Chapter 78 Chapter 78
Benjamin was still watching her with a smile, but his eyes seemed capable of killing.
Grace could tell that he hadn't been happy since that night she'd said those things. That was why he'd had Michael call her and why he'd kept his distance for days on end.
She couldn't provoke him in the way he expected.
Grace forced her tone to be as gentle as possible. "What do you want to do with her?" she asked Benjamin.
Benjamin gave a faint smile and countered, "Ask yourself."
"What I want?" she repeated.
"Of course," Benjamin said, glancing at Gia on the floor.
Grace lowered her head and let out a self-mocking chuckle before lifting her gaze back to Benjamin. "I don't know how to deal with her," she said plainly. "If I knew, I would have done it already."
She was always unguarded, as if nothing was off-limits. Benjamin loved her candor, yet he also hated it.
Benjamin asked, "You still wish you could kill me, don't you?"
The question sent a chill through the room. Even more shocking was Grace's reply: "Yes."
Benjamin chuckled and pressed on: "Zach chopped off one of Adrian's fingers. If I hadn't stopped you, you would have taken one of his, too, wouldn't you?"
Grace pressed her lips together, but still answered, "Yes."
Benjamin leaned back, and relaxed into the sofa. He tilted his head slightly to look at her and continued, "Then why don't you know what to do with Gia now?"
"Post a big notice about her, too? Where should I put it? At the Garma entrance?" Grace forced a laugh and shrugged. Then she turned to Isabella and asked, "Isabella, you're like Gia's boss, right? How about I send you a whistleblower letter? Do me a favor and fire Gia.”
No one in the room laughed. Benjamin's presence was overwhelming; everyone felt a chill and was unable to muster a smile. Isabella stiffly tugged at the corners of her mouth, offering Grace a smile that looked more like a cry.
Benjamin still smiled. "Grace, that joke isn't funny at all."
"Yeah, not funny." Grace nodded slowly and met his gaze calmly. "But what do you expect me to do? She only tried to ruin my reputation. As you said, at least half of what's in that letter is true. She doesn't even qualify for defamation charges. What kind of punishment do you want for her? The only thing I can think of is having her parents take her home. I can't think of anything else."
Benjamin stared at her coldly. "Grace, this isn't like you."
She was ruthless with them yet filled with pity for a foolish, lowly woman. Why?
Even now, Grace was still trying. She didn't want to argue with Benjamin at that moment. So she forced herself to swallow her stubbornness, softened her stance, turned to sit beside him, and placed her hand on his thigh. She murmured softly, "I know you want to stand up for me. I appreciate it, but I truly don't want—"
He suddenly seized her wrist and pulled her hand away from his leg. His gaze was cold as he stared at her. His voice was sharp as he called her name, "Grace!"
She was momentarily at a loss for words. After a long pause, she tugged self-deprecatingly at the corner of her lips and said, "Didn't you just say it was up to me? Fine. Let Gia go. Let's pretend this never happened."
Benjamin stared at her coldly. After a moment, he suddenly asked softly, "Grace, do you know how angry I am right now?"
She met his gaze, took a deep breath, and leaned close to his ear. Her voice was low and measured. "You should also know that you're Benjamin, the unflappable CEO of Norman Science—not Alex, the gambler and womanizer. Be magnanimous."
He stiffened, his hand tightening around her wrist. His eyes flashed with fury as he ground out, “Fine. Way to go, Grace.”
Her wrist throbbed painfully and her face drained of color, yet she still managed to smile at him. “Thanks.”
Slowly, Benjamin's expression cooled, eventually returning to its initial indifference. He released her and said flatly, "Ms. Hill, take your student and leave. Hurry up. Don't make me regret this."
Grace rose without hesitation and walked over to Gia, yanking her forcefully to her feet. Zach's kicks had been brutal. Gia's face was swollen and red. Her lips and eye sockets were split open, and blood streamed down her face. But Grace had no time to tend to her, dragging her toward the exit.
They walked straight to the Garma entrance, but Gia slowed her pace and called out, "Ms. Hill, wait! My bag and clothes are still in the store."
Grace turned to look at her, her voice sharp with anger. "Is your life more important than your things?"
Gia wiped the blood from her face and asked pitifully, "But how can I go to the hospital without money?"
Grace was momentarily speechless. After a pause, she replied, "Use mine for now. I'll have a colleague bring your things back later."
She led Gia to her car. Gia, limping from Zach's hard kick to her leg, followed Grace with her head bowed. Once inside the car, she suddenly whispered, "Ms. Hill, don't you hate me? Why did you save me?”
Grace turned the steering wheel, not looking at her as she answered, "Hate? So what? Watch you get beaten to death by them? Or let them knock you out first and then feed you meth?"
Gia fell silent. After a moment, she suddenly covered her face and began to sob.
She was truly terrified today. She hadn't realized it before—she'd even chatted with Zach and the others—but seeing them enraged showed their true colors.
Grace didn't try to comfort her, focusing on driving. Only after Gia's sobs subsided did Grace speak in a low voice: "Go home first. You're still so young. You have your whole life ahead of you. Don't waste it all."
Gia nodded repeatedly. "Is Mr. Norman still very angry?"
Grace paused, a bitter smile escaping her lips. "He probably is."
"Then what should we do?" Gia asked timidly.
Grace paused and shook her head. "I don't know."
She genuinely didn't know. She guessed that most of Benjamin's anger stemmed from what she'd said that night, yet something still didn't add up. She hated him. She wanted to kill him. They'd both known that for a long time. She'd said it before. Why was he so furious now?
Grace couldn't figure it out, and Benjamin couldn't explain it, either. But he was furious, seething with hatred for her that made his teeth itch.
Landon sensed Benjamin's pent-up anger. He shooed the other women Isabella had brought along to the side, sat down beside Benjamin, and grinned. "Ben, how about having a drink?"
Benjamin lifted his glass with a grim face and downed it in one gulp.
Landon promptly joined him, pouring Benjamin another drink and urging, "Don't hold a grudge against Ms. Hill. Women just can't bring themselves to be ruthless. Honestly, I think she's pretty decent—kindhearted."
Benjamin said nothing, only drank silently. Landon wouldn't dare leave Benjamin alone with his drink, so he drank too. Before long, Landon called for more wine. But the waitress who came was a rookie. Perhaps she was too nervous, because she released Benjamin's glass before he could steady it. The glass dropped instantly, spilling half its contents onto Benjamin.
"I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!" the waiter apologized frantically.
Landon was about to snap at her when Benjamin raised a hand to stop him. Benjamin narrowed his eyes slightly at the young waitress and said calmly, "I've seen you before."