Chapter 156: How Are You Here?
Although Grace had long known that the head of the Smith family was good-looking, she didn't expect him to be this impressive. His powerful presence made her heart tremble, and she forced herself to meet his gaze despite her nervousness.
Grace, wearing a blue-green dress, spoke slowly, "Hello, Mr. Smith. I'm James and Michael's piano teacher."
"OK," William responded distantly.
He glanced at the butler, who immediately said, "Ms. Murphy, let me see you out."
James and Michael also politely said goodbye to her.
By the time Grace came to her senses, William had already taken James and Michael into the main building.
The place where James and Michael had their lessons was in the annex next to the main building. From what the butler said, William didn't like strangers entering the main building.
She suppressed the trembling in her heart and quickly said, "Mr. Smith, I'd like to talk to you about James and Michael's piano lessons."
William paused slightly, had someone take James and Michael inside first, then walked to the reception room in the nearby annex.
Grace hurried to follow.
In the living room, they sat far apart from each other.
The butler poured Grace a fresh glass of water, then stood to the side waiting.
Grace nervously clasped her hands together slightly, afraid of appearing timid in front of him.
"Mr. Smith, James and Michael have fallen too far behind in their lessons, and they often lose focus during class. This is very bad for their learning."
She knew William cared deeply about James and Michael's education, and thought about how tricky this situation was. "My suggestion is to increase their piano lessons. Don't worry, I'll do my absolute best to teach them."
"If possible, could we exchange contact information? I think it would be better to communicate with you directly about this."
After speaking, she held her breath waiting for William's judgment.
William's eyes were sharp, seeing right through this person's intentions.
Over the years, too many women had thrown themselves at him—playing hard to get, pretending to be innocent, appearing independent but actually wildly ambitious. Compared to them, this female teacher's tactics weren't particularly clever.
He looked deeply at Grace, "Ms. Murphy, just do your best."
"Mr. Smith, you don't care?" Grace was stunned. The way he looked at her was cold, making her feel uneasy inside.
James and Michael were the Smith family's children, future heirs of Peace Group. Piano was just a hobby—they wouldn't need to rely on it for survival in the future.
But William didn't think he needed to explain these things to an outsider.
"It's getting late. I won't see you out."
William's words made his intention to dismiss her very clear. Grace bit her lip and reluctantly got up to leave.
After the butler saw her out, William said coldly, "From now on, whenever female teachers are giving lessons, have someone supervise the entire session. Don't let them gossip in front of the children."
He didn't want what happened with Alice to happen again.
As soon as James and Michael entered the house, they went to get their video watch to make a call, only to discover it was dead.
They hurried upstairs to William's room to find their phones, turned them on, and video-called Sophia.
When the video call came through, Sophia and Emily were having dinner.
Hearing their voices, Emily quickly put down her utensils, "James, Michael."
When William found James and Michael, he happened to see the harmonious scene of Sophia, Joe, and Emily eating together.
Sophia saw him, her clear eyes showing no emotion.
Knowing that James and Michael had a full schedule of classes tomorrow, Sophia expressed understanding.
Emily felt a bit disappointed but didn't forget to say, "You guys work hard."
Night fell especially fast.
James and Michael were both asleep. William came to the study and looked at the teaching staff materials on the desk, his expression growing darker.
Holden really wouldn't give up.
-
In the study, Sophia was discussing the Redwood Resort land plot with Joe.
Currently, too many people want this land. William was their biggest competitor, and even the Franklin family from Port City was involved.
She had surveyed many places, but this plot was still the most suitable for cultivating the new herbal varieties she was researching.
Sophia was determined to get this land.
On the other side, William put Tony in charge of matters related to the Redwood Resort land plot.
With the auction approaching, things were extremely busy.
Molly came over with some food, "Tony, thanks for working overtime. I brought late-night snacks for you and your colleagues."
Tony said quickly, "Thank you, Molly. I'm actually hungry."
The other people's snacks were left on the table outside, but Tony's portion was delivered directly to his hands by Molly. Seeing him eat, she breathed a sigh of relief.
On his way home after finishing work, Tony suddenly felt dizzy while driving. Blinding white light accompanied by a collision sound caused him to lose consciousness.
Upon hearing the news, William arranged for someone to handle it. Fortunately, the injuries weren't too serious, but he wouldn't be able to work for a while.
He had Tony transferred to a private hospital under the Smith family's name and arranged a private room for him to rest properly.
"I'm so sorry, Tony. I didn't know you were allergic to peanuts."
Molly rushed to the hospital to see him as soon as possible. Her main purpose was that she'd learned William had given Tony the task of arranging the follow-up assistant selection, and she wanted to make an appearance.
Before leaving, she said, "Tony, I sent the final draft of that resort proposal we talked about to your email. You can look at it when you have time."
When William asked Tony about the follow-up candidate, he strongly recommended Molly.
When William traveled on business or attended banquets, even if Tony wasn't with him, it would be another male secretary.
But Tony said that besides him, Molly was the person most involved with this project. William thought about it and agreed, also assigning another male secretary to go along.
Molly looked at the latest notice in the group chat—she and another male secretary would be accompanying them. A satisfied smile slowly appeared at the corners of her mouth.
All her efforts hadn't been in vain.
Considering she'd be away on business for about a week, Sophia called Lucas back to keep Emily company.
She took Joe and his group to catch the flight to Forton County. They checked into the best local hotel, only to run right into William at the elevator entrance.
William was in his unchanging white shirt and black pants, wrapped in a detached aura.
William rarely saw her dressed so formally and couldn't help but look twice, "What are you doing here?"
Sophia said, "None of your business."
Her gaze moved past William and landed on Molly beside him. The somewhat familiar face made her feel like she'd seen her somewhere before.
Molly smiled at her, but as soon as Sophia's eyes moved away, her smile turned cold.
Sophia had just entered the elevator when William followed in.
Forton County had limited infrastructure. This hotel was already the best local hotel, and almost all the companies coming to participate in the land auction were staying here.
The elevator reached the top floor.
Just as Sophia was about to exit, she looked into a pair of gentle, warm eyes.
A sudden joy flashed through the other person's eyes, "Sophia, I didn't expect to see you again here."