I've Been There Before (Grace and Caden) novel Chapter 173

Grace reached out her left leg and therefore half of her body was hanging in the air. Sam, who stood downstairs, stared at the woman who was standing at the stairwell of the second floor. Although he was confused about why this woman was not wearing a white dress, he batted the doubts out of his mind when he thought that she was now suffering.

This woman must be going through some kinds of mental tortures. And judging from her action was she going to jump off?

Oh, just jump! Quicker!

She should have died three years ago! She should have died!

She was the one who caused the miserable death of his beloved daughter Wallis three years ago, while those sufferings were supposed to fall on this woman. What if… then Wallis wouldn’t have died.

Like a poisonous snake, Sam stared at Grace with his sharp, vicious eyes… Jump! Jump quickly!

But Grace had noticed the ill intention in this old butler.

The make-up stylist had exquisitely rogued her lips. Grace slightly curled her red lips into a smile and steadily landed her leg on the next stair. Then she saw infinite depression in Sam’s eyes.

Mr. Venus, did I disappoint you since I didn’t jump off?

Although Grace was smiling, she felt her heart aching.

Back then, when she was a child, Sam used to caress her hair fondly and watch by the side when she and Wallis were playing together, repeatedly urging them not to leave the yard.

Grace walked step by step down the stairs and her pace was quite steady. The black dress she was wearing now set off her skinny figure. She then walked pass Sam without even giving him a glance.

It was just like what she had said three years ago… Oh no, precisely four years ago.

“Your hatred is far beyond what I can endure.”

She couldn’t endure it four years ago, and it was the same today.

Caden appeared around a corner. When he glanced at Grace, he furrowed his eyebrows into a knit, “It’s too red.” He reached out his hand and softly brushed her lips, wiping off some of the red lipstick, “Looks better now.” She looked so beautiful now. But to Caden, only he himself could appreciate it, and definitely, he wouldn’t allow those horny men in the party to see this.

He then frowned again, “The make-up is too heavy.” He pulled a long face when noticing this, and then called the make-up stylist to come, “Are you qualified to be a make-up stylist? Is such a heavy make-up suitable for her?”

In fact, earlier, when they were in the bedroom upstairs, the make-up stylist had had a conflict with Grace. After that, she was bribed by Sam, and therefore she put a heavy make-up on Grace’s face.

Right at this moment, the make-up stylist squatted down like a timid quail and shivered all over, “Pr… President Smith, I… I will redo it.”

“Mrs. Shaw.”

“What?”

“She’s my wife-to-be.” Caden coldly glanced at the make-up stylist, “Tell me, how you should address my wife-to-be?”

The make-up stylist’s face suddenly became pale and her forehead broke into cold sweats, wetting and blurring her delicate make-up.

A person, who stood behind the crowd, seemed to be dumbfounded by the conversation. He abruptly raised his head and glanced over at Caden and Grace, and then quickly lowered his head again.

There were inexplicable hatred and sorrow in his eyes.

Before stepping out of the room, Caden turned around to look at Sam, “Mr. Venus, I want to have a talk with you regarding the matter I mentioned to you in the study last time.”

Sam’s shoulders trembled slightly when he heard the words.

“We’ve selected a mew butler, but considering that you’ve worked for our family for years, grandfather couldn’t bear to see you leave in this way. It is a convention of the Shaw family that all butlers of our family are supposed to work for us until they retire – basically, we don’t dismiss our butlers; after all, it would be a dishonor to them. Grandfather said we should at least appreciate your years of work for us. Half a year later, according to the convention of the Shaw family, you will retire as an honorable butler of the Shaw family.”

But he immediately added a blunt, “Of course I have to somehow accomplish my grandfather’s will, and naturally I appreciate what you’ve done to me over the past decades and cherish our relationship very much. I’ve shown you my mercy, but Mr. Venus, you should know clearly about what you should do and what you should not do in the future.”

Sam’s eyelids twitched… Caden was actually warning him: I will not dismiss you and keep you as my butler until you retire. I’ve shown you my mercy; then in return, you should act properly.”

Obviously, Caden was warning him not to make troubles for that slut – Grace James.

Sam felt overwhelming hatred and resentment in his heart, yet he didn’t dare to show it on his face, even a little bit. He was very clear that, right at this moment, if he dared to show his hatred towards Grace with his expression, or movement, then, no matter what Master Shaw had primed Caden, Caden, the young patriarch of the Shaw family, would immediately dismiss him and hire a new butler.

