Chapter 460

Grace didn’t notice anything was off. She walked up to him happily, reaching out to hook his arm. “I’m done now. It’s not too late yet. How about we grab some late-night snacks?”

Hugo pulled his arm away without hesitation. “Since you’re done, we need to talk.”

Grace froze, finally realizing that something was seriously wrong. Why is Hugo looking at me like that? Grace wondered, her heart pounding with confusion.

Hugo’s eyes looked as if someone had deeply offended him. His eyes were so dark and bottomless, she couldn’t see through them at all or figure out what he was feeling. It sent a wave of panic and fear rushing through her.

“Babe, what’s wrong?” Grace stammered.

“I’ve told you so many times, just call me by my name,” Hugo said, his voice unexpectedly calm, all the earlier anger gone.

“Have you watched today’s news?” Hugo asked. People filmed the acid attack outside the restaurant and plastered it all over social media.

“What?” Grace’s smile froze. She’d been so happy, she’d nearly forgotten all about it. She tried to keep her cool, feigning ignorance. “News? What news?”

She’d forgotten that Hugo was a pro at seeing lies. Any act she put on was useless. He could see right through her. Maybe this whole thing was her doing, Hugo thought, suspicion and anger churning inside him.

With a cold, mocking laugh, Hugo loosened his grip, then suddenly slammed his fist into the wall right next to Grace’s face. Grace instinctively covered her head. “Ah!”

“Grace, I never should’ve protected you just because of our families. Someone like you doesn’t deserve it!” Hugo said coldly.

Hugo couldn’t believe how foolish he’d been, thinking Grace was confused, mistaking her dependence, and that everything could be fixed through communication and mutual understanding.

Hugo’s chest rose and fell violently, and Bowen’s words echoed in his mind. His sentences cut right to the bone. If I can’t even take her side, what right do I have to say I love her? Hugo thought bitterly, the truth stinging more than he’d expected.

“You better pray you had nothing to do with what happened to Birgitte!” Hugo warned, his voice cold and sharp. “If I find out you did, you’re finished.”

The last look Hugo gave her made Grace’s body go cold. She stood in a daze, still reeling long after he was gone.

“Miss Lawson!” the assistant called out softly, jolting her back to her senses.

Grace suddenly turned to her. “Did any of the security or other staff see Hugo come over to see me just now?”

The assistant had picked up from their conversation that the guy who barged in was the one Grace had been thinking about all this time. She figured Grace was worried that Hugo showing up out of the blue at the TV station might get out and bring some unwanted attention.

“They probably did,” the assistant said. “But don’t worry, I’ll go talk to them and make sure nothing gets…”

“No!” Grace cut her off. “Let it spread. I want everyone to know that Hugo Moore flew into a rage for my sake.”

At first, Grace thought that since she never showed her face in this matter, there was no way anyone would connect her with the case. Even if Hugo started digging, he probably wouldn’t suspect her, especially with the ties between their families. She figured she’d be untouchable.

At worst, perhaps some crazy fans of hers would get blamed. But Grace never expected Hugo to lock onto her as the prime suspect right from the start. She knew better than to risk her life betting against Hugo’s professional instincts.

Since things had developed to this, the only way was to drag Hugo down with her. If he got caught up in this too, she’d have some leverage, and it’d be much easier to handle him.

The assistant didn’t quite understand. However, her fate was with Grace. “Got it, Miss Lawson. I’ll take care of it right away.”

Meanwhile, Hugo wasn’t wasting any time. As he stepped out of the TV station, he called up a colleague. “Hey, about that acid attack case the cops are handling today… Can you check these accounts for me?” The accounts he rattled off were all Grace’s social media profiles.

“Huh? Hugo, we can’t just look into accounts without going through the proper channels,” his colleague protested.

“Just do it for me this once!” Hugo urged. “If anything happens, I’ll take the blame.”

Given Hugo’s connections, his colleague agreed. “Alright, but the soonest I can get you results is tomorrow.”

Chapter 461

Birgitte woke up and realized something big had happened overnight. Because of the acid attack by one of Grace’s crazed fans, Birgitte already had some old drama tied to her name. With insiders spreading the details, everyone online was waiting for the next juicy update.

Before Birgitte could even respond, news broke that Hugo had snuck into the TV station in the middle of the night. Then, Hugo and Grace’s conversation leaked online.

Grace’s fans started speaking up for her: [What does this have to do with Grace? Is it her job to control her fans?]

[And he calls himself a public servant? The way he acted, I honestly thought he was about to kill someone!]

[Honestly, what did Grace even do wrong? Hugo and Birgitte weren’t even dating. Is it a crime to go after someone you like?]

Hugo’s special status only made things messier. He barged into the TV station without a shred of evidence and then laid his hands on Grace during their confrontation. Even if he didn’t hurt Grace, his behavior was just way too controversial.

Birgitte, who should’ve been the clear victim, suddenly found herself unable to defend her side. Thanks to all the chaos Hugo stirred up, the truth eventually got muddled.

“Look at this mess you’ve made!” In the office, the chief slammed a thick stack of files down in front of Hugo. “These are all reports filed against you!”

Hugo stayed silent. Meanwhile, the chief was fuming. Hugo was from the Moore family in Rithol City, and everyone knew he was supposed to be heading for a promotion sooner or later. “You were way too reckless this time.”

“I didn’t do anything wrong. No matter how you look at it, Grace is the main suspect in this case,” Hugo finally argued.

“If she’s a suspect, you should go through the proper channels!” the chief snapped. “Who barges into someone’s workplace in the middle of the night like that? What were you trying to do? Threaten or coerce her?”

Hugo moved his lips slightly. “I’ll take full responsibility.”

“Take full responsibility? And how do you plan to do that?” the chief shot back.

“A transfer, or a demotion. Whatever is in line with the rules. Do it,” Hugo said calmly. He saluted, then turned and walked out, ignoring the chief, who was so furious he looked like he might pass out.

At that moment, Hugo only wanted to break the rules for once. After all, he got relevant evidence from a colleague.

At the hospital, Birgitte brought Patrick breakfast. “Birgitte, I saw all the stuff going on online,” Patrick said.

His back was still injured, so moving around was tough. Birgitte wasn’t the sentimental type. She knew the only reason she was safe and sound was because of what he’d done. She carefully fed him one spoonful at a time.

“You don’t need to worry about it. I’ll take care of things,” Birgitte said.

Patrick stared at her, his voice a little shaky. “Birgitte, what I mean is…”

“I didn’t save you just because I happened to be there. I did it because I like you!” he said, finally confessing.

Patrick was a few years younger than her, with fresh, boyish good looks. He was the type who’d be popular on any college campus.

Birgitte was stunned. She never in a million years expected him to have feelings for her.

“I’m serious,” Patrick went on, “back when I was in school, I already knew all about you. I looked up to you so much. After I graduated, all I wanted was to work at Bree Technology. I got so lucky, you were the one who interviewed me, and I…”

His smile lit up his whole face, as if he’d forgotten about the pain in his back. “I feel lucky I could take that bottle of acid for you. If it had hit you instead, I’d never forgive myself.”

It felt as if something inside Birgitte just melted. She would be lying if she said she wasn’t moved. Birgitte found herself staring at Patrick, lost in thought. The memory of him holding her close that day, shielding her from even the slightest harm, replayed in her mind.

“I…” she spoke, but before she could say anything else, there was a clanking sound.

“Seems like I picked the wrong time to come in,” Hugo said.

Both of them turned to see Hugo standing at the doorframe.

The sound came from the fruit basket slipping out of his hands and hitting the floor. The fruit scattered everywhere, just like his mood, smashed into pieces.