***Grace sighed bitterly as she lay on her bed, thoughts consumed by the past few weeks. It had been hell for her.After the incident with Noah’s mother, she had never been the same again. The words Mrs. Vera uttered haunted her, and the inability to see Noah only worsened the situation.She tossed and turned in her bed, grateful that it was the weekend.Grace let out a loud sigh; what really bothered her wasn't just being confronted by Mrs. Vera, but the wording she herself had used. Now, she feared that Noah might find out, and it wouldn't be surprising if all her statements were being recorded.She sighed again, repeating to herself, "This is not the first time she has met someone like Vera Creed." She knew of a woman who, in order to break her son's relationship, confronted the lover and recorded everything said about the boyfriend's family, leading to the end of the relationship.Although she didn't have a perfect name for their relationship yet, she was still scared."No," she

***As Noah gazed at Grace's motionless form on the bed, his heart plummeted even further. The doctor's words echoed in his mind, ‘She needs to rest but call me when she wakes up,’ but it had been seven long days since she last woken up.He couldn't shake off the guilt and self-blame that gnawed at him. If only he had acted sooner, if only he hadn't loitered outside her apartment for hours.The audio clip his mother sent earlier that day, replayed in his thoughts. It was a conversation between her and Grace. Yes, it pissed him off that his mother would dare approach the woman he loved; he was glad she could stand up against her.While he admired her courage, her words stung. He knew she likely told them to protect him, yet they pierced his heart nonetheless. He couldn't avoid the truth any longer. He needed to hear it from her directly, no matter how painful it might be, or he wouldn’t be able to focus.Despite the pressing demands of an important conference in Paris and James's persi

***Grace sighed as she gazed at Noah’s broad shoulders. He was indeed a man in every sense of the word.For a fleeting moment, she found herself unable to tear her eyes away as he answered his phone. But just as her thoughts began to wander, she shook her head, to avoid the creepy thoughts that were starting to sink in.“Wow, what a remarkable man you’ve captured,” Mrs. Hail exclaimed admiringly, seemingly materializing out of thin air. “Just like your mother, you have a knack for finding extraordinary things,” she added.Grace chuckled softly. Mrs. Hail wasn’t merely her father’s secretary; she was an old family friend, so, of course, she would know things about the Bush family that Grace herself wasn’t aware of. “Yes, but it’s not what you think,” Grace replied."What do you mean?" Hail asked, her expression filled with confusion.Grace hesitated for a moment, regarding Hail. She was the closest thing she had to a mother, and the thought of deceiving her felt wrong. Besides, perhap

***Lora sighed in frustration. As much as she would love to snub the annoying excuse of an executive questioning her right now, she couldn’t—not if she wanted to keep her position.Damn Noah, he just had to make his sex mate an executive, a position higher than hers. Grace Bush, the nobody, was now automatically an executive, a few steps away from being the President of O.S. Publishing Firm. And if she wanted to be the new boss, it would be a piece of cake; Yeah! Like Mrs. Vera Creed would ever let that happen.But the most annoying of all was her stupid cousin, Susan, who just couldn’t do her damn job. Lora clenched her jaw, her disdain for Grace burning deep within her.Grace, with her undeserved rise to power, symbolized everything Lora despised about office politics and nepotism. Lora sighed hard again, “Well, Susan, you heard her. It’s time to return to your desk,” she said, her voice full of frustration and resentment, as she shot a venomous glare at Grace.“What? You are going

***As Grace's eyes locked with Mrs. Vera's, she felt the heat of anger emanating from the older woman like a blazing fire.Mrs. Vera wasted no time as she stormed towards Grace with a chilling intensity, her words dripping with malice. "You slut; I explicitly warned you to stay away from my son. It seems your mother didn't raise you with an ounce of sense," Vera hissed, her hand reaching out aggressively, aiming for Grace's throat, only to be abruptly halted by Noah'."Don't even think about it, Mother," Noah's voice sliced through the air, cold and cutting as he stepped in to protect Grace."Seriously! Are you talking to me right now, Noah? Do you even know what you are doing right now? How could you even stoop so low and... Vera attempted to regain control of him, but Noah brushed her off with a causal indifference that cuts deep, showing the underlying rift between them. Family bonds be damned."James?" Noah's called out, his voice devoid of warmth or emotion."Yes, boss," James r