Chapter 75 Going Down Together
The next day.
Grace went to work as usual, clocking in at the company.
As soon as she arrived, she sensed something was off about the office atmosphere.
"Did you hear? Amelia got beaten up last night."
"By who? Who would dare lay a hand on Amelia?"
"Mr. Thomas! He beat her so badly she's covered in bruises. Amelia came in wearing sunglasses today, but they can barely hide it."
"Isn't that domestic violence?"
"Apparently, Amelia's son..."
The conversation suddenly stopped as the office fell silent.
Grace looked up to see Amelia walking into the office, heading straight toward her.
She was still dressed impeccably, but wore thick, oversized sunglasses indoors. Even so, it was obvious her cheekbones were bruised purple, her lip was split, and she walked with an odd gait.
"Grace, come to my office." Amelia gestured to her before turning and walking away.
Everyone stared at Grace with curious eyes.
Confused, Grace walked to the office door and knocked.
"Come in."
As soon as she entered, she saw Amelia remove her sunglasses. Her left eye was swollen shut, the corner of her right eye was cut, and even the nose implant she'd recently gotten was crooked from the beating.
Grace was genuinely shocked by her battered appearance.
"As you can see, because of Liam's incident, I got beaten this badly." Amelia's lips trembled slightly.
Last night when she returned home, Joshua had violently assaulted her for protecting Mason, leaving bruises all over her body.
Grace frowned slightly.
"Now my husband wants to divorce me! All because Mr. Hayes is holding the Thomas family accountable for Liam's near-drowning! The Thomas family can't wait to distance themselves from me."
Grace said, "Why are you telling me this, Amelia?"
It was Alexander targeting the Thomas family, not her.
Amelia walked over and gripped her shoulders, abandoning her previous arrogant attitude for a pleading tone. "What's your relationship with Mr. Hayes? I can see you two are unusually close. Are you his kept mistress?"
Grace replied, "I'm not!"
How could she think that?
Amelia pressed, "Then what exactly is your relationship with him? I can tell your identity isn't simple! Whatever you say to him must carry weight! Grace, please put in a good word for me. Ask Mr. Hayes to spare the Thomas family, spare me! Spare my son! We never meant to provoke the Hayes family. This was my son's fault. I failed to raise him properly! But the punishment doesn't fit the crime..."
"Doesn't fit the crime?" Grace retorted coldly. "Alexander adores that son of his. You people dared to harm Liam - how is that not deserving of punishment?"
Amelia said, "I know I was wrong, I really know I was wrong!" She suddenly dropped to her knees before Grace. "Please put in a good word for me. Ask Mr. Hayes to forgive me! Otherwise the Thomas family is finished, and so am I."
Grace felt her scalp tingle, her whole body tensing with unease.
Amelia had once been such a prestigious, glamorous woman who seemed to look down on everyone.
Whatever Alexander had done to reduce her to this state was beyond Grace's imagination. The woman kneeling before her, so humble and desperate, was barely recognizable as the once-powerful, domineering Amelia.
What methods had he used?
Grace suddenly realized Alexander was far more terrifying than she'd imagined.
He absolutely possessed the power to command the heavens and cover the sky with a snap of his fingers.
Grace said, "Someone like him operates in a completely different sphere than me. What influence could my words possibly have? All I can say, Amelia, is you're on your own. Someone of his elite status is completely beyond my reach."
Amelia's mouth fell open as tears streamed down her face. "Grace, your son got into Windsor Academy not because of his excellence, but because of one word from Alexander. Your relationship with him can't be that simple! Are you just unwilling to help me? I can pay you—however much you want, I'll give it to you!"
She was convinced Grace was Alexander's kept woman.
Grace finally lost her patience. "I'll say it one more time—I have no relationship with him whatsoever! I can't help you with this."
Amelia shakily got to her feet.
She suddenly pulled something from behind her back and snapped it around Grace's wrist.
Grace looked down to see it was a pair of handcuffs.
Where did she get handcuffs?
Grace looked at Amelia suspiciously, only to see she had already locked the other end tightly around her own wrist.
Their hands were now chained together.
Grace asked warily, "What are you doing?"
Amelia suddenly became hysterical. "I don't believe you two are innocent! You just won't help me! Fine, then I'll take you down with me!"
She locked the door and dragged Grace toward the window.
"What are you doing?" Grace struggled and resisted, but Amelia was surprisingly strong, pushing her against the glass window and forcing half her body outside.
"Ah..."
Grace fell backward out the window, her upper body hanging in mid-air.
From the high floor, fierce winds whipped around them.
Her hair flew wildly in the wind.
Amelia screamed maniacally down at the people below, "I want to see Alexander! Bring him to me! Otherwise, I'll take his woman down with me!"
Security immediately called the police.
Police cars arrived along with fire trucks and ambulances.
Employees gathered below, shouting up at Amelia, "Amelia, please calm down!" Everyone assumed Amelia, having suffered domestic violence, had snapped and was attempting suicide.
But when they looked closer, they realized Amelia was handcuffed to another person - she had dragged Grace onto the window ledge with her.
The narrow ledge could barely accommodate one foot's width, with no guardrail, and winds strong enough to blow someone away.
Grace clung desperately to the window frame with one hand, not daring to struggle.
She and Amelia were bound by the handcuffs—if she struggled and Amelia fell from the ledge, she would be pulled down too.
Grace said, "Amelia, calm down! Taking me down with you won't solve anything!"
Amelia shouted, "Call Alexander! Get him to come see you! Now!"
Grace didn't understand why Amelia was so desperately urgent.
"Hurry!" Amelia shrieked.
Grace pulled out her phone and dialed Alexander's number.
The call connected quickly.
"Hello." His characteristically cold voice came through.
Grace said, "Alexander, can you come to the Horizon Group building right now?"
Alexander asked, "What's wrong?"
She didn't know how to explain their current situation, and being afraid of heights, her voice was trembling. "I... I don't want to die..."