Chapter 279
Goosebumps prickled across Thomson’s skin. He was certain now that the masked man standing in front of him was a psychopath. His lips trembled uncontrollably as he kneeled on the ground, too frightened to rise.
The masked man slumped into a black chair nearby, resting his face against one hand. With the silver mask obscuring his features, no one could possibly tell what he was thinking.
Thomson dared not speak. Silence stretched between them until the masked man finally said, “She broke up with me.”
Thomson stiffened, his goosebumps prickling once more. Though this time, he wasn’t sure if the “she” the man was referring to was Grace. However, as far as he knew, Grace had never had a boyfriend. Hadn’t she been hopelessly following Yancey like a puppy?
Who the hell was this lunatic, then?
If Thomson wanted to survive, he needed to say what the man wanted to hear.
“I’m sure she didn’t mean it. Maybe she’s waiting for you to reconcile with her. She probably can’t let go of you,” he said carefully.
The masked man tilted his head slightly. Though his expression remained hidden, Thomson knew he was weighing his words.
“Grace probably cares for you the most,” he pressed on. “Women are stubborn. The breakup is probably just her way of testing you.”
Thomson scrambled to think of something pleasing to say. He was now certain that the man before him was nothing more than a delusional monster completely lost in fantasies about Grace.
The so-called monster finally asked, “She’s testing me?”
Thomson let out a sigh of relief, knowing that he had played his task to perfection. He quickly nodded in agreement.
“Oh, yeah. She’s probably afraid that you don’t actually love her, that all the promises you made were just empty words. You can try meeting up with her again. Maybe that’s all it’ll take to clear up the misunderstanding.”
The masked man lowered his head, seemingly contemplating the suggestion.
A glint of malice flickered through Thomson’s eyes. If this monster actually sought out Grace, would she survive the encounter? That would serve her right!
It was all because of that bitch that he now found himself groveling for survival. “She doesn’t love me,” the masked man said coldly.
At these words, Thomson expended every last ounce of energy to retort, “No, she sure does! She loves you the most! It’s just that Grace isn’t the type to wear her feelings on her sleeve!”
“Is that so?”
“Oh, yes. If you don’t believe me, just text her and ask her out. She’ll definitely agree. Or pretend you’re hurt—she’ll definitely be worried sick!” Thomson yelled in desperation, wishing nothing more than for the man to go find Grace and release him immediately.
The masked man paused to consider the words before pulling out his phone. He began to type out a message.
Thomson wondered if he was really going to reach out to Grace.
His heart raced. He gulped nervously, feeling as though his life now rested entirely in Grace’s hands.
If he managed to survive the night, he vowed that the sight of Grace in the future would send him running in the opposite direction.
…
After ignoring Yancey’s persistent advances, Grace was on her way to find Joanne. She sent a message to Liam, instructing him to remain patient and wait.
Though Liam’s trust in her was implicit, he still felt compelled to ask, “You haven’t really taken a liking to Thomson, have you?”
“No,” she replied shortly.
Still not satisfied, Liam immediately gave her a call.
“Where’s your boyfriend?” he asked. “Why haven’t you brought him to meet me? Did he leave the cut on your lips? Did you two fight?”
Grace touched her lips, momentarily unwilling to delve into matters concerning Ed. “We’ve broken up. Let’s not talk about that now. Let’s focus on stabilizing the company.”
Liam fell silent for a moment, sensing that her mood had taken a sharp downturn. When Grace arrived at Joanne’s place and sat down with her on the couch, she fell into a daze, staring blankly at the soda on the table.
Joanne’s shoulder wound had mostly healed, though she couldn’t lift heavy objects for the time being. Seeing the cut on Grace’s lip, she asked, “Did your boyfriend do that?”
Leaning back against the couch, Grace’s gaze shifted to the ceiling. “Yeah. But we broke up.”
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Joanne’s expression stiffened. She poured them both some soda and asked, “Why the sudden breakup? I
heard you went on a business trip with Mr. Henderson recently Did something happen during the trip?”
Grace pursed her lips and took a sip of the soda. “We broke up because we’re not suited for each other.”
Joanne tightened her grip around her glass. By the time Grace looked over, her expression had already gone back to normal.
“What do you mean by ‘not suited’? Weren’t you really into him before?” Joanne asked.
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Grace sank deeper into the couch. “Fragments of old memories come back to me. sometimes, but they’re too scattered to make sense of them. It’s irritating. Just now, I met someone who looks a lot like Yancey, and it only made things worse. I suppose I’ve never had
much resistance to that face.”
Joanne visibly relaxed, a faint smile tugging at her lips. “Maybe you still can’t let go of him. Besides, you pursued him for years. Even if you’ve lost your memory, you can’t help but stiff like him.”
Grace didn’t respond.
At that moment, her phone buzzed. It was a message from Ed, which read, “I got hurt.”
Along with those three words was a photo that showed a deep gash in the center
of his palm. It was so deep that the bone showed through with blood gushing out of the cut.
Leaping up from the couch, she immediately dialed his number, but there was no answer. Even on the third attempt, the call went unanswered.