Chapter 101 Chapter 101
Grace snapped back to reality and gave her classmate an apologetic smile. "What are you thinking? I invited you out to eat."
"Hey! Is this what you're treating me to?" Her classmate pointed vaguely at the few dishes on the table with her fork. Disgust was written all over her face. “If you really wanted to treat someone, you should have called ahead to make a reservation at a nice place for a proper meal. Instead, you waited until dinnertime and called me out of the blue to drag me here to eat with you. Hmph! I'm only here because I'm doing you a favor."
Grace gave a bitter smile. To avoid leaving a trace that Benjamin could find, she didn't call ahead. She had even made this call from the bathroom using the cleaning lady's phone.
Her classmate grew increasingly indignant, dredging up old school stories. "Forget everything else—just think about those college years! You were always running off to Adrian's school. How many classes did I cover for you? How many times did I sign you in? Do you think you could ever repay me for all that I did for you?”
Recalling those early days, Grace couldn't help but smile. Though they were not in the same class, Grace and Vania had been roommates for four years, forging an exceptionally deep friendship. They not only shared similar personalities, but they also bore a slight resemblance.
She was her best friend. Even after graduation, when their paths diverged and they lost touch, they both knew that if anything ever happened, the other would be the most trustworthy person to turn to.
Grace hesitated for a moment, then pulled her ID card from her wallet and placed it on the table. "Let me see yours!"
"Why?" Puzzled by Grace's action, Vania complied, pulling out her own ID card and placing it side by side with Grace's. Glancing at them, she chuckled smugly. "Don't let my current appearance fool you—my photo looks way better than yours!"
Grace bit her lower lip lightly as she scrutinized both IDs. Vania had been slimmer when her photo was taken, and ID photos distorted appearances. Without careful scrutiny, one might easily mistake the person in the photo for Grace. She looked up at Vania and said, "Vania, I need your help. It's very important."
Vania froze for a moment, then rolled her eyes and snapped, "See! I knew you weren't being nice by inviting me to dinner. Spit it out—what do you need me for?"
Even now, Grace still harbored doubts. It wasn't that she didn't trust her friend; she just feared causing her trouble. But now, she truly had no other choice. Benjamin was too formidable. She lacked the confidence to escape him alone. She needed Vania’s help.
Seeing her like this, Vania grew irritated. She slammed her fork down on the table and snapped, "Spit it out already! You know I have a short fuse. Don't make me wait any longer.”
Grace paused, then spoke solemnly. "Vania, I need to hide from someone. I have to leave Seattle and go to another state. This person is very powerful. I can't risk using my own ID to buy train tickets or check into hotels. Could I borrow your ID for a while, if possible? I promise I won't do anything illegal. Just think of it as if you lost your ID and needed a new one.”
Vania froze, her voice tight. "What happened? Who are you running from?"
Grace couldn't reveal everything. "Knowing more would only hurt you, Vania. I know this is a huge favor. If you can help, do it. If not, just pretend I never said a word."
Vania grew impatient. "You've already said it! How can I pretend you didn't? Grace, just tell me—who did you cross this time? Why is running away so damn hard? And Adrian? What the hell is he doing? How did he let you get into this mess?"
Grace knew her friend was just worried. Being scolded actually warmed her heart. "He's already abroad," she replied. "He needs to handle things with my parents overseas. For now, I'm on my own here."
Vania grew more alarmed. "Who did you offend? I'll go beg my father to see if he can smooth things over for you.”
Grace shook her head. "Don't ask. I'm not telling you for your own good."
Vania frowned at her. After a moment of silence, she suddenly asked, "Is this related to what happened four years ago?"
Grace hesitated, then nodded. "Yes."
"Damn it! I told you to see a fortune-teller, but you wouldn't listen!" Vania muttered under her breath as she resolutely pushed her ID card forward. "Enough talk. What else can I do for you?"
Her few words nearly brought Grace to tears. She quickly lowered her head to steady herself before looking up at her friend and saying solemnly, "Take the ID card for now. Go buy me a new phone with a number just like this one." She held up her phone for Vania to see, then handed over an envelope she'd prepared earlier. "Inside is money for the phone and the key to my parents' house. I wrote the address down clearly. Don't contact me. Just deliver the items to my parents' house tomorrow. Put them in the drawer under my bed, along with your ID card.”
Vania took only the keys, pushing the cash back at Grace. "Get lost!" she snapped. "If I trust you with my ID card, why would I need your phone money? Keep this for yourself. Don't do anything stupid. No card transactions after you're on the run. It'll give away your location."
Grace had already considered this and nodded. "I know. I'll prepare enough cash in advance."
