Chapter 96 Chapter 96
Grace froze for a moment, trying to pull her finger back. But he bit down and wouldn't let go. He wasn't using much force; he was just gently nibbling with his teeth while smiling as he stared at her. He curled his tongue and lightly licked her fingertip over and over.
Her cheeks flushed crimson; her embarrassment was obvious. She wanted to pull away, but with her mother on the phone, she couldn't make a sound.
They were both distracted and missed what Mrs. Hill had said until she called out her daughter's name over the phone. Only then did Grace respond in a panic, "Huh? Mom, my reception's terrible. What did you just say? I didn't catch that.”
Benjamin couldn't hold back any longer and burst out laughing.
Mrs. Hill heard it all and immediately asked, "Grace, where are you right now?"
Grace didn't dare answer. She covered Benjamin's mouth and pretended to be confused to placate her mother.
"Huh? Mom, what did you say? Oh my, the signal here is really bad; it keeps cutting out. Okay, I have to go now. If there's anything, we can talk when I get back this afternoon.”
"Grace! Don't you dare—"
Mrs. Hill's furious voice abruptly cut off. After hanging up, Grace, still uneasy, immediately switched her phone to airplane mode before turning her attention to Benjamin.
She lunged back at him, pinning him beneath her. Completely mounting him, she dug her fingers into the soft flesh of his ribs and fumed, "Who made a sound just now?"
Benjamin merely smiled, dodging her grasp a few times before seizing her wrists. With a slight twist of his hips, he flipped her off of him and pinned her down with his leg.
He gazed deeply into her eyes, smiling. Before long, he leaned down to kiss her, murmuring, "Say you love me. Grace, say you love me. Say you want me."
She seemed both annoyed and shy, gently biting her lip. Lifting her leg, she brushed it lightly against his fully engorged lower body. Smiling, she whispered, "Alex, do you think I'm stupid? You're already like this, and you want me to seduce you? You say it first.”
His desire was raging. How could he resist such temptation? His breath grew heavy, and he stared at her like a hungry wolf eyeing its prey. "Fine, I'll say it. Grace, I love you. I want you."
But she merely raised an eyebrow, nodded solemnly, and said, "Okay, I know. You can go to work now."
With that, she pushed him away. Taking advantage of his momentary daze, she scrambled off the bed. The moment her foot touched the floor, though, he grabbed her from behind and dragged her back onto the bed.
They wrestled for a long while until he was finally satisfied.
He felt refreshed and invigorated afterward, while she lay limp on the bed, glaring at him.
He smiled, feeling both happy and smug. Leaning over, he planted a firm kiss on her back before jumping off the bed. "I'll take a quick shower and head to the office. You rest here for a bit. Once you've got your strength back, we'll go see your parents."
"Benjamin!" she snapped, hurling a pillow at him in frustration. Unfortunately, the pillow didn't even make it off the bed, which only made him laugh louder.
Perhaps because he was in such a good mood, Benjamin still had a slight smile on his lips as he went downstairs. When Aron called to remind him of the morning meeting, Benjamin answered pleasantly. "Okay, I'll be right over."
Regardless of Aron's reaction, Michael was startled by Benjamin's demeanor. He cautiously studied his face, confirming his good mood, before saying, "Your grandfather called. He said that Vito's flight arrives tomorrow afternoon. If you have time, it would be best to pick him up at the airport.”
Benjamin's expression darkened slightly. He gave a faint nod, then caught Michael's hesitant glance. A cold smile touched his lips as he asked, "Grandfather must have said something else, right?"
Michael lowered his eyes and replied, "He also said he doesn't have many descendants. Among his grandsons, there are only two men: you and Vito. Brothers should live in harmony. Even if Vito makes mistakes, as his brother, you should be more forgiving and not hold grudges against him.”
Benjamin listened with a faint, ambiguous smile. "Tell him he can rest easy. If I had wanted to kill Vito, he would have been dead long ago while traveling the world.”
Michael agreed to pass on the message.
Benjamin skipped breakfast in the dining room and headed straight out. Spotting the two bodyguards stationed in the outer hall, he remembered Grace's request. He instructed them, "Ms. Hill may be leaving shortly. Don't stop her. Ask if she needs a ride. If she says no, then leave it.”
