Chapter 85

The Lambert family and Lily moved East. Grace was still recovering at home when she received a call from Joanne. “Grace, are you marrying Hendricks?”

Grace Chand frowned. “Who sold you that?!”

Poinne replied, “Hendricks got drunk at Velver Eclipse today and told everyone you were his future wife. He even said the Lambert family has approved and that your wedding is at the end of the month. Other people were there too. They said the Lambert family invited them.”

Grace immediately felt uneasy. She tried calling Yancey, but he didn’t answer. Feeling increasingly apprehensive, she called Liam instead.

Liam answered cheerfully. “Guare, didn’t Hendricks say he was picking you up for your wedding dress fitting? The housekeeper is going to book the venue today.”

He added, “You’re about to get married, so why aren’t you back yet? I saw the dresses this afternoon and thought you already tried them on.”

So everyone knew she was getting married except her. Grace felt the situation was completely ridiculous. She took a deep breath. Even after hanging up, a suffocating feeling remained in her chest. No one had asked her about the wedding; it was as if she had no rights, merely a pawn to be dragged to the venue at the opportune moment.

Anger flooded her mind. She took out the documents Than had given her and meticulously reviewed each name. Her gaze finally settled on Lily’s name. She wouldn’t just sit there and let them make a joke out of her. She would make sure she humiliated Lily.

Grace immediately thought of Yelena. She had only interacted with Yelena once, but it was obvious how greedy she was. Yelena probably resented Lily for marrying into wealth, and jealousy was a powerful weapon. Grace had Yelena’s number. After work, she went to look for her.

Yelena was delighted to receive Grace’s call. Every time Grace reached out, it meant a windfall. In her eyes, Grace was nothing more than a walking fortune. Yelena was still bitter about the handbag incident from last time, but Yancey had probably already scolded Grace for it. Grace was definitely calling to make amends. Three hundred thousand dollars. That was all she would ask for this time. A drop in the ocean for an heiress like Grace.

Yelena became more excited the more she thought about it. She didn’t even feel like playing poker anymore and started packing up to leave. Her poker friends weren’t happy about it. “Yelena, are you leaving now? You still owe all of us five thousand dollars. Shouldn’t you settle that?”

Yelena scoffed and flashed the bangle on her wrist. “Five thousand dollars? What’s the rush? This bracelet is worth a hundred thousand dollars, but I just don’t feel like selling it right now. I’m about to get 300 thousand dollars soon, so you’ll get your money back.”

The three women exchanged dubious looks. If they hadn’t known Yelena’s source of income, they wouldn’t have bothered playing poker with her. Yelena was getting older and was still unmarried, which attracted a lot of gossip. She felt humiliated under all those judgmental stares. “The thousand dollars is nothing to me! Just wait, I’ll be back soon to keep playing. Unlike all of you, I don’t have a useless husband dragging me down at home,”

They weren’t close friends in the first place, and they instantly exploded. “Excuse me, Yelena, what is that supposed to mean? You think you’re better than us just because you’re single? It’s just because no man wants you. If you were as capable as your sister, you’d already be married.”

“Exactly. Your sister married into such a rich family, and you’re just a broke, unemployed woman with no real job. You don’t even know how my husband described you—fat, ugly, and not…”

Men were Yelena’s sore spot. When she was younger, she had been quite attractive, but her standards were too high. She turned down anyone who pursued her. Then, she watched Lily marry into wealth, which only made her more bitter. Yelena felt incredibly humiliated, but there was nothing she could say about it. In this neighborhood, being unmarried was enough to get people talking. She put her hands to her lips and said, “I’ll marry a better man than Lily did.”

Everyone erupted in laughter. After all, Lily had married into the Henderson family, one of the wealthiest families around. Everyone knew that Yelena was being delusional. Following this, Yelena went to see Grace in an incredibly bad mood. She had a sour look on her face as she sat down.

Grace wasn’t wearing makeup that day, but her beauty was still breathtaking. With a face like that, men would be lining up for her. Grace had drunk two cups of coffee and considered a dessert while Yelena was there.

Yelena wasn’t impressed. “Grace, if you want to forgive your debt, it'll be three hundred thousand dollars. Otherwise, forget it. Elena, do you want to marry into the Henderson family? Compared to 300 thousand dollars, becoming a wealthy wife is a far better deal. Otherwise, no matter how much you make, people still attack you for being single.” Grace immediately attacked Yelena’s vulnerability.

Velena's expensive jewelry glinted. Then, Grace dropped the bombshell. “Frankly, you and Lily are both…

Grace continued, “After all, you’re both beautiful, and you're not any less attractive than before. I met Lily recently, and she didn’t… If Hendricks cheated on his fiancée with Lily, why can’t he cheat again with you?”

Yelena’s face turned red with fury as her hands trembled. “Can you really help me?” Grace leaned in and whispered, “I can help you get rid of Lily…”