Grace seemed to have not heard the conversation between Carmen and Alice. She turned to her real estate agent and said, “An apartment or condo in a small building, with just two units per floor, is fine for me. I'm not considering standalone houses or townhouses. Do you have any other listings?”

“There’s one that may be what you’re looking for, just around this area, Ms. Lambert. Would you like to take a look now?”

Bornodded and followed the agent out.

Carmen, feeling ignored, was seething with frustration. “Grace, what exactly are you doing here? Can you just settle down for once?” She quickly walked over and grabbed Grace’s wrist. “Last night, we agreed to annul the engagement, but you’ve left everyone hanging, not answering calls. Now you’re here flaunting yourself. Are you shameless?”

One quick shake of her hand, with a cold expression. “Have you said… ergh, Ms. Oblik?”

Carmen, momentarily contrite due to the formal address, stammered, “What… what did you call me?”

Grace smiled lightly. “My Oblak. I’ve already told you I’m cutting ties with you. I’m no longer your daughter, so you don’t need to play the role of a parent. Your daughter is only Alice, and I… I don’t really know you!”

Carmen stood frozen, as if hearing things that weren’t there. In the past, if she had praised Grace even a little, Grace would have been pleased and promised to do better next time. Now, however, Grace addressed her coldly, with no warmth in her voice.

Carmen didn’t know how to respond for a moment, but then she heard Alice speak.

“Mom, I think Grace is trying to get your attention this way. How about I don’t buy the house and give it to her instead? I’ve got other places to stay.”

Carmen’s contusion disappeared in an instant. Of course, Grace was just pretending to be upset to get attention.

“Let’s not pay attention to her. Let her put on a show. Eventually, she’ll come back when she gets tired of it,” Alice said.

Carmen took a deep breath and linked arms with Alice. “Who says we’re not buying it? We’re getting it.”

“Thanks, Mom.”

Alice looked smugly at Grace, expecting to see jealousy or resentment in her eyes, but Grace had already walked a distance away with the agent, looking completely unconcerned.

They rode in the car with the agent for about ten minutes before arriving at the new property. The building was six stories tall, with two units per floor. The apartment was about fifteen hundred square feet, and the location was excellent. The price was ten thousand dollars per square foot, totaling slightly over fifteen million dollars, which was within her budget. It was also conveniently close to Henderson Group, making it perfect for her.

“Ms. Lambert, do you like this one? The owner is eager to sell. Since you’re a local, you know how central this area is. Everything is close by, and the security is top-notch. There are even regular patrols, so it’s safe even for someone living alone.”

Grace immediately liked it. The apartment was tastefully decorated, and the owner was probably a woman.

“It’s about fifteen million dollars. Couldn’t you bring the price down a bit?” she asked.

“The prices have been rising these past few years. This is the market price for an empty apartment, and they’ve added the furniture—good-quality pieces. If they weren’t so eager to sell, it’d be a million dollars more.”

Grace smiled. “Alright, let’s contact the owner and sign the contract.”

She could tell that the furniture was high-quality, and the apartment was only two years old. Everything was in great condition, and the agent wasn’t lying—the owner was indeed eager to sell. There was no need to haggle further.

The process went smoothly. Within an afternoon, all the paperwork was completed, and the keys were handed over to her. It was so quick that Grace was a bit stunned. She could move in as soon as she bought some bedding tomorrow, and she immediately felt her mood lift.

Meanwhile, Hendricks, though not seriously injured, thought about Grace and glared angrily. He was drinking with a bandage wrapped around his head, and Sloan, sitting across from him, looked tense, like he was about to explode at any moment. Hendricks couldn’t stand the frustration anymore. “That damn bitch! I’m going to kill her one day. Do you have any ideas on how we can do it?” Sloan, who had been slapped by Julian in front of so many people and warned not to cause any trouble recently, didn’t respond.

Hendricks immediately grew impatient. “Sloan, don’t tell me you’re scared of your cousin. Are you this afraid of him?!”

