~~Continuation~~As things started to settle down, Grace looked more like an old woman than a young lady. With everything that had been happening, she hadn’t had the time to take care of herself.She appeared rough and haggard. She could count on one hand how many times she had bathed in the past month, and the few times she did bathe were in the hospital, terrified of leaving her mother alone even for a moment as the attacks became more frequent. She couldn't do anything until her mother's condition stabilized.Thanks to God and the doctors' constant care, her mother’s condition began to stabilize, and before long, they were discharged, although Grace was reluctant to leave.Mrs. Hail had returned from her trip and came over to the house. Her mother was already asleep by then."Wow!" Mrs. Hail exclaimed as she stared at Grace's haggard figure on the sofa. "Grace, you look like my grandmother." She said with a shocked expr
****Back in New YorkNoah stormed into the office in anger. "What the hell, Mother?" he shouted, slamming the door behind him. "Did I ask you to announce my engagement to the Keynes family? What were you thinking?"His mother, seated calmly across from him, didn't flinch. "What was I thinking? What were you thinking, cutting it off in the first place, huh?" she retorted, her eyes narrowing."For Pete's sake, Mother, I told you there was someone I was planning to introduce to you, didn't I?""Oh, you mean the woman who bailed on you? The same woman you've been searching for these past months? That someone?" Her tone was dripping with sarcasm."She didn't bail on me," Noah snapped, his voice edged with pain."Oh really? Then show her to me, right now," she demanded.Noah sighed, Grace's absence was pressing heavily on his heart. He knew she hadn't bailed on him, but her sudden disappearance was a mystery that haunted him daily. He didn't need his mother to remind him of the hurt."That
The S.O. Publishing Industry, New York, Six Months Ago"If someone had told me that my dream of working here would come true, I would have probably scoffed at them," Grace muttered to herself. "How I wish Mom and Dad were here to see this." She couldn't help but cry. "Seriously, Grace, not right now. Get a hold of yourself. No thinking of the past. You need to move forward," she encouraged herself.But the fact that the boss asked her to stay behind was weird. Now, it was 8 p.m., and apart from the boss, she was the only one in the office. As if that wasn't enough, he had sent for her. "Jeez, I don’t want to lose this job. I wonder what he wants."She stood up from her desk and went to the boss's office, standing outside the heavy gold metal door with a name boldly written in silver, "Noah Creed." she muttered to herself. Then, all of a sudden, the voice that always shook her to the core spoke."You don’t need to stand there, Grace. Come in.""Oh god! That voice." With one deep breath
Six months ago in Canada."I can’t believe this; after all my hard work, I still end up here," Grace Bush mutters to herself. Working at the local publishing company in her hometown has been hell, not just physically but mentally. She had applied at Davi Publishing Firm, a big company in New York, but ended up at O.S Publishing Industry in this local town, not even at the headquarters. "OMG! Was I cursed? Am I going to die here, aren’t I? This can’t be all there is to me," she grunted loudly, gaining the attention of the front desk clerk.“Are you alright, Grace? You are sighing out loud,” Edna asked, sounding worried.“It’s Miss Bush to you, and yeah, I'm okay,” Grace replied, her frustration evident.“You don’t sound so.”“Yeah, well, that’s because you're in my face, Edna; why don’t you go do your work and leave me the hell alone, huh?” Grace snapped. She was being rude, but she didn't care; the challenges in her life were already enough.“Fine, suit yourself.”“Great, thanks. Now
***Still lost in her thoughts, fantasizing about what her life might look like five years from now, Grace was jolted back to reality by a scream.It was her mother. Startled, she opened her eyes to find her father struggling with the car's steering wheel. The brakes had failed, and a massive truck was hurtling towards them. In a split-second decision, her father swerved towards a tree at the side of the road.Through all this, Grace could still hear her mom screaming, her cries reverberating like the world itself was collapsing around them. Maybe it was because, in the next few seconds, what occurred felt like a terrible nightmare, one she desperately wished she could wake up from.As the car swerved towards a tree at the side of the road, an unexpected collision occurred. Out of nowhere, a truck carrying metal poles slammed into their car. In the chaos, Grace's father was suddenly in front of her. She couldn't comprehend how he managed to jump from his seat with the seatbelt on. Bro
****Grace suddenly woke up from yet another terrifying dream, sweating and crying at the same time. Looking around the room, she felt a sense of terror, realizing her parents, who were supposed to be there with her, weren't. She did the only thing she could think of—she tried calling for them, but there was no response. She continued screaming until nurses rushed through the door, followed by her father’s secretary, Mrs. Hail."Where are my parents?" Grace asked, not wanting to contemplate anything negative. Her eyes darted between Mrs. Hail and the sad expression on her face. Fearful and still unwilling to accept the harsh reality, Grace pleaded, "Please, Mrs. Hail, my parents, they are okay, right? They are just sleeping in one of the hospital beds like I am, getting treated, right? Please tell me," she implored, tears streaming down her face.All she wanted was to see her mom and dad smiling at her again. Even if she never went to university, it would be okay as long as they were
Present.Grace reflected on her life. "Yeah, that’s the story of my life, crazy right?” She knew that in order to take over her father's business, she needed all the knowledge and experience she could get. That's why she applied to a big publishing firm in New York City, only to end up in her current undesirable position.Focused on becoming someone worthy of her father’s establishment, she didn’t have time for joy, parties, or dating. At twenty-six, she was still a virgin, a fact she attributed to her lack of time and strength for love. Despite her fears about family and loss, she wondered if there was a man out there for her, someone who could provide perfect love, and a perfect home, just like her parents.“Oh! There you are,” Edna said suddenly, appearing out of nowhere.“Jesus! Edna,” Grace said, shocked. “Do you have to sneak up on me like that? I almost had a heart attack.”"Really, that’s new.” Edna replied nonchalantly.“What? What did you say?”"Nothing; what could I say?”"
The D day arrived, and thank God, Mrs. Hail had brought the documents Grace requested earlier; she even added some cash. They arrived at the airport and went straight to board. With one last look at her hometown, Grace boarded the plane. Finding it difficult to believe that she was going to New York while the others were sleeping, Grace was deep in thought. Before she knew it, they arrived, and, OMG, New York was exactly as she had imagined—breathtaking. And while the others were busy taking pictures, she was crying tears of joy, tears of achieving her dreams. It was a first step, but she was happy. Without wasting much time, they went to the hotel, and Mr. Bert told them to rest up; by tomorrow morning, they would have to present themselves, and it seemed like the new boss would be present too. After the lecture, he left so they could sleep. Because she was so tired, Grace slept off without checking around, which was what she had planned to do once she arrived. When she opened h