“I understand.” Sam added in a low voice, “No matter what had happened, the past is the past.”

Caden nodded, turned around and held up Grace’s hand, leading her towards the car.

His grandfather must have intervened in the accident happened three years ago, yet he wished to convince him with those flawless evident that he hadn’t done something wrong and that Grace was the murderer.

But what his grandfather hadn’t expected was that, after several years of getting along with him, Caden was quite familiar with his methods and habits of doing things. The extremely flawless ‘evidence’ hadn’t convinced that Grace was guilty; instead, he suspected of his grandfather’s involvement.

If Grace was really guilty, then what was the need for his grandfather to take great efforts to fabricate those ‘evidence’?

Since it was him who made a wrong judgment three years ago, Caden decided to compensate for Grace for the rest of his life. And as for Sam’s hatred and resentment, Grace didn’t have to endure them.

Generally speaking, the make-up stylist had her own aesthetic standard, yet she put on a heavy makeup on Grace’s face today. Alas, what a simple trick! To Caden, Sam was the only one who would play such a trick.

But if Grace was really innocent, she shouldn’t have to endure the hatred and harm from Sam, as well as, … the harm he had brought to her.

The party venue was brightly lit and the driver, Kirk, parked the car at the entrance. Ladd, who sat at the assistant driver seat, got off the car first and opened the door to the back seats for Caden. As he moved to open the door for Grace, he was stopped by a hand with clear and symmetrical knuckles, “I’ll open it for her.”

Ladd was stunned at the moment, and he then obediently stepped aside.

Caden walked towards the other door to the back seats and pulled open the door, and then reached out his hand to Grace, who was sitting in the back seat.

All along the way, so many thoughts whirled around in Grace’s mind.

She would rather live with no emotion or feeling, than realizing that Caden was indeed caring about her!

Grace looked down at the hand in front of her, after a long while, she pushed it away and got off the car by herself.

Caden reached out the hand to her again, “Hold my hand.” He whispered in her ear.

Grace paused and subconsciously felt being offended. But she tried to suppress the bad feelings by taking a deep breath and then breathing it out. She reached out her hand and put it in his palm… just as he had wished.

In the past, she used to chase after him shamelessly and hold his hand, but every time he would push her away. Then she would come over again and hold his the other hand. At that time, although she was pushed away over and over again, and although he was unwilling to hold her hand, she felt that they were so close with each other.

But now, although they were walking hand in hand, she felt extremely heartbroken.

Grace felt that the skin where there hands were clasping was so burning hot that she had an impulse to cast off his hand.

The scenes when she was chasing after him in the young ages and the scenes of her sufferings in the prison flashed in front of her eyes.

She just wanted to cast off his hand like flinging down off a flaming iron.

In the Shaw Manor

The mobile phone on the table rang and vibrated violently, as if it was urging the owner to answer the call.

Someone picked up the phone. When he saw the caller ID, he immediately connected it.

“Kern Lo, so you understand the pros and cons, and decide to help me? Kern, I’ve told you, this is for your own good. After all, you’ve been bothered by your mom’s…”

“Shut up!” Kern, who was on the other end of the phone, coldly interrupted his words. There was extreme coldness in his eyes, “Old dog, if you dare to say more, I promise you won’t be able to see the sun of tomorrow. Do you think I will carry out my promise?”

“Kern, you don’t need to threaten me! We share the same goal.” Sam had been irritated by Caden’s words – ‘she’s my wife-to-be’, that he had lost his marbles.

“Haha, I didn’t say that I’ll help you.” Kern snorted. He was a man of no conscientiousness; of course he won’t repent of bringing miserable sufferings to an innocent woman. Neither would he reach out his hand to pull that woman out of the hell. Therefore, that woman could only die miserably.

“Listen, those people appeared in S City.”

Sam’s eyes widened as his grey pupils shrank, “What did you say?”

“My men saw those ruffians at the ‘mouth’ of a small alley of the Construction Road. But it was dark so they didn’t see it clearly and were not that sure. They reported it to me and I checked the surveillance videos nearby… Old dog, don’t blame me for not reminding you. If Caden finds them before you and finds out what has happened in that year, I think you know what the consequence will be.”

“Kern, not only me, you’re also afraid of the reveal of the truth.”

“Haha, I don’t care about it. That old dog won’t allow an internal strife to happen.”

“You can’t stand aside, that very year…”

“Du…”

Sam widened his eyes in disbelief and stared at the phone that had been hung up… How could Kern be so indifferent?

Suddenly!

