Please Me Daddy (Gracie) novel Chapter 226

You really are a curious, smart little fox

Grace

I had seen that look before.

The first time was during one of the high–level departmental meetings, back when I was still working on the celebrity crisis case and Apollo had allowed me to sit in because part of the public relations strategy overlapped with executive decisions.

One by one, each department manager stood up to present their reports, speaking confidently about sales growth, and performance charts.

Some of them exaggerated their achievements in subtle ways, stretching percentages and polishing failures until they shone like successes. Others were so desperate for Apollo’s recognition that their voices trembled from trying too hard, and in their anxiety to impress him, they ended up making obvious mistakes. A few carefully chose their words, watching Apollo’s expression more than their own slides, adjusting their tone whenever his gaze sharpened or dulled.

That day, I did not just listen to numbers. I studied people. I watched their body language, the way their hands moved, the way their eyes flickered toward Apollo every few seconds as if his attention was the only validation that mattered.

Among all of them, two people stood out to me.

Aiden, the head of the PR department, and Sarah, the head of Sales.

They were different.

Aiden looked completely uninterested in the competition for attention. He did not exaggerate, did not try to shine, and did not even appear eager to speak. If anything, he looked like he wanted the meeting to end as quickly as possible so he could return to sleep.

Sarah, on the other hand, did not try to impress Apollo either. She did not need to. She was brilliant. The numbers from her department spoke for themselves, and everyone in that room knew she was one of the most capable leaders in the company. Apollo already noticed her; that much was obvious. She did not need to exaggerate or stumble over herself to earn his attention.

It was almost as if she knew she already had it.

At the time, when I first noticed the subtle exchange of glances between them, I told myself I was overthinking. I had always had a tendency to analyze things and build unnecessary stories around them. And even if I was not exaggerating, it was perfectly normal for women to want Apollo’s attention. Back then, before I even understood my own feelings for him, I had even thought they would make a good pair. She was intelligent, capable, and composed. It would have made sense.

But looking back now, I realize I misunderstood what I saw.

Her gaze was never that of a woman in love. It was not soft, nor was it hopeful. It was not the look of someone chasing affection or yearning to be chosen.

It was the gaze of someone who believed she deserved to be the center of his world.

It was pride, and entitlement.

It was the thrill of knowing that a powerful man like Apollo paid attention to her. She did not want his heart. She wanted the validation that came with being remembered by him.

When she staged her own death, and she orchestrated everything so perfectly, she must have imagined him drowning in guilt and grief forever. She must have imagined that even in her absence, she would remain irreplaceable in his mind. She must have enjoyed the idea of him suffering because of her. But then I came along, and Apollo began to change.

He stopped suffering because of her and remembering her the way she probably expected.

That must have been unbearable for someone like Sarah.

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You really are a curious, smart little fox

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My lips curled upward slowly, but there was no humor in my expression.

“How sad,” I murmured under my breath.

At this point, I did not even feel anger for what she had done.

“Honestly, I don’t even feel bad for anyone anymore, the only person I pity is you.”

“What?”

“You must have wanted Apollo, and everyone else, to remember you forever. You must have wanted to be unforgettable, but I took that from you. I took all his attention that he hardly remembers you now.”

A faint smile formed on my lips. “You’re so sad, Sarah.”

For the first time since this entire nightmare began, Sarah’s expression changed.

Her lips stopped smiling, and a deep frown slowly formed on her face. The confidence she had been wearing like a crown slipped for just a second, and in that second, I saw anger.

“What audacity do you have, Grace?” she asked, her voice no longer playful.

With slow movement, she lifted the gun that had been resting on her lap and pointed it directly at me, the black metal glinting under the dim light. “You must really want to die.”

I looked at her, but I didn’t flinch.

Before I could even react, River stepped in front of me again without hesitation, his tall frame blocking me from her line of fire as though his body alone could shield me from a bullet.

Sarah scoffed when she saw him move. “Look at you,” she mocked, tilting her head slightly. “Playing the knight in armor again. You do realize I can kill you first and then kill her, right?”

River’s posture remained relaxed, as if she were holding nothing more than a toy in her hand. “I don’t care about my life,” he said calmly, his voice steady and void of fear. “It’s long overdue to end anyway. But before you even think of touching her, I will kill you.”

My fingers curled tightly into my palms at his words. I forced myself to stay still, because if I acted recklessly, River would be the one to suffer first, and Sarah would shut her mouth forever, but I needed answers.

I took a slow, deep breath, swallowing down the rage clawing at my chest.

“It’s okay, River,” I said firmly. “I can handle it. Move aside.”

He didn’t move immediately. I could feel his hesitation, but when he glanced back at me and saw the determination in my eyes, he exhaled softly and stepped aside, though he remained close enough to react in an instant.

I faced Sarah directly. “Explain yourself.”

She raised an eyebrow at me, amused.

“You must have an explanation for everything, right?” I continued, keeping my voice steady despite the gun pointed at me. You claim you killed my father and Apollo’s father, but things don’t add up. The others, maybe I could understand. But our parents? You would have been too young and too inexperienced to orchestrate something like that alone.” a

I held her gaze without blinking.

“And your reasons still don’t make sense. If you were so obsessed with Apollo, why fake your death? Why disappear? Why create all of this chaos? I also heard you were pregnant when you had that accident. What really happened?”

Sarah stared at me, and for a moment the only sound in the room was the faint echo of my own question bouncing off the walls.

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You really are a curious, smart little fox

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I thought she wouldn’t answer, but then she smiled.

“You really are a curious, smart little fox, aren’t you?” she said slowly, almost admiringly. “Well, since you’re so curious, I’ll explain everything to you.”

She turned her head slightly. “Bring two chairs for our guests.”

Two men standing behind her immediately stepped forward, dragging chairs across the floor with a scraping sound before placing them in front of her like we were about to attend a performance.

I glanced at River briefly before walking forward and sitting down, refusing to show even a hint of fear.

Sarah nodded in satisfaction. “Much better,” she said, standing up and adjusting her coat.

Her eyes locked onto us.

“Now, let me tell you how everything really started.”

Sarah began to pace slowly around the room, the heels of her shoes clicking sharply against the floor in a steady rhythm that made the air feel suffocating with each step, and the faint smile on her lips returned as if she were about to tell us a bedtime story instead of confessing to years of revenge.

“Long time ago, there was a happy family of three. A man, a woman, and their precious daughter.”

She walked past us, her fingers brushing carelessly over the back of one of the chairs as she continued speaking in a tone that sounded disturbingly nostalgic. “They were a loving family. The husband adored his wife, the wife protected her child like she was the most valuable treasure in the world, and the daughter grew up believing she was the luckiest girl alive because she was surrounded by love, power, and wealth.”

“But one day,” she said, her voice lowering, “that perfect little world collapsed overnight.”

She stopped pacing and turned to face me directly.

“You see, that family was not ordinary. They were powerful, rich, and influential. They stood at the very top, just like the Jones family and the Reed family. But unlike the other two, they were… extreme. They made mistakes. They were ruthless in ways that even your families found uncomfortable. And because of that, the Jones and the Reeds joined hands for the first and only time to

crush them.”

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