Chapter 52
After hearing George's words, I finally understood.
Most likely Violet had talked to him privately again, going on about how much she missed Milly and me, or maybe she'd sensed something was wrong with our marriage and hoped he could fix things.
George was dutiful to his grandmother, but that was all.
His so-called "talk" was just passing along Violet's wishes and warning me at the same time.
Even after the divorce, as long as Violet wanted to see Milly or me, we'd have to obediently go to the Old Smith Mansion so the old lady wouldn't worry.
Such selfish and arrogant logic.
He only cared about his grandmother's feelings. My wishes and dignity were never part of his consideration.
I pulled at the corner of my mouth and responded coldly, "Visiting Grandma is something I want to do. I'll do what I should, but George, get this straight. It's a visit, not a performance. I won't do things I don't want to do just to please anyone anymore."
George didn't seem surprised by my pushback. He didn't argue further, just nodded.
"Give me your work address. I'll drop you off on the way."
"No need," I immediately refused, my tone harsh. "I can get back on my own. Stop the car, I want to get out."
This time, George didn't use silence to pressure me, and he didn't try to make me stay. "Stop the car."
The car stopped again.
I practically couldn't wait to push open the door and left without looking back.
Standing on the street, the afternoon sunlight carried warmth, but I only felt a desolate coldness in my heart.
Six years. George and I had been married for six years.
I had been so foolish to think that if I gave enough, loved deeply enough, for long enough, I could eventually warm his cold, hard heart.
And the result?
Endless indifference, finally leading to this point.
How ironic!
Just now in the car, I actually had a moment where I wanted to ask him, "George, when you saw the court filing documents, what did you feel? Were you surprised, or did you have any other emotions?"
But looking at his cold face, I knew he didn't care.
He didn't care about this marriage, didn't care about my feelings, and maybe even this divorce case was just another piece of business to handle in his eyes.
Asking one more question would only humiliate myself.
I gripped the box containing the pocket watch and quickly walked back to the company.
When Emily saw me return, she immediately rushed over.
When her gaze fell on my neck, her eyes widened in surprise. "Grace, George actually gave it back to you? He was willing to take it off Sarah's neck?"
"Yeah, I find it strange too," I said mockingly, "Maybe he thinks this one isn't good enough and wants to get Sarah more expensive jewelry."
"Or maybe Sarah got tired of wearing it and didn't want it anymore? Otherwise, I really can't think of any reason why George would be so generous as to give it back to me."
Emily poured me a cup of coffee, her brow furrowed. "Getting it back is good, but I always feel like they won't agree so easily. Grace, you must not let your guard down."
I took the coffee and smiled. "I know, don't worry. The divorce case has already been filed anyway. If they harass me again, I'll just call the police."
Actually, I was a bit confused too.
Logically, George should want the divorce even more than I did.
Once divorced, he could openly marry Sarah, and Jack could properly call Sarah mom.
Their family of three could truly be together.
But his current attitude seemed a bit strange.
While I was thinking, William walked over with a gentle smile and asked, "What are you chatting about so happily?"
"Nothing much," I stood up. "Mr. Jones, is something up?"
"This afternoon, a partner wants to meet with our company to discuss some technical details about the Star Trails project. They're a pretty strong supplier in the industry. I'd like you to come with me - we can communicate and resolve some technical issues on the spot," William said.
"Sure, no problem," I immediately agreed.
I was always proactive about work matters.
"But..." I looked at the time, a bit troubled. "I need to drop Milly off at my mom's first. My mom's travel company just started up recently, and she seems really busy. I feel like she's hiding something from me. When I ask her, she won't say. I'm a bit worried, but I don't want to keep pressing her."
Emily chimed in from the side, "Grace, working while taking care of a kid like this is too exhausting. Why not find a reliable nanny for Milly? Someone to help with pickup and keeping her company."
I sighed and said, "I know, but I really don't feel comfortable leaving Milly with a stranger. I'll think about it once my work is more stable."
Emily thought for a moment and clapped her hands. "How about this? Tonight I'll pick up Milly and take her to my place to play. I have a housekeeper at home, it's very safe. When you're done with your meeting, you can come straight to my place to get her."
I looked at Emily gratefully and said, "Emily, thank you so much!"
"Don't be so formal with me!" Emily waved her hand generously. "When you get your paycheck this month, just treat me to a nice meal!"
"Definitely!" I nodded.
I set out with William to meet the partner.
They'd chosen a very stylish Western restaurant with a nice atmosphere.
I'd been there once with George in my past life, and I remembered the food was actually pretty good.
William and I sat in the private room for quite a while before the other party finally arrived late.
The private room door was pushed open, and a slightly chubby middle-aged man walked in.
When I saw his face, I froze.
Tom.
Sarah's uncle, a small shareholder in Summit Technology, and also one of Sarah's closer relatives in the family.
In my past life, he'd helped Sarah cause me plenty of trouble and badmouthed me to the Smith family.
Tom clearly hadn't expected to see me here either. His brow unconsciously furrowed, and a flash of disgust and surprise crossed his eyes.
But he quickly adjusted his expression.
He enthusiastically reached out to shake hands with William and exchange pleasantries, as if his earlier lapse was just an illusion.
When it was time to shake hands with me, the smile on his face became somewhat forced, but he still extended his hand and greeted me formally, "Mrs. Smith, I didn't expect to run into you here. What a coincidence."
"Mr. Tom Wilson, hello," I calmly extended my hand, no extra expression on my face.
William enthusiastically invited everyone to sit down and got straight to the point, discussing the specific needs of the project collaboration and possible technical difficulties.
I sat next to William, very quiet, almost never speaking up on my own. Only when William asked about the parts I was responsible for did I answer briefly.
I didn't want personal grudges to affect work, and I didn't want to make things difficult for William.
This mode of reducing my presence at dinner gatherings was something George had trained into me in my past life.
In my past life, whenever I attended similar business dinners with George, I was always like this.
No right to speak, just a quiet accessory, an accessory used to display the identity of Mrs. Smith.
Only back then, my heart was full of humility and trying to please, while now, all that remained was calm and detachment.
During the meal, the people Tom brought were clearly there to get William drunk, targeting him directly.
William's alcohol tolerance seemed average. After a few glasses, his face flushed red, but he still maintained his composure, trying his best to manage.
I watched, my brow furrowing more and more.
When one of Tom's subordinates raised another full glass of red wine to toast William, I suddenly stood up and reached out to take that glass.
"Mr. Jones, there's an important technical meeting this afternoon. This glass, I'll drink to everyone." My voice wasn't loud, but it was clear.
Without waiting for their reaction, I tilted my head back and drained the entire glass of red wine.
Everyone at the table froze, including William.
Tom's expression looked even worse.
I put down the glass. My stomach felt a bit uncomfortable, but I didn't feel any disgust or grievance in my heart.
In my past life, I'd also blocked drinks for George like this. Back then, I just felt it was what I should do as a wife, even if I felt terrible, I had to maintain his dignity.
Back then when George was cold to me, I felt so wronged.