
I was stunned.
I didn't expect William to remember that incident so clearly and directly elevate it to the level of refusing collaboration.
I recalled Atticus's superior attitude then—he'd said outright that I only got the project by sleeping my way up through William. It really was uncomfortable to hear.
"Why is he suddenly...?" I hesitated, then continued, "Could it be because news got out that Mark chose to work with our Star Tech, and he heard about it?"
That was the only reason I could think of.
William was silent for a moment, then nodded, "Can't rule that out. Now that we're at the top in certain areas, naturally more people want to get close and share the benefits. But Atticus—I've basically put him on my blacklist."
"Even if he shows up in person with the most generous terms, I'll still refuse."
Looking at his serious profile, warmth flooded my heart, mixed with some helplessness. I half-joked, "Mr. Jones, if you do this, people will probably say you're deliberately targeting Atticus and refusing to work with his company because of me."
"I don't want to be the femme fatale."
William caught the teasing in my words and laughed, saying matter-of-factly, "Let them talk. So what if it's for you? You're capable and valuable. Protecting the company's core talent and dignity—I'm not doing anything wrong."
His words made me laugh, "Thank you."
Even though I knew he didn't want me to say that, I said it anyway.
I had so much gratitude I wanted to express to William and Emily, but they both told me not to be so formal, saying friends don't need to keep score like that.
William smiled at me, "If you want to thank me, just make big money with me and grow Star Tech."
I nodded and said okay.
Back in the office, I dove back into work, pushing all those distracting thoughts out of my head.
At lunch time, William came over and tapped on my desk.
"Mr. Thomas just called. Mrs. Thomas misses you and wants me to bring you over for a casual meal. How about it? Are you free?"
I thought about it—I could adjust this afternoon's work schedule, and I really hadn't seen my mentor's wife in a long time, so I nodded, "Sure, I've been craving Mrs. Thomas's braised pork anyway."
We drove to Joshua's villa in the west part of the city.
The environment there was peaceful and quiet. Joshua and his wife loved it, so they'd never moved.
The car slowly entered the villa complex and stopped outside Joshua's courtyard.
I unbuckled my seatbelt, about to get out, when my eyes casually swept past the villa entrance.
Then my movements froze.