Sam slammed a cloisonné onto the ground, “Kern Lo, if you hadn’t intervened in in that year, my dear Wallis won’t have died!”

Now Kern Lo wanted to pass the buck?

No way!

Plus, if those ruffians really reappeared in S City, then it was just a matter of time for Young Master Shaw to find them.

If the truth was revealed bit by bit… then Wallis! Wallis’s position in Caden’s heart would be threatened!

Sam tightened his grip at the phone and shivered all over because of the anger.

He took a deep breath and called Caden’s grandfather, Master Shaw, and reported this matter in panic.

At the other end of the phone, Master Shaw pondered for a moment before saying, “I’ll find them out, but I need you to do another thing for me.”

“I’m at your command.”

Then Master Shaw briefly gave an order to Sam. The voice of the old Master Shaw was so horse, “Understand?”

At the other end of the phone, Sam suddenly clenched his fists, “Rest assured, Master Shaw. I will get it finished.” This was… also for the good of Wallis.

As for that bitch… She was not innocent anyway. If she would… at that time, then Wallis wouldn’t have died.

With the evil thought, Sam ended the call. There was vicious intention glittering in his malicious eyes.

It was so good that he and Master Shaw happened to have the same plan.

In this way, there wouldn’t be any internal strife in the Shaw family, and everything would become what it was in the past.

At the party

“Who’s that?”

“How comes that she’s together with President Shaw?”

“Who’s she?”

“Oh, you don’t know her? Alas, no wonders, with his current appearance, except those who had been so close with her in the past, people could barely recognize her.”

Caden and Grace walked into the banquet hall. All of a sudden, the whole hall was overwhelmed by silence. But since there were so many people here, after a while, they began to discuss in whispers.

Humbert and Ingemar exchanged a look and then walked over.

“Miss James, long time no see. It seems that you’ve lost some weight?” Obviously, Humbert didn’t like Grace. He had tried to stop Caden from getting alone with Grace, but Caden had always been arrogant and stubborn. And it was hard for him to change his mind.

Humbert would feel bothered every time when thinking of Grace. Naturally, he would avoid being troubled by this matter as possible.

But now, when seeing Grace, he subconsciously showed a trace of provocation in his attitude.

Unlike Humbert, Ingemar didn’t take a dislike of Grace.

“Grace, you were not so skinny before. Did Caden forbid you from having meals?” Ingemar bantered.

Humbert pouted and took a sip of wine.

Grace blandly shot a glance at Humbert. People around kept discussing about them. Suddenly, there came a voice, “Miss James, how have you been since I saw you last time.”

Grace felt that the voice was so familiar that her eyelids twitched.

She raised her head.

“Hello, Mr. Cayne.”

Cayne remained unchanged. He was still as charming as a siren and was even more ‘beautiful’ than women. But he was not sissy.

At the moment when Caden saw Grace being led into the banquet hall by a man from afar, a trace of jealousy surged in his heart. He could not figure out why he would feel jealous, but he just felt it so unpleasant to see the hands clasping together.

Therefore, he subconsciously walked over them.

Originally, Grace was not willing to stay at here for too long, so she said, “Sorry, I need to go the washroom.”

Cayne stared at the woman in front of him. She was as fleshless as she was before, and the burdens on her shoulders also remained the same… Also, she could still arise his desire to conquer her!

But he had once conquered this woman!

A trace of regret and confusion crept in his heart.

After finishing the words, Grace took back her hand and turned around. All of the sudden, she felt her hand being held again. She raised her head and bumped into Caden’s black eyes, and furrowed her eyebrows, “I want to go to the washroom.”

“Okay.” Caden reached out his hand. Grace subconsciously dodged backwards. “Don’t move.” He ordered in a low voice and gently used his slender fingers to tuck the hair on her temples to her ears, and then said softly, “Your hair was messy.”

No one would have expected that Caden’s action would cause a commotion.

Cayne looked over with infinite indignation appeared in his eyes.

“How much have him paid you?” Wasn’t him the only one eligible to tie up her hair and tuck it?

Grace staggered as her heart skipped a beat.

At the same time, someone retorted before she could answer.

Caden subtly blocked Cayne, “Didn’t your parents teach you to brush your teeth before going out? A filthy mouth cannot utter decent language!” Caden stared at Cayne as a trace of coldness and viciousness flashed across his eyes.

“Then you should ask my parents, not me.”

Cayne retorted, refusing to make a concession.

Humbert and Ingemar felt that something was going to be wrong… and then glanced around.

The quarrel here had attracted the attention of some of the guests.