Chapter 141 Chapter 141
Benjamin didn't have many contacts saved on his personal phone, and they were listed in alphabetical order, so she found Landon's name quickly. The number was unfamiliar and completely different from what she remembered. Glancing at the time, Grace saw that Benjamin wouldn't be done showering for a while. She bit her lip and dialed the number directly from his phone.
It was the riskiest approach, but it might also be the safest right now.
Even if Benjamin monitored everyone's phones, he wouldn't monitor his own.
Grace silently counted down the seconds. Soon, Landon picked up on the other end. "Hey," he said cheerfully. "What's up?"
Surprisingly calm, Grace lowered her voice. "It's Grace. Benjamin's in the shower."
After a brief silence, Landon sounded pleasantly surprised. "Ah, Ms. Hill?"
Ignoring his act, Grace asked coldly, "Show me how to cut down this tree at its roots."
Landon chuckled. "Ms. Hill, what are you talking about?"
“Don't play dumb. You know exactly what I mean.” Grace answered coolly, instinctively glancing toward the bedroom. The door was wide open, and the sound of running water echoed from the bathroom. "Benjamin will be out in about five minutes. I need to delete the call history and restore everything to normal before he comes out. Landon, I don't have time for games."
Silence hung heavy on the line. Landon remained quiet for a full dozen seconds before finally speaking. "He saved your life."
Benjamin had indeed saved her life. He charged back into the burning house under gunfire to find her and shielded her in his arms, using his own body to block shrapnel.
Was she moved? Perhaps not exactly. But in the darkness beneath the rubble, for those fleeting moments, he had calmed her dazed confusion.
So what? He was the one who ripped her from her old life and dragged her into hell. Without him, she would still be living happily and peacefully with Adrian. Without him, she would already have her own child!
Grace replied coldly, "Yes."
Landon paused, then added, "The other day, I was advising him, telling him to fulfill every demand you make. If he’s good to you, you’ll eventually soften. Grace, he truly loves you."
"Three minutes left," she cut him off. "We have three minutes. Miss this chance, and it’s gone forever.”
Landon chuckled softly over the phone before asking, "You'll never love him, will you?"
"Two minutes and forty seconds," Grace stated.
Landon stopped laughing, paused thoughtfully, and then spoke quickly and clearly. “Find a file in his study. It contains evidence of the Norman family laundering money for General Danyo, along with accounts and fund flows for their investments and aid projects in Mexico—all linked to Danyo. All of the Norman family's illegal activities are documented there.”
Her voice remained steady. "Confirm it's in his study. Physical or digital?”
"It's a USB drive. It should be in the study. I already searched his office." Landon answered, pausing before adding, "Be careful. His study might have surveillance.”
“What happens after I find it? What then?” she asked. "Give it to you?"
“You’d better give it to me," Landon replied. After a moment, he added, "For your own safety, you should give me a backup copy. Don't touch the original."
Grace pressed her lips together and asked her final question. “Who exactly are you?”
Landon countered, "What do you think?"
Grace didn't guess. She simply hung up. The sound of running water in the bathroom had stopped. If all went according to plan, Benjamin would emerge soon. Her hands trembled. First, she deleted the call history with Landon. Then, she slipped the phone—now warm from her grip—back into Benjamin's suit pocket.
Everything was done swiftly and silently. By the time she sat back down, the TV drama had reached a thrilling moment. 007 had just delivered the intelligence when the enemy burst into the room.
The coincidence was too perfect. Grace froze shortly before she couldn't help but laugh.
Strangely, Benjamin didn't emerge from the shower immediately. Another two or three minutes passed before he walked out of the bedroom, drying his hair. He asked, "What are you watching? You're laughing."
Her expression remained calm as she turned to look at him. Seeing that he was only wrapped in a towel around his waist, she raised an eyebrow. "Aren't you cold?"
He replied simply, "No."
