Please Me Daddy (Gracie) novel Chapter 179

Grace

Jones?

Why did that name feel so familiar? I’d heard it before. I froze, and suddenly the nurse’s voice from the hospital echoed clearly in my mind.

“The Jones family is the second richest in the country, right after the Reeds, of course. Mr. Ryan Jones is their eldest son, and the heir.”

My eyes widened before I could stop myself. The memory from that day flashed through my mind, and my mouth moved before my brain could catch up. I lifted my hand, pointing directly at the man lounging across

the room.

“Oh,” I blurted out, “you’re that crazy man’s younger brother.”

The words hung in the air, and the room went silent.

I immediately clapped a hand over my mouth, my heart plummeting to my stomach.

Fuck. What was wrong with me this morning? Was I still shaken from finding out about Charles, or was it the lingering suspicion that Apollo might have done something to cause his downfall? Either way, my mouth had clearly stopped coordinating with my brain.

Every single person in the room stared at me like I’d lost my mind.

Apollo’s gaze sharpened instantly, his eyes narrowing as they locked onto me, as if silently asking where I had met the eldest Jones brother and why. I coughed awkwardly and turned my face away, suddenly finding the floor very interesting. Why was he looking at me like that, as if I’d just confessed to something unforgivable?

I met the eldest brother in the hospital while taking care of the child from the incident. That was all. And no matter what Apollo might be thinking, it was impossible, there was no way I had anything to do with anyone from the Jones family.

The very idea made my skin crawl. There was something deeply uncomfortable about it, something that stirred a strange, instinctive disgust in the back of my mind. I couldn’t imagine myself with the older brother, or this one.

I glanced back up, only to find Theodore Jones smiling wider than before. His grin was slow and knowing, like he was enjoying the chaos far too much.

Great.

Not only was everything confusing, but this man in front of me was Eleanor’s and Liana’s crush. No wonder he seemed familiar. His face plastered every poster in their rooms. He was everywhere, movies, billboards, interviews. He was the popular actor everyone seemed obsessed with.

As I finally looked at him properly, Theodore tilted his head and spoke smoothly. “Miss Grace, it’s nice to finally meet you. I was starting to think I wouldn’t get the chance.”

I raised an eyebrow, confused.

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Finally meet me? Why would he want to meet me? I didn’t respond, still trying to process what was happening.

He didn’t seem to mind my silence. His smirk deepened as he continued, “Let me guess, you’re a fan, right?” He gestured casually, as if granting permission. “Don’t worry. You can look all you want. I never deny a fan the right to admire.”

I blinked at him, completely stunned. What the hell was he talking about?

I opened my mouth to correct him, but suddenly I felt a sharp pressure against my back, like someone’s gaze digging into my spine. I paused and swallowed hard.

Why did it feel like someone behind me was staring daggers straight through me?

I turned around slowly.

The moment I did, I knew my instincts hadn’t been wrong. Apollo was staring, but not at me.

He was staring at Theodore.

His gaze was so dark, that my entire body went rigid. I didn’t know whether I should move, breathe, or stay completely still. The air around him felt heavier, and dangerous in a way I had only ever felt a few times before. It was the kind of look that didn’t need words to warn someone they had crossed an invisible line.

Theodore noticed it too.

He tilted his head slightly, finally meeting Apollo’s stare, then shrugged, a sly smile on his lips, as if he didn’t care, or worse, didn’t see Apollo as any kind of threat.

Was he insane?

I almost wanted to give him a thumbs–up for bravery. Or stupidity. I hadn’t decided which one it was yet.

Apollo’s voice cut through the room.

“Genesis,” he said, without taking his eyes off Theodore, “tell me why you decided to tell Chase to bring her here.”

I finally tore my gaze away from the silent standoff and turned to Genesis.

She looked entertained. Actually, no, she looked delighted. She was leaning back in her chair with a smile on her face, casually holding a box of popcorn like she was watching a movie instead of sitting in a conference room full of powerful people. For the vice president of the company, she was disturbingly relaxed.

Genesis popped a piece of popcorn into her mouth before answering.

“Why not?” she said. “Mr. Theodore here came to work with us, and his only condition was to meet the person who solved the celebrity issue.”

She glanced at Apollo, still smiling. “And for your information, you’re the one who told everyone that Grace handled the case. So I asked Chase to bring her in when you were being too hostile.” She shrugged. “Having Theodore as the new face of our brand will benefit the company greatly.”

Apollo frowned, his jaw tightening, but he didn’t say anything.

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Genesis chuckled, clearly enjoying the tension, then turned to me. “Have a seat, dear. Oh, and would you like some popcorn?”

“I’m good.”

“All right,” she said cheerfully. “By the way, you look beautiful.”

I smiled slightly, my nerves finally catching up to me. “Thank you.”

I took the empty seat beside Chase, my movements careful, aware of every gaze in the room. As I sat down, I could feel the confusion radiating from the executives. They were still trying to recognize if the woman sitting in front of them was the employee they had barely noticed before.

Across the table, Apollo and Theodore were still locked in a silent war, neither of them willing to look away

first.

I swallowed and leaned back in my chair. “What exactly is going on?”

Beside me, Chase wiped his sweaty palms against his pants and whispered, “Honestly? I have no idea either. All I know is that yesterday Mr. Apollo got a call saying Theodore wanted to work with us as the new celebrity under the brand.”

My thoughts clicked into place.

So that’s why he walked out of dinner yesterday.

Chase leaned closer to me, lowering his voice. “The problem is that the Reeds and the Joneses aren’t exactly on good terms. It’s obvious they don’t like each other, especially Mr. Apollo and Mr. Ryan, the eldest son of the Jones family. That’s why it was surprising when the second brother suddenly wanted to work with us. And honestly, the conditions he stated weren’t bad at all.”

“Then what’s the issue? If the deal is good, why wouldn’t Mr. Reed just sign with him?”

Chase looked at me for a long moment before sighing, rubbing the back of his neck.

“What is it?” I asked, my chest tightening. “You’re scaring me.”

“It’s because…” he hesitated, then shook his head. “Because I don’t understand it myself.”

“Don’t understand what?”

Chase swallowed. “The condition Theodore mentioned.”

I raised an eyebrow, urging him to continue.

“He wants the person who solved the celebrity case to be his personal PR agent,” Chase said quietly. “And that person is you, Grace.”

The words didn’t register at first.

“Me?” I whispered, pointing to myself.

Chase nodded. “Theodore wants you.

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Theodore wants you

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“And Mr. Apollo…” Chase glanced toward the head of the table, where Apollo sat, his expression unreadable but dangerous. “won’t allow that. No matter how good or tempting the deal is, he won’t let Theodore have you.”

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