Chapter 289
Ethan took his napkin out and wiped the corners of his mouth with light dabs. “Yes, but you wouldn’t be able to afford it.”
Grace felt slightly embarrassed. When it came to wealth, no one in Druville could compete with Ethan. She pondered for a moment before a smile appeared on her face all of a sudden. It seemed like she had thought of what to give him.
She took a deep breath before asking, “Mr. Henderson, I’ll go and pick a present for you. If you like it, can you tell me everything about that plot of land?”
Ethan raised his brow slightly. Seeing how her face was beaming with confidence, anticipation flashed across his eyes. He let his eyes fall to the ground to hide it from her. “Sure.”
Since she had already thought of what present to give him, there was no point staying there. She left the hotel right away and contacted Selene.
Selene was a little taken aback to hear that Grace was trying to find out what Eleanor looked like. “Why are you asking this?”
“If you have a photo of her, can you send it to me?”
Every single person in Druville knew that Ethan’s first love had passed away. If she could find someone who looked like the late Eleanor, would it make him happier?
Even though she knew that Ethan was not really a tacky person, seeing how he had already accepted Jordan’s request to go on blind dates, he might just be able to accept a substitute.
Selene began asking around and finally managed to get her hands on a photo of Eleanor. When she sent Grace the photo, she gave a few cautionary words. “Don’t go overboard.”
She had no clue what Grace was up to, but she could sort of figure it out.
Grace replied with confidence. “That won’t happen, Selene. Thanks for your help.” They were both neighbors and had already become close to each other.
After Grace ended the call, she looked at the photo on her phone.
Eleanor looked demure. It only took Grace one glance to tell that this was the sort of face that could be a man’s first love. “So, this is Ethan’s type, huh?” she thought to herself.
She let her gaze fall. When she recalled how she had something to do with Eleanor’s death, she was afraid that Ethan might become angry if she found him a substitute. But now that it had come to this, she had no choice but to proceed. With the desperate situation at hand, this was the only solution she could think of. She started by visiting a few bars to find Eleanor’s doppelganger. Eventually, she did manage to find someone. It was a student who had recently started working at the bar. Due to her family’s financial situation, she was eager to start work but had not had the chance to serve anyone yet.
The moment Grace saw her face, she fell into a momentary trance. This young lady resembled the late Eleanor a lot. Her effort of combing through thousands of people had not been in vain. The corners of her mouth curved upward as she tapped the young lady on her shoulder.
“What’s your name?”
“Andrea.”
It was a great name, and her voice was gentle as well. She would definitely be Ethan’s type.
Andrea felt awkward standing in front of Grace. She had grown up in the countryside and had never gone to any other places before college. The fact that she could end up in a college in Druville was a testament to how much effort she had put in.
After seeing the liveliness and prosperity of Druville, Andrea felt even more inferior. Those beautiful ladies who donned pretty clothes always seemed so posh. This made her feel like a rat in the ditch all the more, like she was secretly watching others live their happy lives.
Now that she was standing before Grace, that inferiority complex of hers was surging once again. She kept wringing her hands. Then, Grace said, “From now on, all you have to do is listen to me and do as I say. I’ll have everything arranged.”
Grace had even given her ten thousand dollars. She told Andrea that she would be bringing her to see a man and that she would not have to do anything else.
Andrea was a little confused. However, Grace did not look like she was lying, so she agreed.
Once Grace had everything prepared, she asked Tim for Ethan’s schedule. Once she had confirmation that he would be free tonight, she made an appointment with Ethan to meet at the hotel in the evening.
The way she sounded made Tim feel uneasy.
“Ms. Lambert, are you sure that Mr. Henderson will be happy with your present?”
Grace had gone AWOL for two days. Along with the fact that she had resigned from Henderson Group, she had no idea what the atmosphere in the upper management was like.
Nevertheless, there was a saying the higher you had your hopes up, the greater the fall.
Tim had already given her a heads-up, hoping that she had truly prepared this present with great care.
Grace smirked. As she looked at the young lady standing in front of her, she felt very sure of herself. “Mr. Bennett, is there still a vacant spot in the upper management after my resignation?”
If Ethan was satisfied with her, they could let Andrea have her previous position right away. It would suffice as long as he could see her every day.
Moreover, if he liked her, he could totally marry her. Even though this would not bring Eleanor back, it was still far better than him staring at a tombstone. Now that she had arrived at this point, there was no turning back. All she could do was try.
Tim took a deep breath. “Yes. Are you coming back?”
“No. It’s pretty busy at Lambert Group, and I have a feeling that it’s going to be chaotic soon. Help me make an appointment with Ethan for this evening, 8:00 pm. I’ll be waiting for him at the hotel.”
When Tim heard these words, he felt a little relieved. It seemed like she had finally figured it out.
When he conveyed this message to Ethan in a low voice, Ethan’s fingers quivered slightly.
It was currently 2:00 pm, and he had a meeting lined up.
But everyone in the upper management had already taken notice. Their workaholic boss seemed to be out of it today. He was even seen looking over at
the clock on the wall several times.
Everyone looked at each other but no one dared to ask any questions. They continued with the briefing as usual.
The meeting only ended at 5:00 pm. Previously, Ethan would nitpick on every little imperfection in the
reports. However, he did not savnet
anything today and just kept silent the entire time. After the meeting ended, nobody dared to leave
because Ethan himself had not left.
He had his gaze lowered, so they had no idea what he was thinking. The more he
remained silent, the more everyone else in the room felt uneasy.
The executives had beads of sweat on their foreheads. Some had even discreetly
lowered their heads and began texting Tim.
In the past, such meetings had often been extended. However, now that the briefing session had ended, Ethan was just sitting there without saying a word, making the others feel perturbed. They were even starting to worry if their position in the company was in jeopardy.
Tim entered the conference room, walked over to Ethan calmly, and said in a low
voice, “Mr. Henderson, the meeting has ended.”
Ethan’s eyelashes trembled. Only then did he lift his gaze. His eyes went toward
the clock on the wall.