I've Been There Before

Chapter 266: I’m Delighted

Sitting on the driver’s seat, Vivian opened her mouth but found herself could utter nothing to comfort Grace. It was precisely because she knew her that she had no idea about how to comfort her.

She even felt that she who was sitting in the back seat with an indifferent look, was so depressed after returning to S City from tranquility.

There were many problems of the James Group. It was unknown whether the previous president just ignored them carelessly or Jafar didn’t regard them as serious problems.

Vivian felt somewhat sorry for her. Grace always absorbed herself in work, almost in a way that sacrificed her health.

She should hate Caden. After all, it was he who forced her into a desperate case bit by bit.

Throughout S City, only Caden could push her into such a dilemma.

But now, she was somewhat grateful to Caden. At the very least, he picked her up to have meals on time. Otherwise, she would definitely absorb herself in work and forget to have dinner.

The car stopped at the school gate. This was the second time Grace had met the tall and thin boy, who looked rebellious. Seeing her, he seemed to be unpleasant.

“Let me tell you, I don’t want to be a so-called James,” the rebellious boy glared at her and added, “We’ve known the check-up result. What else do you want? Since my bone marrow doesn’t match his, the result won’t change even you do one hundred check-ups.”

Sitting at the side, Nora was a little awkward. “Ollie, she’s your sister. Be a good boy.”

“She’s not my sister.”

Nora gazed at Grace who did not even raise her head. Till this moment, she was busy reading the report forms.

Instantly, she felt both embarrassed and aggrieved.

It was just like they thought they had played a trump card, but the other party didn’t even pay attention to it.

Nora pulled Ollie into the back seat and seated herself in the front passenger seat. “You should get along well with your sister. And I sit on the front passenger seat.”

“Who wants to get along with her?” After all, he was still a rebellious kid.

Embarrassed, Nora gazed at Grace again. However, she was doomed to be disappointed. She just focused on her work indifferently, not to mention her notice.

Nora could only slightly pinch Ollie’s arm and say, “Be a good boy.”

Ollie reluctantly got into the car.

Along the way, Nora saw Grace from the rearview mirror, who was sitting in the back seat with several reports. She nimbly rolled her eyes and said, “Well … Mrs. Shaw, you’re so busy.”

There was only silence.

Nora did not give up, “Well, there are so many report forms. The James Group runs well, right?”

Vivian frowned, showing a glimmer of coldness. “Be quiet. Grace dislikes to be disturbed while working.”

For Nora, the reaction of Vivian was just a clumsy denial resulting in self-exposure.

She sneered. Jafar was right. Grace was a rebellious and cold guy.

She jealously stared at Grace in the rearview mirror. These things should have belonged to Ollie.

There was silence all the way. Only the rustling sound of the pages could be heard.

Vivian felt a little sorry. “Ms. Grace, we’re here.”

“Yes?” She raised her head. While she was about to open the door and get off, Vivian couldn’t help but relieved her while seeing her put the report forms in her bag.

“Ms. Grace, there will always be work to do. You could read them later. Since we are here to have a check-up, you may relieve yourself from work for a while.”

Sitting at the side, Nora felt more curious about the scale and prosperity of the James Group.

Grace just rubbed her eyebrows. “It’s fine.” She then got off. These report forms were very urgent to be dealt with. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have endured carsickness to read them.

They went to the main building of the hospital and finished the sample collection. The medical staff said, “It may take a week or so to have the result.”

Nora heaved a sigh of relief. She was gambling. She guessed it would take some time to get the result of such a check-up.

Then, that would be easy.

After returning from the hospital, Nora told it to Jafar with details exaggerated, “You see, Grace was so vigilant. We are relatives and she treats us as if we are thieves.”

Jafar’s face darkened. “She actually guards against me.” Who Grace guarded against was indeed him instead of Nora.

Nora comforted him, “Don’t guess blindly. You should not blame Grace. After all, Ollie was my son and not Mrs. James’. You could only blame it on this fact.”

