Five Years Wasted Now They Beg Her Back novel Chapter 529

"Listen to me, sweetheart. This is not your fault. They are keeping something from you, and it's a massive crisis."

Grace Hart looked up, her tear-soaked lashes fluttering in shock. "A crisis?"

"Hmph!"

Old Mrs. Clarke let out a sharp scoff. "I just heard it from one of my old military friends. Someone has launched a ruthless attack on your company."

"Graceline Technologies?!"

Grace practically vaulted off the sofa. "Why? I've been stuck in the lab the past few days, how could something this catastrophic happen without anyone..."

"Calm down, take a breath!"

The older woman gently pulled her back down. "You just lost your grandmother. Who would dare dump this on you right now? Damien has been living at the office trying to shield you and handle the fallout himself."

"But... but why wouldn't he tell me?"

Grace murmured, feeling the ground shift beneath her. "We're supposed to face things together. I'm the CEO of Graceline Technologies, I have the right to know..."

"Because he was terrified it would break you, you silly girl!"

Old Mrs. Clarke sighed, her tone turning entirely earnest. "You were grieving. If he told you that someone was actively trying to destroy your life's work while you were burying your grandmother, what would you have done?"

I would have lost my mind.

Grace instantly knew the answer.

Kept in the dark, she merely felt the sting of Damien Clarke's absence.

But if she had known the truth, the sheer rage would have driven her to grab a weapon and tear her enemies apart herself.

"Even so..."

Grace bit her lip, fresh tears welling up. "I don't want to be protected like a child. It makes me feel like a complete outsider in my own life."

"Do they think all I'm good for is hiding in the shadows?"

Old Mrs. Clarke looked at her stubborn, heartbroken expression, feeling a mix of sympathy and amusement.

"Oh, sweetheart, it's not like that at all."

She patted Grace's hand. "Damien did it because he adores you and couldn't bear to see you take another hit."

"What do you think mouths are for? Besides eating and kissing, they're for speaking your mind!"

"Instead of sitting here driving yourself crazy with assumptions, you should storm into his office, pin him to the wall, and demand the absolute truth!"

Grace sat there, completely stunned by the sheer ferocity of the older woman's pep talk.

"Grandma, I..."

"No excuses!"

Old Mrs. Clarke cut her off. "Listen to me. Stop acting like the tragic heroine in some depressing soap opera, bottling everything up until you wither away."

"I don't care if his intentions were pure."

"If you're upset, you make sure he knows it."

"If you don't say anything, how is he supposed to know you're spiraling? He just pats himself on the back, thinking, 'Oh, my wife is so well-behaved, she's so understanding.'"

"Being understanding is garbage!"

The old woman was practically shouting now. "The squeaky wheel gets the grease! You have to raise hell! You have to show him you aren't some fragile little flower who needs to be shielded from the storm. You are a modern woman, and you can shoulder the weight of the world right alongside him!"