Chapter 53 Chapter 53
"No." His voice was soft and measured, yet his stance remained unyielding.
She pleaded again in a gentle tone: "Please."
Benjamin noticed the shift in her approach toward him. She was no longer stubborn, but rather, she had begun to soften, seemingly attempting to melt his resolve. This change amused him, and he found himself chuckling softly before replying, "No."
His tone was unexpectedly tender—almost flirtatious—a stark contrast to his usual coldness. Grace froze, sensing that she could push further and test Benjamin’s tolerance. Besides, she refused to abandon Adrian now to meet that bastard.
Hesitating, she was about to ignore him and hang up when he called her name. "Grace," he paused, speaking slowly. "There's a price to pay for hanging up on me."
Grace's finger hovered over the end button, frozen in place. After a moment, she let out a soft chuckle. "Fine. Then come down and find me."
With that, she released her grip.
Adrian watched her tuck away her phone before reaching out to take her hand again. He didn't ask who had called; he just tilted his head and asked, "Are you tired? Maybe we should find somewhere to sit for a bit.”
Grace's mind was occupied by Benjamin. She was focused on pulling Adrian forward, eager to escape the man's overhead line of sight. Her response came a few seconds late. "Sure."
Adrian stood on tiptoe, scanning the area for a place to sit. However, Grace didn't want to linger nearby. Still pulling him through the crowd, she said, "Let's go ahead. I know a great coffee shop up ahead.”
"Wait." They hadn't gone far when Adrian stopped her. He pulled his phone from his pocket and gestured toward it. "I need to take this call."
Grace suddenly had a bad feeling and found herself staring at Adrian nervously. After answering the call, he looked over at her, surprise on his face. A moment later, he handed her the phone, sounding puzzled. "It's for you."
Grace's hands trembled involuntarily. She clenched her fists to hide it before taking the phone. As soon as she pressed it to her ear, Benjamin's voice came through, "So, do you like it?"
Her heart pounded wildly, yet she still forced a smile. Glancing at Adrian beside her, she raised her voice and asked cheerfully, "How did you get this number? This is my husband's phone.”
Silence followed on the other end. Benjamin clearly had no intention of playing along. She paused, then continued, "Really? But I just answered a call.” She pulled out her phone, pretended to examine it, and said aloud, "It's fine. Maybe the signal was bad earlier. What's up? What do you need?"
Benjamin scoffed, "Grace, you put on quite a show."
Ignoring his sarcasm, she leaned in, her expression gradually turning serious. After a moment, she said, "She hasn't contacted me. Don't worry for now. I'll help you find her."
Benjamin dismissed her, replying flatly, "Ten minutes. I'll give you ten minutes."
"All right, see you then," she replied.
Hanging up, Grace returned the phone to Adrian and looked up at him. She felt as if her personality had split into two distinct halves—her inner self was weeping while her outer self remained impassive and wove lies. "It was just a colleague calling. The couple went out, got into an argument over something, and now the colleague has left. So her husband called me.”
Adrian remained puzzled. "Why did he call my phone?"
"She saved it. I gave her your number in case she needed to contact you. That couple must have synced their contacts." Grace shrugged impatiently. “Anyway, let's not dwell on that. We need to find her first. We'll split up. I'll go find my colleague, and you go to her husband's place. Talk some sense into him. I don't want to find my colleague only to have him run off again.”
Adrian frowned slightly. He didn't want their date interrupted, but he couldn't refuse Grace's request. “Where is her husband? How am I supposed to find him? Why don't I go with you to find him?"
Grace forced a smile, her lips barely curving upward. She blurted out the name of a random bar and said, "Hurry over there. Call my colleague's husband from there and keep an eye on him. Make sure he doesn't cause trouble. I'll join you as soon as I find her. We need to move fast—maybe we can ring in the new year together.”
Adrian seemed to sense something. Though he usually obeyed Grace without question, he refused to leave, throwing a tantrum. "No," he said.
Grace looked at him, and as she did, her eyes welled up uncontrollably.
Adrian was startled. "Grace, what's wrong?"
She feared she might break down any second. She had told so many lies to deceive the person she trusted most. Why had she done it? Why couldn't she tell Adrian everything? Why did she have to bear it alone?
She clenched her jaw, forcing back the tears. Looking at him, she asked, "Adrian, do you trust me? If you do, leave now. Go home and wait for me. I need to take care of something. Once it's taken care of, I'll come back and tell you everything that happened."
High above, Benjamin watched Grace and Adrian on the street in silence. Suddenly, he asked Michael, who was sitting next to him, "What do you think Grace and Adrian are talking about?"
Michael didn't know. He couldn't guess, nor did he really want to.
In the bustling street, where everyone moved with the flow of the crowd, only those two stood completely still. After a long moment, the man began walking against the flow, moving away step by step. The woman, however, remained where she stood. In the midst of such a lively street, she radiated loneliness and helplessness.
"Mr. Norman, let her go," Michael suddenly said. The words left his mouth before he could stop them, startling him.
Benjamin turned, his gaze cool and detached. After a long pause, he replied coldly, "Your Mr. Norman might let her go. I won't."
Michael fell silent, his body stiffening as he stood straight with his head bowed. Just then, the glass door to the terrace slid open again. Landon called from inside, "Benjamin, someone's here to see you."