Grace nodded slowly and turned back to the TV. After glancing at it briefly, she asked casually, "Could you swap out a couple of books for me? I finished the last ones.” She stood up, walked over to the rocking chair by the window, and retrieved the books she had borrowed from his study. She handed them to him and said, “Here, these are yours.”
Benjamin reached out to take them without hesitation, but before his fingers could touch them, she withdrew her hand, frowning slightly. "Your hands are damp."
His hands were indeed still slightly moist. As someone who cherished books deeply, she couldn't help but feel repulsed. Benjamin smiled indifferently at her remark. "Then you hold it."
He turned and left the living room, heading toward the study across the hall. Grace followed him, watching his fingers pause briefly on the door handle before he opened it.
She felt a pang of disappointment. He had fingerprints; there was no need for a passcode. She hadn't even had a chance to peek.
She wondered if there was any way to make the fingerprint lock malfunction. She wished he would enter the passcode in front of her, giving her a range to work with. Guessing the code would be so much easier then.
Oblivious to her thoughts, Benjamin held the door open for her, tilting his head slightly to invite her in.
As usual, Grace made her way to the bookshelf to browse. Standing there, she tilted her head back and examined the books on the shelf carefully, searching for one that caught her interest.
Benjamin didn't rush her. He stood quietly nearby, waiting patiently. Her gaze moved upward, layer by layer, until she finally spotted one. Standing on tiptoe, she stretched her arm out to reach for it.
Unfortunately, she was still a bit too short. She could only graze the lower edge of the spine with her fingertips, which made it difficult to pull the book out.
Watching her, he couldn't help but smile.
When she heard his laughter, she turned and glared at him, flustered and annoyed. "What's so funny?"
Ignoring her irritation, he walked over, stood behind her, and reached for the book.
He stood very close to her, one hand naturally resting on her waist and the other arm stretching over her head to pull the book down slowly.
Grace's body stiffened involuntarily. She clenched her teeth but didn't move.
He clearly had other intentions. Though he had retrieved the book, he didn't leave. Instead, he leaned down and kissed her neck lightly. She trembled faintly and her voice cracked as she said, "Go away. Don't come on to me."
Her words only seemed to encourage him. He didn't move away; he reached up to put the book back on the shelf. He cupped her waist with both hands as he continued to kiss her, tracing a path from the nape of her neck to her shoulder blades, then to the side of her neck and behind her ear. "Grace," his voice grew husky. "Shall we try again?"
He wanted to test whether her body would still resist him, to see if he could take one more step forward.
Grace said nothing, biting her lip as she turned her head slightly away.
Benjamin's heart surged with wild joy. Suppressing his urgency, he gently lifted her face with his hands and leaned down to kiss her.
At first, he managed to restrain himself, but once their lips met, he lost control.
She had deliberately tempted him, so her struggle felt halfhearted.
Yet this resistance felt like an answer, fueling his passion and urgency.
He lifted her with both hands, spun her around, and laid her on the desk behind them. Leaning down, he pinned her. Only then did she push him away forcefully, struggling to free herself from his kisses, her voice trembling. "Not here!"
His breath came in short gasps, but he managed to rein in his desire and pause. He asked, "What's wrong?"
She turned her head to look at the small black ornament on the flower stand beside the desk. Her voice was tinged with embarrassment and annoyance. "Alex! You pervert! Do you have to record this, too?"
Benjamin glanced in the direction she pointed. He paused in surprise, then couldn't help but laugh. He lowered his head again and gently bit her lip as he explained, "That's an anti-eavesdropping device, not a camera!"
"Really?" She eyed him suspiciously. "It won't record? You're not lying to me?"
"Honestly!" he answered, finding her timid expression utterly endearing. A smile played on his lips as his hands deftly peeled away her clothes.
Her skin was as smooth as ever, except for a few faint marks—the lingering traces of the whip from last time. Though the doctor had assured her that they wouldn't scar, these pale white lines would take a long time to fade.
