I've Been There Before (Grace and Caden) novel Chapter 179

He left in the early morning. Although Grace was at a blessed age which should be full of hope and dreams, she lived like an old lady who was in her late years. The sun was shining bright in the winter days; therefore she pulled over a chair, a woolen blanket and some hot water bags to warm her limbs and sunbathed under the roof. She had lived a lackluster life.

A new butler came to the house. The butler had a stern expression just like Sam and she could hear Sam guiding the new butler on the tasks in the morning. Both of them had been in the butler career for half of their life and their ways of doing things were impeccable. Yet competition existed between them under their calm appearances.

Grace overheard episodes of conversations between them. Their words were few but did not sound easy. She only stared at the front. As to whether the old butler’s duty was successfully passed on to the new one, she did not care. And she had no idea how their interactions would be.

Rustling voices were heard from behind. She caught a glimpse of the shadow of an acquaintance and stood up while supporting herself with the chair. She spoke blandly. “Mr. Venus, please come with me.” Her coarse yet calm voice successfully made Sam halted and turned. Hesitancy flashed across his eyes, followed by a trace of hatred. He then followed the woman who was starting off slowly.

She walked towards a secluded area and stopped at the corner. Sam soon caught up with the limping woman. The rhythm of his footsteps were irregular, maybe it was because his mind was filled with hatred, or maybe he was curious what she wanted to say to him who was her debtee. Nevertheless he had followed her without uttering a word and he stopped at the corner when she had done so. “What do you want?” He glanced at her with a suspicious look, all hostile and alert.

Grace chuckled when she saw that. Was there any need to be afraid that a lame person like her would harm him? She felt a sense of extremely ironic absurdity. “What are you laughing at?” Her chuckle not knowing why, had provoked Sam and he went exasperated. “You thought you’ve won? You thought you’ve taken away Wallis’s place? So that’s why you’re laughing so cheerfully in front of me? Grace James, you’re just Wallis’s substitute!”

He looked furious and he remembered what happened in the forest at the back of the garden yesterday once again…Wallis had only passed away for four years! His old eyes were fixed at the woman’s face before him. He wanted to see agony and sense of heartache from her face, yet the woman before him ignored his words and extended a hand calmly. “Give me that.”

“What?” Sam felt baffled. Grace let out a chuckle and looked at him, her dry lips flapped. “The thing inside your pocket.” Sam widened his eyes at once and replied. “I don’t know what you are talking about.” Grace shook her head lightly when facing the nervous butler and said, “Please give me. I know you want to put it into my porridge bowl when no one noticed in the morning.” She proceeded blandly. “I saw it with my own eyes.”

Sam’s bulging cheeks quivered. He scowled at her and scolded hatefully. “You want to complain? You want to tell mister? Go ahead. Since you’ve caused Wallis’s death and mister did not do anything to you, harming me and mister would not do anything to you too! Go ahead! I’m not scared of you!” She who had been indifferent had wavered a little from his words, yet she quickly returned to her usual aloofness at once. She looked up and gazed at his furious wrinkled face with a profound look yet did not utter a single word. She was even distracted at that moment to wonder whether how on earth should Caden deal with her that that old man would think he had done “something” to her.

Three years of imprisonment, wounds spread all over the body, limping legs, handicapped body and the despondence of being cast into jail…It turned out that all of these were not “something” in the old man’s eyes! She then glanced at Sam’s enraged face. The pain from her grievance was completely ignored by him. She decided to give up arguing with him as it was pointless. How would time make an exception for her and reverse itself if she wins the argument? She pursed her lips and her palm extended to the old butler. “You don’t want me getting pregnant with his child, same as you, neither do I,” she said. “Give me that thing.” Sam was shocked and he replied. “I don’t believe you!”

“It’s up to you whether you want to believe me or not. Yet until the new butler has successfully managed every single duty in the Shaw Manor and has gotten the hang of it, there’s no more chance for you to execute your plan.”

“You really don’t want to get pregnant with the offspring of the Shaw family? I don’t believe that! How would there be any woman who refuses to give birth to the child of the Shaw family in this world?” At least, he knew Wallis would not refuse that. Since Wallis would never refuse, how could this woman refuse? Was it because she was nobler, more virtuous than Wallis? Even Wallis could never reject the offer, how could this slut reject? Grace chuckled once more and no longer spoke. She turned and started off with limping legs. She staggered away, yet her back looked casual and elegant at the same time.

The light in Sam’s grayish yellow eyes flickered and he blurted out. “Wait!” He caught up with her with two steps and handed a small packet with oil paper wrapping on his palm towards her. “I don’t believe you!” He spoke angrily when he gave her. Yet Grace said no more and she opened the wrapping. A bean-sized white pill was seen. She shoved it into her mouth without even drinking water and let the pill dissolved and the bitterness spread in her mouth. No matter how bitter it was, it was incomparable towards the bitterness she felt. The wrapping fell onto the ground and she walked forward while saying, “Do prepare more…in the future.”

Sam was stunned that he could not response after a while. He could not believe that she actually ate the morning-after pill right in front of him! A thought suddenly sprouted in his mind : Wallis was incomparable to her as she did not care about fame, wealth and high status. Yet his shame turned to rage when he noticed the thought. “Yeah! Sure! I’ll definitely prepare more for you!” He swore secretly that she would get sterile after consuming too much pills.

The new butler’s last name was Garcia. Mr. Garcia walked straight towards Grace with a thick coat on his hands when Grace was walking to the corridor. “Where have you been? Madam.” He put the coat which was hung over his wrist on Grace while saying, “Mister cares for you and he specially asks me to make sure you’re warmed.” Grace smiled yet she seemed lacking energy.” I’m tired. I want to rest upstairs.”

“What would madam like to eat at noon?”

“You all can have your meal yourselves. I want to rest. Don’t disturb me at noon.” Grace went upstairs yet Mr. Garcia took out his phone and made a phone call to the new master to report the situation. “Madam seems tired and asks me not to interrupt her at noon. She has no appetite for lunch too.”

“Okay, I get it. Well done.” A low voice was heard from the phone. “Just make some plain and nutritious food good for the cardiovascular system. As for madam, she’ll eat.” He hung up after finishing and glanced at the two people in his office. “You don’t have your own work to do?”

Humbert put his hands in his pockets and replied. “Today’s off-day. I have plenty of time.” Ingemar crossed his legs and said, “Let’s have a gathering at noon.” A cunning look flashed across Caden’s face and he gave a wicked smile. “Sure.”

It was soon noon and two loud bawls were heard from the president office of the Shaw Building. “Caden Shaw! You bastard!” Ingemar gazed at a pile of documents on the office desk with his chest rising and falling while Humbert was holding a piece of notepaper written with the words : since you guys are free, go categorize and sort out the documents on the desk. Tell me when you guys have finished. “Fuck!” Humbert tore the notepaper in his hand to pieces and tossed it into the waste basket. “Damn him! He’s run away!”