Jafar got madder. “Ollie wasn’t the son of Grace’s mother. Isn’t he the son of mine?”

“Alas … I just want Ollie not to be regarded as an illegitimate child. If he can be successfully recognized by the James family, others won’t laugh at him.”

Jafar raised his hand to pinch Nora’s slender waist to comfort her. “Don’t worry about the check-up.”

But Nora suddenly lowered her head in frustration.

“What’s wrong?”

“I feel that I am really selfish.” Tears flashed in Nora’s eyes as she gazed at Jafar with a guilty look, “Payne is your son, too. If Ollie was able to save his brother, my selfishness would just ...”

“Stop talking.

Couldn’t Grace donate her bone marrow to Payne?

Payne is her brother.”

Jafar was mad and almost lost his temper. “Forget it. Don’t worry about it anymore. If Grace refuses to save her brother, she’ll be scolded by all the influential people in S City.”

He wasn’t on intimate terms with Grace. She was raised by her grandfather. And when he was alive, he always compared Grace with him.

As a middle-aged man, he felt ashamed by being compared with his own daughter and couldn’t gain face for a long time.

His son, Payne, had been doted on by his mother since he was young. He wouldn’t be relieved if the James Group was administrated by him since he was so incapable.

On the other hand, Ollie was resolute and had great personality. Of both the kids born by that old woman, one was raised by that woman and the other by her grandfather. Only the little son born by his young lover grew on his side.

Jafar patted Nora’s shoulder and said, “Cook some nourishing soup for Ollie. He is just growing up. I’m going to deal with something.”

He stood up and walked towards the balcony.

As Nora replied and walked towards the kitchen, she peeped at the balcony. Jafar was holding the phone and calling someone.

…

Caden hadn’t put in an appearance for several days.

Grace knew that he had been on a business trip.

It wasn’t the first time he had gone on a business trip. But no matter where he had gone and how busy he was, he would always call her three times a day just at the mealtime.

Every time before he left, he would keep a straight face to warn her, “If you don’t answer my call, wherever I am, I’ll immediately abandon my business and fly back as fast as I can.”

It was also because of his warning that Grace almost didn’t dare to miss a call from him.

Almost. Yes, almost.

Once, her phone did power off. But unexpectedly, he appeared at her door 3 a.m., fatigued with the journey.

She was shocked when she opened the door.

Standing at the door, he just pulled her into his embrace without a word.

The moment she fell into his arms, she felt his beating heart. He grabbed her tightly, almost hurting her. She hesitated but didn’t push him away in the end.

In the office.

“Ms. James, what are you looking at?” Vivian was giving a talk, but Grace was absent-minded.

“What? Nothing.” She glanced at her phone again, but there was still no call.

Vivian put down the quarterly report and sat down opposite Grace. “Ms. James, you’ve checked your phone more than ten times this afternoon. Who are you waiting for?”

A smile touched Vivian’s eyes.

It was obvious that she had seen through her mind.

“You are mistaken,” behind the desk, she blandly said.

“Ms. James, you should be honest,” Vivian said, “Otherwise, it is you who suffer.” Though she did not approve of their being together.

“You’re mistaken.” Grace was still indifferent.

Vivian frowned and decided just to say it out, “Grace, is it so hard to admit that you are waiting for President Shaw’s call?”

“I didn’t.”

She denied without leaving herself leeway. Vivian couldn’t help but show her whites of her eyes. Suddenly, the phone rang.

Vivian glanced at the screen and saw that word. “Here, he’s calling you.”

“I’m not waiting for his call.” Before answering the phone, Grace did not forget to declare again.

Vivian nodded impatiently, “Alright, you’re not waiting for …”

She was interrupted before she could finish her words.

The phone plopped to the ground.

“What’s wrong?” Vivian sprang to her feet, and Grace was dumbfounded.

“Tell me!”

Grace’s face quickly turned as pale as ash.

“Grace! Tell me!”

“I ... I ...” For a long while, she could only utter a single word. Even a sentence could not be completed.

