Chapter 36 Chapter 36
Gia transferred enough money to Grace's card to buy the latest iPhone. However, Grace bought an iPhone identical to her old one, inserted her SIM card, and waited for Benjamin's reaction.
She had secretly consulted with professionals. If Benjamin wanted to regain control of her phone, he would have to reinstall the monitoring software. With the phone in her possession, his options were limited; he could only attempt to do so through channels like emails or web links.
Whichever method he chose, she could detect traces if she paid attention. Once she identified the monitoring software, she could hire someone to sabotage or reverse-engineer it without Benjamin noticing. Then, he would only receive the information she wanted him to know.
She was patient and meticulous, calculating every step carefully.
After buying the phone, she checked into the hotel, where she encountered the department chair conducting an inspection. Seeing her arrive so late, he frowned and gave her a formal reprimand. "Ms. Hill, I know you're usually diligent. I'm sure you have a reason for this delay, but I expect this won't happen again!"
According to the regulations, she was supposed to stay at the hotel with the students. Grace didn't want to explain or make excuses. She simply bowed her head and admitted her mistake, saying, "I'm sorry. I'll be more careful in the future.”
Seeing her sincere apology, the department head relented. He glared at her once more before leading his entourage elsewhere. The students remained standing where they were, watching her cautiously. Grace smiled, shrugged, and said, "Alright, getting scolded is just part of life, right? At home, you get scolded by your parents. At school, you get scolded by your teachers. At work, you get scolded by your bosses. You get used to it, don't you?"
Her words instantly lightened the mood, and some of the students laughed out loud.
Grace then pretended to scold them, pointing her finger at the group of young people. "Behave yourselves! Don't cause trouble. I'm setting myself up as the counterexample here. If you make mistakes, how will you live with yourselves?"
"Sorry!" they all replied, laughing.
“Good!” She couldn't help but laugh, clapping her hands loudly and calling out, "Dismissed!"
Everyone returned to their stations. The rest of the shift passed smoothly enough. Grace encountered no trouble and spent most of her time tucked away in a corner of the lobby, lost in thought. She wondered if Vito would be fooled , and, if so, when he would appear.
Perhaps because she was so eager for him to appear, when she heard someone call out, "Mr. Norman," nearby that afternoon, she shuddered and turned around instinctively. Instead of Vito, Benjamin's figure came into view.
He was dressed formally, with a tall, slender posture and strikingly handsome features. Escorted by several people, he entered the lobby and instantly captured everyone's attention. The students gasped dramatically in hushed whispers: "Wow! He’s so hot!"
However, Grace felt a chill run through her body. She was frozen in place, unable to move. A staff member from the forum organizing committee guided him right past her. His gaze briefly lingered on her face, and the corners of his lips curled up in an almost imperceptible smile. Yet his stride didn't falter as he headed straight for the elevators.
Only after he stepped into the elevator did she snap out of her daze. She rushed to the service desk and checked the materials provided by the conference organizers. Sure enough, on the third page, under the "Special Guests" section, she found the line: "Benjamin, CEO of Norman Science." Grace froze for a moment, then breathed a sigh of relief.
Her greater concern wasn't Benjamin's predictable harassment but ensuring he didn't stumble upon her meeting with Vito.
Just moments ago, she'd hoped Vito would come find her here. Now, she dreaded his arrival.
Benjamin's shadow loomed too large, leaving her distracted. Ironically, the more she tried to block him out, the more he seemed to find her. During dinner, a staff member rushed over and said, "Ms. Hill, could you please go to the Western restaurant? There's been an issue with a foreign guest's order, and they need a Spanish-speaking volunteer."
Spanish was Grace's third language and was listed on her volunteer form. She had no choice but to follow the staff member to the restaurant.
The situation wasn't major. A Spanish-speaking guest who barely spoke English was having trouble communicating. Although there were volunteers studying Spanish, none could assist the guest smoothly due to nerves or lack of proficiency.
When Grace arrived, the guest was still gesturing and speaking excitedly. The restaurant manager and two other volunteers were standing nearby, all looking awkward. Seeing her approach, they looked as if they had spotted a savior.
Grace approached the guest, and exchanged a few words with her. Then, when she switched to another accent, the guest’s face lit up with surprise. She chattered away nonstop.
"The first two sentences were in Spanish, but I couldn't follow after that. Still, Ms. Hill speaks Spanish so fluently—so impressive!” a few students watching from afar whispered to each other. Before long, however, they heard Grace switch to a third language with the guest. One student couldn't help but murmur, "French! That's French! Ms. Hill speaks it even better than that woman!”
The students' admiration for Grace grew. As soon as she finished handling the matter and returned, they surrounded her. One of them asked, "I recognized the first two sentences as Spanish, and I know the last part was French, but what language were you speaking in between?"
