Please Me Daddy (Gracie) novel Chapter 91

I’m more crazy than I look

Grace

Sometimes, the best way to shut someone up was to put them in their place.

When I was younger, my mother always emphasized beauty. To her, a beautiful woman always had her way in life. That was the only reason she could tolerate me, because I was beautiful. I never understood the obsession. People told me I was pretty, men flirted, women compared each other, but I never thought beauty was the currency of my worth.

That was why I never hesitated to dress this way. In fact, it was far more comfortable than how my mother wanted me to dress. I didn’t need to pile on makeup, or wear heels that dug into my feet, or push -up bras.

But ever since I joined this company, my appearance had been belittled, mocked, and humiliated, especially by the woman in front of me.

Piper.

I was the kind of woman who believed all women should support each other, no matter how they looked, but this was the last straw. I was done being their easy target. If Piper and her little clique were so fixated on appearances, maybe it was time to remind her what that game really felt like.

Her face flushed red, lips trembling as she spat, “You-

“”

“Oh, am I wrong?” I cut her off. My lips curled slightly. “I thought we were focusing on appearances today. So let me give you a bit of advice.”

Her glare darkened, but I didn’t stop.

“Spend less time worrying about how you look and more time on your personality and the way you treat people. Because as flawless as you think your face is, it won’t cover up what’s rotten inside. Not even all the makeup in the world can hide that. But what do I know, right? I’m just an underdressed librarian.” The entire hall went silent. Even River, sitting right beside me, shifted slightly, his expression amused but clearly surprised.

Fuck this, I wasn’t going to survive in this company if I kept swallowing their words every day.

Piper’s face and neck burned crimson now, her fists tightening against the table. She slammed her palm down, rattling glasses. “How dare you talk to me like that?! Do you know who I am?!”

“That is enough.” The words cut through the air.

I turned and saw Mr. Aiden. He set his drink down, his smile gone, his gaze fixed coldly on Piper.

“That’s enough, Piper,” he commanded. “You’ve caused enough of a scene. Grace is your colleague. It is wrong of you to speak to her that way.”

“But she-” Piper started, voice trembling.

Aiden’s sharp look stopped her dead. She shut her mouth, seething in silence.

13

To my crazy There look.

“Apologize to Grace. Since you are the one that started this.”

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Piper’s jaw clenched. I almost rolled my eyes. Honestly, I didn’t care if she apologized or not. That was none of my business. And besides, Piper was too proud for that anyway.

But unexpectedly, Piper lifted her head, that plastic smile spreading across her lips. She looked straight at me. “I apologize. It was wrong of me to talk about your appearance.‘

I blinked, raising an eyebrow.

Well, that was quick.

I didn’t overthink it, Piper was a fake person through and through.

I gave a small nod.

〃

2

“Good,” Aiden said, already cheerful. He raised his glass again. “Now that’s settled, let’s get back on track and drink to our death!”

Laughter erupted around the table, the tension instantly dissolving as if the last five minutes had never happened.

Beside me, River leaned in, his voice dropping low so only I could hear. “You did better than I expected.”

I turned to him, catching the faint curve tugging at his lips.

“I’m more crazy than I look.” I responded.

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That earned me a smirk. He slid a cup toward me, his hand brushing mine. “I ordered this for you.”

I glanced at the drink, then back at him. His expression didn’t give much away, but there was something in the gesture that made me smile. “Thank you, River.”

Lifting the cup, I took a sip of the orange juice.

I was still enjoying the taste when a man’s drunken voice suddenly cut through the noise.

“Oh, did you guys hear about the CEO woman that came to the office?”

The words hit me like a slap. I choked, juice catching in my throat, and coughed as I grabbed the napkin River handed me, pressing it to my mouth.

All eyes swung to the man.

The woman beside him frowned. “What? Isn’t that just a rumor? The security later admitted he was lying.”

I froze, napkin pressed to my lips. Lying? My brow furrowed. He wasn’t lying. I knew he wasn’t lying. That was the truth. Then why-?

Apollo. He must have made him take it back.

The man shook his head. “He was lying.”

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“Why?” someone asked, leaning closer.

He leaned back in his chair, grinning. “Because I saw it.”

“Saw what?”

“I saw a beautiful woman walk into the company, and called the boss daddy. Do you know what’s surprising? Mr. Reed, that cold–blooded man, didn’t push her away. It was the first time I’d ever seen him interested in anyone other than his work.”

My eyes widened, my body going rigid.

Fuck. If I stood up and ran now, would it give me away as the woman they were talking about?

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