“He … he …”

“What the hell is going on?”

“He’s abroad ...” Her face was pale, and her lips shook so heavily that she could not speak a word.

“Go find a woman?” Vivian asked, secretly cursing that Caden was a bastard.

“Got ... got a shot in his heart. He ... he was now in the hospital and ... and was still unconscious.” Almost with all her might, she finished the words disjointedly. As she finished the words, tears had welled up in her eyes.

Vivian was dumbfounded. “Caden was shot and in a coma?” Even she felt it a joke the destiny had played with them.

That was why he didn’t text her in the past few days to ask her to have meals on time?

“Don’t worry. Everything will be fine. He has been in the hospital, right?”

Vivian was anxious and wanted to comfort Grace who was just staring at some point blank-eyed and shedding tears.

But she was too anxious to come up with wise words of comfort. “Don’t cry. Have you forgot how he hurt you? You should be happy. You don’t love him anymore.”

Grace said to herself, “Yes, yes. I should hate him. I shouldn’t cry. I’m not crying.”

She who was saying “I’m not crying” kept shedding tears. “What’s this?” She raised her hand to wipe away her tears. As if she did not recognize what it was, she blankly looked up and anxiously said to Vivian,

“I’m very delighted. I don’t love him anymore. He has nothing to do with me. I’m delighted. I’m so delighted.”

She grinned, trying her best to force a smile. She really tried hard to raise the corners of her mouth. But why would she feel them so heavy, as if there were thousands of pounds of weights on each of it.

“You see, Vivian, I’m laughing. I’m laughing. I’m delighted. I’m really delighted.”

Vivian couldn’t bear to watch her any longer. She who was neither crying nor laughing, smiled but her face was filled with tears.

“Alright, alright! Stop laughing! Stop laughing!” Vivian rushed over and said, “Stop laughing. Cry if you’re sad.”

“I’m not sad. I’m happy. I’m so happy. I’m smiling. Didn’t you see? I’m smiling. How can I be sad? I’m just smiling.”

“Yes, yes, you’re smiling. You’re happy.” She felt that the woman in her arms was too fragile, so fragile that she did not dare to easily show her the truth.

She felt really distressed.

How could a healthy man be like this just after a few days?

“Ladd said ...” Grace choked.

“Said what?” Vivian asked softly, worrying that she would stimulate the weak nerves of her.

“Said that he is on the razor’s edge.” She suddenly fell silent.

Vivian opened her mouth with her face changed … so serious?

Ladd had described him “on the razor’s edge”.

Just as this moment, Vivian’s phone rang.

It was Ladd. She hesitated before she could get it through.

Grace suddenly realized something. “Who?” she hurried to ask.

“…” Vivian opened her mouth a few times, “Ladd.”

“Hurry to answer it!” Grace, who had always been calm, shouted at Vivian excitedly.

“Alright, don’t worry. I’ll answer it.” She felt that something was wrong with Grace. She didn’t dare to irritate her at all.

After she answered it, Ladd told her something and soon the call ended.

“What did he say!” with eyes red, Grace urgently asked.

Vivian looked grave as she gazed at Grace who was in her arms. While Grace watched her eagerly, she couldn’t bear to hurt her. She tried to calm down before she said solemnly,

“Ladd told you to leave for Italy immediately,”

“I...”

Vivian didn’t give her the chance to say and just continued,

“As for visa, passport, and private planes, Mr. Ingemar will prepare them for you. There will be someone picking you soon.

Ladd said you should pack up right now. No need to take too much, but,”

She couldn’t bear it, but she gritted her teeth and said, “You’d better prepare a solemn all-black gown. There are too much things and you may spare no time to buy one.”

Grace violently trembled. She raised her hand like a puppet and wiped away her tears. Copyright Nôv/el/Dra/ma.Org.

“I’ll go prepare.”

She turned around blankly. Looking at her haggard figure, Vivian couldn’t help but shout at her,

“Hey! Just cry if you want!”