"Catalan," she replied. Seeing the disappointed look on the Spanish student's face, she reassured him, "Actually, if you listen closely, you can probably understand most of it. Many parts are quite similar, just with more complex pronunciation and grammar. Don't be so nervous next time.”
The boy nodded quickly. Her own students, who were more familiar with her, pushed past him and exclaimed, "Ms. Hill, you're amazing!"
She laughed too, explaining, "I used to be very interested in languages."
Everyone laughed, but Grace shooed several students out and lowered her voice with a chuckle. "This isn't the place for jokes. Get back to work, everyone! No matter how much you praise me, I'm not buying you lunch here!"
The group finally dispersed. Grace glanced at her watch, ready to leave, but when she looked up, she saw that Nathan was still standing there, as if waiting for her. She couldn't help but smile. "Give it up. I won't treat you either. I was just showing off earlier; I wasn't losing my head. The cost of a sandwich here could buy us a feast outside. Besides, the conference organizers provided boxed meals. It'd be a waste not to eat them.”
Nathan merely smiled at her words. "Ms. Hill, I have an academic matter I'd like to consult you about." He spoke while subtly turning his body as if to block her view. As they walked toward the exit, he asked, "You said that if I studied French, too, that would be okay, right?"
Grace didn't catch his subtle maneuver. "I recall you're studying German as your second language, right?" she asked.
He nodded. "Yes."
She smiled. "Languages come easily when you're interested. But with your multiple jobs, time might be even tighter now.”
As they chatted, they gradually walked farther away. Just before leaving, Nathan glanced back toward a corner of the restaurant. There, Benjamin stood upright, his gaze fixed on Grace. Noticing Nathan looking back at him, Benjamin finally shifted his gaze to meet Nathan's and flashed a faint, provocative smile.
It was merely an exchange of glances, yet Nathan felt defeated. He turned away with a flicker of fear in his eyes and a mind in turmoil.
The man was too perceptive; it was as if he'd instantly seen through Nathan's thoughts, leaving him utterly embarrassed.
In the restaurant, Michael happened to glance up and caught his boss' cold smile. Startled, Michael followed the gaze and saw Grace's figure vanish through the doorway.
Michael felt sympathy for her.
They had actually arrived earlier than her. When the Spaniard started causing trouble, they had just finished ordering. Michael knew Benjamin spoke some Spanish, yet he saw no sign of him stepping in to help. Instead, Benjamin kept his head down and flipped through the meeting handbook. It was at that moment that Michael heard Grace's voice. At first, he hadn't recognized her. Seeing Benjamin lift his head made Michael turn to look as well.
As he watched her, Michael suddenly understood why Benjamin kept getting entangled with this woman time and again. She was truly dazzling—beautiful, confident, educated, and full of grace.
Isabella had countless beautiful women at her disposal—innocent, icy, and sultry—yet none of them compared to Grace. Not even Xena.
Then there was her hidden side: ruthless, stubborn, and proud.
No man could resist the urge to conquer a woman like that.
Michael wasn't stupid. He'd long sensed that Benjamin's feelings for Grace transcended mere revenge. He no longer dared to utter threats like "Just kill her," and even his address had shifted from "that woman" to "Ms. Hill." Hesitating, he asked, "Mr. Norman, is tonight's arrangement still on?"
"Yes," Benjamin replied flatly.
Michael paused before replying, "Got it." He rose and left. A while later, Benjamin called Grace directly. "Where are you?"
Grace was in the hotel lobby. Perhaps because she was mentally prepared for Benjamin not to let her off easily today, she remained relatively calm when she received the call. She answered, "In the lobby."
"Wait for me in the lounge," he ordered, his voice devoid of emotion. He added, "I have something to give you."
Grace wondered what he could possibly give her, suspicion stirring in her mind. Yet, she could only say, "Okay." She hung up and was about to leave the front desk when she heard someone ask a conference staff member, "Excuse me, is Mr. Benjamin, the president of Norman Science, staying here?"
Grace froze, her steps halting. She turned to look at the person who asked.
It was a young woman with a cute, short haircut; a small face; and large eyes. She wasn't exceptionally beautiful, but she radiated a certain charm. Dressed in volunteer attire, she cheerfully responded to the staff member's question. "I'm from the convention center over there. I was sent to run an errand. I have a document that needs to be delivered to Mr. Norman immediately. Which room is he staying in?"
She held up the sealed envelope. “This one.”
The staff member finally believed her, looked up Benjamin's room number, and gave it to her. The girl thanked the staff member politely, then seemed to catch Grace's gaze. She turned and gave her a friendly smile before walking away briskly.
Everything appeared normal, not the slightest bit suspicious.
Grace chuckled to herself, realizing that her psychological shadow cast by the name "Benjamin" had made her jump at every little thing. She pushed thoughts of the young woman aside and walked alone to the lounge area in the corner of the lobby. She found a spot on the sofa, settled in, and waited for Benjamin's arrival.