Divorced and Pregnant My New Life with a Billionaire Drives My Ex Crazy novel Chapter 264

“Do you think I was being sneaky? Maybe I was, but that’s just who I am. Sweetheart, how do you think I managed to keep my place by your grandfather’s side all those years? Did you think it was all thanks to his good heart?

“He came from old money. I was just a country girl. My family helped him before, or I would never have met someone as bright and impressive as him. He was handsome, smart, well-educated, and most of all, he was more loyal than any boy I’d ever met. With just a little push here and there, he fell completely for me.

“So, when the time came for him to go back to the city, I was the only one who encouraged him to leave. Everyone else in my family was scared he’d never come back. But honestly, what was there to be afraid of? I only gave him three months. If he didn’t return in time, I’d go to him myself and tell his family we were already married.

“Lucky for me, he wasn’t the kind of man to break his word. I settled down in the city, and little by little, I won over his family too. But Wiona, do you know how hard it was for me to really find my footing in Stonehill? People looked down on where I came from, on my education, even on my taste. But all of those things, I could learn. So I threw myself into it. I studied day and night, barely sleeping or eating.

“Even when I got better, there were always girls who looked down on me and tried to get close to your grandfather. Do you really think he wouldn’t have been tempted, if I hadn’t been there to spot trouble and handle it quickly? Just dealing with those girls back then was enough to wear me out completely.

“Men are all the same. I never doubted your grandfather’s feelings for me, but feelings change so easily. I know it was wrong for us to break up Jace and Kellen. If someone had done that to me and your grandfather, I never would have had this life, and my family never would have gotten a second chance.

“But people are selfish. The Salisbury family didn’t need a Grace anymore. They needed someone like you, Wiona. I adore your talent, your family, everything about you. You’re beautiful, smart, kind, resilient. You’re everything I once wished I could be.

“You are nothing like Alona. That marriage was arranged by your grandfather, but she was all family background and no brains. I know how much Daniel has suffered because of it. That’s why I believed, even if Jace lost that shallow Kellen, someday he would fall in love with you. Who could know what kind of girl suits him better than I do?

“So, when Alona paid off Kellen, I did something shameful. I worked with Taylor to knock you off your pedestal, to make sure you’d be willing to marry into our family. I know what I did hurt you, but when I heard you said yes, I was honestly over the moon. With you in the family, just think how amazing your kids with Jace would be.

As much as she had expected it, hearing the truth about Grandma Grace stung. Everything Grandma Grace had ever done, every decision she made, was for the Salisbury family. She had gone from a farm girl to the matriarch of an empire through sheer grit and cleverness, building her legacy one calculated move at a time. She protected the family, propelled them forward, and in her own way, even chose Wiona to take her place. Maybe she saw Wiona as the right match for her grandson, maybe she just genuinely liked her. Either way, Wiona had to give her credit. If she hadn’t found out she was pregnant right after discovering Jace’s affair, she might never have had the courage to ask for a divorce. Jace had shown his true colors and she refused to spend her life with a man like him. That was how she stumbled upon Grandma Grace’s secrets in the first place.

She dug through the box, hands brushing past old letters and photographs, until her fingers closed around a small key. She frowned, turning it over in her palm. What could it possibly unlock? Was it for a safe deposit box? Her heart thudded. Without wasting another second, she grabbed her phone and called Dr. Monroe.

“Put your mother on,” she said, barely able to keep the urgency out of her voice.

“Ms. Morgan, something’s happened!” Florian’s voice was shaky, on the verge of panic. “My mom… she’s missing!”