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.