Chapter 90 Chapter 90
Landon froze for a moment, taking several seconds to process the request. After a brief pause, he agreed, "No problem."
He immediately went out to make arrangements. Though he wasn't adept at company affairs, he excelled at handling such tasks. Moments later, he called Benjamin back, chuckling. "Everything's set. How do you want to play this?"
Benjamin's response was surprisingly calm. "We'll see when the time comes," he said.
At that very moment, Wendy was unaware that she had become someone's target.
After hanging up with Isabella, she continued searching for Grace in the German department at H University. She made her way to Grace's office and asked a faculty member only to learn that Grace hadn't been to work for several days.
Wendy flashed the faculty member a sweet smile and asked, "Do you happen to know Ms. Hill's contact information? I have something urgent to discuss with her.”
However, the teacher grew wary and countered, "What is it about?"
Wendy couldn't reveal the matter, so she merely smiled and avoided answering the teacher's question directly. Instead, she pressed for Grace's mobile number.
The teacher shook her head. "I can't do that. I can't just hand out Ms. Hill's private contact information."
Wendy's eyes darted around. "Well, how about this? Could you call Ms. Hill and tell her that someone named Wendy is looking for her? Could you see if she'd agree to give me her contact details? Would that work?"
This seemed like a reasonable approach. The teacher considered it, then used the landline to call Grace. After explaining the situation, Grace simply asked the teacher to hand the phone to Wendy.
Puzzled, the teacher still passed the phone to Wendy.
She took it, turned slightly away from the teacher, and whispered, "Ms. Hill, I'd like to meet with you. There are things I need to discuss."
Grace paused before replying coolly, "Wendy, there's nothing left to discuss. Please don't try to contact me again. Also, tell your grandmother to take care of herself. Don't dwell on the past."
Wendy opened her mouth to speak, but Grace had already hung up. The dial tone rang in the receiver. Filled with anger and helplessness, Wendy stomped her foot childishly and exclaimed, "Seriously!"
The teacher behind her had been watching her with a strange look. Wendy noticed and gave her an awkward smile. Realizing that she wouldn't be able to get Grace's phone number, she reluctantly accepted it and stepped out.
She hadn't gone far when she unexpectedly ran into Nathan, who was coming her way. They collided in the hallway. Wendy froze. Nathan's face darkened as he coldly demanded, "What are you doing here?"
Already in a foul mood, Wendy was further irritated by his predatory demeanor. Compounded by their previous conflicts, she couldn't help but retort, "Who do you think you are? Do you own this school?”
Nathan paused, then let out a cold laugh. "Of course I don't own the school. But seeing you, you troublemaker, just ruins my whole day.”
Wendy's face flushed crimson with anger. “Who’s the troublemaker?”
Nathan was about to retort when Grace’s words flashed through his mind: A gentleman shouldn’t quarrel with a woman. He swallowed his anger, ignored Wendy, and simply walked around her and continued onward.
Wendy had never endured such humiliation. She refused to let him go easily. She caught up with him in a few strides, grabbed his arm, and demanded, "Don't you dare leave! Apologize to me!”
Nathan turned to look at her, a cold smile on his lips. "I told the truth!"
Without another glance at Wendy, he strode forward.
Wendy, still a young girl, had never been treated this way by a boy before. Tears welled up in her eyes involuntarily. Recalling her grandmother's coldness toward her these past few days, she felt terribly wronged.
Everyone blamed her, but she hadn't done anything wrong.
She stood in the hallway for a few minutes. When she saw someone approaching, she quickly wiped her tears away and pretended that nothing had happened. She stared out the window until the person passed by. Then, she walked out, thinking that she had to find a way to get Benjamin's fingerprints. Once she presented them to her grandmother and Grace, she would see what they had to say.
She headed downstairs while Nathan entered Grace's office. He had come to see if Grace had shown up for work. Hearing from the teacher that Grace hadn't arrived yet only deepened his worry.
He clearly remembered Grace mentioning that she had trouble to resolve that night. Now, with no word from her, he had no idea what her situation was.
