Chapter 102 Chapter 102
She didn't dare cry for too long, afraid that her swollen eyes would give her away to Benjamin.
Grace wiped her tears away, then knelt on the floor and waited for her phone to power up. Out of caution, she didn't call Adrian directly. Instead, she connected to the mobile network and sent him an email. The email appeared to be from an old classmate and was written as a casual reunion update. Yet, she knew Adrian would understand.
Thankfully, a new phone number called soon. Adrian’s familiar voice sounded urgent over the line: "Grace?"
"It's me," Grace replied, surprisingly calm. “Time is limited. Let's make this quick. Have my parents called you yet? They're already in Canada.”
“Yes,” Adrian replied. "Your mother called. I plan to pick them up when they arrive in Vancouver.”
"Then listen carefully. My parents will be in Vancouver two days from now. You need to distract them and get them to a safe place to hide temporarily. Be careful—Benjamin's men are probably following them. First, take them to the prearranged hotel to throw off Benjamin's men, and then slip away quietly. Remember to discard their phones and your old number. Benjamin must never find you again.”
When Adrian received Grace's call informing him that the elders were traveling abroad, he already sensed that something was amiss. Hearing Grace's words now, he wasn't overly surprised. His voice remained low as he asked, "What about you?"
"I'll wait for your call." Grace replied, her hand unconsciously tightening around her friend's ID. "Benjamin won't arrive until the morning after tomorrow. Once you've picked up Mom and Dad, I'll leave Seattle that same night. I'll assume a new identity and hide somewhere, anywhere.”
“Where? For how long? And then what?" Adrian pressed.
Those were future problems, but Grace didn't have a plan yet. All she wanted was to escape Benjamin's control. She was terrified that he would force her to get pregnant. He had demanded that she bear his child more than once. The thought sent chills down her spine.
Yet, she couldn't share this fear with Adrian. All she could say was, "First, I need to escape Benjamin's control. Then I'll figure out how to find you guys."
The plan was risky and poorly thought out.
Yet, she had no other choice. She hadn't even been able to discuss it with Adrian beforehand; she only informed him after the fact. On the phone, Adrian fell silent for a long moment. This silence made Grace feel a flicker of panic. She feared he might back out, unwilling to shoulder all of this with her anymore.
Her eyes stung unbearably and her voice tightened involuntarily as she whispered, "Adrian, is this too difficult?"
Asking him to prepare in only a day was indeed a lot to ask. Even if he refused, she felt she could accept it.
Adrian didn't answer her question. Instead, he asked, "Do Mom and Dad know about this?"
"No, I haven't told them. I'm afraid they'd lose their composure and give us away." Grace answered, then paused and added, "Adrian, if you find this too difficult, we can just forget it. I'll figure something else out—"
"Grace!" He cut her off, pausing briefly before softening his voice. "Remember? We promised each other. I'd wait for you at the gates of hell, ready to take your hand and lead you out. Grace, my hand has always been there, waiting for you to grasp it.”
Tears welled up again, but she muttered in frustration, "Damn it, Adrian! Don't say things like that now. If my eyes swell from crying, that scumbag will notice."
Adrian only laughed at her words, his voice deepening. “Don't worry about Mom and Dad. I'll handle it. Just stay safe and wait for my signal."
Grace agreed and added, "All right, I'll turn this phone off for now and turn it back on tomorrow night. We'll use this number to contact each other then.”
They both knew time was short. They should hang up and prepare for their escape. Yet neither could bear to end this hard-won connection. Silence hung heavy over the line, thick enough to hear their restrained breaths. After a long moment, Adrian whispered, "Grace, I love you."
For the first time in a while, Grace smiled genuinely. Softly, she replied, "I love you, too. Always. Forever.”
Ultimately, she was the one with stronger resolve. She ended the call decisively, turned off her phone, and returned it to its hiding place along with her ID. Only then did she get up and head to the market to buy the "props" she needed to distract Benjamin. She bought a lot, bringing home many bags. After making a simple lunch for herself, she began preparing the ingredients.
By afternoon, the doorbell rang. She hurried from the kitchen to answer it. Sure enough, Benjamin was standing outside. They both froze upon seeing each other. She stared at the seven or eight large bags in his hands, and he looked at the gleaming kitchen knife in hers.