The two men nodded in unison and obeyed Benjamin's orders without question. "Understood." Benjamin expected Grace to leave soon, but it wasn't until after lunch that she emerged from the apartment. She declined the men's offer and drove away alone. Michael did indeed have Grace's location tracked. After noticing she had left Benjamin's apartment, he hesitated briefly before reporting to Benjamin. He then asked, "Should we assign someone to follow Ms. Hill?"
Truthfully, Benjamin knew Grace couldn't possibly love him completely yet. But whenever he recalled their morning in bed together—her finger pressed against his lips as she gazed at him with quiet intensity—or that one sentence she'd shared with her mother, he felt happy. He found himself wanting to trust her and let her feel that trust.
The Meyers' phones were already tapped. If Grace contacted them, he would know. So why put her under surveillance and make her feel upset? Benjamin paused briefly before replying, "No need. Just keep an eye on the Meyers' movements.”
Michael acknowledged the order and turned to leave. Left alone at his desk, Benjamin felt a strange numbness wash over him and a faint unease creep into his heart. He feared Michael might knock on the door again to report a suspicious call to Mrs. Meyer's phone. He knew her well enough to know that someone as clever as she was would never use her own phone to tip off the Meyers. In fact, she probably wouldn't even make the call herself.
Fortunately, Michael didn't return with any updates until evening. Benjamin felt a sense of relief, which allowed him to finally focus on the tedious, dense documents. Yet, as he read, his attention began to wander. Eventually, he set the papers aside and picked up his phone to call Grace.
The phone rang for a long time before she answered. He asked, smiling, "What are you up to?"
Her voice was low and hushed. "What else could I be doing? Helping my mom pack. Need something? If so, say it quickly. She'll be looking for me soon."
He curved his lips. The words "I miss you" danced on his tongue, but he swallowed them back. Instead, he chuckled softly and said, "Nothing. I'm just tired from work. I wanted to tease you a bit and lift my spirits.”
"Benjamin!" she hissed, her voice low and gritty with irritation. Immediately after, he heard Mrs. Hill's distant voice on the other end. "Grace, where did you put my bank cards?"
"Huh? They're in the inner pocket of your black shoulder bag! Look for them yourself!" Grace called back loudly.
Mrs. Hill said a few more things, but they were hard to make out, perhaps because of the distance. Grace seemed to cover the receiver with her hand; her voice was suddenly muffled yet still clearly audible. He heard her say to her mother, with a hint of resignation, "Mom, I've told you before—don't carry things for people when you go out. The money isn't the issue. The problem is they might not even remember your kindness. If you buy something expensive, they'll just complain about it."
The mother and daughter chatted about everyday household matters, and Benjamin found himself enjoying it.
After a while, Grace suddenly seemed to remember him. She lowered her voice again. "I have to help her look for something. Gotta go. I'm staying over tonight, so don't call me!"
Benjamin smiled. He’d barely managed to say, "Okay," before the line went dead. He paused and chuckled to himself, easily picturing her rushing off to her mother’s side. Yet, at that moment, Grace sat alone at her desk, clutching the phone and biting her lip in deep thought.
Now that her parents' trip abroad was set to go smoothly, the next challenge was figuring out how to transfer enough money overseas to support their new life—and how she could escape Benjamin.
Suddenly, Mrs. Hill knocked and entered the room. Seeing her daughter's laptop on her lap, Mrs. Hill assumed Grace was online. She grumbled, "Is this what you came back for—to help me pack? You came back to talk to me for a few minutes, and then you've been playing with this computer ever since. You're trying to drive me crazy, aren't you?"
Grace gave her mother an apologetic smile, discreetly deleted an audio file from her desktop, and replied nonchalantly, "I just had something to do."
"Your things never end." Mrs. Hill was a little annoyed. She paused, then asked, "Who were you talking to just now? I heard a lot of noise in your room. Were you on the phone?”
“No phone call. I just watched a movie for a bit.” Grace closed the tidied laptop and tossed it aside. "Oh, Mom, take some extra cash with you when you go out. My colleague heard you're traveling abroad and asked if I could bring her some local specialties. She offered to give me the money upfront, but I didn't take it. Could you cover it for me? I'll pay you back when I get back."