Chapter 10

Grace opened the news and saw a press conference by Harrison Group announcing that Luther had successfully acquired Mitchell Group. Mitchell Group no longer existed. The news featured a photo of Luther, looking handsome and confident. Below the photo were many comments. "Luther looks so handsome and young, and he's the CEO of Harrison Group." "Too bad he's married. Isn't his wife Ms. Mitchell?" "It's just a business marriage. Remember the news from three years ago? On their wedding day, Luther walked out on the bride..." Though Grace had nearly forgotten how Luther had angrily left her on their wedding day three years ago, the internet still remembered. Despite that, she kept scrolling through the comments. Over these three years, she had known Mitchell Group would eventually collapse, but she hadn't expected it to happen so soon. … Meanwhile, Luther was enjoying his success. With the acquisition of Mitchell Group, he felt he had finally avenged himself. Elijah said with a smile, "The Mitchell family tricked you into marriage three years ago. Now, they're getting their comeuppance." Then, he shifted the topic and asked Luther, "Has the deaf woman been trying to contact you these days?" Luther's hand paused mid-signature. For some reason, Grace seemed to come up frequently in conversations around him lately. Even after their divorce, he couldn't understand why he couldn't escape her. "No," he replied curtly. Elijah was surprised. He couldn't believe Grace was staying so calm despite the major upheaval within the Mitchell family. He continued, "Is it possible she has actually come to terms with it? Carolyn and Matthew are looking for her everywhere. No one knows where she's hiding." As Elijah chattered on, Luther frowned in irritation. "Get out!" Elijah was taken aback. Only then did he realize Luther was angry and quickly left the office. After Elijah left, Luther instinctively checked his phone. He hadn't received any messages or calls from Grace. It seemed she really hadn't reached out. Meanwhile, Elijah was concerned. He noticed something was off about Luther's reaction to Grace's name. Though Luther appeared calm on the surface, he grew easily irritated whenever Grace was mentioned. Elijah went outside and called his assistant. "Have you found Grace?" "Yes, she's at a small motel in Easton." After receiving the location, Elijah drove to the motel. He thought Grace shouldn't get off easily after causing so much trouble for Luther and Casey over the past three years, even if she had agreed to the divorce. It was raining outside. Grace finished her volunteer work, picked up some medication from the hospital, and then walked toward the motel with an umbrella. The streets were nearly empty. As Elijah drove by, he spotted Grace's thin figure and decided to speed up. He drove past her, splashing water from the puddles all over her. Grace looked up with a vacant stare. When Elijah saw her reaction through the rearview mirror, he felt a twinge of unease. Grace recognized Elijah's luxurious dark gray Bugatti. She quietly looked away, pretending not to see him. However, Elijah wasn't done. He slowed down and followed her, calling out, "Deaf woman, have you grown a temper? You're not even acknowledging me now? Weren't you always so eager to please? Wasn't it your goal to win my favor?" Grace remained unruffled by his insults. Her feelings for Luther had led her to be pleasant to everyone around him, including Elijah. At first, Grace had no idea how much Elijah disliked her. She was always kind to him, believing that Luther's family and friends would accept her one day. However, that was just wishful thinking. During a party, Elijah bluntly told Grace that he was Casey's friend. To defend Casey, he didn't even bother maintaining his usual gentlemanly facade. He called Grace shameless and degraded her. In the end, he threw her into the pool, leaving her to fend for herself. Since that day, Grace had avoided him. Since Grace didn't say anything, Elijah stopped the car, got out, and walked toward her. He grabbed her arm and firmly asked, "What scheme are you trying to pull this time?" Grace winced from the pain and looked up at him. "I don't know what you're talking about." She tried to free herself, but Elijah shoved her away. "Don't touch me with your filthy hands!" Grace stumbled back and fell hard to the ground with a loud thud. Elijah stood there, feeling stunned that Grace had fallen so easily from just a light shove. As people began to glance in their direction, he grew uncomfortable and quickly got back into his car. Before driving off, he gave her one final warning. "Grace, don't think you can use your disability to mess with Casey. She's nothing like you. She worked hard to get where she is now. You'd better stay out of her and Luther's lives." After driving away, Elijah made sure to inform the Mitchells of Grace's current whereabouts. Grace lay on the ground, her hands and knees scraped and bleeding. The pain kept her down for a while. She couldn't understand why Elijah had become so unreasonable. She remembered risking her life four years ago to pull Elijah from a car just before it exploded. He was covered in blood and could barely see, but he had gently said, "Thank you. I'll repay you someday." She wondered if this was his way of repaying her. Grace never expected him to repay her, but she certainly didn't expect him to return her kindness with such cruelty. Fortunately, a passerby helped Grace up. "Miss, who was that? Should we call the police?" Grace's ears were ringing, and she couldn't make out what they were saying. Assuming they were concerned for her, she shook her head and replied, "It's nothing. I'm fine. Thank you…" After thanking them, she hobbled away. The passerby watched her leave with sympathy. Even if she had heard them, she would have refused their help. The Kent family was as influential as the Harrison family, with their medical industry spanning the globe. As the eldest son, Elijah could have taken over the family business long ago if he weren't so focused on supporting Luther and disinterested in medicine. Such a person was someone she couldn't afford to offend. After returning to the motel room, Grace took a shower and applied medicine to her injuries. Feeling exhausted, she lay down to rest. The fall had only strengthened her resolve to leave Luther. When she woke again, it was just before dawn. As she walked into the living area, she saw Carolyn sitting on the couch in a dress. "Finally awake? You're quite hard to track down." Grace's eyes dimmed at her mother's sharp tone. "Mom…" Although Carolyn saw Grace's pale and unwell appearance, she showed no concern. She walked up to her and slapped her hard across the right side of her face.