They exchanged a few more words. Afraid of arousing suspicion, Grace didn't linger long. Before leaving, she hugged her friend tightly and whispered, "Thank you very much!"
Vania muttered a low curse under her breath, then cautioned, "Be careful. Once this is over, remember to let me know you're safe."
The two parted ways. Grace browsed several luxury boutiques before calling the driver Benjamin had assigned to her. She instructed him to pick her up and take her back to Benjamin's apartment. By evening, she was already asleep when Benjamin returned. After showering, he approached the bed, touched her, and wouldn't let her sleep. "Tell me," he demanded. "What did you do all day?"
Grace sighed in resignation and sat up, wrapped in the quilt. "Shopping," she replied. "Then I ran into a colleague. We had lunch together."
"Why didn't you buy anything?" he asked casually.
She didn't answer immediately. Instead, she glared at him and asked with a sour expression, "How did you know I didn't? Did you have someone follow me?"
Benjamin froze, then chuckled involuntarily. "Did I need to hire someone to follow you? You didn't bring back a single bag.”
Grace just glared at him. Seeing that he didn't seem to be lying, her expression softened slightly. She complained, "The bags were all hideous, yet the prices kept climbing. A few were decent, but they were out of stock. I took photos. I'll have my mom buy them when she visits Italy."
Benjamin had never seen her plan her purchases so meticulously. He watched her for a moment, then couldn't help but laugh. Holding out his hands, he said, "Hand over your phone. Let me see what you liked."
To his surprise, she handed over her phone and flipped through the photos one by one. Then, with renewed enthusiasm, she asked, "Which one do you think looks good?"
Benjamin genuinely couldn't tell what made these leather bags attractive. But having her nestled close, her eyes awaiting his answer brightly, felt good. So he pretended to scan through them, randomly picked two, and said, "These two."
Grace rolled her eyes. "What's wrong with your taste? Those are the ugliest ones. People are right—you can't expect much from a man's sense of style.”
Benjamin just smiled. Clearly uninterested, he asked her to keep talking. "Then which one do you like?"
Grace couldn't decide. Seeing his mocking smile, she snapped, "If I knew, would I be asking you?"
He couldn't help but laugh and wrap his arms around her. "We'll buy them all."
She shot him a glare, then lay back down. "What a waste. Mr. Norman, please don't measure our ordinary lives by your CEO standards. I had to take out loans to pay for college."
Benjamin smiled, simply reaching out to brush her long hair scattered beside the pillow. The room fell silent for a long while. After a considerable time, Grace finally turned back to him and asked, “Where will you spend the holidays? Here?"
Benjamin paused briefly before answering softly, "I'll return to the estate for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. There are also some Norman family gatherings that I need to attend.” Her expression remained calm as she nodded slowly and suggested, "Then I'll go back to my parents' place. This house is too big for me alone. I won't feel comfortable here. It's better at my parents' place. Maybe I can video chat with them then. I'll play the pitiful card, and my dad will probably soften when he sees me."
Her request was reasonable, and he couldn't refuse. Besides, the thought of leaving her alone for the holidays made him feel guilty. After a moment's consideration, he said, "Just a day and a half. I'll come find you on the morning of the 26th, and then we can go out and have fun for a few days."
Grace hummed in acknowledgment but said nothing more.
The next day, she didn't dare return to her parents' home. Instead, she spent most of the afternoon wandering around outside and returned to the apartment at dusk.
Only then did she went home to prepare for the Christmas. She added to Benjamin, "If you have time, come keep me company this afternoon. Every year around this time, my mom prepares all kinds of delicious food. If you come with me, I'll let you taste it.”
Benjamin recalled the soup she’d stewed two days prior and raised an eyebrow slightly. "Your cooking?"
Unaware of his teasing, she nodded. "That's right. I can try my hand at French or Italian.”
He chuckled and quickly added, "Alright, I'll come over," fearing she might take offense.
Only then did Grace nod in satisfaction and wave him out the door. "Go on, go! Don't think I can't see you're holding back a laugh. Benjamin, don't underestimate me."
She saw him out, then lingered for a long while before driving leisurely back to her parents' house.
When she opened the door, the house remained exactly as her parents had left it. Yet, Grace felt an unexpected tightness in her chest. She closed the door without taking off her coat and rushed into her bedroom. Holding her breath, she pulled open the drawer beside the bed. Sure enough, beneath some clothes, she found a brand-new phone and an envelope. Inside the envelope were her friend's ID card and bankbook, with the PIN written directly on the envelope. Beyond that, only two words remained: Take care.
In that moment, Grace could no longer hold back her emotions. Covering her mouth, she began to cry.