His words struck a nerve—Julian decided everything in the Sidler family. If Julian wanted someone gone, they had no choice but to leave.

Shan, clearly agitated, stood up abruptly, veins bulging on his forehead. “It’s easy for you to go after her. You’re Yancey’s uncle, and Grace’s been trying to please your family for so long, hasn’t she?”

“Range. That bitch is acting weird; she actually dared hit me. Me.”

Sloan’s eyes turned cold, seeming like a snake waiting to strike. “You go first. You can’t handle stepping in and finishing the job.”

“Fine, I’ll make sure this bitch suffers—she will wish she was dead rather than alive!”

Chapter 27

Chapter 37

Grace ended up at a hotel again tonight. It was the same suite as before—the one that belonged to the…

She had grabbed the keycard when she left in the morning, and after spending the afternoon dealing with the house-buying process, she was exhausted. Without thinking, she swiped the card and walked straight in.

She collapsed onto the couch, letting out a tired sigh. As she started drifting off, she heard the sound of water coming from the master bedroom’s bathroom. When she looked up, she saw Ethan.

He was drying his hair, wearing only a towel around his waist. This time, he wasn’t in his wheelchair—his feet were on the ground, though he walked very slowly.

Grace snapped out of her daze and immediately stood up from the couch. Ethan stood still, casually towel-drying his hair, before glancing at the door. He was likely wondering how she had gotten in.

It was the first time Grace had seen him without a shirt. Water droplets ran down his neck and trailed down his chest. She quickly looked away. “Mr. Henderson, we meet again.”

“This is my room,” he replied coolly.

Grace felt a bit awkward. She must have been too tired to think straight earlier. She hadn’t intended to walk right in.

Ethan moved slowly, needing to lean on the walls or nearby furniture for support. His posture was still erect, standing tall as if he were a resilient tree in a desert, unbreakable and strong.

Without thinking, Grace instinctively moved forward and helped steady him by grabbing his arm. “Sorry, I’m really tired tonight. I wasn’t thinking. I’ll go book another room right away,” she said.

Her hand was on his skin, which was still cool from the shower. He pulled his arm away expressionlessly. “The couch is available for one more night.”

Grace stifled a yawn. Her body was so tired it felt like she could fall asleep in an instant if she had a pillow. “Okay. Thank you, Mr. Henderson.”

He didn’t want her help, so there was no reason for her to stay close. She turned to leave but noticed he was heading toward the hairdryer. Its movement was slow.

Grace rushed forward. “You need to dry your hair? I can do it for you.”

She stood on tiptoe to grab the blow dryer from the cabinet, but the cord hit her forehead by accident. She instinctively stepped back, bumping into a solid wall of flesh. Erhan’s legs were still undergoing rehab, so he could barely walk; when she collided with him, he lost his balance and fell back onto the bed.

Grace held the blow dryer in her hands, immediately realizing what had happened. She quickly turned around to get up. But as she moved, her clothes snagged on the towel around his waist. He was barely covered, and the towel was about to slip. His gaze darkened.

“Grace!”

Grace rose and immediately shut her eyes. She hadn’t meant to…

Ethan noticed she had closed her eyes, averted his gaze, and then braced himself against the bed. His muscles tensed, and his wrist bone remained rigid.

He grabbed the blanket nearby and carelessly draped it over his lower body.

Grace opened her eyes, not daring to look at him. “Okay, Mr. Henderson, please get some rest.”

She was so embarrassed that any trace of sleepiness was gone. As she closed the door behind her, the master bedroom fell silent. Ethan lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling. One elbow covered his eyes, and he was deep in thought. His hair was still damp, and water droplets had stained the sheets.

He was usually so cold, but now, the atmosphere around him seemed different. It was as if the usual barrier of restraint had been broken, and there was a sense of dangerous allure about him.

Grace opened another door, still feeling awkward. “Mr. Henderson, I’ve booked a separate room. I won’t disturb you tonight. Goodnight.”

She was about to leave, but after thinking it over, she decided she should at least be polite.

After a long pause, Ethan responded with a low hum.