He saw them, his heart aching with guilt. His movements slowed instinctively, and he bent down and kissed each mark one by one.
Grace had focused on finding the USB drive, the only way she could endure Benjamin's advances. But, as he kissed her body inch by inch, her impatience began to boil over.
She could endure his roughness, but she refused to accept this twisted tenderness. "Hurry up!"
She urged impatiently. Then, with irritation, she reminded him, "Use a condom."
Benjamin's movements stiffened. He wanted to let her go but couldn't bear to.
Yes, he couldn't bear to. It was like a teenager tasting the first flavors of sex—once you've tried it, you know the pleasure and become addicted.
Within two days, Grace had applied for a position at Norman Science.
Though Benjamin claimed he wouldn't interfere, he certainly did. He secretly had Michael pass the word to HR, arranging a very easy position for her—just to placate her.
Grace knew this full well, yet she didn't confront him about it. Like everyone else, she simply went through the motions of clocking in and out each day.
She tried guessing the study's code again—Benjamin's birthday, Alex's birthday, and even her own—but the door remained locked. She could only slip inside twice under the pretense of looking for books when Benjamin was present. But what could she possibly do in his presence? She came up empty-handed both times.
Unable to retrieve the items and with Benjamin constantly clinging to her in bed, Grace became increasingly irritable. What troubled her even more was that her period was overdue. She felt an inexplicable panic. If Benjamin hadn't used protection every time, she might have suspected that she was pregnant.
With no glimmer of hope and no outside help to be found, she felt she couldn't endure it any longer. Taking a risk, she arranged to meet Vania for a shopping trip.
The bodyguard followed them closely. Ever since the last incident involving Grace, Benjamin had insisted that someone shadow her whenever she went out. Sometimes it was Michael, and when he was unavailable, it was another bodyguard Benjamin trusted.
"No news from Adrian," Vania said, idly flipping through summer clothes on the rack. She pulled down another piece of clothing to hold up against Grace, but her words had nothing to do with the clothes. "I've been keeping an eye on Edi. He hasn't emailed me again. Oh, I saw him online recently. I suspected Adrian was using his account, so I tried chatting with him to test the waters. I ended up getting yelled at by his wife over the phone."
Grace froze for a moment, then couldn't help but laugh.
Vania shot her a look. "You have the nerve to laugh, Grace? You owe me a huge favor.”
"Yeah." Grace nodded softly with a wry smile on her face. "I'll probably never be able to repay it. I just hope I don't drag you down in the future."
"Don't worry. I may not be the sharpest tool in the shed, but I know how to look out for myself.” Vania thought of Grace and pursed her lips. With a touch of pride, she added, "Besides, my dad is a councilman. Benjamin has to think twice before doing anything.”
Benjamin was a madman. When he lost his mind, he cared about nothing.
She only smiled and changed the subject. She asked Vania softly, "What kind of numbers do you think you'd use for a password?"
"Birthdays? Or maybe numbers with special meaning?" Vania pondered, glancing at Grace. Then she added, "How many people do you think are freaks like you, able to memorize any number just by looking at it? Us ordinary folks mostly use specific numbers for passwords—otherwise, we can't even remember them!"
Grace agreed, but birthdays and such were out of the question. What other numbers could possibly hold special meaning for Benjamin?
She couldn't think of any.
After shopping, they didn't eat together. Grace headed straight back to the apartment and was surprised to find Benjamin's and Michael's shoes in the entryway. It wasn't an unusual time for them to come home, but the two of them coming home together felt odd. Grace felt a pang of suspicion and deliberately softened her footsteps as she slowly made her way upstairs.
The study door was ajar, and Benjamin's cold voice drifted out: "Still haven't found her?"
Grace's heart skipped a beat. She instinctively stopped outside the door and held her breath, standing there and straining to listen to the conversation inside.