Benjamin laughed first and asked, "What are you up to? You look like you're ready to kill someone.”
"Killing fish," she replied, pointing the knife at the bags. "What's this all about?"
Benjamin walked inside and tossed all the bags with their bold logos onto the sofa. He turned back to her with a smile. "You like them, don't you? I just went ahead and bought them all for you.”
He said it so nonchalantly while she stood there, dumbfounded, staring at the array of handbags. After a long moment, she looked up at him and said weakly, "Benjamin, you really get me. I know you're rich now and I don't mind you spending money, but buying so many handbags at once? Where am I supposed to put them? My parents will see them and definitely give me hell."
Her words made him chuckle. He walked over, wrapped his arms around her waist from behind, and whispered in her ear, "But I like it."
She played along, turning her head to give him a sidelong glance. "Do you like spending money on me, or do you like my parents scolding me?"
"I like spending money on you." He answered her seriously, leaning in to kiss her cheek. He smiled and said, "Alright, I just wanted to give you a Christmas gift. You can store everything at my place, and your parents won't find out.”
“Then why not just bring it to my place? Why send it here? Don't think I can't see through you. You're deliberately trying to tease me." Grace glared at him playfully and ordered, "Fine, I'll give you a chance to make amends. Come help me in the kitchen.”
He couldn't help but laugh. He took off his suit jacket and followed her into the kitchen. The kitchen was already a complete mess, thanks to her. Seeing it, he felt amused and exasperated. Watching her grip the knife, he asked, "Are you heading into the kitchen or going into battle?"
Ignoring him, she re-fastened her gloves before lunging at the sink to catch the live fish. Perhaps sensing its impending fate, the fish thrashed around even more violently. Water splashed everywhere as she wrestled with the fish, but she failed to secure it.
He chuckled from behind her, which only infuriated her further. She whirled around and snapped, "What are you staring at? Come help!”
Benjamin chuckled, rolled up his sleeves, and stepped forward. He took the kitchen knife from her hand, dipped his other hand into the water, grabbed the fish, and slammed it onto the table. With swift, decisive movements, he gutted and cleaned the fish, then tossed it back into the sink. "Wash it," he said calmly.
Grace stared in amazement and murmured, "You've done this before?"
"Killing a fish? What's so hard about that?" He glanced back at her with a faint smile and asked, "What else can I do?"
She paused for a moment before assigning him another task. With his strong hands, the chores became much easier. Before long, all the prep work was finished. She began tackling the finer details while he leaned lightly against the doorway and watched her bustle about with a soft smile.
For a moment, he felt so happy that it seemed almost unreal.
They ate dinner at home. Though Grace’s cooking hadn’t improved dramatically overnight, Benjamin still ate heartily. Afterward, he volunteered to wash the dishes, saying, "Go change your clothes. Let's go see a movie."
Grace didn't want to go, but she didn't want to dampen his spirits, so she agreed. Just as she was about to head to the bedroom, the phone in his coat pocket suddenly rang. Startled, she called out to Benjamin in the kitchen: "Your phone's ringing."
His hands were wet, and without much thought, he said, "Hand it to me."
Grace hesitated before reaching into his coat pocket for the phone. When she pulled it out and saw the caller ID, she froze. It was a call from Wendy. Though only a string of numbers appeared, Grace had a good memory and recognized it as Wendy's phone number.
Why would Wendy call Benjamin? Why would they be in contact? Grace was momentarily puzzled. Not hearing her voice, Benjamin assumed she hadn't found the phone yet. He called out from the kitchen, "Did you find it? It should be in the inside pocket.”
Grace snapped back to reality and hurriedly replied, "I got it!" She handed him the phone, but his hands were wet. He asked, "Whose call is it?"
"It's an unknown number," she said, holding up the phone to show him the digits.
Benjamin glanced at the phone, his sharp eyebrows arching slightly. He didn't recognize Wendy's number. Assuming it was likely Landon and his friends trying to lure him out, and not wanting to seem guarded around Grace, he said, "Answer it for me and hold it up to my ear.”
Grace hesitated before pressing the answer button and holding the phone to Benjamin's ear. He casually said, "Hello?"
Wendy's lively, youthful voice came through the line: "Hello, Mr. Norman, it's Wendy."
Benjamin froze at the sound and turned to look at Grace.