Seeing two people come looking for Grace today, the teacher wasn't surprised. She smiled and said, "The girl who came earlier didn't have Ms. Hill's phone number, so she came looking for it. Don't you have Ms. Hill's number either? If you need something, just call her.”
Nathan froze. "What did she come to see Ms. Hill about?"
"I don't know," the teacher said, shaking her head. "She just came asking for Ms. Hill's cell number without saying why. I thought it might be inappropriate, so I called Ms. Hill on her landline to ask her about it. From the way Ms. Hill sounded, she didn't want to give her the number either. They only spoke briefly before hanging up.”
Nathan felt puzzled. After thanking the teacher, he left the office. After hesitating for a long time, he finally pulled out his phone and dialed Grace's number.
The phone rang only a few times before she answered. Her voice sounded calm. "Nathan, what's up?"
This question caught Nathan off guard. He paused for a few seconds before stammering, "Nothing. I just wanted to let you know I'm heading back to my hometown."
Actually, students had been gradually leaving campus after exam week ended. He had stayed behind because of his part-time job and his preoccupation with Grace.
This excuse came out spontaneously but flowed naturally as he continued, "The professor you connected me with earlier sent me compensation. I'd like to take you out to dinner to express my gratitude."
To his surprise, Grace agreed immediately. Nathan was overjoyed. After arranging the time and place with her and hanging up, he stood there, dazed and hard-pressed to believe it. A moment later, he snapped back to reality, his excitement so great that he jumped up and touched the hallway beam.
Meanwhile, Grace held the phone silently for a long moment before dialing Benjamin. She asked directly, "Can I go out tonight?"
Benjamin had just stepped out of the conference room. Hearing this, he paused and countered, "Have I confined you?"
Outwardly, no—but who knew if someone was following or watching her?
Grace didn't dwell on the question. "It's like this," she explained. "One of my students is leaving town and wants to take me out to dinner first."
Benjamin paused before asking, "That boy, Nathan?"
Grace let out a soft laugh, her tone tinged with resignation. "Benjamin, don't be so suspicious. He's my student, and he's much younger than I am. I helped him find a part-time job, and now that he's earning money, he wants to treat me to dinner. Besides, he helped me out that night. I can't beg someone to come forward and then ignore them when they offer.”
On the phone, Benjamin remained silent. Grace sighed. "How about you come with me? Would that be okay?"
Benjamin snorted derisively. "He's beneath him."
"Fine, fine. He's beneath Mr. Norman. But can I go?" Grace's tone was already tinged with irritation, as if she were holding back her emotions. Before he could answer, she pressed on: "Whatever. I already agreed to it. I'm just going out to eat. Is there anyone downstairs? I can't drive. Find someone to take me.”
Her pouting and sulking softened his anger a bit. He teased her. "Grace, you didn't call me just to report your whereabouts, did you? You were trying to boss me around, weren't you?"
Just then, another call came in on his phone. Benjamin glanced at the caller ID, but ignored it and continued his conversation with Grace. “Go downstairs and find the security guards. They'll drive you.”
This was an affluent neighborhood with numerous security personnel. Grace had assumed they were hired by the community, but they were actually all Benjamin's men.
She paused for a moment before asking, "Just tell the guards? Do I need to mention your name? Will it cost anything?"
Benjamin couldn't help but tease her. "No need to mention my name, but there's a code phrase: 'Hail Hydra!'”
Grace froze. When she finally reacted, she cursed him and hung up immediately out of embarrassment.
Benjamin laughed heartily. Even when he answered Landon's call, traces of amusement lingered in his voice as he asked, "What's up?"
Landon sensed his good mood and assumed it was about Wendy. He joked, "Bro, everything's set. When will you arrive?"
Only then did Benjamin remember Wendy. He paused briefly before replying, "Alright, I'm on my way."
When he arrived at Garma, Landon was already waiting outside. Spotting him get out of the car, Landon hurried over with a smile and escorted him inside, explaining, "The girl was easy to trick. One call from Isabella, and she was hooked. She's been here for a while, has already changed into her work clothes, and is covering someone's shift. Want me to call her to the private room?"
Benjamin's lips curved slightly. "No rush."